Obama hit hard as Bayh bows out
US President Barack Obama suffered another setback Monday as a fifth Democratic senator, centrist heavyweight Evan Bayh, decided not to run for re-election in dismay at the bitter political climate.
Obama, who reportedly tried to talk Bayh out of retiring, faces a looming Republican resurgence and risks watching strong majorities in Congress crumble in November mid-term elections, and with them his ambitious reform agenda.
Democrats expressed shock at the development, seeing it both as the loss of a key consensus builder in the Senate and of a candidate strongly favored to win re-election in Republican-leaning Indiana.
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Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Obama to Use Executive Powers
Subject: txt crpt 1st 2010 lbrty libs bdd -
Frustrated by his inability to advance his agenda in Congress, President Barack Obama is hoping to use executive powers to accomplish some of his policy goals.
“We are reviewing a list of presidential executive orders and directives to get the job done across a front of issues,”
Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, told The New York Times. According to the Times, Obama aims to skirt the legislative process on energy, environmental, fiscal and other domestic issues.
“In 2010, executive actions will also play a key role in advancing the agenda.”
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WHAT BIAS? Re: Obama’s Disapproval Jumps, Couric Instead Stresses: ‘Most Think His Priority is Serving the People’
Subject: txt msm bias 2010 =
In a new CBS News/New York Times poll, President Barack Obama’s disapproval level jumped five points, to 45 percent since the last survey in mid-January, with approval now at just 46 percent, but Thursday’s CBS Evening News skipped that bad news for Obama and instead highlighted some better news for the President.
Though 80 percent said “members of Congress [are] more interested in serving special interest groups” than the American people, “the President gets better marks on that score,” Katie Couric touted, as “most think his priority is serving the people.”
Cordes proceeded to report how 18 percent, of whom she pointed out are 95 percent white, consider themselves part of the Tea Party movement, “but for more than half the country, the Tea Party movement remains a relative mystery.” [?] Nonetheless,
“the Tea Party mentality is spreading” since “56 percent of everyone polled said they'd prefer a smaller government, providing fewer services...”
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New York Times survey finds Obama edge over GOP ... until you look at the data
Subject: txt 2010 msm bias fnn -
Here's the lead and following two graphs for The New York Times story on the results of its latest joint public opinion survey with CBS News:
"At a time of deepening political disaffection and intensified distress about the economy, President Obama enjoys an edge over Republicans in the battle for public support, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll."
But a dramatically different picture emerges when you dig into the data.
The highest approval point since 1991 was right after 9/11 when 64 percent said the country was going in the right direction. During Obama's first year in office his high point came in May 2009 with 45 percent saying he had the country headed in the right direction, while 48 percent said it was going the wrong direction.
But the worse news for Obama is the fact the right track percentage has been headed steadily down ever since, reaching its lowest percent under him in the most recent survey at 33 percent. Fully 62 percent of the respondents said the country is headed in the wrong direction under Obama. [It's actually a lousy/trick question - but the trend line is a legitimate point]
But the bad news for Obama and his political supporters in the New York Times/CBS News poll gets even worse the more you read in it.
When asked if they approve of the way Congress - which is controlled in the Senate and House by Democrats who strongly support Obama's policies - three-fourths of the respondents disapprove, with a mere 15 percent approving. Similarly, asked how much they trust the government, 81 percent said only some or never.
Just to drive the point home even deeper, the very next question asked the respondents if they thought most Members of Congress should be re-elected. Exactly eight percent said yes, while 81 percent said no.
More evidence that the worst thing you can say about a Member of Congress these days is not "Democrat" or "liberal".
It's "incumbent."
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Sarah Palin Isn't Cooperating
Subject: txt 2010 msm bias gdd palin -
One of the things that the Obama administration and the Main Stream Media really hate about Sarah Palin is her unwillingness to cooperate. Even when she gets caught on camera during a speech with "Energy", "Tax" and most damning of all "Lift American Spirits" written in her own hand on her own hand, she refuses to cooperate.
After the palm-gate story broke, Obama's inner circle more than likely consulted their most holy of holy texts to devise a cunning strategy in their ongoing war against Sarah. There on pages 137-8 of the sacred "Rules For Radicals" by Saul Alinsky was the answer that Team Obama was looking for.
"It should be remembered that you can threaten the enemy and get away with it. You can insult and annoy him, but the one thing that is unforgivable and that is certain to get him to react is to laugh at him. This causes an irrational anger."
Bingo! We have a winner! Robert Gibbs, the comic genius of the future former president's staff would get to deliver the blow. The UK Guardian reports.
The White House press secretary, Robert Gibbs, said he also had something written down on his hand. Breaking off from a question on healthcare reform, he said he planned to make pancakes for his son if the snow in Washington continued.
"I wrote ‘eggs', ‘milk', ‘bread', but I crossed out ‘bread'. Then I wrote down ‘hope' and ‘change', in case I forgot."
The increasingly irrelevant MSM was delighted by Mr. Gibbs cutting edge humor. All that remained for Team Obama to do was just to wait for Sarah to react with "irrational anger" in fulfillment of Saul Alinsky's prophecy.
Again the UK Guardian provides the response, although hardly what the White House was hoping for:
"Full credit to Palin for making fun of the whole thing. In her next public appearance-backing Texas governor Rick Perry in the Republican primary against Senator Kay Bailey-Hutchinson-Palin showed up with the words "Hi Mom!" clearly written on her palm. "
Obviously Sarah had failed to cooperate with the Alinsky plan. No "irrational anger" was forthcoming, she countered the strategic mocking of Obama's crew and the MSM with genuine good humor. What do you do with someone who can laugh at themselves?
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Troops: Strict war rules slow Afghan offensive
Subject: txt gwot nsec -
American and Afghan troops say they're fighting the latest offensive in Afghanistan with a handicap — strict rules that routinely force them to hold their fire.
Although details of the new guidelines are classified to keep insurgents from reading them, U.S. troops say the Taliban are keenly aware of the restrictions.
"I understand the reason behind it, but it's so hard to fight a war like this," ... They're using our rules of engagement against us,"
said Lance Cpl. Travis Anderson, 20, of Altoona, Iowa, adding that his platoon had repeatedly seen men drop their guns into ditches and walk away to blend in with civilians...
If a man emerges from a Taliban hideout after shooting erupts, U.S. troops say they cannot fire at him if he is not seen carrying a weapon —
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[Then tell him...
"LET OUR TROOPS FIGHT"
Whitehouse: mailto:president@whitehouse.gov
'Opinion Line': 202-456-1111
and as always, pass it on...
.
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Ross McGinnis entered the US Army on his 17th birthday. He was 19 years old when he earned his Medal of Honor fighting in Iraq. PFC McGinnis exhibited the single most profound act of bravery that is humanly possible. In one split second he decided that he would sacrifice his life to save his fellow soldiers. Please take a moment to read the citation of a hero.
Ross A. McGinnis
Rank: Private First Class
Organization: U.S. Army
Company: Company C, 1st Battalion
Division: 1st Infantry Division
Born: June 14, 1987 in Meadville, PA
Organization: U.S. Army
Company: Company C, 1st Battalion
Division: 1st Infantry Division
Born: June 14, 1987 in Meadville, PA
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty: Private First Class Ross A. McGinnis distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as an M2 .50-caliber Machine Gunner, 1st Platoon, C Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, in connection with combat operations against an armed enemy in Adhamiyah, Northeast Baghdad, Iraq, on 4 December 2006.
That afternoon his platoon was conducting combat control operations in an effort to reduce and control sectarian violence in the area. While Private McGinnis was manning the M2 .50-caliber Machine Gun, a fragmentation grenade thrown by an insurgent fell through the gunner's hatch into the vehicle. Reacting quickly, he yelled "grenade," allowing all four members of his crew to prepare for the grenade's blast.
Then, rather than leaping from the gunner's hatch to safety, Private McGinnis made the courageous decision to protect his crew. In a selfless act of bravery, in which he was mortally wounded, Private McGinnis covered the live grenade, pinning it between his body and the vehicle and absorbing most of the explosion.
Private McGinnis' gallant action directly saved four men from certain serious injury or death. Private First Class McGinnis' extraordinary heroism and selflessness at the cost of his own life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
Rest in Peace brave young man. A true hero. May his family and friends find peace as well.
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The Bankrupt PIGS of Europe
The Bankrupt PIGS of Europe
They are called the PIGS -- Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Spain. What they have in common is that all are facing deficits and debts that could bring on national defaults and break up the European Union.
What brought the PIGS to the edge of the abyss?
All are neo-socialist states that provide welfare for poor people, generous unemployment, universal health care, early retirement and comfortable pensions. Most consume 40 percent to 50 percent of their gross domestic product annually, a crushing burden on the private sector...
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THE CRUELTY OF COMPASSION
Subject: txt intl sclm crpt -
Social cohesion is one of those values all decent Europeans can sign up to: less social conflict and less of the inequality than America and Britain 'put up with'.
What all European governments must grasp, though, is that many of the policies espoused in the name of social cohesion do not promote compassion over cruelty. Rather, they encourage decline, entrench divisions and thus threaten the harmony they pretend to nurture.
Two worrying common threads can be discerned in all this, says the Economist. One is that the natural desire for social cohesion is being abused to justify the protection of "insiders"-- those in permanent jobs, in trade unions or in privileged professions.
The second common thread is that social cohesion has become a reason to defend the privileges and perks of the public sector, which is also now the last bastion of employee unions...
[sound familiar?]
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Europe could use its own Tea Party
Subject: txt intl 2010 - lbryt -
The global economy needs a "Tea Party" movement in Europe to lobby for fiscal conservatism there.
Despite "mainstream" analysts deriding the Tea Party as a right-wing fringe group, these conservative populists perform the critical function of focusing American political attention on the need for fiscal responsibility.
They make a good point, for example, in arguing that we shouldn't add a major new entitlement program for health care until we've figured out how to pay for the entitlement programs we've already got.
Europe, by contrast, lacks this sort of potent conservative movement to constrain government spending, depriving it of a strong voice for reducing public-sector spending and debt. In the absence of this counterbalance the socialist graft machine of spend, spend, spend holds sway.
In fiscal terms, "Europe" is a riderless horse galloping toward insolvency as can now be seen in Greece...
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Backdoor card check: GOP slams pro-union contracting policy
Subject: txt crpt -
Republicans are up in arms over a pro-union contracting policy currently under consideration by the White House, arguing the measures will significantly increase the cost of government contracts and are part of the Obama administration’s efforts to implement policies that favor organized labor while circumventing Congress.
The Daily Caller reported last week that senior administration officials are considering a series of proposals known as “High Road Contracting Policy” that would give preference to companies bidding on federal contracts that pay hourly workers a “living wage” (typically a mandated, above-market wage) and provide additional benefits above and beyond existing labor laws.
Critics say the proposals would heavily favor unionized companies and significantly increase the cost and amount of time needed to award contracts. Estimates have the potential cost increase at 20 percent, adding about $100 billion a year to the federal budget...
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First Lady: Government action on obesity unproven, but we'll do it anyway
Subject: txt bdd vals lbrty - bbro -
First Lady Michelle Obama's gave Good Morning America an interview on her new War on Obesity (WOO). I was a bit blown away by this snippet:
"There's no expert on this planet who says that the government telling people what to do actually does any good with this issue," she said. "This is going to require an effort on everyone's part."
If that's the case, then why has President Obama formed a White House Obesity Task Force, whose goal is "to solve the problem of childhood obesity within a generation so that children born today will reach adulthood at a healthy weight?"
At what point do Americans demand limits on unnecessary government activities? Right now, government seems to be getting more obese than anyone.
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FLASHBACK >
THE MYTH OF AN "OBESITY TSUNAMI"
Evidence is now flooding in from both America and England that obesity is the epidemic that never was...
Two studies produced by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and published last week in the Journal of the American Medical Association -- one about obesity in children and adolescents, and the other about adult obesity -- completely refute the claims of an obesity epidemic.
The study of children and adolescents looked at the body mass index (BMI) of children and adolescents over five time periods between 1999 and 2008, the decade during which child obesity was widely described as America's preeminent public health problem.
The results are striking:
- During none of the five periods was there a statistically significant trend, except for boys at the highest BMI levels.
- In other words, if there was a spike in obesity, it was confined to a very small number of very obese boys.
What about the adult "couch potato" generation? Here, again, the results put the lie to claims of an obesity tsunami. In the study of adults, the researchers also looked at obesity trends over the past decade:
- For women, there were no statistically significant changes in obesity prevalence over the entire decade, while for men there were no prevalence differences during the last five years of the decade.
Clearly, governments' current course of draconian regulatory treatment seeks to cure an illusory disease. The nanny state's infatuation with an obesity epidemic that does not exist is a searing indictment of the perverting effect of government involvement in what should be scientific - not social/political - issues...
[Remember: once we buy in to the misguided notion that government exists to fix our problems, every 'problem' identified represents a money-making proposition...]
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