First Lady Michelle Obama abruptly cancelled her two long scheduled fundraisers in Houston that were to occur today. They will be re-scheduled for a later date.
One of the events was to be at a private home of one of Forbes 400 Richest people, a 37 year old former Enron executive.
Arnold, 37, one of the 400 richest Americans according to Forbes, was one of Barack Obama’s top financiers in 2008, bundling between $50,000 and $100,000 in contributions for his election campaign, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. He has personally given the legal maximum — $5,000 — to Obama for 2012, records show.
Where is the outrage coming from the left side of the aisle that First Lady Michelle Obama is fundraising at a private shindig with a former Enron executive? Where is the media curiosity about this event?
Can you imagine if say, Mitt Romney or Rick Perry were attending a fundraiser put on by an Enron guy?
Michelle Obama was suppose to do a larger event earlier in the day and then the private event. All of the money was to go to the Obama Victory Fund, a part of the Obama re-election campaign.
Interestingly enough, the First Lady will go to her scheduled event in New Orleans Tuesday, despite cancelling the Houston events. She will do a fundraiser and an event for her "Let's Move" program.
The Ted Cruz for U.S. Senate campaign announced an invitation extended by Cruz to fellow frontrunner Lt Governor David Dewhurst to participate in five Lincoln-Douglas style debates.
Ahead of this weekend’s Lincoln-Douglas style debate between Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich in The Woodlands, Ted Cruz invited Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst to five similar debates between now and the primary election.
Cruz noted in a letter to Dewhurst, that the Lt. Governor publicly stated, “What I think is in the voters’ best interest is to hear from the candidates, and so that’s what we’re doing.”
“I take you at your word that you are sincerely interested in providing Texans a fair opportunity to ask the hard questions necessary to make an informed decision in this Senate election,” Cruz wrote.
This Saturday’s Lincoln-Douglas debate between Cain and Gingrich is getting a tremendously high level of interest from Republican primary voters. “Texans deserve the same opportunity in the Texas Senate race,” Cruz observed.
“I know it’s tempting for a front-runner to try to hide from debates, and you have often said you consider yourself the front-runner,” Cruz added in the letter to Dewhurst. “But you’re a smart, serious man, and I hope you respect Texas voters enough to stand before them and answer their questions.”
I think that's a great idea. I will be attending the Cain-Gingrich debate and I think there is real interest in more detailed answers from candidates than one can get from short quips made in standard debates.
The primary election is March 6, 2012 so there is plenty of time to have the debates.
This is low for even a White House staffer. Speaking on a Sunday morning show, David Plouffe struck a personal attack on GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney:
White House senior adviser David Plouffe on Sunday said Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has “no core” when it comes to taking a firm stance on difficult issues.
“Issue after issue after issue, he’s moved all over the place,” Plouffe said on NBC’s Meet the Press, citing the former Massachusetts governor’s shifts to the right on climate change, gay marriage, and abortion.
“What you need in that office is conviction, you need to have a true compass, and you’ve got to be willing to make tough calls,” Plouffe said. “You get the sense that if he had to say the sky was green and the grass was blue to win an election, he’d do it.”
Remember this is from a taxpayer paid White House staffer. He left the administration long enough to help set up the Chicago headquarters for Obama's re-election and to sell his book, then he came back on board at the White House. Apparently the White House is just as nervous as the re-election team about Obama's odds of winning a second term. They have taken to criticizing individual GOP candidates in the primary race, not waiting for the actual candidate who will compete with Obama for the 2012 election.
Romney is one who has come out ahead of Obama in polling for winning that election.
Even an obvious partisan in the media noticed that Plouffe was going over the line in his personal attack of Romney. The noted to the round table panel that it was new ground being broken. The host of that show noted the new ground being broken by Plouffe to his guests on the panel for discussion of that interview. Partisans on both sides were divided on if Plouffe should apologize to Romney for a personal attack on national television. The Republican partisan said yes while the Democratic ones said no. No surprise there. We are a deeply divided country where more and more often it seems anything goes. Instead of arguing the issues, discussions devolve into personal attacks.
I have to admit, the level of stubbornness of President Obama on display as he campaigns for re-election across America is a sight to behold. How many articles and blog posts have been written about his divisive and abrasive tone in his speeches? How many times have talking heads on television commented about the man who spoke of bringing the country together in 2008 now is the most divisive of Presidents in recent history? Yet, he doubles down and continues on.
The result is a continuing spiral of negative rhetoric instead of bolstering the people, cheering them on to hang in there until times are better. Everyone gets sucked into the mix and that is why the great malaise has set in. Instead of a feeling of hopefulness, a general feeling of hopelessness has blanketed the country. For the first time, a substantial majority of Americans believe our best days are behind us.
How did this happen? I think it is a result of the rise of Barack Obama to the presidency. A man with some state legislative experience became a U.S. Senator and then almost immediately started running for the biggest job in the world. A new Fox News Poll shows 76% now say they are dissatisfied with the direction of the country.
The Presidency demands a seasoned politician, truth be told. This is why former governors make good presidents. States are smaller governments that require lots of the same decisions as are made on the federal level. Whether it is budget decisions or National Guard deployments, decision making experience is necessary to be a successful president.
Another ability that a governor develops is that of working with both parties. President Obama, only having experience in state legislation where he voted a record breaking amount of "present" instead of yea or nay on bills and then only briefly in his first term as a U.S. Senator, never developed the ability to work with all sides of an argument. This lack of experience has been painfully apparent throughout his term as president. He famously told Senator John McCain, "I won, John", as McCain was arguing his point of view in the first months of the Obama administration.
As Barack Obama campaigned for president in 2008, he criticized then President Bush for using too many Executive Orders in governing. Now, however, as he runs for his second term, President Obama thinks this is exactly how he must govern. Why? Because the Congressional Republicans are bringing forward their own job creating bills and therefore, Obama wants the Republicans to look as though they are not doing their jobs. They are and that is a sore spot for such a failed presidency.
Using the catch phrase We Can't Wait, Obama is now going around the country bragging about signing Executive Orders to go around Congress which is not able to pass his spending bill labeled as a jobs bill. HERE is a list of his Executive Orders for 2011, so far. Recently President Obama stated he would use Executive Orders to put through a mortgage re-finance bill and a student loan re-payment bill.
Speaker Boehner voiced his concern of this practice on a radio talk show and said of the Senate's refusal to bring up the 15 jobs creation bills that have passed in the House, "You know what, we can’t wait. We’ve got 15 bills that have passed the House that would help job creators around our country. They’re called the Forgotten 15; they’re sitting over in the United States Senate." We can't wait for Senate Democrats to pass them."
The Democratically controlled Senate refuses to take up the Forgotten 15 for debate and votes. The Senate still has not pass a budget in more than 900 days. That is where the "obstruction" lies. President Obama should talk to his own party and instruct them to work with Republicans to get our economy moving again.
Recently, Senator John Cornyn visited with top officials at Houston Independent School District and the topic was preventing drug cartel recruitment in the schools.
On Monday, I met with top officials from the Houston Independent School District, one of the nation’s largest school districts, to discuss the recent warning from the Texas Department of Public Safety that Mexican drug cartels are attempting to recruit high school students. Terry Grier, HISD Superintendent, and Jimmy Dotson, HISD Chief of Police, assured me that they have no evidence to indicate that the cartels have been successful in any attempts to recruit HISD students. This is largely due to the proactive measures that the school district has taken to address this threat. HISD has the nation’s only fully accredited school district police force. This includes a gang task force dedicated to tracking gang activity and sharing intelligence with multi-jurisdictional gang task forces on the regional, state and federal levels. We all acknowledged that constant vigilance is required to protect our students, and I am confident in HISD’s ability to do so.
As Texans, we’re not strangers to the senseless brutality of the drug cartels on the other side of the border. DPS’s warning stands as further proof that the border must be secured for the sake of all Texans—especially our children.
HISD has implemented a program - G.R.E.A.T. which educates middle schoolers on the dangers of gangs and their recruitment tactics.
Gang life can be attractive to some teens looking for a way to be a part of something and to stand out.
"They're looking for leadership, that guidance, and a sense of belonging," said Bradford Roland of the HPD Gang Division.
HPD sends officers to high-risk Houston Independent School Districts campuses to teach middle school students about gang resistance. The program is called G.R.E.A.T., which stands for Gang Resistance Education and Training.
G.R.E.A.T. is a national program that has also partnered with such organizations like Boys and Girls Clubs, and National Association of Police Athletic Leagues.
Since the G.R.E.A.T. Program went nationwide in 1992, many law enforcement agencies and schools from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories of Guam and Puerto Rico, Bermuda, Canada, Central America, England, and military bases in Japan and Germany have implemented the program. Currently, the G.R.E.A.T. Program is delivered in over 500 communities across the United States. In order to maintain the integrity of the G.R.E.A.T. Program, it is necessary to have a strong organizational structure to regulate decisions and program or curricula changes.
This week, President Obama once again used his weekly radio address to complain about Republicans and their unwillingness to go along to get along with him when it comes to his jobs bill.
In the Weekly Republican Address, North Carolina Senator Richard Burr contrasts President Obama's call for more Washington spending with Republicans' proposals to get government out of the way of job creators.
Sen. Burr says, "Some in Washington, including the President, are suggesting that we simply spend more money. We've already tried that - it did not spur job growth then, and it won't now. The American people realize that this is not about how much money Washington can spend. It's about getting government out of the way and creating the climate for growth and jobs."
He explains, "The President has even ignored the suggestions of his own commission. Rather than implement even a single one of the strategic reforms and investments suggested by Simpson-Bowles, we continue to ignore our fiscal problems and focus only on spending more money and expanding the size of the federal government. This lack of fiscal discipline is unsustainable and cannot continue -- you know it, and I know it. The longer we kick the can down the road, the more difficult it will be to address our real problems and spur real job growth."
"Fortunately, Sen. Burr says, "there is an alternative to the President's approach. While some in Washington are focused on creating more government jobs, Republicans want to drive job creation in the private sector.
"We have a jobs proposal that would:
1. Simplify and stabilize the tax code
2. Rein in government regulations
3. Cap spending and reduce budget deficits
4. Propose common sense healthcare solutions
5. Encourage domestic energy development
6. Create a competitive workforce, and
7. Increase exports
The American people deserve a debate on these issues. Our proposal is simple, and it makes it easier for businesses to thrive, grow, and hire."
He concludes, "Despite ideological differences, many of these proposals -- such as tax reform, regulatory reform, and increased trade opportunities - have the support of Republicans and Democrats. There is bipartisan agreement on the need to fundamentally reform our tax code to make it simpler, more fair, and more predictable for all Americans and job creators. The American people are hurting, and our economy is in grave danger. It's time for Congress to focus on the American people and not how difficult change might be."
Republicans in the House continue to send a positive and constructive message. They have passed 15 job creating bills that are being ignored in the Democratically controlled Senate. It is time for President Obama to come in off the campaign trail and do the serious work of putting our nation on the right economic track again.
The recurring slogan du jour from Team Obama, in particular the campaigner-in-chief himself, is We Can't Wait. As in, he can't wait for the Congress to do its job in legislating us out of this economic mess. It is a false charge, especially in light of the fact that the Republican-led House of Representatives has passed job creating bills that lay unattended in the Democratically controlled Senate. Why doesn't President Obama talk to Senate Majority Leader Reid about bringing those bills up for debate and votes?
There are currently 15 "forgotten" job creating bills referenced by Speaker of the House Boehner and his leadership team that should be taken up in the Senate. And, Thursday the House passed a rare bi-partisan agreement in the form of a bill that eliminates the withholding of 3% of payments to government contractors. It is a minor victory, to be sure, but a victory for those seeking common ground to move forward. The bill was passed orginally in 2006 yet has not been enacted. The purpose was to ensure that those companies doing business with the federal government paid their share of taxes.
The vote was 406-16. The President supports the action. The Senate Democrats blocked the action last week but plan to take it up again next week. HERE is a list of the Forgotten 15.
I am particularly anxious for numbers 4 through 7 to be taken up in the Senate. Now.
4) Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act (H.R 1230) – Helps to reduce energy prices and promote job creation by expediting offshore oil and natural gas exploration in the Gulf of Mexico and the Virginia coast.
• Introduced by Rep. Doc Hastings (WA) on March 29, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 266-149 on May 5, 2011 5) Putting the Gulf of Mexico Back to Work Act (H.R. 1229) – Promotes job creation and reduces energy prices by reinstating oil drilling permits in the Gulf Coast.
• Introduced by Rep. Doc Hastings (WA) on March 29, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 263-163 on May 11, 2011 6) Reversing President Obama’s Offshore Moratorium Act (H.R 1231) – Promotes lower energy costs and job creation by allowing drilling in at least 50 percent of the Outer Continental Shelf areas known to contain the most oil and gas.
• Introduced by Rep. Doc Hastings (WA) on March 29, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 243-179 on May 12, 2011 7) The Jobs and Energy Permitting Act H.R 2021) – Promotes job growth and reduces energy costs by expediting the process of obtaining an offshore drilling permit.
• Introduced by Rep. Cory Gardner (CO) on May 26, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 255-166 on June 22, 2011
As I wrote this week in an article for The Texas Conservative, energy independence will help turn our economy around. Energy exploration and production will create jobs immediately.
Here are some facts that counter the Obama administration's claim that the drilling permit process is moving along just fine and that the moratorium is lifted:
•Over the past five years, 73.4 percent of plans submitted to BOEMRE were approved. That number dropped to 52 percent in 2010 and stands at 37 percent in 2011.
•The federal government approved these plans in an average of 60.6 days over the past five years. That number increased to 67 days in 2010. But it skyrocketed to 115 days this year.
•So far in October, the government has issued just one deepwater drilling permit. The average over the past three years is seven new permit approvals per month.
Listen to the House leadership speak about the "Forgotten 15".
The President need only look to the Democratically controlled Senate to vote on these job creating bills and send them to him to sign.
During his current trip to the west coast,President Obama said that we have lost our motivation, our imagination to build big things like the Golden Gate Bridge. Really? What I see is people motivated and full of imagination yearning for the chance to do big things but are hamstrung thanks to big government red tape and the permitting process and fees out the wazoo.
It is obvious at this point that Barack Obama will spend the next year campaigning for re-election using scare tactics and dishonest arguments to try to woo audiences into supporting him in November 2012.
Clearly, President Obama is of the political philosophy that in order to "do big things" there must be oodles of taxpayer money funding the projects. Private initiatives are hindered in the world of Barack Obama. He believes in choosing government projects over private enterprise.
President Obama told an audience that if Republicans win the election in November 2012, that people will be on their own. He said that the Tea Party people want to discard Social Security and Medicare, that Republicans want dirty water and air, that Republicans want the regulations on good business practices to be reversed. He said Republicans want people to do without health care. This is the talk of a desperate candidate.
What Barack Obama fails to understand is that we are a nation in malaise. We are a nation with a majority of people of the opinion that our best days are behind us. Consumer confidence is at an historical low and companies are too uncertain of what the future holds to hire workers. President Obama contributes to all of this with his political talk. Independent voters have fled from supporting his re-election. If he continues on with this kind of campaigning, he has no hope of winning their support back.
In order to make himself look better to the voters, Barack Obama has decided to make the Republican party the enemy. He is suppose to be the President of all Americans but he has never governed as such. His legacy- making legislation - Obamacare - was signed into law with only support from the Democratic party. A major entitlement has never been signed into law with only the support of one party in Congress. Maybe that is the change Obama promised in 2008. The people, however, do not approve.
Wednesday,Rep. Paul Ryan spoke to the need to seek unity and work together for our country's economic revival.
“Instead of appealing to the hope and optimism that were hallmarks of his first campaign, he has launched his second campaign by preying on the emotions of fear, envy, and resentment,” Ryan told a group gathered at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington.
“The president likes to use Warren Buffett and his secretary as an example of why we should raise taxes on the rich. Well, Warren Buffett gets the same health and retirement benefits from the government as his secretary,” Ryan said in prepared remarks. “But our proposals to modestly income-adjust Social Security and Medicare benefits have been met with sheer demagoguery by leading members of the president’s party.”
The theme of Ryan’s speech was “Saving the American Idea: Rejecting fear, envy and the politics of division.” Ryan argued that the Founding Fathers rejected traditional European notions of class and economic opportunity. But “the president’s policies have moved us closer to the European model,” he said.
Americans want to be uplifted, to be given a boost of courage to get through these difficult economic times. The bitter politics of division are not what the times demand of politicians.
Do you remember what he said? He said that what’s stopped us from meeting our nation’s greatest challenges is, quote, “the failure of leadership, the smallness of our politics – the ease with which we’re distracted by the petty and trivial, our chronic avoidance of tough decisions, our preference for scoring cheap political points instead of rolling up our sleeves and building a working consensus to tackle big
problems.”
Ryan calls the political talk "intellectual laziness". I agree. It is time to move past the easy, cheap shots and have a truthful debate on the issues.
Recently, Ted Cruz, candidate for U.S. Senate from Texas, was interviewed by a local Fox station in Beaumont. During the interview, the point was made by Cruz that we are truly at a crossroads. Do we fight and maintain our free enterprise system or do we allow our country to succumb to the growing reach of government?
Here is the interview:
One of the reasons Ted Cruz captured my attention some time ago was because his is a positive message. Do not confuse a positive message for weakness. The easiest tactic in a political battle is to go negative.
Today conservatives are crying out for happy warriors - candidates strong enough in their own message to wage the battle without dividing the party in the end. Once the primary votes are tallied, the party will have to come together to send a strong conservative to the U.S. Senate. Republicans need all the help they can get there. Remember, our goal is to take back the majority in the Senate. This will be particularly important if Barack Obama is re-elected. Republicans must maintain control of the House of Representatives and gain control of the Senate. It's that simple.
Happy warriors. Clear, concise and positive messages will win the election.
President Obama has turned to his pals in Hollywood to provide support in getting out his message - if he can get his message straight, that is. Recent attempts to popularize snappy slogans have failed for Team Obama. Whether it is Attack Watch or the newest, We Can't Wait, Republicans have been successful in a rapid response. The messages have been co-opted and used against the re-election campaign.
Obama has lost his mojo.
So, on his latest re-election campaign trip out West, Obama met with Hollywood big shots.
The event was not a fundraiser, and attendees were not asked to donate to the Obama reelection campaign. But those invited have been ardent supporters of the president and were identified as "influencers" with the ability to help Obama shape the national political conversation heading into a tough race in 2012.
An insider who attended the hour-long meeting with the Obama campaign staff tells THR that the vibe was casual. The president appeared for about 25 to 30 minutes, telling the group that his campaign would be tough and he needed their help to engage the Hollywood community in particular and the general public at large
Obama to Hollywood: Help me get my message together!
This report comes out the same day we learn that this year's holiday gifts to foreign libraries and embassies will be Barack Obama's memoir. You know, one of the two he has written so far. I'm not kidding.
A review of the expenditures in a federal database did not reveal any examples of State Department purchases of books by former Presidents George W. Bush or Bill Clinton. The purchases of Mr. Obama’s literary work mostly, but not always, took place in the months after Mr. Obama captured the White House.
Leslie Paige, a spokeswoman for Citizens Against Government Waste, a watchdog group, said if the federal government is looking to cut costs, eliminating purchases of Mr. Obama’s books is a good place to start.
“It’s inappropriate for U.S. taxpayer dollars to be spent on this,” she said. “This sounds like propaganda.”
Barack Obama has become a very wealthy man due to book sale profits received after he became President of the United States.
So, film propaganda and literary propaganda appear to be the method of re-election for a man who is tanking in the polls and desperate for America to love him unconditionally and blindly again.
Tuesday morning, Governor Perry presents his plan for tax reform and reining in spending. He calls it Cut, Balance and Grow. It is a Flat Tax concept which leaves in place such major tax deductions as the mortgage deduction. Perry's plan would be a choice - keep the current rate of taxation on your income or choose Perry's new plan.
The plan starts with giving Americans a choice between a new, flat tax rate of 20% or their current income tax rate. The new flat tax preserves mortgage interest, charitable and state and local tax exemptions for families earning less than $500,000 annually, and it increases the standard deduction to $12,500 for individuals and dependents.
Steve Forbes has endorsed Governor Perry for President and endorses his economic plan. Forbes' plan when he ran for President himself, you may remember, was for a 17% flat tax. The Perry Plan, is 20% and keeps mortgage deductions, state and local sales tax deductions and charitable donation deductions.
Perry's economic team presented the plan to bloggers in a conference call before Perry spoke. Here are some highlights:
The plan eliminates taxes on capital gains, the estate tax (death tax), and taxes currently in place on social security income.
The corporate tax rate would be 20% and eliminate loopholes.
Perry would declare a moratorium on all pending regulations and audit all regulatory measures taken since 2008. Federal regulations would sunset unless Congress renews them annually. He would implement an easy and identifiable, searchable federal regulatory data base. An annual regulatory budget would have to be submitted by each agency.
There is no VAT or Federal sales tax.
Social Security must be improved and enhanced for all generations. Those currently on it will not be affected. Treat the Social Security trust fund as the highway trust fund is run - protect the funds and only use the funds for that program. Younger workers would have the option of investing in personal IRAs. The age requirement for benefits would be reformed using life longetivity statistics.
He chose 2020 as the date for achieving a balanced budget though he calls for an immediate Balanced Budget Amendment. He reasons that it cannot be predicted when Congress would pass that amendment so 2020 would be a legitimate date.
The Perry plan brings Medicaid back to states responsibility. No more begging the federal government for waivers.
On Medicare, he would work with those who have presented reasonable plans - such as Rep Paul Ryan and Senator Tom Coburn and Senator Joe Lieberman. Preserve current benefits, increase eligibility requirements to reflect life expectancy, bring market forces to the program and reform waste, fraud and abuse in the system.
Automatic government shutdown protestion - no using troops or senior citizens as bargaining chips. Ban earmarks. Emergency spending only on emergencies. PAYGO - only spend on a program if another of equal or greater amount is eliminated. No more government bail-outs. No federal government worker raises.
Now is the time for bold steps, not the time to be timid. A President will never achieve what he/she wants unless they shoot for it and set the bar high. There is no need for class warfare - creating jobs is the way to increase tax revenue.
President Obama is on the west coast this week raising money for his re-election and ginning up support for his agenda. This week it is an attempt via social media called "We Can't Wait".
Just like the previous attempt, "Attack Watch", the "We Can't Wait" campaign is failing big time, too. Conservatives run circles around liberals in avenues of social media, on Twitter in particular, and have successfully co-opted this #WeCantWait hashtag, too. It's just fun.
Six days after the GOP debate, President Obama sweeps into Vegas to herald administrative steps to make it “easier for some homeowners to refinance their mortgages.” In August, Nevada registered the nation’s highest foreclosure rate for the 56th month in a row, per RealtyTrac.
--A White House official: “[U]sing the mantra ‘We Can’t Wait,’ the President will kick off an effort to put pressure on Congress to pass the American Jobs Act by highlighting a series of executive actions that his Administration will take without help from Republicans in Congress. … [In remarks at 5:30 p.m. ET at a private residence in Las Vegas, following a meeting with homeowners], the President will highlight a set of steps [announced this morning by Federal Housing Finance Agency] to make it easier for some homeowners to refinance their mortgages and [on Wednesday in Denver], the Administration will announce measures to help students better manage their student loan debt when they graduate.
…
“[W]e decided to stop waiting for Congress to fix No Child Left Behind, and decided to give states the flexibility they need to help our children meet higher standards. And the President acted to dramatically reduce the time it takes for small businesses to get paid when they have a contract with the federal government, and eliminated regulations that will save hospitals and patients billions of dollars. While President Obama continues to take executive actions, Republicans in Congress will have the opportunity to do what’s right for the country. They’ll have a chance to vote on a bill that will make an immediate investment of $50 billion in our nation’s surface transportation infrastructure and a $10 billion investment to create a bipartisan National Infrastructure bank. Together, these initiatives will put hundreds of thousands of construction workers back on the job rebuilding our roads, rails, and runways.”
What all this means is that President Obama has made the decision to rule through Executive Order in order to push his agenda through, because he cannot get the votes in Congress. He cannot get the votes in Congress because he continues to send up bills for votes that consist of the same failed policies he has tried up to now. The latest is this scheme to "help" those homeowners who are underwater (owe more than house is worth) with their mortgages.
Republicans have again co-opted an Obama administration slogan to mock the president.
On Monday, the GOP used Obama's #WeCantWait hashtag to criticize Democrats for the state of the economy.
"#WeCantWait to make @BarackObama a one-term president," tweeted Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus.
The administration launched the social media campaign to buoy public support for a set of stimulus-oriented executive actions the president plans to announce throughout the week.
"Using the mantra 'we can’t wait,' the President will highlight executive actions that his administration will take," said White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer in a blog post. "He’ll continue to pressure Congressional Republicans to put country before party and pass the American Jobs Act, but he believes we cannot wait, so he will act where they won't."
What Mr. Pfeiffer conveniently omits from his statement is that the opposition to the failed policies of Barack Obama has been a bi-partisan effort. Democrats have joined with Republicans to vote them down in Congress.
The mortgage re-finance program was tried already and failed miserably. Now this will help those who may not be able to re-pay their mortgages yet will be allowed to drag it all out with loans awarded with lesser fees, etc.
Remember when the 2008 candidate Obama promised he would not be a president who ruled by Executive Order? He actually began with the Executive Orders on the afternoon in which he was inaugurated.
Remember when Barack Obama was touted as a Constitutional scholar? Shouldn't he respect the three co-equal branches of government? It is a sign of weakness that he has made the decision to bypass Congress and put back into place more of the same old failed policies.
"I can't believe we have reached a point in this country where we are not allowed to express how we feel", ABC News President David Weston said to Juan Williams after he was very publicly fired from his gig with NPR. It was one year ago this week that Williams voiced his opinion about traveling with those dressed as Muslims on airplanes and was fired for those remarks.
"They want me to shut up and I will not", he said during a question and answer session during the Texas Book Festival. His book "Muzzled" was highlighted and he was interviewed by Glenn Frankel, Director of the University of Texas School of Journalism. Notoriously liberal, Frankel tried mightily to get Williams to bash Fox News Channel and Williams refused to do so. Frankel is the out of touch stereotype of liberals from days past.
I didn't realize it has been a year since the drama between Williams and the bureaucrats at NPR resulted in his dismissal. It was a bit of irony for me as I donated to our local NPR station here in Houston earlier that day.
Yes, this Republican donated to NPR.
NPR in Houston is the oldest such station in the country. Surprised? It's true. The NPR station in Houston went on air in 1950 broadcast from the University of Houston campus with student volunteers. It still operates from there and also now includes another station which broadcasts classical music. KUHF does not take money from University of Houston or from the State of Texas.
I listen to KUHF while I drive in the car. Like most women busy running a home and organizing a family, plus having a life of my own, I'm in the car a lot. I turn on KUHF because it keeps me informed, entertained and thinking. Yes, it irritates me to no end at times with the liberal guest line-up and no pretense of fair and balanced coverage on any issue. But, I know what to expect.
I was trained in political science in my college years. It was my course of study. There was always political discussion during my time living at home. I don't remember ever not being interested in politics. All of this shaped my desire to hear all sides and to keep current on what the other side is up to, so to speak.
If you do not know what the other side is saying, how will you be able to debate or persuade the other side to come to the conservative side?
I do not support the national organization of NPR. It is fine by me if all federal funding was stopped for them. They are clearly not out for anything but the agenda of far left progressive politics. There is no support for freedom of speech if that speech isn't exactly from their own talking points. The ugly side of progressive politics and broadcasting was laid bare in the Williams incident.
My local station brings the popular programs - Fresh Air, All Things Considered, Engines of our Ingenuity (with U of Houston's own John Leinhart), and my new favorite - BBC's World Have Your Say. And I love the Saturday morning game show Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me.
There are stories told on This American Life that bring me to tears. They are so well done.
So, after many years of not donating, I went online and donated this year. Since I do use it every day I felt that that it is only fair. No federal funds, private funds. I believe public radio - and public television, for that matter - can be privately sustained and thrive. Plus, I believe there is a need and market for both.
For my donation, I skipped another coffee mug or tote bag and went with supporting the partnering up with Trees for Houston. My donation will be marked for watering and caring for trees that have been so badly affected by our very long draught.
Friday, after a teleconference call with Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki, President Obama announced the withdrawal of all troops from Iraq by year's end.
President Obama: "In the next two months our troops will pack up their gear and board convoys for the journey home"
Some politicians and those hoping to be the next President jumped ugly on this announcement. It is nothing new, though, in the calendar of events. This agreement was made by former President George W. Bush and don't remember a whole lot of jumping on him when the agreement was hammered out back then.
A bit of a glitch occurred as the Iraqi leaders requested up to 5,000 troops to remain in Iraq to continue training but would not allow immunity from prosecution should incidents occur. The concern was particularly with Iraqi deaths at the hands of American soldiers. Defense Secretary Panetta unequivocally stated that this is unacceptable. The complete withdrawal indicates the Iraqi leadership was unwilling to allow the protection to soldiers.
"I feel all we have worked for, fought for, and sacrificed for is very much in jeopardy by today’s announcement. I hope I am wrong and the President is right, but I fear this decision has set in motion events that will come back to haunt our country," said South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of the most vocal proponents of the war, in a statement.
“President Obama’s astonishing failure to secure an orderly transition in Iraq has unnecessarily put at risk the victories that were won through the blood and sacrifice of thousands of American men and women," Romney said in a statement. "The unavoidable question is whether this decision is the result of a naked political calculation or simply sheer ineptitude in negotiations with the Iraqi government."
"Today's announcement that we will remove all of our forces from Iraq is a political decision and not a military one; it represents the complete failure of President Obama to secure an agreement with Iraq for our troops to remain there to preserve the peace and demonstrates how far our foreign policy leadership has fallen," Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann said in a statement. She said the U.s. should have demanded repayment for its cost of liberating Iraq, and demanded that Obama "return to the negotiating table with Iraq and lead from the front and not from weakness in Iraq and in the world."
California Rep. Buck McKeon, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, criticized the decision in the same vein as most other Republicans.
"I remain concerned that this full withdrawal of US forces will make that road tougher than it needs to be. Multiple experts have testified before my committee that the Iraqis still lack important capacities in their ability to maintain their internal stability and territorial integrity," he said. "These shortcomings could reverse the decade of hard work and sacrifice both countries have endured to build a free Iraq."
While we all are deeply concerned of what the next step for Iraq will be, whether it can truly protect itself from the continued obstruction from Iran, it is not wise for Republicans to be playing politics with the decision to carry on, to honor an agreement made in 2008 with the Iraqi people.
The battle over control of the Senate will be a tough one for an unpopular President Obama, who is predicted to drag down his fellow Democrats in November 2012.
“One of the results of the class warfare and the divisive rhetoric that the president is using now is that I think he’s slowly whittling his way down to just the core or base Democratic vote,” Cornyn told POLITICO. “And independents are fleeing. That’s not a recipe to win an election where you depend on not only the base vote but also independents.”
President Obama faces a battle for re-election. He is increasingly unpopular and not just with Republicans. Independents are turning away from him in droves.
Now comes an Investors Business Daily/TIPP survey showing, according to IBD, that a "majority of Americans now oppose giving President Obama a second term, and that by 51%-41% respondents in October picking 'someone new deserves a chance,' over Obama 'deserves to be re-elected.' Among independents it was 54%-36%".
And it gets worse. The current ABC News/Washington Post polling finds that 55% of American people believe a Republican will win the election, and 37% that Obama will win. Democrats expect to win by 58% to 33% percent, while Republicans believe they will win 83% to 13%. By 54% to 36%, independents think a Republican will beat Mr. Obama.
Thursday the Senate voted down a "bite sized" piece of the jobs bill legislation. By a vote of 50-50, the bill failed to reach a 60 vote threshold. This vote was for the alleged job creation of public employees (union) such as firefighters, law enforcement and teachers.
Obama and his Democratic allies are acting like they've found a winning issue in repeatedly pressing popular ideas such as infrastructure spending and boosting hiring of police officers and firefighters. The sluggish economy and lower tax revenues have caused many teachers' jobs to be cut over the past several years.
"For the second time in two weeks, every single Republican in the United States Senate has chosen to obstruct a bill that would create jobs and get our economy going again," Obama said in a statement after the vote. "Every American deserves an explanation as to why Republicans refuse to step up to the plate and do what's necessary to create jobs and grow the economy right now."
The public has caught on to the fact that the desperate Obama re-election team has decided to use a divided Congress as a weapon to push his failed policies. The public realizes that the previous spending bills pushed by this administration and Congressional Democrats have failed miserably.
According to the AP-GfK poll, Obama's party has lost the faith of the public on handling the economy. In the new poll, only 38 percent said they trust Democrats to do a better job than Republicans in handling the economy, the first time Democrats have fallen below 40 percent in the poll. Some 43 percent trust the Republicans more.
President Obama and a few in his party's base seem to be the only ones who any longer believe that Republicans are not putting forth alternatives to the big government legislation Obama is determined to sign into law. He stubbornly clings to his outmoded political ideology which has been proven to be ineffective in today's economic climate. The solution doesn't lie in throwing more money at cities and states for quick, short term employment of public employees. That money ends and the jobs are cut all over again.
The Senate vote came as President Obama finished up a three day taxpayer funded bus tour to two important swing states in his re-election bid - North Carolina and Virginia. Claiming it was to gin up support for his jobs bill, he did nothing but criticize Republicans for opposing more of his failed policies in the legislation. He claimed Republicans were too stupid to understand the total jobs bill so he was going to break it up into "bite sized" pieces. He bullied them by saying that Republicans would have to explain to voters why they didn't vote for the bill.
Republicans are happy to do the explaining. It has been going on for quite some time. The Republican led House of Representatives has passed several jobs bills which the Democratically controlled Senate has refused to even debate, much less bring up for a vote. That is fact.
Vice President Joe Biden is known for his rhetorical gaffes. This is the man who was brought onto the Obama ticket in 2008 to give Obama some bona fides as a serious person seeking the office of President. This was the talking point from Team Obama. Republicans knew otherwise.
Joe Biden is a career politician. He was elected at a young age - still in his twenties - and never left. He has fallen prey to a common effect from a life in elected political office - he thinks he's special. He long ago forgot that he works for us, not the other way around.
Despite the aw shucks, I'm just a guy from Delaware, Biden is one arrogant hombre. You may remember that he was the one who described Barack Obama as "clean" and "articulate" as he also sought the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. He enjoys the political smack talk. He has embarrassed himself yet again as he tries to gin up support for a jobs bill that is only popular with unions at this point - especially since they are the ones who will benefit from it.
Recently in Flint, Michigan Biden claimed that if the jobs bill is not passed by Congress, then crime will be rampant. He claimed that crime statistics are up because law enforcement has been laid off due to the economic conditions in cities like Flint. The trouble is, this is not true. Crime is down in cities all across America. Besides plagiarism, Biden is also known for re-writing history to fit his opinion.
Biden's latest happened again in Philadelphia on Tuesday. Coming under criticism for the temporary solution of throwing money at cities for the hiring of law enforcement and fire fighters and teachers, he fails to understand that once the money (which comes with many strings and lots of red tape) runs out, the people will be laid off again if reforms are not made in that city. He's all indignant because people understand basic economics, you see.
So, he ramped it up and said that he'd like for the opponents of the jobs bill to know what it is like to face a gun pointed at their heads or face being raped. Keep it classy, Joe.
This is the game plan. Instead of debating the jobs bill and working with the opposition to pass pieces that are palatable to both sides of the aisle, Biden has chosen to be dramatic for effect. This just pushes people farther away but he doesn't understand that point.
Since so many Democrats are opposed to the jobs bill - not one Democrat co-sponsor in the House and the Senate voted it down - are they bad and heartless like the GOP he mocks?
When asked after his speech if the Vice President should be using such inflammatory rhetoric, he was rushed off by his staff. Before the bum's rush, he tried to explain what he meant to say and told the young man asking the question, whom he thought was misquoting him, "don't screw with me". Tough guy, that Joe.
"Do you regret using the rape reference to describe Senate opposition" to the bill, Jason Mattera asked Biden as he left a rally with police unions and others who have faced the budget ax in recent months.
"I didn't use ... no, no, no," Biden responded. "Let's get it straight, guy. Don't screw around with me. Let's get it straight."
"You didn't use a rape reference," said Mattera, of the conservative news organization Human Events.
"No, let me explain," Biden said, pointing toward Mattera. "I said rape was up three times in Flint. Those are the numbers. Go look at the numbers. Murder is up; rape is up; burglary is up. That's what I said."
"And if the Republicans don't pass this bill, then rape will continue to rise?" the reporter asked.
"Murder will continue to rise; rape will continue to rise; all crime will continue to rise," Biden said.
Asked by Mattera whether it was appropriate to use such language, Biden scoffed and walked away.
Here are some thoughts from the Tuesday night Republican debate in Las Vegas.
CNN moderator Anderson Cooper was not an aggressive host. He pretty much got out of the way and let the candidates duke it out among themselves. This was a good thing. So, kudos to him. It was the first such debate where the candidates were aggressive against each other. Especially Herman Cain and his 9-9-9 Plan. And, the hostility between Mitt Romney and Rick Perry runs a river wide and deep.
Everyone jumped ugly on Herman Cain's economic plan as soon as the opening statements were finished. Cain seems to be the only one who understands his plan and that is the problem. He has got to come up with a simple and concise explanation without telling the viewer to go to his web site for it. Voters won't do that. Voters are lazy and not involved until it is time to go to the voting booth, as a general rule. Using the apples and oranges argument was bizarre and unclear.
Herman Cain seems to be almost proud of his ignorance of foreign policy matters and that is unacceptable. This is where his lack of political experience is most apparent. He reminds us all that the presidency is not an entry level position.
Mitt Romney won the debate, as usual, but this time he had to work for it. He has released two videos over the last two days, both negative, and both targeting Rick Perry. He clearly views Perry has his main competition for the nomination. Perry did something the others have been unable to do so far - he made Romney lose his cool demeanor on stage.
Rick Perry finally gave a performance worthy of discussion. The very thing that the pundits are writing about - the vengeance which he took after Romney at every turn - is the very thing that will be used against the party in the general election by Team Obama. The soundbites that the back and forth between Romney and Perry produced will be the gift that keeps on giving to our opponents once the primary season is over. Perry has several points he can make against Romney without going nasty and the last thing he should be dwelling on is the alleged hiring of illegal immigrants to take care of his lawn work. This was settled back in 2008 and to bring it all up again is a waste of time. He has to learn to counter his opponents without being so aggressive that he looks desperate.
Newt Gingrich continued on with his role of professor. He remains the one candidate that rises up the fray and remembers that it is Barack Obama that is the enemy in this battle, not his fellow Republicans. He is a happy warrior.
Michele Bachmann actually scored a few points by bringing some solid points into the debate - especially as she spoke of HHS scrapping the CLASS entitlement from Obamacare and explaining the naviete of Herman Cain towards foreign policy. Then she ruined it by choking up while speaking about moms who are struggling in this bad economy and going through foreclosure. Her point was a valid one - that of the emotional struggles of those facing foreclosure - but she did herself no favors by tearing up for the camera.
Ron Paul is the grumpy old man who wants you to get off his lawn. He continued with the predictable themes of his disgust over the Federal Reserve and our foreign policies.
Rick Santorum, who desperately wants the voter to think of him as super family man, opened by saying his three year old daughter had surgery that day and was doing well. Here's the thing, he is at the bottom of the heap and he could have easily skipped the debate to be there for his daughter and wife. He didn't. He comes off as a bitter and sanctimonious candidate. No one likes him and he still doesn't understand that he is only as good as his last election. Which he lost.
Jon Huntsman was not missed.
The next debate has a foreign policy and national security theme. Maybe Herman Cain will discontinue the book tour long enough to study.
Tuesday the Senate unanimously voted to end the funding for the program called Fast and Furious. The bill was introduced by Senator John Cornyn.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, called the vote "just the first step towards ensuring that such a foolish operation can never be repeated by our own law enforcement.
"The Senate voted Tuesday to effectively block the Justice Department from undertaking gun-smuggling probes like the flawed "Operation Fast and Furious" aimed at breaking up networks running guns to Mexican drug cartels but that lost track of hundreds of the weapons, some of which were used to commit crimes in Mexico and the United States.
The 99-0 vote would block the government from transferring guns to drug cartels unless federal agents "continuously monitor or control" the weapons.
The gunwalker program has been an utter failure. Guns from this program have been found on the scene of the murder of a Border Patrol agent, Brian Terry, in Arizona and investigations are ongoing in Congress. Most guns have gone missing.
The vote came as the Senate debated a $128 billion spending measure that would fund Justice Department operations and those of several other Cabinet agencies for the 2012 budget year already under way.
Operation Fast and Furious was a gun-smuggling investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives aimed at tracking small-time illicit gun buyers up the chain to major traffickers in an effort to take down arms networks. In the process, ATF agents lost track of many of the weapons.
President Obama continues on with his three day swing state tour of North Carolina and Virginia as he tries to muster up support for his jobs bill. He is campaigning for re-election, of course, as the choice of states indicates, but he wants the taxpayer to foot the bill and calls it a bus tour to get Americans to tell Congress (code for Republicans) to pass the bill.
Chants of "four more years" break out as he speaks at rallies. He feigns concern that, though he appreciates their support, he is focused on the next thirteen months. Yeah, right. If President Obama was so concerned about the economic condition and jobs growth in our country, he would have fulfilled his pledge to focus like a laser on the economy. He said he would not rest until more jobs were created and unemployment numbers came down. Instead, he focused on pushing through Obamacare for the first eighteen months of his administration while unemployment rose, and the stimulus bill failed. And he continues to play weekly rounds of golf and party at the White House as though everything is peachy keen.
The man is simply in a bubble. It's not uncommon for the President to become isolated, surrounding himself with yes men and women. This man, though, promised to be different. He promised to bring people together, to listen to all sides of the arguments, to work with everyone. Instead, he went from bringing Republicans and Democrats together for a photo opish summit on putting together a budget in his first term and then telling John McCain and Paul Ryan that "I won" when they didn't budge on their disagreements with his spending priorities. He regularly uses his speeches and press conferences to criticize the GOP for not going along to get along.
We deserve better. We deserve the kind of leader Barack Obama promised he would be.
There is a new ad out from Governor Perry's campaign. It is a positive, record touting, substantive ad. This is what we need, people. Forget about the doom and gloom ads from one campaign to another. Americans are begging for strong, positive leadership.
"Make what Americans buy, buy what Americans make, and sell it to the world." - Rick Perry
Let President Obama continue on with his divisive, hyper-partisan campaign rhetoric on the road. Let him continue on in Washington, D.C. in this mode. He is driving the Independents, the not so interested in politics voters away from him in droves. Let them come to vote for a Republican for President.
Positive messages. Real solutions. Happy warriors.
