11th Circuit strikes down Obamacare mandate

Legal Insurrection    "We first conclude that the Act’s Medicaid expansion is constitutional. Existing Supreme Court precedent does not establish that Congress’s inducements are unconstitutionally coercive, especially when the federal government will bear nearly all the costs of the program’s amplified enrollments.

"Next, the individual mandate was enacted as a regulatory penalty, not a revenue-raising tax, and cannot be sustained as an exercise of Congress’s power under the Taxing and Spending Clause. The mandate is denominated as a penalty in the Act itself, and the legislative history and relevant case law confirm this reading of its function."

The Iowa Republican debate

American Thinker: Testy exchanges mark Iowa debate  "Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum also had some criticism for Bachmann, taking her to task for not coming to Iowa to campaign against three judges who voted for gay marriage. And everyone piled on Ron Paul for his ludicrous position on Iran. Paul thinks that if Iran wants a nuclear weapon, they should be able to develop it without any interference from us. Thus speaks the radical isolationist sage from Texas."....

All in all, a pretty good night for the GOP. They showcased their candidates who all came off, to one degree or another, as presidential. Given the expectations, that's probably the best they could have hoped for. Rick Moran, who picked Huntsman as the loser.

http://fawstin.blogspot.com/

Fox News: Fireworks Erupt at GOP Presidential Debate in Iowa  "Romney comes out of the debate looking to keep his position at the top of the pack, as the candidates head into the nonbinding, but influential Iowa Straw Poll this weekend."....

" "It's about time we talk to Cuba," Paul said at one point. He also said the United States had created the hostile relations between it and Iran."  

 I see Ron Paul attracting Obama voters. TD

WSJ: Debate Jolts Republican Race to Life Former House speaker Newt Gingrich spent much of his debate chastising the debate panelists, accusing them of "gotcha questions."

"Every one of the candidates raised their hands to attest that they wouldn't accept any deficit-reduction deal with tax increases, even if the deal included $10 of spending cuts to $1 of revenue rises." Via Lucianne.

National Review Online: Scoring the Iowa Debate   "An NRO panel of experts assess the Republican candidates’ performances on Thursday night in Des Moines."

....

"Americans may be focused on fiscal problems at home, but the Republican party needs a nominee in 2012 who can challenge Barack Obama’s disastrous foreign-policy record as well as his mishandling of the economy."...."This attempt to morph the party of Reagan into that of Carter is not only dangerous, it raises questions about whether the GOP has a candidate ready to fulfill perhaps the most important and sacred presidential duty."  More here, here, here, NRO has more.

 

Pajamas Media: First Blood in Ames  "None of this, however, means that there weren’t plenty of moments of interest. It’s very possible that the next few days will see some significant movement in the primary race, in part due to the performance of the candidates on that stage. As usual with these dog and pony shows, I’ll begin with the folks who didn’t seem to fare very well."

Stephen F. Hayes: The Winner in Ames  None of the above. "It’s a problem for the Republican party when the best performance of the evening came from a marginal candidate who lost virtually all of his senior staff in resignations over the past two months."



http://dekerivers.wordpress.com/2008/01/03/iowa-caucus-political-cartoons/

 William Kristol: The Use and Abuse of History "History suggests that the race—absent an intervention—is predictably headed toward a showdown between 2008 runner-up Mitt Romney and Texas governor Rick Perry."

Obama and the Nation

Somebody loves the guy  "How do various religions view the job Obama is doing in office? We get the answers from a poll conducted by Gallup with the participation of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. Here are the results."

•Mormons – 25% approval.

•Protestants – 37%

•Catholics -- 50%

•Athiests, agnostics – 60%

•Jewish Americans – 65% (amazing!)

•Muslims – 80 %

Not surprised.   Neal Boortz.

Obama doesn't have a clue  "Our Dear Ruler gave a little speech yesterday at an advanced battery plant in Michigan. The man had some really innovative ideas on how to turn this economy around. Are you ready for them?"

• Extend the payroll tax holiday

• More infrastructure spending on roads

• Pass trade deals

• Patent reform

• Jobs for returning veterans

"Sound familiar? It should...."

....

"The bottom line is that Barack Obama doesn’t have a clue as to how to get this economy going. He believes that the more government is involved, the better. He believes that the more he can punish the achievers, the more votes he can win in 2012. He believes that his government knows better than the free market capitalists who drive this economy." 

 So...the entire Soviet Union suffered seven decades of economic and political misery because of leaders as ignorant as this? Inept and powerful: a dangerous combination. TD

Barack Obama school in Asbury Park, N.J. has been closed by state officials.

President Obama Sticks to Stimulus Script  "It’s time to stop re-running the same big-government storyline and put America on a new road of fiscal discipline headed toward economic growth. Congress and the President can start by balancing the budget, lowering spending, and reforming entitlements as laid out in Heritage’s “Saving the American Dream” plan. Yesterday, President Obama said, “We can’t afford to play games—not right now, not when the stakes are so high for our economy.” He’s right. But unfortunately, he isn’t proposing the ideas needed to put American back to work."

The Role of Islam in American History (Updated) ; WH says Thomas Jefferson hosted first Iftar dinner

http://terrellaftermath.com/

Barack Obama, The New York Times, that Iftar Dinner, and the rewriting of history  "It is disgusting for an American President to misrepresent American history to Americans, including all the schoolchildren who are now being subject to all kinds of Islamic propaganda, cunningly woven into the newly-mandated textbooks, that so favorably misrepresent Islam, as here."

This best documents the relations between Thomas Jefferson and Muslims:  Christopher Hitchens

"When they inquired by what right the Barbary states preyed upon American shipping, enslaving both crews and passengers, America’s two foremost envoys were informed that “it was written in the Koran, that all Nations who should not have acknowledged their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon whoever they could find and to make Slaves of all they could take as prisoners, and that every Mussulman who should be slain in battle was sure to go to Paradise.”

They believed it then as they did in the seventh century and they believe it now. But much less than Thomas Jefferson is in charge today. TD

Hezbollah Official Strategizes Islamist Destruction of Israel After U.S. Leaves Iraq

The Blaze  "If, following the U.S. withdrawal, Iraq becomes a bridge linking Iran to Syria, the Iranian forces could cross Iraq and arrive in Syria, in order to participate in a direct war on the Golan front.

"In that case, Israel would not be fighting Hizbullah alone. It would be fighting Hizbullah, Syria, Iraq, and Iran. This is the so-called ‘Shiite Crescent’ that they fear…”

Via Noisy Room

Dyspepsia and American Atheism

Mike Adams  "Every now and then there is a lawsuit that really defines the desperation of a failing social movement. The recent decision of one of America’s most intolerant religious organizations, American Atheists, provides a prime example. This group of anti-Christian zealots has filed a lawsuit they will surely lose. But they will suffer an even more resounding defeat in the court of public opinion. Put simply, the lawsuit will demonstrate that atheism is largely the result of emotional inferiority rather than intellectual superiority."

More on That Movie (Obama's campaign ad); Updated

Maureen Dowd's Loose Lips About Navy Seals Movie Causes Inquiry  "Dowd's no stranger to controversy but with her latest New York Times article she seems to have placed "Cool Hand Barack" in a rather awkward position.

"Dowd outed the administration's cozy arrangement with Oscar-winning couple Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal. The pair has a movie in production on the hunt and killing of Osama Bin Laden set to be released 3 weeks before voters head to the polls in 2012. "....

"Dowd's revelatory column was published the day after Taliban forces launched a rocket-propelled grenade and shot down a helicopter over Afghanistan killing 22 Navy Seals from the same unit as the commandos who took out Osama bin Laden on May 1. Not good."

If we had lost a son in that ambush, we would not be happy with Democrats right now. TD

Sony Hosted Obama Fundraiser, Releasing Bin Laden Movie Before Election  "So far, Sony is the only major studio to hold a political fundraiser this cycle. According to Deadline Hollywood, Sony will release the bin Laden movie, directed by Academy Award-winning director Kathryn Bigelow, on October 12, 2012--less than a month before the presidential election."

 

A flag at half-staff in Virginia Beach,

near the base of SEAL Team 6

 White House Compromising Intelligence with bin Laden Movie?

LA Times: Film on Bin Laden causes stir over Washington access

NY Post: Call Off the ‘SEALs-ploitation’  "A key task for any commander is reining in subordinates who get out of line. Mr. President, tell your political crew that you won’t tolerate our troops’ bravery and sacrifice being exploited just to grab a few votes."

Much more Here:

From Blackfive: Obama campaigns on dead SEALs  "Even though most of the families specifically requested no media coverage of the return of the remains of the fallen, that doesn't apply to the campaign staff WH photographer. So we get a pic of Barry trying his damndest to look like a leader.

"Anyone with an dime's worth of decency would have known better than to use such an event, but that is simply part of Obama's lack of character. He couldn't just attend, he had top make sure that all the voting public knew he was there."

Update: Pentagon did not know of Obama photo  "An official White House photo of a saluting Obama was distributed to news media and published widely. It also was posted on the White House website as the "Photo of the Day." It showed Obama and other officials in silhouette and did not depict caskets.

"Doug Wilson, head of public affairs at the Pentagon, said the department did not know the White House photographer was present and had no idea a photo of the event was being released until it became public."

Allow me to refer you to the comments to this Blackfive post on the aforementioned photo.

Mr. Obama- like Bill Clinton- is a member of the "military-loathing" left and no amount of saluting photos will ever change my concept of  how they feel at ceremonies such as this. When people like these award the Medal of Honor to heroes of America's wars, I am sad for the recipients; they deserve so much better for their sacrifice. TD.

Names of the Fallen Seals..

Department of Defense   "The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of 30 servicemembers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died Aug. 6 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when their CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed."

Democrats doubt Barack Obama's reelection chances

UK Telegraph  "President Barack Obama is facing mounting doubts within his own party about his re-election prospects, with fellow Democrats beginning to ask if Hillary Clinton would have made a better president." 

But never forget how far left she was. Name one path Obama has placed this nation on and tell me Hillary would not have chosen the same. And instead of being accused of racism by the left for opposing Democrat policies, conservatives would by now have been branded as sexists. 

By the way, what ever happened to those two "iron my shirt" guys from Hillary 2008?  Don't you suspect they are working for some Democrat campaign somewhere?

newbreen.com

A whole new perspective: Jimmy Carter's starting to look better   "His family uses Air Force One as a shuttle to one exotic vacation locale to the next. His wife preaches the virtues of fresh vegetables to children while noshing on burgers in private.

"When the stock market tumbled and our bond rating was down graded he continued to attend fund raisers and play golf.

"When the price gas approached $4.00 he did nothing but continue to tie the hands of domestic energy producers.

"When he spoke of shared sacrifice and evils of tax breaks for corporate jets. We simply just turned off the TV set.

"Ah Yes ...President Jimmy Carter.... Our memories of him are getting fonder every day."

http://terrellaftermath.com/

Britain a metaphor for Obama voters vs. the rich

Ann Coulter  "Democrats would be delighted if violent mobs like those in Britain arose here -- perhaps in Wisconsin! That would allow them to introduce yet more government programs staffed by unionized public employees, as happened after the 1992 L.A. riots and the 1960s race riots, following the recommendations of the Kerner Commission.

....

Inciting violent mobs is the essence of the left's agenda: Promote class warfare, illegitimate children and an utterly debased citizenry.

Like the British riot girls interviewed by the BBC, the Democrats tell us "all of this happened because of the rich people."

In America, Mr. Obama attacks the "rich", but his policies are aimed against those making $250,000 or more which includes small business owners; people whose shops are being burned and looted over in London. You hear them being referred to as "the rich" by rioters and you can see the stage being set for the same in America by Democrats. The terms "corporate jet owners" and "millionaires and billionaires" is construed by these "feral young people" for anyone whose wise choices in life have made it possible for them to own a business. They are now the target for the left's envy and the street people's anger. TD

This rather cryptic UK cartoon depicts the hi-tech coordination of the rioters:

guardian.co.uk

Paralytic Western Society

Victor Davis Hanson  "It is fascinating to see how postmodern Western societies react to wide-scale rioting, looting, and thuggery aimed at innocents. In Britain, politicians contemplate the use of water cannons as if they were nuclear weapons; and here the mayor of Philadelphia calls on rappers to appeal to youth to help ease the flash-mobbing that has a clear racial component to it (is the attorney general’s Civil Rights Division investigating?). His appeal is perhaps understandable, but many of the themes of rap music — violence against the police, racial chauvinism, and nihilism — may well be some of the cultural catalysts behind the flash violence, though to suggest as much would be seen as more racist than the racist profiling used by the flash beaters. "

Years of liberal dogma have spawned a generation of amoral, uneducated, welfare dependent, brutalised youngsters   "It was fun. It made life interesting. It got people to notice them. As a girl looter told a BBC reporter, it showed ‘the rich’ and the police that ‘we can do what we like’. "....

"Unless or until those who run Britain introduce incentives for decency and impose penalties for bestiality which are today entirely lacking, there will never be a shortage of young rioters and looters such as those of the past four nights, for whom their monstrous excesses were ‘a great fire, man’."

Alan Caruba; Flash Mobs: Being Young, Black, and Male in America Today

Warning Signs  "In short, Obama has done nothing for Blacks in America either on the macro and micro level to improve their opportunities or attitudes.

He has nothing in common with them; a half-white Columbia University graduate and Harvard educated lawyer, former instructor at the University of Chicago, married to a Princeton and Harvard graduate, herself an attorney. They have two girls that go to private school and their inner circle of friends, Black and white, are dedicated Marxists.

The editor of BlackQuillandInk.com says. “The Black community refuses to admit how wrong they were in voting for Obama.”

http://blackquillandink.com/