Conservatives !!! This might be "our time."

Whether Sarah or Christy or Rubio or Daniels runs or not, if the T.E.A movement remains at the center of GOP politics, common sense conservatives can "rule the roost." Think about it: it really makes little difference if Mitt (for example) is our next president. If the congress is dominated by truly conservative politicians, we win. And, a GOP president, even if considered to be "establishment," will be more likely to work with his conservative congress than if Obama were to win.

What is absolutely incredible to me, is the fact that a wholly Democrat 111th congress working with the most partisan Democrat president we have ever elected to office, could not pass legislation that would have effectively buried the conservative effort.

• If Obama had allowed the GOP to have a voice in the decision making process, even if he vetoed their ideas much of the time, he would have avoided the "partisan" label and appeared to be a peace maker.
• If he had passed a comprehensive immigration bill, the Dems would have owned the Hispanic vote for time and eternity.
• If he had listened to the opposition and passed his health reform bill on the merits rather than with the intent to change the face of the American politic, the end game would have not been nearly so unpopular. Understand that the war over the health care bill is the very thing that gave birth to the T.E.A. movement. If he had avoided the national angst that swirled around that bill, the movement that put the GOP back in the game in 2010 WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED. Conservatism would have been marginalized for decades.

Everyone reading this blog, well, every conservative reading this blog should wipe their brow as they utter a collective "whew," because we were "that" close to becoming more rare than a darter fish.

Are we being given the situational tools to put this nation back on the right track and reverse decades of progressive lies and legislation? As I knock on wood, I am beginning to believe that our time is now. Lets stay involved and make this happen.

MTV has said "no" to Obama after organizing the "rock the vote" campaign in '08. Barbra Streisand did much the same - holding a $35,000 fundraiser but not being in attendance, herself and not contributing. Oprah has said that she will not endorse Obama, this time around. He has lost the Independent vote and it appears that they are settled in that collective decision; nothing has moved them in more than a year including the killing of bin Laden. The Dems lost New York 9, a House seat that was Democrat for 88 years. What is critical with this event is the fact that Obama won the state of New York with only 55% of the vote. Think about that, for a moment. Gore won N.Y. by 62% in 2000. I think it is entirely possible, even probable, that Obama has already lost six or seven points in New York. If so, he loses that state in the coming election.

If it is our time, let's do what we can to avoid solutions that have no popular appeal. We need new faces, in the GOP, with new ideas - ideas that actually work and are supported by a majority of Americans.

Two of the more important "digital" terrorists are killed today, in Yemen.

You might not know his name, but you have seen this man in the news and, now, he is dead.

The storyline reads: "SANAA, Yemen — Anwar al-Aulaqi, a radical U.S.-born Muslim cleric and one of the most influential al-Qaeda operatives wanted by the United States, was killed Friday in an airstrike. . . . . . . . " by two predator drones, firing Hellfire missiles into a convoy.

The Christmas Day bomber was motivated by Aulaqi. Major Husan, the Fort Hood murderer, had several communications with Aulaqui. Eight of the last 18 terrorist plots in the U.S. were directed by this terrorist. He was one of several operational terrorist and has been hiding in Yemen for the past several years. He was well spoken in English and held American citizenship by birth. He was born in New Mexico to Yemeni parents, went to Yemen when he was seven and returned after 12 years to continue his education. He attended school in Colorado, among other places.

His death is a very big deal.

As a point of fact, the man was not an authentic cleric but one who was self-appointed. In recent years, he had set himself apart from other terrorist leaders because of his effectiveness on the internet. He maintained a huge presence on the internet, conducting "seminars" against the "evil West." Over the course of the past five years, he had become much more a problem to our national security than Osama bin Laden. His death will most definitely make a difference. At the time of his death, he was plotting air and poison attacks against our homeland.

There is an online magazine called "Inspire" that details the life and times of present day terrorism. It is regarded as required reading, a handbook on terror tactics. The man (Samir Kahn) editing this publication, another American born self-appointed "cleric," was also killed in the attack. There will not be much mention of this man; he was as influential as Aulaqi but in a less visual campaign.

Congrats to Obama? Not at all. We voted him into office to do a well defined job. As to terrorism, he has dismantled the CIA's ability to interrogate these disgusting killers. His battlefield "rules of engagement" include a capture and release policy, the administration of Miranda rights in some cases, an order against shooting first, an order to stand down on air support attacks if innocents are in danger of being killed, preventing soldiers under fire from asking for help. In the U.S., he has failed to bring Major Husan to trial, a man who murdered 13 soldiers and 32 others at the end of the year, 2009. The case is a "slam dunk" yet, Husan has made just one courtroom appearance. The DOJ has refused to release a number of Husan emails and no one is being told why. The ringleader of 9/11, a moron we call KSM, has been in custody for years, a man Obama had once decided to try in civilian courts in New York City. That plan failed and KSM is back in GITMO with no immediate plans to put him on trial. Obama's policy of killing terrorist leaders rather than "capture and interrogate" has lead to an information drought with regard to the inner workings of the terrorist threat. So, congrates? Nope. We "hired" Obama to do a job and only 13% of this country believes that he has done just that. Besides, the tactics being used are those borne of a George Bush strategy.

The frustrating part of this reality is the fact that Aulaqi's visuals and sermons will live on and on because the systemic nature of the internet.

Finally, it continues to humor me, this business from the Left of thinking that killing terrorist and their family/friends is, somehow, more humane than waterboarding terrorist under medical supervision and letting them live. Who knew?

After being one of his biggest allies in 2008, MTV says "no" to the Novice.

In a stunning turn around, MTV — the network that hosted the youth oriented “A Conversation With President Obama“ — has apparently refused to help Obama get reconnected with America's youth. Remember "Rock the Vote?" Well, that was another of MTV's near famous efforts in the '08 campaign. What I am saying here, is that the network has no reason to refuse Obama on the grounds of network policy, but that is exactly what MTV is doing. "We do not get involved in politics" is the reason reportedly given to the Obama people.

Obama's support with the 18 to 30 year old demographic has fallen from 86% to 44% in recent months. High education is no cheaper for the college aged youth and unemployment is running high, something that will not change in the near future, even if there is a marked upturn in the national economic picture.

The youth vote was one of three primary demographics, along with Hispanics and Blacks, that helped to propel Obama into the presidency. He has lost major support in all three demographics. Of course, Independents are a fourth demographic, but Obama, for the time being, has given up on any direct campaign to recover this support.

Point of post: Obama continues to experience a downward spiral that could spell the end of his presidency. Time will tell, but there is no longer any doubt as to the uphill nature of his re-election effort.

There are Republican crooks, but right now, the Dems are out of control

Yes, this is Nancy Pelosi, age 71, at a recent state dinner. You know that I am no fan, but . . . . .

The headline gives us another example of the extreme crony crookedness that is going on with the Democrat majority. Understand that well over 2/3 of the '09 Stimulus money went to Democrat controlled congressional districts. Solyndra was owned by a big time Obama bundler. And now this, 3/4 of a billion going to a single entity.

Crony Capitalism: $737 Million Green Jobs Loan Given to Nancy Pelosi's Brother-In-Law

Despite the growing Solyndra scandal, yesterday the Department of Energy approved $1 billion in new loans to green energy companies -- including a $737 million loan guarantee to a company known as SolarReserve:

SolarReserve LLC, a closely held renewable energy developer, received a $737 million U.S. Energy Department loan guarantee to build a solar-thermal project in Nevada.

The 110-megawatt Crescent Dunes project, near Tonopah, Nevada, will use the sun’s heat to create steam that drives a turbine, the agency said today in a e-mailed statement. SolarReserve is based in Santa Monica, California.

On SolarReserve's website is a list of "investment partners," including the "PCG Clean Energy & Technology Fund (East) LLC." As blogger American Glob quickly discovered, PCG's number two is none other than "Ronald Pelosi, a San Francisco political insider and financial industry polymath who happens to be the brother-in-law of Nancy Pelosi, the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives."

But wait... there's more! One of SolarReserve's other investment partners . . . . . . end of quote.
There is much more. Click on our hyperlink near the top of this post.

Surprisingly, this is the most popular article on Midknight Review over the past five weeks. Not sure I understand why.

Midknight Review discusses the critical nature of the Obama retreat from the Middle East.

With my sincere apologies but, despite the language, this really is funny, not to mention . . . . . . . . apropo

Hugo Chavez, the most significant communist threat in South America, may be near death.

One thing I cannot abide, here at Midknight Review, is a celebration for the physical demise of others. Hugo Chavez is a despot. I consider him to be evil, self serving, and the greatest existential threat to the United States in South America. Recently, he has made deals with Russia, bringing in more than $5 billion in military aid to Venezuela and securing more than 100 hand to air missiles. He is a man who hates individual freedoms and "capitalism."**

He has made fun of Obama, openly and to his face; actions that disgrace our country and humiliate Obama in the presence of a host of South American heads of state. And, now, the man has stage four cancer and appears to be fading fast. His illness was announced just three or four months ago. Last night, he was rushed to the hospital with what appears to be liver failure.

Understand that without his presence in the southern continent, things get much better for the United States, not to mention the free-minded folks remaining in Venezuela. As a lay observer of national and world politics, I believe that Chavez has plans for the region that may have included an imperialist agenda on his part.

Chavez's threat to the region is something Obama and his cronies are totally unprepared to manage. With Chavez out of the picture, should this happen, "God"*** is doing what his "savior" could not.

These are reasons enough to celebrate his pending death. In this review, however, understand that "celebration" is not what is going on. I am only dealing with the related issues as historical/political phenomenon.

** Understand that "capitalism" is the only way anyone makes money. The greatest failing of capitalism is greed. Its greatest good is the financial health of those who practice ist principles for making money. There is an alternation, of course. That is a thing called "entitlements." You should know that a society cannot exist without both considerations. The only question has to do with the order of the two schemes. Do we organize an entitlement driven society where capitalism is used to fund a growing entitlement generation or, does capitalism drive the health of the nation and provide for those who have no clue as to how to earn money? When someone screams, "I am anti-capitalist," I have to laugh. It is kind of like saying, "I want to live but I hate breathing."

***I use "God" in this context as an "existential force," although I personally believe that the Great God Almighty makes and uses history to accomplish his will.

First time unemployment benefit applicants fell to 391,000 while new housing starts were down 1.2% (no article)

A dedicated biker's opinion of ObamaCare and Dodd/Frank . . . . proving that old white guys have a place in the political debate.

Here I am at 12,300 feet. Does anyone doubt my intellectual abilities?

The following is a rather involved comment to one of the articles, here at Midknight Review. I hope my responses will be of help to others. The discussion deals with issues surrounding ObamaCare and Dodd/Frank. I am a retired carpenter who would rather be riding his 1800 vtx than writing or, even, thinking !! Any of you pointee heads see where I am wrong, feel free to chime in. My comments are in green.

From "Paul"
I'm also interested in the alternatives for reforming health care systems in the US. From what I have read all Republicans agree that health care reform should take place at the state level and that we should open up health insurance companies to sell insurance across state lines in order to spur competition and lower prices.

My problem with this is that you can easily see a parallel with credit card companies here where all CC companies have moved to the states with the least regulation. If we opened health insurance up like this states would start a competition to bottom out regulations to lure business to their states and in my opinion the health care industry already has too much political and financial power over health care.
Look, we buy our auto insurance across state lines and we save money because of it. I have a Master Card, but not because it is located in another state. I possess one because it is a MasterCard. Why do you think that WalMart is so inexpensive? Because, among other issues, it buys from a nationally located industry of vendors. If we make the vendor pool large enough and give them the freedom to format their own product, sooner or later , several insurance companies will be driven to "under cut" the others, and, wala, cheaper health insurance. Will this work? Who knows.. It is currently against the law.

For those who distrust government to manage healthcare I have to ask if they really trust a corporation?

Yes, but we can run a corporation out of business or sue them for malpractice. No so with the Government.

Worried about government death panels? Well, Cigna, Allstate, Geico, Liberty Mutual and every other health insurance company has been running them for years. Health insurance companies care about stockholders. Your individual health is at the bottom of their priority list.

Agreed. Death panels are everywhere. So, why not allow the people to shop plans? Sooner or later, an insurance company will guarantee "no death panels." That will never happen with the Feds.
While Dodd/Frank may add to the cost of doing business, does the cost outweigh the benefit? Should we allow the financial shell games to go unregulated? Isn't Dodd/Frank's purpose to protect consumers from the kind of financial shenanigans that put the world in the economic situation we are in.

Look. You write as if there are not regulations after regulations covering the financial markets. What did not get regulated, in the Dodd/Frank bill were Fannie and Freddie. No one dealt with the Federal policy of "Affordable Housing" -- the single most causative legislation contributing to the 2008 collapse. Understand the real danger with Federal regulations. They can be used to punish political opponents and reward political allies such as GE and GM and the AFL-CIO with its trust funds. The 1999 repeal of Glass-Steagall Act (GSA) apparently was a contributing factor, as well. Certainly, within nine years of its repeal, the sub-prime crisis hit the fan, a rather curious coincidence.

The sad state of [foreign] affairs that is the Obama Strategy.

When we look to the Middle East, we see nothing but increasing trouble. Remember the good old days when Administration after Administration busied themselves in well documented negotiations, meetings at the White House, meetings at Camp David, meetings in Israe? Our Secretary of States were in the news on a weekly basis. Our presidents met with heads of state and actually accomplished agreements and written understandings. Be honest with this next question: what has Hillary, Obama's Secretary of State, been doing? Why is not this Administration (and this is not Hillary's fault, by the way) practically living in the Middle East, instead of packing up and leaving? Why has Obama refused to step foot in Israel since his inauguration? That's right . . . . not a single visit to the Promised Land. Where in the world is the diplomacy needed to solve the problems we see as spiraling out of control? Forget about "diplomacy," where is the concerted and persistent effort of an Administration that is leader of the free world?

Understand this: what we are seeing in the Middle East is a world without the United States !!!

In three short years, South America is blowing up in our face. In three short years, the Middle East is about to devolve into World War III. In three short years, Korea has increased its threat to Asia and Taiwan's security has been compromised.

Understand that Obama is doing nothing about the developing circumstances borne of the rebellions we know as the "Arab Spring." In the early months of 2009, he ignored the "green revolution" in Iran and closed his eyes to the evolving nuclear threat that is Iran. In fact, he went on vacation the day Iran fired up the first of their nuclear plants.

Without any diplomatic "advance notice," Obama called for revolution in Egypt. The aftermath of which has presented a new government entity that is being controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood, a government that may be more antagonistic to Israel than the governmental dictatorship just overthrown.

We were unilaterally drawn into Libya, by Obama, without seeking any degree of congressional consensus; a wartime situation that was to last "days, not weeks," according Obama. We are still there nearly six months later and no one knows the final outcome - a Libya that is "friend" or "foe."

Understand that before next summer, there is the distinct possibility - bordering on "probability" -- that the Middle East will be in flames and Israel fighting for its very life. In fact, the current Palestinian push for statehood is because Obama has lost any opportunity to pursue a diplomatic solution, in the eyes of the Palestinians. His policy of befriending Palestine and negotiating out of a trust generated because of that friendship has proven to be nothing more than an Obama fantasy. The Novice tried to maintain a certain "status quo" with Israel while demonstrating to the Palestinians that he could be tough on their life-long foe, an impossible task, one bordering on the unintelligent. Turns out, the divide between the two people is so great that only a well strategized diplomacy can work, ala the previous efforts of the Carter and Clinton Administrations. Say what you will about both men, their foreign policies were much more their forte than were their domestic plans.

Funny. Both Administrations were Democrat, the same party as Obama. The 1979 Camp David Peace Accord between Egypt and Israel remains in force to this day. Bill Clinton's foreign policy efforts, beginning in 1993, shaped the foreign policy of our country for more than a decade, well into the Bush Administration. When we contrast the successes of both Carter and Clinton with Obama's "do next to nothing" foreign policy approach, it is almost as if Obama was/is completely unaware of his predecessors and the successful strategies they used in dealing with [especially] Middle East affairs. Could that be?

We know that he does not believe in "protocol." Could it be that he does not give a hoot about history, either, unless, of course, it is the history he is writing??

Here is an Arab argument we did not see coming:

The story is in the headline: Al Qaeda Slams Iran's President If you missed it, here is the problem. Al Qaeda has been bragging about 9/11 for a decade, now. And, this moron from Iran is busy running around the country telling people that George Bush did it. Al Qaeda is not happy.

My question is this: which pac of murdering liars is telling the truth, this time?

An open letter to Morgan Freeman from a T.E.A. movement founding member. By the way, he is not white.

Dear Mr. Freeman,

My name is Ali Akbar. I’m a 26 year-old African-American small business owner and a tea party activist. I’m not writing to rake you over the coals in the way that many conservatives have done in the last 48 hours. Heck, I wrote a passionate open-letter refuting many of your claims already, but this is not that. This is an honest and standing invitation. I do believe that you are wrong in what you said about the tea party, but I would rather prove it to you than castigate you for your comments.

I also understand that your reflexive comments came from experience. You grew up in a different America than the one that I was blessed to be born into. We both grew up in the south, but I never saw ‘White Only’ signs. I’ve been called a name or two in my three decades, but racism has always been the exception in my life, not the rule, as it probably was in your youth. I understand your suspicion of conservative political movements. It is rooted in pain and fear and memory, and though I never saw the horrors of segregation that you did, we share that cultural heritage.

I’ve been a fan of yours all my life. From “Driving Miss Daisy” to “Lean on Me” to “The Shawshank Redemption,” I idolized you as a boy. Growing up without a father, you were one of the strong black men in my life who gave me a model to follow. Each of the characters you played had dignity and confidence. I tried to emulate the strength you projected. While many of my friends headed down the all-too-familiar path of drugs, unwed pregnancies and crime, I’ve striven to live a life with dignity, be an example for my brothers and make my mother proud.

My favorite of your movies was “The Power of One.” I must’ve watched it a hundred times, crying every time when your character Geel Piet was killed by the racist South African. Geel Piet was brave and heroic, even in the face of death, because he knew that the hate that killed him was a trifle in comparison to the love that PK’s anti-apartheid movement was spreading. It is with that spirit that I’m writing to you this morning.

I’ve attended dozens of tea party events. I’ve helped organize them, and I’ve even spoken at a few. The tea party is not what is often depicted in the news. It is people of all colors who are terribly concerned about the direction that America is heading. We don’t trust big government to make decisions for us. And we fear that the present administration’s spending is going to lead our country down a path to insolvency, much like what Greece is currently facing.

Your comments about the tea party have caused me physical pain. You’ve rekindled the old painful paradigm of Uncle Tom – that any black man who votes Republican is some kind of sellout. It’s not true. I work hard, pay my taxes, love Jesus, and I’m good to my family and community. In effect, your comments have stereotyped an entire group of people. And I know in my soul that you must regret that on some level.

There’s already plenty of groupthink among American blacks. Over 90% of us vote Democrat with religious regularity, and we have been doing so for over fifty years. For a short time, I was one of them. I realized a few years ago that the Democrats’ promises of equality bestowed by government wasn’t working and will never work. I came to believe that redistributionist policies with the goal of social justice was essentially creating a new plantation within the federal government. Scraps might be thrown our way, but dependence on the plantation would be the inevitable result.

Over half a century since we started voting for Democrat policies, blacks in America are worse off than before. Black Americans are more likely to get involved with drugs, go to prison, and die younger than our white counterparts. Over 70% of our children are born out of wedlock. Our abortion rate has never been higher. There are two explanations for these results. 1) Blacks are an inferior race and can’t take care of themselves. 2) Despite the best of intentions, the government has created and implemented “social justice” policies that promote perpetual dependence. I choose to believe the latter. Therefore, I have become a Republican.

Mr. Freeman, I’m not asking you to adopt my political views. You’re in your seventies, and a political shift is not in your future. I’m reaching out to you because I want you to think better of your fellow countrymen. Barack Obama is in the White House, and Herman Cain just won the Florida straw poll. America is the land of opportunity for black Americans like never before.

I’m hoping that you’ll come to a tea party in Tennessee — the place of your birth. Really anywhere in the country that works for you; I’ll set it up with the one of the thousands of activists I know around our great country. I’d be delighted to introduce you to good people who will welcome you with open arms, disagree with you, and then feed you some of the best barbeque you’ve ever tasted.

Racism is an ugly thing, but I assure you that it is part of our past, not our present.

It takes bravery to admit that you may have made a mistake. But, for Geel Piet, bravery is like breathing. It’s just something you do.

I hope you’ll take me up on my offer.

Sincerely,

Ali Akbar

ali@vvclients.com

Well, here is another polling "shocker," Ron Paul with 51% of the vote to a 49% for the Novice. (no article)

Here is another bad omen for Obama

This headline and short take really says it all: Obama's top ‘fat cat’ strays — JP Morgan honcho Jamie Dimon, once a “fat cat” ally of President Obama, seems to have strayed to Republican contender Mitt Romney. — Dimon, a lifelong Democrat who was rumored to be on Obama's short list for treasury secretary before he settled on Tim Geithner. . . . . . .

I have been predicting an all out rebellion to Obama's policies from within the established business community, since the beginning of 2010. A Bloomberg survey conducted in late 2009, found that business and Wall Street had decided that Obama was "anti-business" by the tune of 77%. Nothing has changed since that survey to reverse that collective opinion. If you do not "buy into" this theory, you do not understand why business and Wall Street is sitting on as much as 3 trillion dollars in investment capital. Of course, if this theory is your understanding, as well, then you see clearly what is happening.

I am 66 and, to my knowledge, I have never seen an election cycle so influenced by Big Business. While [perhaps] half of the business community is "progressive" in its ideology, one hundred percent of the business community is all about . . . . . . . . . . making money. Understand that it is not that Big Business cannot make their profit margins, under an Obama Regime. Rather, it is that they cannot plan out a business strategy until the Obama rash of laws are fully written. How do you plot a strategy when you do not know what the rules will be?

Understand that ObamaCare could add as much as $2,000 PER EMPLOYEE, after the bill is fully written in 2014 . . . . . emphasis on "after the bill is fully written . . . ." That 2,700 paged bill rammed through congress in defiance of the wishes of the American people? Well, that was only the "skeleton" upon which hangs the laws, formulas and regulations that make up this bill. Some say that the end game to this process will produce more than 100,000 pages of expanded regulations. On a slightly smaller scale, the 2,000 page Dodd/Frank bill has precisely the problematic future. Thousands and thousands of dollar of added annual cost is about to added to American businesses and no one knows how that will actually work.

In response, the business community is saying, "We will just wait until you clowns in Washington get the bill completed."

Understand this: what is happening is not about politics so much as it is about planning for the future. Obama and his academic buds made it impossible for Big Business to "proceed." It is literally that simple. Apparently "simple" and "genius" do not work well together. Who knew ?

Obama 39% to Herman Cain's 34% and the Godfather Pizza CEO is not the GOP candidate !! (no article)

About the booing of the gay soldier at the last debate.

Megyn Kelly, one of the panelists during the debate, took a moment on today’s America Live to respond, saying there were a total of two “boos” in an auditorium of over 5,000 people. She also contended that the noise was heard only after the soldier completed asking his question, not after he revealed his homosexuality.

The Marxist Media has tried to make a big deal about this matter. As report, we are talking about two people out of 5,000. Maybe the story's headline should have been . . . . .

4, 998 did not boo the gay soldier's question.

It will be hard to blame the Republicans if the Obama "jobs" bill fails after you read this.

For openers, we have learned that the Senate version of the Obama bill was sponsored by only one Democrat Senator and that Harry Reid . . . . . . and Reid has tabled the bill for two or three weeks while the Senate goes on break and then considers at least one other bill before getting to the Obama mess.

In the House, the Daily Caller is reporting this:

The Daily Caller has learned that Connecticut Democratic Rep. John Larson has introduced President Barack Obama’s jobs plan in the House of Representatives “at the request of the president” and that the bill has no co-sponsors.

No one is talking, but this bill is such a mess that not a single Democrat in the House of Representatives wants to sign on to this bill. Understand that this is the third effort, on the part of Obama, this year. In February, his first budget/jobs/tax bill was so ridiculous that the Senate vote it down 97 to Zero. Yes, 97 to nothing.

So, in April, this genius from Harvard, tried it again and the Congressional Budget Office refused to score it, telling Obama that they "could not estimate a speech." And now, we have this America's Jobs Act. He has been screaming "Pass this bill" for weeks, now, and it just got introduced into the House, yesterday. It has not been scored by the CBO, at no fault of anyone, and nothing can be done with the proposal until that happens. So, the past three weeks have been filled with Obama charging the GOP with "grand standing," when, in fact, he knew perfectly well, that no one in congress could do anything with a bill that had not arrived in the legislature. I mean, do you get just how phony this whole campaign strategy is???

If you are a liberal and a regular with this blog, I want to give you fair warning: you will not like what I have to say if, after weeks of excoriating the GOP, the CBO tells us the bill is impossibly written . . . . . . . kind of like the other two bills this year.

Anyway, this next few months is going to be such a farce. We are being told that Obama has given up on the Independent vote, and has decided to make a hard Left turn in an effort to generate some zest with the radical Left. I don't know what he is thinking; there is not enough of them running around to get him elected Mayor of Podunk.

Do you know that he is talking about closing GITMO?

Look. The luster is off the rose and there is no way to recover that. I believe that he may be facing a defeat that would make Mondale and Carter look like champions in their individual campaigns. I mean, when was the last time any of us voted for a President who raised our taxes and hated business? Understand that Obama is making these campaign decision without conferring with anyone in his party. As a result, it is not just Obama who is running on higher taxes during a stinking recession, but all of his party. They will be cast in that same mold. No wonder he can't find anyone to sponsor the bill in the House or in the Senate. I know I said that Reid sponsored the bill, but look, he is not up for election for five more years. Other than Reid, not a single other Democrat has signed on to this piece of idiocy. You should know that 22 Democrat Senators are up for re-election and only 10 Republicans . . . . and every member of the House.

Got any idea what this bunch of losers are saying, behind closed doors? I do and it ain't pretty.

Obama muscles Ford into taking this ad from their televised campaign

The first time I watched this ad, about two weeks ago, I knew that it would be a target for the Obama anti-free speech machine. Sure enough, I was right. I except the link to be killed, but for now, you have the opportunity to see what the conflict is all about.


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A brief statement from Peter Orszag, a retired member of the Obama cabinet proving our thesis that Obama does not believe in the American system.

Orszag and Obama. Apparently Orszag is telling Obama, "tell them that while we do this." And, Obama is about to suggest that Orszag have another apple.

Take a look at this written statement by Orszag:

In an 1814 letter to John Taylor, John Adams wrote that “there never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” That may read today like an overstatement, but it is certainly true that our democracy finds itself facing a deep challenge: During my recent stint in the Obama administration as director of the Office of Management and Budget, it was clear to me that the country’s political polarization was growing worse—harming Washington’s ability to do the basic, necessary work of governing. If you need confirmation of this, look no further than the recent debt-limit debacle, which clearly showed that we are becoming two nations governed by a single Congress—and that paralyzing gridlock is the result.

So what to do? To solve the serious problems facing our country, we need to minimize the harm from legislative inertia by relying more on automatic policies and depoliticized commissions for certain policy decisions. In other words, radical as it sounds, we need to counter the gridlock of our political institutions by making them a bit less democratic.

"Radical" indeed! This point of view is quite typical of this Administration. Over the course of the past several months, Obama has wished for a system that would allow him the ability to govern without the interference of Congress or the courts. Bill Maher supports this idea as does Van Jones and Michael Moore and Bill Ayers and Cass Sunstein.

The problem to which Orszag refers, is not solved by "less democracy." Rather, the solution to federal gridlock is the return of power to the individual states.

The designers of the American politic did not envision an all encompassing central government or they would have installed one, from the very beginning. Understand there is no reason to believe that John Adams believed that "democracy" was the enemy of "democracy." Rather, the true threat to the American democratic dream is the threat of those who hate a capitalist economy and a free and open republic.

Understand that we - the United States of America - are not a simple "democracy." Take it to the bank, the second the Left becomes the major majority in this country, it will work for a pure, winner takes all, "democracy." Minorities will not have a vote that matters because that does not exist in a pure "democracy." When you see a union sign touting "democracy," you are witnessing a social movement (unions) that does not believe in representative governance. Look at Venezuela and their socialist dictator, Hugo Chavez. He was VOTED into office by a simple majority and given the power of dictatorship by that majority. That is "democracy" and that is the kind of democracy that can destroy itself. We seem to believe that "democracy" and "freedom" are terms that are attached to one another. No necessarily so, that is if you are not part of the majority opinion.

But, of course, people like Peter Orszag and Barack Obama know this. It is beginning to appear that the conservative giant that is the "silent majority" is finally waking up to the fact that this nation is under attack by those who are pushing for a "fundamental transformation of the United States of America." Turns out that these traitorous clowns are intent on doing away with our republican form of democracy, and replacing it with the rule of a simple majority.

Orszag's version of transformation, is even worse. He wants the ruling class - as long as they are Marxist in type - to set in place "legal" procedures and legislative solutions that work, even when the Left is not in power. That is the effect of that last statement in the quote above.

In the end, it is not democracy that we should fear. Rather, it is the inner maneuverings of those willing to use the democratic process in an effort to defeat the intentions of the founding fathers. Chavez used "democracy" to defeat "democracy." And it that very example, embedded within a much more complex social reality, that we need to fear.

Why you should add Midknight Review to your book marks: A look at our January,2010, predictions.

Predictions (written on January 4, 2010)

The GOP will win enough seats in the House to force a certain degree of partisanship -- perhaps 35 seats.

YES. Of course, the GOP took back the House with a super majority.

Several big name liberals will be gone and the Senate will lose its “super majority” status for the Democrats. Chris Dodd (D-Conn) and Hary Reid (D-Nev) are at the top of this list. Some lists include Barbara Boxer (D-Ca). She will have a "close call" but will be re-elected.

KIND OF YES. Dodd had to retire; Reid had to close the casino's so the unions would come out and vote him back into office (a little known fact); and Boxer did have one of her closer election cycles.

The Leno Show will cancel.

Leno's new should survived.

Crude oil futures will hit $140 a barrel and bring a halt to any “recovery.”

Crude remains in the $90 per barrel range.

Bret Favre will play one more year and play for the Vikings.

YES. Ah, finally an accurate prediction.

Dallas and San Diego will play in the Super Bowl - Dallas will win its 6^th title.

I''M AN IDIOT. In my dreams !!!

The trial of KSM and the other four terrorists in New York will prove a disaster for the Obama Administration - the trial will extend beyond 2010.

Obama chickened out and move the trial back to GITMO.

There will be a successful homeland terrorist attack.

Thank God I am wrong on this, but a little surprised.

9.2% unemployment by the mid-term elections.

YES. Close on this one.

Mortgage foreclosures will continue to be a huge problem - 7 million mortgages are being held back in what some describe as the Shadow Market.

YES. Spot on.

Healthcare will be signed into law but will be nothing like the intended bill. Consistent with our earlier predictions, the Dems will not combine the House and Senate bills in a "conference report," as is the case for most legislation. In avoiding this process, they avoid the 60 vote requirement in the Senate and huge floor fight in the House.

YES. Again, an accurate prediction.

Cap and Trade will not pass through the 111^th Congress.

Yes !! Again a major victory for common sense and freedom.

The split in the Democrat Party will widen and become apparent to the general public as Obama continues to seek Marxist legislation, throwing Blue Dog Democrats under the bus.

YES. Another accurate prediction, one that has "legs" and is proving itself to be "more true" with the passing of time.

Sarah Palin will not announce for President this year (maybe later but not now). She will play a key role in the grassroots conservative movement that is currently sweeping the nation.

YES. She did not announce in 2010 and proved to be a major player in the 2010 midterms. 17 of the 20 targeted for defeat by Palin, went down in flames.

Midknight Review will change url addresses one more time as it transitions to Word Press where is will be free to openly discuss issues -- something that is not possible for this editor at this time.

I decided to stay with Google. Why? I really have no clue.

Well, after a very slow news day, we have this shocker: Fox News is going moderate.

It is suddenly "news" today, that Roger Ailes, CEO of Fox News, is out to move the most popular news cable network more to the center than it has been in the past.

And some worry about what this might mean.

Well, I predict that this bit of news is a "nothing burger."

For one thing, the "adjustment away from the hard right" was made and orchestrated last January. Looking back over the months since then, all seems to be just fine.

Secondly, it included a toning down of Beck's rhetoric, at the time, as well as ". . . . as a more nuanced approach to his most famous pundit, Sarah Palin," whatever that means. Beck is gone, of course, doing his own thing and Palin is making as many appearances as ever before.

Included in the course correction, were words to Shep Smith concerning his apparent support of the Wisconsin unions, his stated belief that the killing of Osama bin Laden was illegal and Smith's continuing criticism of the several war-time scenarios in the Middle East. Smith continues his criticism of Middle East policy as well as his criticism of the bin Laden killing. My point? Not much has changed over the past several months.

Since leaving Fox News programing, Glenn Beck has made appearances on O'Reilly and works a number of commercials regarding his new GBTV, the real reason why he left the Fox network.

When it is all said and done, I do not see anything to worry about with regard to this "course correction." But it is the news item of the day and I am sure a number of freedom hating news pundits (Rachel Maddow, Ed Shultz, etc.) will make much more of this circumstance than the last nine months validates. But, where would Leftist news be if it could not make up stuff.

There is one very clear difference. There are more interviews with Leftist pundits than before last January. As I write, Bret Beir is interviewing the socialist/thuggish AFL-CIO union leader, Richard Trumka. But that is fine with me. Nothing wrong with free speech. Just know, that you will never see "fair and balanced" interviews on Piers Morgan and Ed Shultz and Meet the Press.

Point of post: Fox moves to the center - not to worry.

What is happening with Obama's jobs bill

On September the 8th, Obama met with a joint session of congress and presented his so-called "jobs" bill. Since then, this proposal has morphed into a 1.5 trillion dollar tax bill. Harry Reid, Senate Majority Leaders, was the sponsor of this bill in that house, but has put off action on the bill for several weeks. The Senate is taking a seven day break, beginning next week. With its return, Reid has several bills on the agenda before getting to this new Obama monstrosity.

In the House of Representatives, Democrat sponsors waited for two and half weeks before presenting the bill to that body of legislators. And, before they can consider its statement, the bill has to be "scored" by the non-partisan CBO (Congressional Budget Office). That will take a couple of weeks. Following that assignment, the bill will be introduced into the several committees having to do with the specifics of the bill. In fact, it is unclear to this editor as to whether there is any democrat sponsorship for this bill as I write. Nothing can happen in the House unless and until that issue is resolved.

Understand that Obama's strategy of "divide and conquer" is not working as he intended. He did not come to the bill's primary features in conference with other Democrat leaders. He is much more a rogue politician than many of you know. More importantly, he did not bother to work "across the aisle" in developing his "plan." In fact, he refused a meeting with JohnBoehner and Eric Cantor, the top two House leaders, a request they made the morning of his Thursday speech. In fact, if you think about it, the most glaring omission in his "jobs bill," is his failure to work with all parties involved in the legislative process. Instead, he made the "bi-partisan" decisions himself . . . . . . . all by his lonesome. He calls this bill a "bi-partisan effort" because it includes features that have been "recommended" by the GOP in times past and under very differing circumstances. "I made the decisions for them. Therefore, the bill is "bi-partisan."
Incredible.

More than this, he brags about the bill being "fully paid for." Of course, no one can know this until the Congressional Budget Office analyzes the bill. I mean, this whole thing is such a farce.

Just released: what percentage of Independents think Obama outshines Bush?

67% Obama is doing "about the same" or "worse."

Understand this: the bottom has fallen out from under Obama polling.
This is just the latest example and it came from Gallup.

Mayor Bloomberg, the golden boy of the Left, believes the Buffet Rule is fantasy.

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) – Mayor Michael Bloomberg dismissed President Obama’s proposal to raise taxes on people who make more than a million dollars a year.

“The Buffett thing is just theatrics. If Warren Buffett made his money from ordinary income rather than capital gains, his tax rate would be a lot higher than his secretary’s,” he said.

“I think it’s not fair to say that wealthy people don’t pay their fair share. They pay a much higher percentage of their income, they have a higher rate than people who make less,”

Will the government run out of money this weekend. A Democrat says "Absolutely not." What else does he say?

If you watch FoxNews, you will know Bob Beckel. If not, Bob will be an unknown. Who is he? Well, he is or was Mondale's campaign manager and continues as a qualified voice for liberal politics.

When asked about the current "crisis," he made this statement: "The government will not run out of run this weekend, regardless as to whether the CR is passed or not. Every federal agency in government has at least three months of cash set aside; many of these agencies have as much as a year cash reserves."

There you have it. Someone from the Left who knows, first hand, what he is talking about, ending the myth of "the Government has no money."

Look, it will come as a surprise to some of you, but all that talk about the end of the world should we not raise the debt ceiling by this past August the 2nd? Well -- NEWS FLASH -- we "ran out of money" on May the 16th, nearly two months before the end of the world. Don't believe me? Click on this hyperlink. All of this talk of running out of money is a myth. More than this, this lie is used exclusively by the Democrats to score points with those who are political illiterates or do not care about the truth.

We have the facts and Bob Beckel as witnesses to this fact.

You will not know any of this if you are not a reader of Midknight Review. Tell a friend.

Update: turns out that FEMA has an "extra" $114 million dollars and does not need the congress to pass special legislation to avoid a "crisis." In other words, there is no crisis. We rest our case.

A teacher recently branded a local board member as a "Nazi." But who or what is a "Nazi?" The answer may surprise you.

In a heated exchange at an open board meeting, this high school teacher wound up calling one of the board members a Nazi, after the board member spoke out against illegal aliens. The teacher later apologized and will not experience any disciplinary action.

Who is the "Nazi" in all this. Not a word in the media about this question. Apparently, the press thinks this question is already answered.

Let me shed a little light on this subject and you decide who is the Nazi.

The board member was civil in his complaint as he made the case for doing something about illegal student aliens. He believes that people who have illegally crossed our borders should be sent back to their native countries. That is one version of "Nazi."

There is another.

You send your child to school but are not permitted to sit in the classroom, tape any of the lectures or class proceeding. You have no say as to the textbooks being used. In most places, you have no choice as to the school your child will attend and, if you complain, you are ignored. When it comes to scientific or historical text, the subject matter is determined at the national level, giving the parents no controls over the finished results. In many school districts, school counselors are authorized to send your daughters to "family planning" clinics for abortion services without your knowledge and against your will. In fact, there is a clearly documented trend away from parental and local controls. Teachers are not allowed to hint at a religious point of view nor are they allowed to bow their heads during student lead prayers. The mention of "God" is being systematically redacted. American history is being rewritten to reflect the complaints of the world's opinion of the United States. And the unions supporting teacher concerns are assuming more and more power, working against voucher programs, free speech, and certain morally based issues such as the current gay debate. Most union retirement programs are unsustainable and cannot exist without increasing taxed contribution from the citizenry and when community leaders try to deal with the issue, teachers and their unions go on strike, vandalize public offices and encourage their political leaders to interfere with the local system of governance. In most cases, teachers cannot be fired because of poor in-class performance and resist accountability programs designed to improve the classroom circumstance and fix certain educational goals. . . . . . . . I could go on but you get the point, no?

Understand that a "Nazi" is a state official who is in the business of diminishing individual freedoms and controls, one who represents the state and will not tolerate opposition.

Harry Reid threatens government shutdown if he does not get his way.

SHUTDOWN: Harry Reid kills bill to keep gov't running... and then blames the Republicans !! Understand that the bill the House sent to the Senate was a bi-partisan bill that provided aid to FEMA while making cuts to certain green projects. Harry Reid does not want to pay for anything, so he tabled this bill and would not allow the Senate to even discuss the issue.

Aren't we all getting tired of "one man rule?"

Obama charts an elective strategy that pushes class warfare to center stage as he tries to make up for the loss of the Independent vote.

The AP has this report:

Take off your bedroom slippers. Put on your marching shoes," he said, his voice rising as applause and cheers mounted. "Shake it off. Stop complainin'. Stop grumblin'. Stop cryin'. We are going to press on. We have work to do." Topping the to-do list, he said, is getting Congress to the pass jobs bill he sent to Capitol Hill two weeks ago.

You know The Man is in trouble when he has to beg the Congressional Black Caucus, which votes in lock step for black leaders, to "stop complainin'." While he was busy trying to sound like an authentic black man, his speech reveals deep seeded problems with this constituency.

Notes: The AP did not print the words as written for the president, instead choosing to transcribe the speech with what might be considered a bit more accuracy. For example, the teleprompter read, “Stop complaining.“ But the president said ”Stop complainin’.” And that is how the AP reported it.

In 2008, Obama was the man who could transcend race and political ideology. Three years later, his campaign is one of uniting minority groups in a strategy of class warfare being called "Operation Vote." Moderate conservatives were willing to give him a chance, because of the historic nature of the 2008 election. Independents march in droves to his call for a national unity never seen before. Three years later, he has lost half the Independent vote and all of the conservative vote. In fact, it is beginning to look like this movement is fixed in time. Understand this, Independents are not ideologues and they hate harsh tones and incivility -- the two most pronounced aspects of the Obama rhetorical onslaught. Every time he or his minions, whether in the press or on the campaign trail, spew hate and the threat of violence, the Obama machine loses votes. The moderate conservatives have been shocked back into reality because of the radical nature of his collectivist ideology. Turns out, they do not want a "fundamental transformation of the United States," not at all.

In 2008, we really did not know this guy. Today, while revelations of his past are muted, there is no getting around the belligerence of his supporters and the radical nature of his reforms. More than this, there is the little matter of his inexperience and the totality of his failures.

About Morgan Freeman and racism

Morgan Freeman: Obama made racism worse; opponents will do whatever 'to get this black man outta here'...

One of my favorite Hollywood stars, Freeman, has to go and ruin everything with this moronic statement. Understand that it is not "black" that we do not like, it is "ineptness" that is tiresome. It is "fundamental transformation" that we hate. " It is "I wish I could make these decisions on my own" that is scary.

Obama is an under-qualified political theorist who hates capitalism and financial success in a societal sense.Understand that he is large company.

This past week, Bill Clinton pointed out that no nation on earth ever made a successful run based on T.E.A. Movement principles. Geeeesh. Of course not. In fact, no other country was ever birthed out of a high level intellectual debate as was the case with our history. Know this - the Clintonians of the world would have never founded a nation such as ours. They are bottom feeders who live in the world of ideas belonging to others, many of whom who are enemies of this nation. Morgan Freeman is not a bottom feeder, but he has been sucked in by these people and that is most disappointing.

The GOP definitely has our attention

The GOP Debate ratings so far:

Debate	Network	Total Viewers	A25-54
Sept. 22	Fox News	6,107,000	1,701,000
Sept. 12	CNN	3,600,000	1,100,000
Sept. 7	MSNBC	5,411,000	1,728,000
Aug. 11	Fox News	5,053,000	1,430,000
June 13	CNN	3,162,000	918,000
May 5	Fox News	3,258,000	854,000

Florida's Straw Poll Is A Big Deal - the winner will blow your mind.

Cain 37% Perry 15% Romney 14% Santorum 11% Paul 10%. With less than 10% of the vote, each, were former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman (R) and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) came in last place with only 40 votes out of 2500 cast. Gary Johnson was not on the ballot.

A USA Today/Gallup poll released a week ago had Cain at just 5 percent, trailing Perry’s 31 percent and Romney’s 24 percent.

Last 3 poll winners: Reagan, Bush, Dole...

Sarah Palin recently told Sean Hannity that this election cycle was not going to be a "conventional" one. Seems as though she is right on.

Obama at record low approval - 36% !

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Asthma sufferers - ALERT. EPA intends on placing a ban on inhalers over environmental concerns. Need another reason to ban the EPA ??

I found this news alert in the Weekly Standard. For sure, the Marxist Media will not report on this. Click here for more information. If enough of us write to our congressmen, they might be able to pressure this bunch of Nazi's into a scheduled "in action."

You will not believe this bit of news.

Chris Christy is reconsidering a run for the presidency.


Christy is one of two or three non-candidates who could beat
Obama, even if the economy improved.

After Obama's failed approach to Middle East "diplomacy," we still have Palestine saying this:

"They talk to us about the Jewish state, but I respond to them with a final answer: We shall not recognize a Jewish state," Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, spoken yesterday (9/22/11) at a UN special assembly.

Understand that Obama presented his edict to Israel, some months ago, demanding that the state return to its 1967 boundaries without dealing with the Abbas mentality, at all. Obama should be fired for this reason along.

Under what bit of logic does a president of the United of States not get the PLO logo, presenting a Palestinian state in the place of the Israel state. And, why on earth would he continue "negotiations" without dealing with this problem? It makes no sense


In fact, I suggest that this is stupid wrong. Correct me if you think I am wrong.

Copper fell 9% yesterday. If a trend, copper, the most used industrial metal, might forecast the beginning of a second recession. (no article).

MasterCard and Visa plan on tripling their transaction fees to the merchant on debit cards.

MasterCard and Visa are planning on raising their rates on small ticket debit card sales to 23%. That means that for every dollar of retail sales, 23 cents will go to this charlatans. Most merchants currently pay 8 cents on the dollar. We have Obama and his jihad against Big Money (via Dodd/Frank) to thank for this situation. Federal caps on large ticket items will cost the banking industry some 6.6 billion dollars this coming year, beginning in October.

It is obvious that with this trend, there will come a day when small ticket sales will be a cash only item.

Thomas McCrohan, a market analyst, has this to say about this rather startling news:

“[T]his pricing change demonstrates the risk to small ticket merchants that accept debit cards. Self-service kiosks, such as DVD rentals, benefit from debit card acceptance/usage and will need to navigate a draconian price increase without alienating customers and possibly lead to broken business models. It also risks alienating important merchant partners, such as Starbucks (SBUX), who have been major payment innovators. These operators will be violently opposed to this price change, stall investments in NFC acceptance (mobile), and re-enforce merchants’ view that the networks are not friends of merchants.”

I am not a fan of credit cards, with the debit card being an exception. My wife and I have not had credit cards for several years, now, and we get along just fine. Indeed, it took a little "getting used to," but we made the transition and are the happier for it. Know this, when the debit card first came out, it was a bank cash card. MasterCard and Visa had nothing to do with them. But before that first year was over, businesses were refusing to accept a debit card if it did not have a Visa or MasterCard logo on it. That is a fact. Back then, the going rate was somewhere around 4 cents a transaction. Why did Visa and MasterCard force this change? Greed, pure and simply. We the people, are not paying hundreds of billions per year, in card fees to merchants, for absolutely nothing but greed.

Understand that I could not care less what happens to the credit card industry. I am just giving some of you time to increase your small change savings so you can afford that $15 latte, coming to your local Starbucks, soon.

So you think that Bush is to blame for the sad state of the economy? Maybe you should read this.

• President Bush expanded the federal budget by a historic $700 billion through 2008. President Obama would add another $1 trillion.

Note: actually, this estimates the year, 2009. This year must be shared by both Obama and Bush. Fiscal 2009 belongs to Bush, officially. TARP monies (700 billion) were spent during this time as was the Obama Stimulus - a trillion dollars after interest, the 2009 Omnibus bill of 430 billion dollars and an estimated 600 billion in Bush "regular" spending. Not a good year for the debt. Total spending for this fiscal year was well over 4 trillion in these and other expenditures. Since Obama, our gross [official] budget averages around 3.6 trillion. While 2009 was an anomaly, the same totals for Obama are not.

• President Bush began a string of expensive finan­cial bailouts. President Obama is accelerating that course.
• President Bush created a Medicare drug entitle­ment that will cost an estimated $800 billion in its first decade. President Obama has proposed a $634 billion down payment on a new govern­ment health care fund.
• President Bush increased federal education spending 58 percent faster than inflation. Presi­dent Obama would double it.
• President Bush became the first President to spend 3 percent of GDP on federal antipoverty programs. President Obama has already in­creased this spending by 20 percent.
• President Bush tilted the income tax burden more toward upper-income taxpayers. President Obama would continue that trend.
• President Bush presided over a $2.5 trillion increase in the public debt through 2008. Setting aside 2009 (for which Presidents Bush and Obama share responsibility for an additional $2.6 trillion in public debt), President Obama’s budget would add $4.9 trillion in public debt from the beginning of 2010 through 2016.
  

Note: in fact, Obama has spent 4.5 trillion in public debt through September of 2011. Deficit spending, because of Obama policies, from 2010 through 2016 is now estimated to be closer to 9 trillion dollars, nearly twice the Heritage estimate. Still think it is all Bush's fault?

All of the above - except for "notes" - is from Heritage.

Limbaugh's revised (1994) list of life's 35 undeniable truths. . . . still current.

1. There is a distinct singular American culture - rugged individualism
and self-reliance - which made America great.
2. The vast majority of the rich in this country did not inherit their

wealth; they earned it. They are the country's achievers, producers,

and job creators.
3. No nation has ever taxed itself into prosperity.
4. Evidence refutes liberalism.
5. There is no such thing as a New Democrat.
6. The Earth's eco-system is not fragile.
7. Character matters; leadership descends from character.
8. The most beautiful thing about a tree is what you do with it after you
cut it down.
9. Ronald Reagan was the greatest president of the twentieth century.
10. The 1980s was not a decade of greed but a decade of prosperity; it was
the longest period of peacetime growth in American history.
11. Abstinence prevents sexually transmitted disease and pregnancy -every
time it's tried.
12. Condoms only work during the school year.
13. Poverty is not the root ("rut") cause of crime.
14. There's a simple way to solve the crime problem: obey the law; punish
those who do not.
15. If you commit a crime, you are guilty.
16. Women should not be allowed on juries where the accused is a stud.
17. The way to improve our schools is not more money, but the
reintroduction of moral and spiritual values, as well as the four
"R's": reading, 'riting, 'rithmatic, and Rush.
18. I am not arrogant.
19. My first 35 Undeniable Truths are still undeniably true.
20. There is a God.
21. There is something wrong when critics say the problem with America is
too much religion.
22. Morality is not defined by individual choice.
23. The only way liberals win national elections is by pretending they're
not liberals.
24. Feminism was established as to allow unattractive women easier access
to the mainstream of society.
25. Follow the money. When somebody says, "It's not the money," it's
always the money.
26. Liberals attempt through judicial activism what they cannot win at the
ballot box.
27. Using federal dollars as a measure, our cities have not been
neglected, but poisoned with welfare dependency funds.
28. Progress is not striving for economic justice or fairness, but
economic growth.
29. Liberals measure compassion by how many people are given welfare.
Conservatives measure compassion by how many people no longer need it.
30. Compassion is no substitute for justice.
31. The culture war is between the winners and those who think they're
losers who want to become winners. The losers think the only way they
can become winners is by banding together all the losers and then
empowering a leader of the losers to make things right for them.
32. The Los Angeles riots were not caused by the Rodney King verdict. The
Los Angeles riots were caused by rioters.
33. You could afford your house without your government - if it weren't
for your government.
34. Words mean things.
35. Too many Americans can't laugh at themselves anymore.

First time claims for unemployment benefits came in at 423,000 for last week, down from the previous week of 432,000.

The four week average is up, coming in at 421,000 before this week's total is adjusted -- probably upwards. Midknight Review uses a baseline number of 375,000 for the line of demarcation between net job loss and net job gains. There are any number of links that take you to articles supporting this theory.

Here is our link for the explanation that gives us (Midknight Review) this 375,000 baseline figure .. permalink.

We have had 158 weeks out of 163 with first time claims at 400,000 or more.

Talk at Squawk Box, CNBC and FoxBusiness tell us the global market is in a bear circumstance, losing more than 10 billion since May of this year. More and more market analysts believe we are in a second recession.

Best line of the debate was stolen from Rush Limbaugh, but it was still funny:

Gary Johnson -- "My neighbors two dogs have produced more shovel ready jobs that Obama has every thought of." (or words to that effect)

Who won the debate? For what it is worth - and this is an opinion blog - Mitt Romney will see a major boost in the coming days. (no article)

Texas teacher calls TEA Party leader a "Nazi." Does anyone know what a social Nazi is? Well, it ain't TEA Party People

Review our question, offered above in our headline and listen to this fellow make his ridiculous accusation.
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Here are some fact that the liberals pretend do not exist:

First, the Nazi party began as a social reform movement and officially called itself the "National Socialist German Workers' party of Germany." It is a militant form of socialism.

Secondly, as a social reform effort, the party leaders sought control over the cultural, economic, and political activities of the people.

Third, there was a national emphasis that put "government" at the center of the business community and enforced this effort by brute force. While guns are not being used by the Left, currently, the use of intimidation via regulatory force and legislative threats has become the politic of the Left. In some communities, brute force is being used, ala union thugs, ACORN thugs, environmental/domestic thugs and Black Panther thugs . . . . . . . the key word in all this is "thugs."

Of course, the original Nazi Party was a white supremacist faction. While that is not a parallel to what we see today, I do believe that the current Democrat leadership uses race and class warfare to maintain their power while doing next to nothing for these minorities. Look how much more expensive everything is, because of these guys. You don't think that this hurts the poor and middle class the most?

I hasten to add, the GOP is doing no better, but, for very different reasons. We will deal with that after we help move Obama back to Chicago and place more TEA Party types in office, come this 2012 election.

It is right there in their logo - "Israel must be destroyed."

Here is what bothers me. This is the logo for the new and proposed Palestinian state. See that little green thingy in the middle of the logo? That is their version of Palestine. In reality, it is a drawing of the State of Israel.

This logo sets forth the notion that Israel is no longer present. It, the logo, indicates a Palestinian state that is a threat to Israel and a serious danger to several of the states in the region.

Obama thinks the only problem between warring factions is that one has not walked in the shoes of the other. The fact of the matter is quite different. One does not want the other to exist -- that is the problem and we ought not encourage a rogue state in such danger nonsense . . . . but Obama is busy doing just that. Geeeeeesh.

From McClatchy-Marist, we have this shocker: Palin picks up 16 points on Obama.

A new McClatchy-Marist poll finds that Obama looks increasingly vulnerable in next year’s election, with a majority of voters believing he’ll lose to any Republican, a solid plurality saying they’ll definitely vote against him and most potential Republican challengers gaining on him.

Even in potential matchups where he leads, Obama in most cases has lost ground to the Republican.

The biggest gain came for Palin, the former Alaska governor who hasn’t yet announced whether she’ll jump into the fast-changing race for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.

After trailing Obama by more than 20 percentage points in polls all year, the new national survey, taken Sept. 13-14, found Palin trailing the president by just 5 points, 49-44 percent. The key reason: She now leads Obama among independents, a sharp turnaround.

Elizabeth Warren is Obama in drag and she is coming after Scott Warren

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Update: before getting into the printed text, below, I really should mention Warren's math. Not reflected in the text, but presented at the very beginning of her recorded comments, is Warren's version of how we got in the current financial mess, and . . . . . you guessed it . . . . . it was all Bush's fault. She wants her audience to believe that her math is profoundly simple and straight forward, after all, she is an esteemed (for reals) Harvard professor.

• She mentions 1 trillion "lost" because of the Bush tax cuts on the "rich." She does not mention the $400 billion in tax cuts to the middle class (no Liberal ever does) nor does she allow for the stabilizing of revenues at 18.5% of GDP in 2007, because of these tax cuts. No mention is made (by Warren) of the Clinton recession at the end of his time in office (Bush 'inherited' this) or the recession during the entire year of 2008. She allows for nothing as the result of the destruction of the Twin Towers, a preposterous omission and never hints at 5 trillion in deficit spending under Obama. Finally, she ignores the "dot com" bubble that burst during Bush's early years with a lost of 12 million "dot com" jobs, a bubble that gave Clinton his claim of 22 million jobs created.
  
• She claims a 2 trillion cost for "two wars," when, in fact, the cost from 2001 until now is 1.2 trillion. Bush was responsible for .9 trillion of that total. She forgets that the "second war" is Obama's war. She forgets about the billions of dollars being spent in the four month "days not weeks" war in Libya.
• Finally, she hits on the "1 trillion" for Bush's prescription bill. Here, she becomes incoherent. It is Elizabeth Warren and her band of socialist reformers who believes that "all government spending is stimulus." Bush is often criticized for his spending. We conservatives hated it. But, with Keynesian macroeconomics in mind, Bush 43 should be one the far Left's heroes. Understand that the Keynesian crowd does not believe that we can run out of money. So you don't believe me? See what happens when you object to one of their new social programs with these words, "But we have no money." More than this, Bush prescription bill cost the taxpayers $700 to $800 , not a trillion.
  

Text from the above video:

“I hear all this, you know, ‘Well, this is class warfare, this is whatever. No. There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own — nobody.

“You built a factory out there? Good for you. But I want to be clear. You moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for. You hired workers the rest of us paid to educate. You were safe in your factory because of police-forces and fire-forces that the rest of us paid for. You didn’t have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything at your factory — and hire someone to protect against this — because of the work the rest of us did.

“Now look, you built a factory and it turned into something terrific, or a great idea. God bless — keep a big hunk of it. But part of the underlying social contract is, you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along.”

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Look at that last statement and answer this question: what in the world does this raging collectivist think Big money is doing. "We' (she talks about what "we" the little people do for Big Business) take 35% of the man's income after he pays a flat rate of more than $50,000. Here in California, we take another 10%. As to his corporate profits, we make him wait a full year before he can take a profit and then, make him pay another 15% on top of the taxes he paid to accumulate his investment monies. We make him spend hundreds of thousands of dollars before he can build his
factory and, then, force him to hire a work force that demands unsustainable health and retirement benefits.

Understand this, the tax rate for millionaires is 35% and 98.5% of them pay 29% or more after taking their legal deductions. They are actually paying 29% of their income just to the Feds plus excise taxes, environmental taxes, sales taxes on everything they buy. In fact, a typical new factory will be charged more than 1.5 million in fees and taxes before a shovel is used to "break ground."

Big Business pays 70% of all Federal taxes -- that is, by definition, "doing their fair share." Warren makes it sound as if Big Business forced the common man to suffer for nothing so that it, Big Business, could garner its fortunes.

In Elizabeth Warren, we have a flaming socialist who has never worked outside academia, presenting those who will listen, most of them rich, communist theory that has nothing to do with the American reality.

And she may run for the GOP seat held by Scott Brown. Never forget this:

Elizabeth Warren is Barack Obama in drag.