Friday, July 15, 2011
"The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can’t pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government’s reckless fiscal policies. … Increasing America’s debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that ‘the buck stops here. Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better.".....Senator Barack Obama
And who else voted no on raising the debt ceiling?
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Joe Scarborough: “What hard vote have the Democrat’s made on the debt…..NAME ONE VOTE!”
This is a short version but you can skip ahead to around 2:50 for the real juicy part. (or, you can watch the whole episode here)
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
(note: this post is linked to this Greenroom post)
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011

(left-click on photo to enlarge)
15th Annual Blues by the Bay Line-up Released
The Fifteenth Annual Blues by the Bay line-up is here. After the loss of the longest running Blues Festival in the country, 1973-2009, (the San Francisco Blues Festival---due to production cost over-runs and a slow economy), Redwood Coast Music Festivals, (RCMF) is proud to announce the our 15th running of Blues by the Bay. The Labor Day weekend festival will be held again adjacent to the beautiful Humboldt Bay at Halvorsen Park, Eureka, California on Labor Day weekend, September 3rd & 4th.
Our Saturday and Sunday afternoon headliners feature Tommy Castro and Tower of Power with a power-packed line-up proceeding each of them. On Saturday morning Laurie Morvan hit’s the stage at 10:30 a.m., followed by Kaye Bohler, Deanna Bogart, and Joe Louis Walker, leading into the evening finale of Tommy Castro and his now Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue, where Bogart and Walker will join Tommy on stage in what Blues Fans will never forget. Speaking of Blues Revue, Castro is featured on this year's cover that includes a plethora of current music awards sending Castro to the top of charts.
On Sunday the show starts with our own local gospel choir, The Arcata Interfaith Gospel Choir at 9:30 a.m., followed by Twice as Good, Tom Rigney & Flambeau, Earl Thomas, The John Nemeth Soul Revue, leading into the legendary music of Tower of Power at 5:20 p.m.
See all information and links here!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
(H/T: Breitbart’s Big Government)
The Post today cleverly calls this country’s unemployment rate a “domestic challenge” to economic recovery, while admitting what most Americans already know. The reality is unemployment figures provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn’t provide the true amount of Americans out of work. There’s a “hidden workforce” according to the Post, yet the only thing hidden is the media’s, (and the government’s), ability to destort these facts—until now.
“Overshadowing the nation’s economic recovery is not only the number of Americans who have lost their jobs, but also those who have stopped looking for new ones.
These workers are not counted in the Labor Department’s monthly unemployment rate, yet they say they are willing to work. Since the recession began, their numbers have grown by 30 percent, to more than 6.4 million, amounting to a hidden labor force that could stymie the turnaround.
Adding these workers to February’s jobless rate pushes it up to 10.5 percent, well above the more commonly cited 8.9 percent rate. An even broader measure of unemployment, which includes people forced to work part time, stands at nearly 16 percent.” link (emphasis mine)
This story kind of undermines Mr. Morrissey’s report by a WSJ “analysts” that unemployment might be heading down to 7%.
Of course, manipulating sources of information by this administration is nothing new. Recall the figures the Democrats supplied to the CBO when they were trying to keep ObamaCare under a trillion dollars? Does double counting savings from Medicare ring any bells? In the case of real unemployment, the Post calls it “a technical quirk”
“Part of the reason these workers are not factored into the unemployment rate is a technical quirk: Workers are counted as unemployed only if they are actively job-hunting. Otherwise, they are considered outside of the labor force altogether. That means Silver Spring resident Dirk Bos, 42, isn’t technically unemployed, according to the government’s definitions, even though he hasn’t worked since he was laid off from his position as a construction administrator at an architecture firm in 2008. Over a million members of this group have given up looking for work even though they are able to hold a job — people officially designated as “discouraged.” That’s more than double the number at the start of the recession.”
Now what could be the motivation behind the government providing these technical quirks? You guessed it, it’s a political disaster for this next election cycle:
“Bringing these workers back into the labor force could prove to be a tricky problem, both politically and economically. If they begin to seek work in an improving job market, they could increase the unemployment rate. That’s a scenario that will be tough for politicians headed into campaign season to explain, particularly since the rate is being used to excoriate Obama’s administration. Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, for example, has made the unemployment rate the centerpiece of what he is now calling the Obama Misery Index.”
Might as well fill out those NCAA office pool brackets and take a Rio vacation. It’s sure to get worse before it gets any better.
Meanwhile, Air-head Burnett* on CNBC reports this morning that “jobless benefits dropped for third time in four weeks—”good news”. Who’s paying these people?
* Air-head is really the lovely Erin Burnett, who’s future appears to be an apprenticeship for a high level government accounting job.
Sunday, February 06, 2011
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Via Hot Air
"So I would urge my Republican colleagues, no matter how strong they feel — you know, we have three branches of government: we have a House, the Senate, we have a President, and all three of us are going to have to come together and give some. But it is playing with fire to risk the shutting down of the government, just as it is playing with fire to risk not paying the debt ceiling."
Charles Ellis "Chuck" Schumer (born November 23, 1950) is the senior United States Senator from New York and a member of the Democratic Party. First elected in 1998, he defeated three-term Republican incumbent Al D'Amato by a margin of 55%–44%. He was easily re-elected in 2004 by a margin of 71%–24% and in 2010 by a margin of 66%–33%.
Before his election to the U.S. Senate, Schumer served in the United States House of Representatives from 1981 to 1999. He represented New York's 16th congressional district, which was later redistricted to the 10th congressional district in 1983 and to the 9th congressional district in 1993. A native of Brooklyn and graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, he was a three-term member of the New York State Assembly, serving from 1975 to 1980.
Oh well, sometimes those Harvard Law students just seem to "slip through the cracks".
Saturday, January 08, 2011
Ed Morrissey at Hot Air has a post up with his predictions on this Saturday's play-off games:
•Saints at Seahawks – Purists are angry that a 7-9 team even got into the playoffs, and even more upset that an 11-5 team had to go on the road as a wild card to play them. They won’t stay angry long. New Orleans hasn’t exactly looked like the world-beaters of last season and ended with a loss last week, but they should be more than a match for the mediocre Seahawks regardless of whether Matt Hasselbeck or Charlie Whitehurst starts the game. Saints should blow past Seattle on cruise control, 31-13.
•Jets at Colts – Say, do you think Rex Ryan’s admission of a personal mission to beat Peyton Manning has Indianapolis a little fired up this week? The Colts started to regain their form towards the end of the season, while the Jets started playing inconsistently down the stretch. Mark Sanchez seems to have righted the ship, but Manning will do better against the Jets’ tough defense than Sanchez will against the Colts’ more ordinary one. Plus, the home field will be a big advantage for Manning. It won’t be easy and we’ll see a couple of lead changes during the game, but the Colts should outlast the Jets, 24-20.
Here's my response:
I think the Saints will beat the Seahawks but not as convincingly as Ed’s numbers (31-13). My guess: Saints 28, Seahawks 23. The Jets on the other hand will upset the mildly favored Colts 26-17, (Manning will throw three INT’s)
On a side note, the Forty Niners won the Jim Harbaugh sweepstakes as another Stanford coach takes the reins of a team that was without coaching last year. Harbaugh reportedly signed a five-year, $25 million contract, leaving Stanford with a stellar 12-1 record this year, and an impressive 40-12 victory over Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl. Stanford’s lone loss was to undefeated Oregon, (Stanford lead Oregon 21-3 in the first quarter, but were held scoreless in the second half losing to the Ducks 52-31)
Since there probably won’t be a National Championship open thread here, I will predict Oregon defeats Auburn 48-31 on Monday night because of Auburns ranking on allowing points, (54th), and Newton won’t run wide open in this game. He will break out for some quality runs in the game, racking up a team leading 1400yds and 20 TD’s, but not as he has against their foes this year. Oregon ranks #1 in scoring and 12th in scoring defense. They won’t completely stop this potent Tiger offense, but as the game plays out I just think Oregon will outscore them.
Friday, December 24, 2010

And now a little Christmas Food Court Flash Mob, Hallelujah Chorus - Must See!
Tears of Joy are gratefully excepted.
And here's a treat for all you country and western fans---by Garth Brooks---(the video is precious)
May the Lord bless all of you----Kenny
Sunday, December 12, 2010

Should The Current Speaker of the House be Expelled From Office?
Opinion/analysis
Since there is no recourse for the people of the State of California to recall a congressional representative for disorderly behavior, perhaps it would be prudent for the House of Representatives to undertake their constitutional duties.
Expulsion is the most serious form of disciplinary action that can be taken against a Member of Congress. Article I, Section 5 of the United States Constitution provides that "Each House [of Congress] may determine the Rules of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds, expel a member." LINKQuestion: If the people of the district of San Francisco were polled today, would they prefer that Nancy Pelosi not be holding up a national tax policy compromise that, (if not passed), could very well lead to the economic collapse of this country? How about the people of the state of New York, or Seattle, or (insert you own liberal bastion). Could these folks be putting their own political ideologies ahead of the welfare of the entire nation? Food for thought. Yet, the actions of Nancy Pelosi and a hard-core coalition of far left liberals are willing to take this risk at the expense of millions who are wondering whether they will have an unemployment check. Many have no idea if their jobs will be there on Monday. President Obama said “We cannot play politics at a time when the American people are looking for us to solve problems…..“, and yet solving problems for Americans doesn’t appear to be on Pelosi’s agenda. Is she thinking this country can survive her “collateral damage”:
“I am not willing to let that happen. I know there’s some people in my own party and in the other party who would rather prolong this battle, even if we can't reach a compromise. But I'm not willing to let working families across this country become collateral damage for political warfare here in Washington. And I'm not willing to let our economy slip backwards just as we're pulling ourselves out of this devastating recession……Ms. Pelosi doesn’t even seem to listen to her own home-town newspaper:
I'm not willing to see 2 million Americans who stand to lose their unemployment insurance at the end of this month be put in a situation where they might lose their home or their car or suffer some additional economic catastrophe. LINK
Memo to outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: New polling shows that there is no national groundswell among either Democrats or liberals demanding defeat of the tax-cut compromise negotiated by President Obama and congressional Republicans.A huge journalistic OUCH! It would have been nice if the Chronicle had also advised Pelosi to strip out all the pork the House is preparing to add to the bill, but this would be wishful thinking. This writer thinks Ms. Pelosi has over-estimated her “groundswell” support for not passing the compromise---as agreed upon by the President and the Republicans. If this the course Pelosi has chosen, perhaps her own body of representatives should consider her expulsion. Certainly the oath she took to “well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office” did not include putting this country in financial peril.
A clear majority of Americans favors the agreement to prolong the Bush tax cuts for two more years, a new Rasmussen report finds.
But the big news in the latest poll is that Democrats and liberals are split right down the middle — despite the loud protests by some liberal House members, Socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and liberal commentators on cable TV.
LINK
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
Thursday, December 02, 2010
In 2001 and 2003 CONGRESS passed tax reductions for the middle class and yes for higher income earners to return money back to ALL AMERICANS. By allowing more money to be kept in the pockets of all Americans, the economy stabilized and the public had more money in their hands. Now, the Democrats and your government wants this money back. After creating over three trillion in new national debt over the past three years, your Democratic Party is now claiming to be concerned about deficits and the national debt. In a period of an extremely slow recovery from the worst recession in fifty years, Democrats want to “their” money back.
With sixteen days left in this Congress, Senate Democrats suddenly want to bring a slew of legislation up to a vote. They’ve had two years to work on and pass this legislation. Instead, Senate Democrats, (on Christmas Eve of 2009), insisted on forcing a new multi-trillion dollar entitlement a strong majority of Americans had rejected. This year the Democrats DID NOT even pass a budget.
Funding for the federal government will run out tomorrow unless Congress passes a continuing resolution. ALL forty-two Republicans in the Senate send a letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid insisting that the matter of NOT RAISING TAXES ON ANYONE, and FUNDING THE GOVERNMENT be addressed FIRST, before any other legislation is taken up. Again, with only 16 legislative days left, this “suggestion” seems quite logical.
Economist testified before Congress recently that no ones taxes should be raised in this fragile economy. Even Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has testified before Congress that this is not the time to raise taxes — the economy is simply too fragile.
So, what are the Democrats in the House going to do this morning? They’re bringing a vote to the floor to raise taxes:
House Democratic leaders have scheduled a political showdown over the Bush-era tax cuts that expire at the end of the month.Got that? According to Mr. Hoyer, no one making over $200k are considered “working Americans”. But these political games the Democrats are playing doesn’t stop here.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said the chamber will vote Thursday on a plan to permanently extend the tax cuts, but only to individuals earning less than $200,000 and couples making less than $250,000. “I am very hopeful that we will pass this,” Hoyer said. “Nobody wants working Americans to get any kind of an increase on January 1.”
In the last days of a failed House of Representatives, Steny Hoyer and the remaining lame duck Democrats will continue with the Pelosi ploy of shutting out any Republican amendments or work “together” to keep anyone from getting a tax increase. Mr. Hoyer’s “message” is NOT MUDDLED. Americans understand perfectly that Hoyer and House Democrats did not get the message on Nov. 2nd. Sadly, for now, it’s “business as usual” for the Democrats.House Minority Whip Eric Cantor, R-Va., called the move “political chicanery and a nonstarter.”
Cantor pointed out that many Democrats back extending the tax cuts to all income levels and called for a vote on such a plan.
The Democratic plan to only partially extend the cuts will put Republicans and dozens of moderate Democrats in a difficult position. If they vote for the bill, they will be giving up any leverage they have to pass one that includes all taxpayers. If they oppose it, they could be criticized for voting against a middle class tax cut.
Republicans’ best chance of defeating the Democratic bill would be to amend it on the floor so that it includes all taxpayers, but Hoyer said he would try to block such amendments. “We don’t want to muddle our message and we think we won’t muddle our message,” Hoyer said. (emphasis mine)
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
Or, better yet, let’s listen to the nutballs at Hardball.
A few days ago, the New York Times Editorial Board posted “their opinion” on how Congress should handle the Bush Tax Cuts. While most of the Times articles leave the option for comments, the Editorial Board didn’t feel this feature was necessary. But the real story is that after two years of the Obama and Pelosi era, (that has added 3.2 trillion in deficits), the Times appears to show a genuine concern for……..drum roll……..DEFICITS!
First of all, let’s put the New York Times in their partisan box. On November 1st, the Times Editorial Board put out this list of endorsements, (and no comments feature):
NEW YORK
Poll hours: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
UNITED STATES SENATE
Charles Schumer (D)
Kirsten Gillibrand (D)
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
New York 1 Timothy Bishop (D)
New York 13 Michael McMahon (D)
New York 19 John Hall (D)
New York 20 Scott Murphy (D)
GOVERNOR
Andrew Cuomo (D)
COMPTROLLER
Harry Wilson (R)
ATTORNEY GENERAL
Eric Schneiderman (D)
STATE SENATE DISTRICTS
11 Queens Tony Avella (D)
37 Westchester Bob Cohen (R)
40 Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess Michael Kaplowitz (D)
41 Dutchess, Columbia Didi Barrett (D)
NEW YORK CITY CHARTER
Question 1 No on reducing term limits from 3 to 2
Question 2 Yes to government reforms
CONNECTICUT
Poll hours: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
UNITED STATES SENATE
Richard Blumenthal (D)
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Connecticut 4 Jim Himes (D)
GOVERNOR
Dan Malloy (D)
AROUND THE NATION
UNITED STATES SENATE
California, Barbara Boxer (D)
Colorado, Michael Bennet (D)
Florida, Charlie Crist (I)
Kentucky, Jack Conway (D)
Nevada, Harry Reid (D)
Pennsylvania, Joe Sestak (D)
Washington, Patty Murray (D)
Wisconsin, Russ Feingold (D)
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Arizona 7, Raúl Grijalva (D)
Florida 24, Suzanne Kosmas (D)
Indiana 9, Baron Hill (D)
Iowa 1, Bruce Braley (D)
New Hampshire 1, Carol Shea-Porter (D)
Ohio 15, Mary Jo Kilroy (D)
Pennsylvania 8, Patrick Murphy (D)
South Carolina 5, John Spratt (D)
Virginia 5, Tom Perriello (D)
GOVERNORS
California, Jerry Brown (D)
Colorado, John Hickenlooper (D)
Florida, Alex Sink (D)
Georgia, Roy Barnes (D)
Ohio, Ted Strickland (D)
Massachusetts, Deval Patrick (D)
Texas, Bill White (D)
Rhode Island, Lincoln Chafee (I)
We can safely say the Times has,(as usual), selected the finest crop of tax and spend Democrats. A quick search of their voting records exemplifies the big government spending mentality, along with their desire to raise taxes, AND A BOATLOAD OF DEFICIT SPENDING.
Now that we have a good understanding of the Time’s perpetual liberal bias and 99.9% support for Democrats, we’ll digress back to the “wisdom” of how the Times thinks “we”, the country should proceed in this lame duck session: link
“The Bush-era tax cuts are set to expire at year end. That means the lame duck Congress has tough choices to make and not a lot of time to make them.
Punting, with the assumption that the next Congress will restore some or all of the cuts, will only intensify the uncertainty for individuals and businesses. Making the wrong choice could drive up the deficit disastrously or stall the recovery. Now that the campaign is over, lawmakers need to put aside the posturing and politicking and do what is right for the country.”
Didn’t the Times get the Obama memo, the campaign is NEVER OVER. And why the “sudden” concern for the economy and deficits? Where was the caution when Nancy Pelosi took the gavel in 2007 and the second order of business was passing a $900 billion dollar omnibus bill filled with Democrat payoffs and pork-filled legislation? What followed for the next three years drove up the deficit in historic proportions, Tarp 2, The Stimulus, (that was supposed to keep unemployment below 8%), bail-outs, and payoffs to the unions---the Democrats main source of campaign funding. Oh, and that little multi-trillion dollar fiasco called “health reform”.
Hardballs? Or Nutballs?
Just days after this shellacking, where would you turn to listen for advice on which direction the country is moving? Certainly not Chris Matthews, Howard Fineman, or Gene Robinson-----the Hardball crew overheard yesterday cackling about their view of the incoming Republicans. Yes, this far left whacko media is on the attack. The rhetoric and metaphors are astounding as the classic leftward media begins anew with their divide-and-conquer approach. Case in point are the Tea Party candidates that seem to strike fear into liberals. These three screwballs think “traditional” Republicans will clash with Tea Party Republicans as if, by their own framing, there is too many ideological differences to have a consensus. Pitting Rand Paul as the extreme, who will call for strong fiscal restraint, against Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s agenda, these three stooges would prefer a huge battle of infighting that will divide the party.
I mistakenly left the television on last night and here’s what woke me up from my slumber: Chris Matthews saying that the Republican’s “unfairly picked” Nancy Pelosi “early in the campaign process” as their example of a runaway radical leader who had laid the groundwork for this “new direction” social experiment. Well, duh Chris…..ya think? Perhaps Matthews thinks some one other than the SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE should be responsible for a crap and trade bill, a trillion dollar porkulus bill, or the coup de grâce, the government’s attempt to take over the health insurance industry. Who should the American public blame for the nearly $3 trillion in debt added in the past two years? (insert a few names here)
Karl, in the Greenroom at Hot Air, hit on this divide and conquer platitude and the danger of this incoming crop of new Republicans not being united or on the message. But Karl suggested that John Boehner use the divide and conquer method to tear apart the Obama/Pelosi agenda piece by piece. I agree. My only “warning” is that this new leadership make sure that before they say anything in public as individual representatives, that they are all on the same page and united in the process with a clear message. Anything otherwise will be blasted by the nut bags at MSNBC and the other liberal media echo chambers as a sign of division within the party. Any other variance from the direct “demands” from a clear electorate would be folly. Or, we could listen to the “advice” from the New York Times and Chris Matthews---the bastion of leftward thinking---and prepare for the same exodus the Democrats took last week.
(This post will be revised at the editor's discretion.)
Friday, November 05, 2010
The LEFT WING MEDIA has started in on the Republicans just two days after the biggest landslide in a generation. This media wants---demands specifics.
They spent an entire year and NEVER asked the Democrats about any specifics of a multi-trillion dollar health insurance debacle now destined for the scrape pile or major revamping. They hardly wrote a word about the backroom deals and payoffs to purchase votes while shoving this new entitlement down the throats of the general public. Even when the former Speaker of the House said, “we need to pass this thing so we will know what’s in it”, there was no outrage from the mainstream media. 2,600 pages of unread legislation, and not one request for specifics.
With nearly 60% of American citizens against this legislation, President Obama and the Democrats went full steam ahead while the left wing media cheered them on.
If the liberal media cared to listen to just about every Republican that ran for office this past year, they would know that the first order of business will be passing legislation that DOES NOT RAISE TAXES ON ANYONE. Second, or third is repealing this health insurance legislation that was basically a government take-over of the industry under the guise of “reform”. And it had little to do with health care. Obama and the Democrats insisted this “reform” would reduce the cost of health care while producing accounting gimmicks to the CBO that even the Lamestream media could understand as voodoo specifics.
The left wing media never asked for specifics as Obama and the liberal progressive Democrats passed billions in spending bills or any part of their radical agenda to nationalize private businesses. The President on Wednesday, (in one of his rare news conferences), made the lame excuse that his agenda was misunderstood because everything was an “emergency”. The left wing media accepted this as gospel from their Messiah, and therefore required no more specifics. Of course, the media is supposed to be the watchdogs of our government. Instead, the liberal media has “specifically” become the lapdogs of progressive liberalism with little or no objectivism. In fact, during election night the liberal media became nothing but a boat-load of hate-filled crybabies as they saw their Utopian dreams of liberalism fade into the night. Case in point is this paragraph below:
Guest on Fox and Friends Wednesday morning: “By the way, that was hypnotic, the coverage of election night by MSNBC“ referring to Chris Matthews‘ disrespectful treatment of Michelle Bachman. Matthews sat there with his panel of leftwing monkeys and continued to ask Bachman if she was hypnotized over and over again, apparently because he didn’t like Bachman’s “thrilling answers”. As the country was painted in a sea of red as a repudiation of President Obama’s agenda, this panel of “journalist”, (which Bernie Goldberg described as “the View without Elizabeth Hasselbeck”), became more indignant, (add some more verbs),. The diatribes from the left-ward media was almost as entertaining as the tidal wave of conservatism that swept across the nation.
But, let’s digress. I’m a simple writer with no professional training. Rarely will you see words like transcendentalism, cosmological, phenomena, or manifestation. I like simplicity and I’ll leave the big words for the professionals who like to impress the intellectuals. I think there’s a place for writers who keep things simple. The simple fact is that the sooner the mainstream media has their demands met that specifics be supplied to them by the incoming conservatives, the sooner they can begin their attacks. While they watch their lust and adoration for big government getting torn down piece by piece, the frustration of the media will fester, (becoming increasingly intense), like an un-treated ulcer. Matthews will start buying bibs by the case as he spits out his viral distaste for a more conservative government. The liberal media will do everything in their power to search out and divide this current crop of cohesive conservatives who are on a Tea Party mission to reduce the size and scope of an intrusive government and their spending madness. The liberal media is deaf to conservative campaign promises, and they are blind to the will of the people who just spanked their behinds for being complicit with Obama and the liberal progressives, and this experiment with socialism. This just leave’s dumb.
So, let’s be SPECIFIC. If the liberal media chooses to play dumb to the will of the people, they will become more and more obtuse, irrelevant, and inapplicable to the national conversation. For the next two years the liberal media will do everything in their power to tear down every specific directive produced by Republicans in the House. They will ratchet up the rhetoric and try to define the national debate. But they don’t have the microphone anymore. The podium is full.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Via Ed Morrissey at Hot Air---New Whitman ad hits Brown’s “it’s all a lie” admission
Friday, October 29, 2010
During an World Series open thread that I posted in the Greenroom at Hot Air, a fellow commenter, (rukiddingme), posted this FYI:
Rovin, pardon the O/T fyi.
Fox 4 news here is reporting a story about Josh Hamilton being able to detect a specific odor emanating from the outfield stands.
As I am sure you know, Josh has struggled with drug abuse.
Reports say it is everywhere outside the stadium as well.
May or may not be topic worthy for either you or one of your colleagues.
rukiddingme on October 29, 2010 at 12:55 AM
For the purpose of not getting too political, (in a fun baseball thread), or posting a fairly long response, I decided to post it here at RovinsWorld:
RUKM,
I’ve heard the story of Hamilton’s “struggles” with alcohol and drugs, (specifically cocaine) , and finally his convictions to do without both. This is sadly a typical story of raw talent getting thrust into a system, handed a $4 million dollar paycheck, with little restrictions or guidance. Personally, having a similar “struggle”, (on a much lower pay scale), over thirty years ago, I can speak from “experience” that it is so easy to think you’re invincible and blind to the reality that anyone is being harmed. Let’s just say I regrettably wasted some good years of my life that can’t be returned, and leave it at that.
Josh Hamilton’s story is a good one, in that he overcame his addictions and saw a better future, and fortunately still had opportunities for a bright career. For every “good story” there are thousands that failed to climb out of these “predicaments”. Tragically, the Steve Howe Story is one where Howe could not, or refused to recover, (even after baseball gave him far too many chances, imo). I can guess that Josh Hamilton’s Christian faith, his family, and his inner desire to excel all played a part in his new life. It really is like being re-born.
As for the “specific odor” in and around AT&T Park, I can tell you this is sadly an accepted lifestyle in the Bay Area and in fact the whole state of California---see Prop 19. At Golden Gate Park, if you are smoking a cigarette, (a legal tobacco product), your are frowned upon, and the local police WILL write you a citation. On the other hand, you can walk through the park with a marijuana cigarette burning and officials WILL look the other way. For the record, I am voting against Prop 19 because I personally feel the message we, (this state), will send to our children is that the product is legally condoned and socially accepted. For the liberals out there that say, “yeah, but they’re doing it anyway” and “it’s safer than alcohol”, I contend this is the slippery slope that will lead to a large portion of our society that will become nothing but potheads, wasting their lives getting stoned and becoming non-productive---it IS STILL A DRUG, and I can again tell many, (from experience), that prolonged marijuana use is addictive. Lastly, (for this post), the proponents for Prop 19, (including Governor Schwarzenegger), who are arguing that the product would become a large source of revenue for the state, I find utterly repulsive to an ignorant and deteriorating society, and say rukiddingme!
Finally, Josh Hamilton will be reminded of these temptations throughout his entire life, and he must learn to deal with it, including the “specific odor” at AT&T Park. If you, (or the news media), think this is effecting his abilities to hit the ball, I disagree. Ask the powerful offensive line-up of the Philadelphia Phillies if they can find a “distraction” for their pitiful hitting in the NLCS. Hint: It is the Giant’s starting pitching staff and their superior bullpen---(see Matt Cain’s performance last night). I would submit that few baseball fans or players, (with the exception of the National League Western Division), have seen such a prolific pitching staff in the last half of this season.
I wish the best for Josh Hamilton in his personal challenges and his new chance at life without drugs. Many don't get this second chance. Perhaps the Texas air will be more satisfying to this great hitter, but I wouldn't bet on it.
Respectfully,
Rovin
Thursday, October 07, 2010
Democrats are getting desperate. Desperation breeds confusion, followed by distortion, deception, and, (in some cases), outright fabrication. A case in point is the article in the yesterday’s New York Times where the desperate Democrats are making the claim that if Republican’s win this November, women will lose their abortion rights. Even Mike Barnicle* is calling this “strategy” ineffective when people are worried about losing their homes, tax increases, and a flailing economy. Barnicle also makes the argument that Obama and the Democrats have wasted their energy, (and a whole year), on a flawed health care reform program, while doing little to promote the creation of jobs.
While Republicans are squarely focused on jobs and the economy---primarily putting this country back to work---the President and Democrats continue to attack businesses that support the Tea Party principals and the free enterprise system. House Representative Lynn Jenkins, (Kansas), illustrates in the Washington Times just how Democrats feel about American businesses using an industry in her own district:
“One such company is Koch Industries, based in Wichita, Kan. Koch Industries employees 2,400 Kansans and 50,000 persons nationwide. It is a diversified, privately held company that manufactures and monitors pipelines, makes building products and fertilizer and is an industry leader in energy production. It also manufactures many consumer products, including Lycra spandex and Brawny paper towels.
Koch management is dedicated to keeping the company growing. It reinvests 90 percent of profits back into the businesses, allowing Koch to expand product lines and hire more employees. That is good for consumers and for workers. However, as Chicago-style politics creep into the national landscape, the company has come under fire because its owners support free-market principles inconsistent with the current Democratic leadership.
In August, Mr. Obama personally called out a grass-roots political group with which he disagreed philosophically. David Koch, one of the majority owners of Koch Industries, supports that particular group. What sin does the president believe this group committed? It supports smaller government and the free-enterprise system - ideals I (and most Americans) strongly support.” link
Jenkins continues her article exposing how the White House and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairman “pile on” with their attack on Koch Industries using the union-backed meme of “outsourcing”:
"Never one to pass on a lead-in from the White House, Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, piled on. He accused Koch Industries of wanting to send American jobs overseas when he told Bloomberg Television, "They actually got an award for outsourcing to China." Only one small problem: The company he cites had no connection to Koch at that time.
But the most egregious example of these Chicago-style tactics occurred on Aug. 27, when, according to news reports, Austan Goolsbee, an Obama administration economist, discussed the company's tax status and falsely claimed that Koch has not paid federal corporate income taxes."
Please take a moment to read Lynn Jenkins complete article here.
While the polls show this November’s elections as a referendum on Obama’s economic policies, (or lack of any), it’s transparently clear Americans are focused on their job security and the enormous debt Democrats have piled onto the shoulders of the working taxpayer. Neither the fear mongering of the Republican’s social agenda nor the blatant attack on American businesses will get them re-elected as local representatives we will send to Washington next year. Obama’s philosophy that it’s the governments responsibility to create jobs is clearly not working. The Democrats have gambled (with your money) that Obama’s direction was the only way. They are wrong. Desperately Wrong.
(* = this was a paraphrased statement overhead on this morning’s Morning Joe)
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Isn’t if funny that just a few months ago no one even considered the possibility that Republicans could take over the Senate. Suddenly, the power-brokers in Washington see the “perfect storm” where, if every primary goes their way, Republicans “could” win ten seats and presto, win control of the Senate and the House.
Pat Buchanan may have said it best this morning---”You can’t say to the Tea Party, “yes, we love your energy, we love your commitments, and we love your ability to motivate the masses to reach the polls”---BUT, we’re only going to back those who are sure bets in November……”
What Karl Rove and the NRSC did last night in the face of an overwhelming Primary victory, was not only despicable, it was embarrassing. Karl Rove’s ranting on Hannity about Christine O’Donnell’s victory over Mike Castle did nothing to unite the “Big Tent” analogy the Republican Party is trying to achieve. In fact, Rove’s embarrassing rant further divided the Party. Yes, this is Delaware. Yes, O’Donnell’s chances are indeed slim at winning a majority in a clearly “blue state”. But, it was Delaware Republicans that spoke last night, and the answer is NO, we do not support the status quo or candidates who consistently vote against the will of the people. Incumbency is not an asset in either party.
But the egg is on the faces of the beltway Republicans, aka the “Republican Leaders”, aka “establishment Republicans”. Their simple-minded plan did not go as designed and the sour grapes are a stain on the party as a whole. Some one in the Hot Air post said last night, “this is not how the system is supposed to work in a Republican Primary” and it just plain wrong for folks like Karl Rove can’t read the tea leaves of change from the status quo” (paraphrasing).
From a commenter at The Hill website:
"If the Republican party doesn't back O'Donnell, you will find thousands of Republicans going Independent. They want to play games with their constituents, we'll show them what a conservative really is. We are tired of these Republican power mongers who make careers out of getting more power without thinking of who they are working for and what they represent. We don't want anymore lawyers, beltway politicians who do not have their pulse on what the public wants and who talk the talk but don't walk the walk. Too many politicians are entrenched in Washington who need to get back to Reagan values and beliefs! Beware Republican National Committee who I am a member of, what you choose to do because all eyes are upon you. We are watching you!" BY Reneeca on 09/14/2010 at 23:35
Indeed “all eyes are on the NRSC”, their “leadership”, and the “establishment Republicans”. They are the ones who may have to re-think just how to include Tea Party candidates into the fold. And this conversation is hardly over.
(On a personal note):
Never in my lifetime have I been so elated and ashamed of the Republican Party. On a night that should be celebrated for sending the pure message to establishment Republicans that the grassroots folks have had far enough of the good ol’ boy beltway dinosaurs, what do idiots like Karl Rove and the National Republican Senatorial Committee do? They not only have the gall to refuse to send congratulations to A REPUBLICAN PRIMARY CAMPAIGN WINNER, these morons go to the TV and Media to denounce the winner (and in the NRSC’s case, they have to announce they will not spend a dime on O’Donnell.
Well guess what Mr. Rove and those running the NRSC, TRY TO FIND THE ONE DIME I WAS GOING TO SEND YOU AND SHOVE IT UP ROVES ARROGANT ASS.
