Saturday, October 30, 2010

Charles Krauthammer: The great campaign of 2010 (reprise)

Washington Post  "...Quite a uniter, urging Hispanics to go to the polls to exact political revenge on their enemies - presumably, for example, the near-60 percent of Americans who support the new Arizona immigration law.
"This from a president who won't even use "enemies" to describe an Iranian regime that is helping kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. This from a man who rose to prominence thunderously declaring that we were not blue states or red states, not black America or white America or Latino America - but the United States of America.
"This is how the great post-partisan, post-racial, New Politics presidency ends - not with a bang, not with a whimper, but with a desperate election-eve plea for ethnic retribution. "  Emphasis added.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Karl Rove: Signs of the Democratic Apocalypse

Wall Street Journal  "In recent days, Mr. Obama screamed defiantly to Democratic rallies that Republicans have to "sit in the back," and he told a Latino radio audience that it's time to "punish our enemies and . . . reward our friends." That may be the president's idea of how to appeal to Americans' better instincts. Next Tuesday night we'll see how badly wrong he is."

Evidence of a Teleprompter Addiction, People’s Exhibit C

'The Powers That Be' "The photo is a few months old, but I always like to kick off the weekend with a laugh, and what better to do that with than by showing a “gifted orator” who uses a teleprompter in a cabinet meeting:"
"We’ll get a photo of People’s Exhibit D as soon as Obama speaks to India’s Parliament."

Gawker's nonstory about Christine O'Donnell reveals the public's role in making a "sex scandal."

Slate   "If you're in your twenties or thirties and have never suffered through an evening such as Mr. Anonymous describes, I invite you to leave the convent or seminary now and report back to me in a couple of weeks. What adult among us has not been Mr. Anonymous or Christine O'Donnell (or both!?) in their lifetimes? Fumbling sexual encounters, even those of unmarried senatorial candidates, are as noteworthy as bucket of sand. If the Gawker piece engaged or enraged you, you're a sucker, and Denton is laughing at you."

Do we have a theme here?

The Elections

David Limbaugh" Liberals at War With Liberty  "America, its founding principles, its Constitution, its robust liberty tradition and its strength are being stolen out from under us by a man who has no appreciation for America's greatness and who has contempt for ordinary Americans (we're "enemies"), whom he considers beneath him and unworthy of their sovereign prerogative to preserve this nation."

Republicans: Hold the Hubris by Mona Charen: "Republicans are overwhelmingly likely to regain control of the House and thus ring in the end of the Pelosi regime. They will then be situated to prevent President Obama from doing a whole lot more damage to the nation. But a Republican Congress, even with control of both houses, cannot repeal Obamacare, or FinReg, or even the Lilly Ledbetter "fair pay" act, over Obama's veto. To repeal these damaging laws, and to pass new ones, a new president will be required."

 What Did Mr. Meek Stand to Inherit? "Bill Clinton's involvement in the three-way Florida Senate race suggests that the Democrats want Rubio defeated so badly that they're willing to cheat -- again."

The Real Choice This Election  "On October 20, 2010 the President gave a speech in Portland, Oregon where he stated the real issue in the upcoming election: "But we also believe in a country where we look after one another; where we say, I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper. That's the America I know. That's the choice in this election."
"And he is right. The choice in the upcoming election boils down to whether you think you are your brother's keeper or whether you have a right to live your own life as you see fit."

Charles Krauthammer :  The Great Campaign of 2010  "This from a president who won’t even use “enemies” to describe an Iranian regime that is helping kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. This from a man who rose to prominence thunderously declaring that we were not blue states or red states, not black America or white America or Latino America — but the United States of America.
"This is how the great post-partisan, post-racial, New Politics presidency ends — not with a bang, not with a whimper, but with a desperate election-eve plea for ethnic retribution. Nice."

Update: Meek Almost Dropped Out of Senate Race, as Urged by Clinton 

Clinton Meddles in Florida Senate Race for Charlie Crist  "The high-level efforts, involving a former president and several White House officials, suggest that the leaders of the Democratic Party were willing to go to extraordinary lengths to make sure that Rubio, a rising star in the conservative movement of Hispanic descent, is not elected to the Senate on November 2."  STEPHEN F. HAYES

Voter Fraud Watch: A Primer on What to Watch For  "But what does voter fraud look like? What can citizens be on the lookout for when they participate in their election? Let me share some examples:"

The Clown-In-Chief

Pajamas Media  "This law professor, who we found out after the election wasn’t … this senator, with the thinnest of resumes … this radical leftist that sought, in his own words, to “fundamentally change America” and “cause energy rates to necessarily skyrocket,” and encouraged Hispanics to target his “enemies” has done more damage to our nation than any other president in our history. I’m including Carter here. So why am I surprised to see the so-called leader of the free world hitting the comedy shows before an election that is expected to wipe out Democrat majorities in Congress?"

Obama to Jon Stewart: Obamacare ‘As Significant’ As Any U.S. Law Ever Passed, But Only First Step in Government Transformation of Health Care  "Obama countered by underscoring what he perceived to be the historical magnitude of his health-care legislation, and by pointing to what he believes is the path forward for an even more expansive government-driven transformation of the health-care industry."

Red tape rising: 2010's record flood of regulation

The Heritage Foundation "Unlike on-budget spending, there is no transparent accounting of regulatory costs. Instead, they are largely hidden in the form of lost jobs, higher prices, and slowed investment. If anything, the actual costs of the FY 2010 rules are likely higher than $26 billion, since regulators tend to minimize the costs of their rules."

Justice Department vows to stop intimidation of voters

Washington Times  "The Justice Department on Wednesday vowed to thwart any efforts to intimidate voters at the polls on Tuesday and to ensure that the ballots of military voters are counted, as activists on both sides of the political aisle reignite their regular election-time tango over the dangers of voter fraud versus voter suppression."

Thomas Sowell: A Crossroads Election  "For all its sweeping and scary provisions, ObamaCare is not nearly as important as the way it was passed. If legislation can become laws passed without either the public or the Congress knowing what is in those laws, then the fundamental principle of a free, self-governing people is completely undermined."

How To Cut Federal Spending

Heritage   "The Heritage Foundation’s Brian Riedl has identified $343 billion in spending cuts that can be made for the fiscal year 2012 budget. You can see a table of all the cuts here. The bulk of the cuts fall into six areas:"...

No Taxes

Point of View   "In many countries in the Middle East, oil revenues fund the government, and the citizens pay no taxes. Since they don't have any "skin in the game," they are less involved as citizens. What will happen in the U.S. if a majority of Americans don't pay taxes? I think a reasonable assumption will be that citizen apathy will increase." Kerby Anderson

Focus on the Family voter guide

CitizenLink   "With this weighty responsibility, it is absolutely critical that we all understand where our candidates stand on the issues that matter to us. We hope you find this Web site informative and helpful as you choose the candidates who best line up with your beliefs, convictions and values.
"You may even want to print the information and take it with you to your polling place. This is perfectly legal and may save you time as you cast your ballot."  Via Probe.org