The Wisconsin Recall Stakes

The Wall Street Journal; A test of whether taxpayers can control the entitlement state.
"A single election rarely determines a democracy's fate, but some matter more than others. Tuesday's recall election of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is one that matters a great deal because it will test whether taxpayers have any hope of controlling the entitlement state and its dominant special interests."


Lloyd Marcus: Tea Party Express VII in Wisconsin: The Good and the Ugly  "Our tour bus was attacked right before our second rally of the day in Madison."

 

Neal Boortz: Voting in Wisconsin Today  "What we are really talking about here are union thugs who have managed to pilfer the taxpayers for too long.  They’ve been able to come to the table and negotiate with politicians with other people’s money – your money.  If anyone should be outraged, it is the taxpayers.  Hopefully the taxpayers --- and the folks who have escaped the unions since their union dues are no longer forcibly collected --- will take the final step and head to the polls today."


Byron York : Wisconsin labor fight started ugly, ended ugly  "And in the final hours before that vote, anti-Walker activists have spread ugly and baseless rumors that Walker is about to be indicted and -- in perhaps the lowest and most ridiculous point of the entire spectacle -- that Walker fathered an illegitimate child in college.  
"The indictment rumor was the work of the lefty television network Current, relying on what appears to be guesswork and supposition. Walker called it "100 percent wrong." But the report shot through a liberal blogosphere desperate for anything to use against Walker."

If this election is close, it will get even uglier; "Recounts would either be triggered by a secretary of state or the candidates themselves. Democrats are certainly preparing for the possibility, as Politico reports:".... Hot Air


FOLLOW THE WISCONSIN RECALL ON POWER LINE LIVE  "Some would call PL Live a chat room, but we prefer to think of it as a bar–a neighborhood tavern where you can hang out for a while among friends." Click here.


Althouse: The Walker recall election is more important than the presidential election.
More here: Recall headlines, including " "Wisconsin recall: Democrats prepare for recall recount." Oh, lord help us. Let the win be decisive." 

Above: MSNBC cartoon. TW had to look a bit to find one with this point of view. Most of the MSNBC cartoons were like this one at right:                                                                             

Daily Caller: Obama has now decisively intervened in the race... "with a tweet. … He didn’t even use all 140 characters. … It’s an effort so self-protective and wussy it may come to stand for the President’s ineffectuality. Next he’ll tweet his opposition to Assad. …"

Rick Moran: 5 Reasons Why Labor Has Already Lost the Wisconsin Recall Election  "State governors are watching the recall effort very closely. While the issue of collective bargaining reform will not doom Walker’s chances, the very fact that he was recalled in the first place as a result of Act 10 makes politicians nervous. Can governors take on unions with regard to their pension and health benefits, which are out of control and need to be reined in?"


This from the Chicago Sun-Times: Wisconsin gov’s collective-bargaining reforms have been resounding success

Ron Radosh: On Wisconsin! The Meaning of the Recall Effort  Walker's "reforms passed and, lo and behold, proved to be the kind of conservative reform that was effective and popular. Their implementation revealed the Democratic and trade union opposition to be not the “progressives” they claimed to be, but reactionaries who were standing in the way of necessary change." 


PJM Exclusive: Marine Vet Arrested at Wisconsin Labor Rally Speaks Out  "This disturbing video shows the arrest of a man who has done no apparent wrong. He attended a public rally in Wisconsin on Friday carrying an inoffensive political sign, encountered many who opposed his views, and was arrested by police."
Listen to the shouts of "Lock him up! 

"Willoughby served in the United States Marine Corps from 1992 to 2000 and was honorably discharged. He was also a firefighter for 10 years in the state of Florida. Willoughby says that his time as a non-union firefighter has led him to suspect that the Wisconsin police officers may be acting as union members first and police officers second."
The (union) police report read: 

During a political rally, subject raised a protest sign above his head in a manner that created danger to the public. Subject’s actions caused a disturbance during a political rally.

Before It's News has this account of Willoughby's detainment: 

Willoughby, a former marine, said he said he was raised in a Christian family, loves the Lord, and raises his children in a Christian home. He said he could not believe the feeling of being held in a jail cell, looking at the American flag out the window and wondering why he was there. He said, “So many Christians take their freedom for granted. They don’t realize how fragile and vulnerable our freedoms are and how important it is to stand up for our freedom. If you stand back in the shadows, your rights and civil liberties will be stripped from you.” ....

CNN: Why can’t the White House keep a secret?

Hot Air  "An even better question: do they want to keep secrets? Adam Levine analyzes the Stuxnet leak, as well as other recent leaks, and asks why this administration has suddenly turned into a sieve:"

The article follows on the heels of what many considered dangerous leaking of details about a mole who helped foil a plot by al Qaeda in Yemen.  The revelations of the British national threatened what was described at the time as an ongoing operation.

 http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2012/06/01/99893

 ...."This leak will complicate matters for the next administration, as CNN explains below.  Now that we’ve committed acts of cyberwarfare and have begun bragging about it, allies with more vulnerability than the US — such as Israel — might think twice about assisting us in the future.  It’s almost certainly going to complicate whatever negotiations take place with rogue nations in the future that might otherwise be inclined to reform.  But hey, as long as Obama can make himself look good, then why worry, right?"
"Senators Marco Rubio, Richard Burr, and Dan Coats blast the White House for their lack of discretion in today’s Washington Post:"

Sitting in a prison cell in Pakistan is one of those foreigners who trusted us. Shakil Afridi served as a key informant to the United States in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. This brave physician put his life on the line to assist U.S. efforts to track down the most-wanted terrorist in the world, yet our government left him vulnerable to the Pakistani tribal justice system, which sentenced him to 33 years for treason. The imprisonment and possible torture of this courageous man — for aiding the United States in one of the most important intelligence operations of our time — coincides with a deeply damaging leak in another case.

From This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here:   Another Phony Warrior Exposed…in the White House   In his American Thinker article, "Levinson  refers to this cynical exploitation of our troops as “Barack Obama’s Stolen Valor,” and suggests that a shortened version, dropping the Barack, would make a pointed bumper sticker during this election season."
...."Only a self-aggrandizing narcissist like Barack Obama steals the valor of genuine heroes and claims it as his own."

And after Obama leaves the White House can we assume that everything he has learned will be known by Ayres, Dohrn and a host of other leftists who dislike this country in the extreme?
I say again that Barack Obama will be a millstone around this nation's neck when he leaves office; a constant source of trouble that will make Jimmy Carter seem like Ronald Reagan by comparison. TD

By the way, here's another leak.  "Western diplomatic sources said the administration of President Barack Obama has ordered the U.S. intelligence community to ensure the ouster of Assad in 2012."

JibJab on the 2008 and 2010 elections

We searched for JibJab's take on the 2012 campaign, but so far nothing.

2008; It's time for some campaignin'

Goodbye to 2011

Jerry Brown versus Scott Walker

Orange County Register  "But compare Walker with California Gov. Jerry Brown – and contrast Wisconsin’s progress since Walker enacted his union-bucking policies with California’s continued decline under Brown’s union-friendly leadership, and you see two different outcomes."
...."What happens in Wisconsin in a couple [of] days will have significant repercussions for those hoping, eventually, for similar reforms in the Golden State. If Walker keeps his job, other governors, like Brown, well could find themselves with more leverage with their unions. If Walker is recalled, unions nationwide will be emboldened."


I don't know about you, but the Tunnel Dwellers will be watching Fox News Tuesday evening.

Liberals, a history-challenged faction

contemporaryworks

Barry Rubin:  If Obama Doesn’t Understand European History He Can’t Get America’s Future History Right
"It’s fine to have a president who doesn’t come from a European background personally or physically but not so good to have a president who doesn’t grasp the meaning of modern European history. That’s why they used to have those Western civilization courses required of every college student, a standard whose loss has been devastating in the production of credentialed ignoramuses  .

"And how is that narrative important? Here are three critical points:"...

Obama’s Insult to American Jews, the Same Day as His ‘Gaffe’ on Poland  "Now let us look at the first part of the president’s statement, about his claim that “he had so many Jewish friends in Chicago.” These “friends,” of course, were the kind of Jews that Peter Beinart praises for being the right kind of Jews who were critical of Israel, rather than the wrong kind that support Israel such as the members of AIPAC."...."And of course, his Jewish friends included the likes of Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod, the latter who himself came from a very left-wing Jewish milieu." 

Nile Gardiner comments on the Polish gaffe  "Weasel words from the White House will do little however to calm Polish anger. After all, these were carefully scripted remarks by the president reading off a teleprompter." 

Speaking of Obama and Poland: President Obama Shuns Lech Walesa "He became president of Poland and swept in reforms, pushing the Soviet Union out of his homeland and moving the country toward a free-market economy and individual liberty. And President Obama doesn’t want him to set foot in the White House." 

Administration officials told the Journal that Walesa is too “political.” A man who was arrested by Soviet officials for dissenting against the government for being “political” is being shunned by the United States of America for the same reason 30 years later. 

Meanwhile, one of the recipients of the Medal was Dolores Huerta, the honorary chair of the Democratic Socialists of America. So socialist politics are acceptable, but not the politics of a man who stood up and fought socialism.

And this via Lucianne: A snub heard round the world.   "To me, none of this is a surprise. And it's also uniquely in line with the thinking of Obama's mentor, Frank Marshall Davis, a stalwart pro-Soviet, CPUSA member (card no. 47544), who, in his propaganda columns for Communist Party organs like the Chicago Star, defended Yalta and the Soviet takeover of Poland and other Eastern European countries. Davis attempted to argue that Stalin was creating "new democracies" in Poland and the Communist Bloc, and insisted that Eastern Europeans were welcoming the Soviets with open arms. He blasted U.S. policies like NATO and the Marshall Plan."

From Canada: The outrage in Poland over Obama’s passing remark is hard to exaggerate.  "Two non-Poles with close ties to the country have expressed the despair most Poles feel over an offense most people outside Poland would not even notice. Edward Lucas, international editor of The Economist, has a blog post here. David Frum, whose close friend Anne Applebaum is married to the Polish foreign minister, excoriates Obama here."

And this from Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland: Does Obama’s Golf Game Insult the Polish People?

College Makes Students More Liberal, but Not Smarter About Civics  "College graduates, whether it be current or graduated in the past, seem to have difficulty knowing basic things about our government and our history," Mr. Brake said. "Does college share all the blame? Of course not — this is a systemic problem, from K through 12 and all the way up. But universities train our teachers and train our leaders, so they play a role." "


Note to David Letterman: still think Obama is too competent  to make jokes about?

John Sununu Spars With Soledad O’Brien Over Trump: ‘Why Is CNN So Fixated On This?’

Mediaite  " “You don’t think it’s a valid question of someone posing as a supporter/surrogate?” O’Brien countered. “He’s a high level big funder. He’s talking about millions of dollars he’s thinking of donating. You don’t think it’s a big deal that person talks about the fact that the President of the United States is not a citizen of the country?”

" “I think it’s equivalent an issue as Bill Maher, who gave a million dollars to President Obama talking with such a foul mouth about women,” Sununu explained. “But you can’t pick your supporters in this country. The fact is that this country has a jobs problem and supporters of the President like CNN keep wanting to talk about other issues.”

51% RATINGS COLLAPSE: TIME TO PUT CNN OUT OF OUR MISERY  "Note to CNN: Watch this clip again. Loop it in your board rooms so everyone can watch Soledad O'Brien's face literally turn red when Sununu calls her out on her bias. Watch Ron Brownstein look like his Big Wheel just got stolen when Sununu owns him with the truth.

"These are your so-called objective journalists being publicly humiliated for their biases and bubbled ignorance of the facts.

"This is why you are failing. You cannot lie to people about your very identity and expect them to sit there and take it when competition is everywhere."

The Socialist Mask of Marxism

Part of a series titled "Say No to Socialism"
Ion Mihai Pacepa  "History usually repeats itself, and if you have lived two lives, as I have done, you have a good chance of seeing that re-enactment with your own eyes. "....

"In a 2008 column titled “Big Political Shifts Are Underway,” Joelle Fishman, chairman of the Action Commission of the Communist Party USA, strongly endorsed the Democratic Party’s candidate for the White House, appealing to all working people in the United States to back Senator Barack Obama, in order to provide “a landslide defeat of the Republican ultra-right.”

Che Guevara Flags in Obama’s
 Houston Office, 2008

"That new alliance between the Democratic Party and the Communist Party was a first in the history of the United States, the world’s headquarters of democracy and free enterprise. In November 2008, over 65 million Americans who were unable to identify the stealth virus of Marxism that was infecting the Democratic Party voted to give this party the White House and both chambers of Congress." (Emphasis added)

About the author: "Native Americans say that if you really want to know someone, you need to walk a mile in his moccasins. [Former Lt. Gen.] Ion Mihai Pacepa, the highest-ranking official ever to have defected from the former Soviet bloc, walked in all kinds of Marxist shoes over many miles and for many years. 


Then the TW posted this article yesterday: Cuban Dictator’s Daughter Predictably Bashes U.S., Endorses Obama

Catch the subtle message in this, um, cartoon?

http://terrellaftermath.com/

That's no ordinary mustache he's drawing on President Bush's face; it's a Guy Fawkes mask, the symbol of the Occupy movement.

In an October, 2011 interview with ABC News, the President said of Occupy, "We are on their side."  "As we saw with the Trayvon Martin maelstrom, Obama is counting on anarchy, division, and confusion to keep his base energized. In the case of Trayvon, it was the media that enflamed the racial tensions. In the case of Occupy, it's Soros and SEIU helping to keep Occupy organized and mobilized. Granted, Occupy has protested Obama and might have -- God forbid-- even targeted Obama's Chicago campaign HQ for a terrorist attack. But it's the chaos itself that aids Obama and his SEIU/Soros allies, not where the chaos is directed."

Being 72 (and a half!) years old, but still naive I have to wonder: we condemn Muslims around the world for their lack of condemnation of the violence done in their name .

May we also ask why we do not see mass public rejection by union members and academics of the violence and demagoguery done by their colleagues in the Occupy movement?  Why do we not see mass fear of the motives and methods behind these anarchists?


Related - I just found this at Conservative and damn proud:

Democrat commercial to attack Republicans in Wisconsin

EXPOSED: WI Democrats' Plan to Smear Conservatives and Gov. Walker!  
The Democrat commercial to be used in attacking Republicans, including Governor Walker:

From: THE CAMPAIGN TO DEFEAT BARACK OBAMA

It's time to investigate the IRS

Hans von Spakovsky  "Richard Nixon ordered the IRS to conduct tax audits of those on his infamous “Enemies List.” Now, a spate of investigations and leaks coming out of President Obama’s IRS raises concerns that this administration may also be using the power of the nation’s most feared agency to silence its political opponents. "

....
"Somehow, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a gay advocacy group, got its hands on Schedule B of the tax return filed by the National Organization for Marriage (NOM)—a conservative values organization that has sparred with the administration and liberal groups over homosexual marriage. The HRC – soon followed by scores of left-leaning publications, magazines, and blogs like the Huffington Post and Mother Jones – published the confidential document that revealed the names, contact information, and donation amounts of anyone who had given over $5,000 to NOM." 

If The Truth Will Set You Free, What Will the MSM Do?

Andrew Klavan-on the Culture  ..."And that’s good! Because leftists are good. So if they have to lie or twist or distort the facts to fool the ignorant populace into accepting their programs and ideas, that’s a good thing. Because their programs and ideas are good. If they weren’t good, they wouldn’t lie about them, because then they would just be corrupt, dishonest, morally desiccated purveyors of disinformation who aren’t making an honest living but instead go to work each morning intending to mislead an audience they despise. And that’s not possible. Because they’re good."

Forget Romney; Look at Obama's Public-Equity Record

Karl Rove in the May 2 WSJ:  "The auto bailout makes Bain Capital look like an amateur on job losses and outsourcing."
"To reporters at Bloomberg Businessweek, Obama senior campaign adviser David Axelrod recently ripped Mr. Romney for "leveraging companies with debt, bankrupting companies and making money off of those bankruptcies . . . [that] cost jobs and certainly wages and benefits."

"And an Obama campaign briefing paper says "Romney closed over a thousand plants, stores and offices . . . cut employee wages, benefits and pensions . . . laid off American workers and outsourced their jobs to other countries."

"The president is guilty of the same alleged sins."

"The Obama administration, after all, forced General Motors and Chrysler into Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009 and then capriciously ordered thousands of local dealerships closed."  (Emphasis added)

....

"The president wanted the auto industry to survive, but he also wanted to reward political allies—so he gave 20% of General Motors and 55% of Chrysler to the United Auto Workers union. He stood by as the UAW forced the closure of a plant in Moraine, Ohio, where workers had joined a rival union."  Hat tip to Alan Caruba

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2012/05/31/99688

PJ Media: How About We Compare the Investment Records of Bain Capital and the Obama Administration?  "Unbelievably, the Obama campaign seems to want to have a debate about which of the two candidates is more qualified to run the world’s largest economy. Writing earlier this year I considered where the campaign seems hell-bent on going. This is a debate that can prove only disastrous for the forces of O."

Not only does our economy not stand a chance under this administration's policies and ignorance of how business works, business people themselves are barely tolerated by this president.

Frank VanderSloot was a successful businessman who made a political contribution. Little did he know that would land him on President Obama's Enemies List.

"Frank VanderSloot grew up a poor kid in rural Idaho. His father made $300 a month. His clothes came from the Salvation Army. Yet through determination and hard work—and with the help of America’s free-enterprise system—today he’s the successful CEO of a global supplier of wellness products.

"VanderSloot’s rags-to-riches story is not unlike other American tales of individuals who have benefited from the free market. In VanderSloot’s case, however, that success came with a price—but only when he decided a write a check to a super PAC that supports Mitt Romney." 

“The whole free-enterprise system has been so good to me and my family, I want to protect that,” he said. “I now see that system under attack.”