The economy is doing how?

The Wrong Campaign Gaffe Comparison: Mitt Romney cares more about the poor than Barack Obama cares about the private sector.

"As he often does, Barack Obama made a Freudian slip on Friday that once again revealed his Marxist approach to political economy. This is unsurprising, now that we have confirmation that he ran as the candidate of a socialist party in the nineties, despite denials by his campaign four years ago. In saying that “the private sector is doing just fine,” many, even some of his allies, have accused him of simply being out of touch with economic reality — a charge for which there is an abundance of other evidence. Some, including the Romney campaign, have implied that it was Obama’s own McCain moment, recalling when the Republican nominee said that the “fundamentals of the economy were sound” amidst the imploding credit markets in the fall of 2008."


Also here: Another Fine Mess Obama's Gotten Us Into

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2012/06/05/99931

The Private Sector Is Not Fine, the Public Sector Is Still Fat  "There is potential good news in all of this. Obama, in continuing his tired push for more stimulus to state and local governments which won’t reform themselves while making life miserable for a private sector which he still insists is “doing fine,” appears to be sowing the seeds of his own November defeat to a degree where the non-stop establishment press excuse-making and cover-ups still might not be able to prevent it."


Neal Boortz: Obama Recovery  "Let’s get something straight .. the recession has been over for three years as of this month (June).  That means that for most of Dear Ruler’s presidency, we have lived under the ObamaRecovery, and it has been the worst economic recovery in American history.  Those are facts."  More here.

Hoover Institution: Is private sector employment fine in absolute or relative terms?
"Even if government job growth were to resume, our economy needs to create millions more private sector jobs to be restored to full health."

"This chart tells a very different story. We’re still down 4.6 M private sector jobs from the employment peak in January 2008, compared to down 407,000 government jobs.  For every net lost government job since employment peaked in January 2008, the U.S. economy has lost more than eleven private sector job."


Fred Barnes: Slow Learner  "True, the president routinely feigns love for free markets. “We believe in the marketplace,” he declared at a fundraiser with Bill Clinton last week. “We believe in entrepreneurship and rewarding risk-taking.” This was followed, as always, by a “but” and the claim that government is at the core of what made America “an economic superpower.”"
The Mayor of Las Vegas recognized Mr. Obama as a slow learner over two years ago: 

Light at the end of the Tunnel

Sent personally to the Tunnel Dweller. I'm sure it must be some sort of, well, excellence award

Rich Terrell at TerrellAfterMath
The name "Tunnel Wall" came from a suggestion made by the Tunnel Dweller's eldest son.Years ago the family men hiked the rails down Questa Grade in San Luis Obispo County, CA. We entered a tunnel right after a passenger train and began hiking through it when, lo and behold, here came a freight right behind the first one. Talk about hugging a wall!Later on, when choosing an name to replace this blog's original name, "The Squeaky Wheel",  I asked Jeff for suggestions. He sent several, including "The Tunnel Hugger" and that inspired "Tunnel Wall".The name is a good reminder of the price to be paid for making poor decisions. TD

Starbucks Urban Legends: one true and one false

False: 2004 claim that they were told Starbucks does not support the war, nor anyone in it
"It is that e-mail which continues to circulate to this day. Sgt. Wright has since learned
that what he heard was in error, and he has subsequently tried to set things right by
issuing the following retraction:

Their new logo

Dear Readers,  Almost 5 months ago I sent an email to you my faithful friends. I did a wrong [thing] that needs to be cleared up. I heard from word of mouth about how Starbucks said they didn't support the war and all. I was having enough of that kind of talk and didn't do my research properly like I should have. This is not true. Starbucks supports the men and women in uniform. They have personally contacted me and I have been sent many of their Company's policy on this issue. So I apologize for this quick wrong letter I sent out to you. Now I ask that you all pass this email around to everyone you passed the last one to. Thank you very much for understanding about this.      Howard C. Wright Sgt USMC

"As for what Starbucks has to say about the matter, it refutes the rumor on its website,
stating:

In fact, Starbucks has partnered with the American Red Cross and theUnited Service Organizations (USO) to provide coffee to relief efforts duringtimes of conflict, donating more than 141,000 lbs of coffee. In 2009 alone,Starbucks provided over 71,000 lbs of coffee to the USO for distribution totroops serving in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait. Additionally, troops all overthe world are enjoying Starbucks VIA Ready Brew in care packages theyreceive not only from Starbucks, but from their family and friends as well.Through December of 2010, Starbucks has provided 800,000 3-packs ofStarbucks VIA to the USO for their care package program.

True: Starbucks Charged Rescue Workers at the World Trade Center Collapse for Bottled Water  "There have been several media accounts documenting this story as true.  According to an article in the Seattle Post Intelligencer on September 25, 2001, a representative of the family-owned Midwood Ambulance company wrote a letter of complaint to Starbucks.  He said his employees, whom he called heroes, were charged $130 for the water, which they paid for out of their pockets.  It was at a Starbucks in Battery Park.  The letter said the company representative was rebuffed when he called a Starbucks number from their website, so he wrote a letter to the CEO of the company.  The ambulance company eventually got a call from the President of Starbucks with an apology, a promise of a refund, and free coffee for their employees."
More here at Snopes.


Hat tip to Bob Hope, Sacramento.

Asking for I.D. to Vote is NOT racist!

iowntheworld

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2012/06/08/99950

Slow, but still Furious

Hot Air: Are contempt charges a game of Capitol Hill chicken?  "Do House Republicans really want a high-profile showdown for the sake of election-year politicking — or do they just want the documents?  Politico says that Republicans are on the level, and hope to avoid the contempt vote if possible:"...

Nice Deb:  Eric Holder Faces Senate Judiciary Committee, This Morning  "CSPAN live stream of the hearing, here.
...."Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, the judiciary committee’s ranking GOP member, said Monday that he also supports Issa’s push to hold Holder in contempt. Holder’s appearance Tuesday is all but certain to include direct pressure from Grassley and other senators who have been critical of the attorney general over Fast and Furious, including Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn.
...."Many pundits in Washington are saying that a deal will be reached between Congress and the Attorney General before it goes that far."

Time to replay this Bob Hope video

Youtube

It depends on what you mean by "the economy"

Neal Boortz: The Private Sector Is Doing Just Fine   "Just look at the rest of Obama’s statement later Friday afternoon to discover that, even after the firestorm, he didn’t really understand what people were upset about.  Obama, you see, told us on Friday that the REAL problem with our economy was that GOVERNMENT, not the private sector, just wasn’t growing enough." 


James Pethokoukis: Obama is wrong. The private sector isn’t ‘doing fine’
But is it really? Is the private sector “doing fine?”....

5. Real take-home pay is down over the past year.6. That first-quarter GDP report also showed that after-tax corporate profits dropped for the first time in three years. Major red flag.

"No, Mr. President, the private-sector isn’t doing fine at all. And it certainly isn’t ready to deal with a fiscal cliff of tax hikes or a continued deluge of new regulation."

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2012/06/07/99986

Jeannie DeAngelis: The David Axelrod's 'Not Doing Fine' Talk Show Appearance  "For much of the CNN segment on the President's fine-not-so-fine blooper, Obama's chief campaign strategist continued to frenetically push the hire-public-to-help-the-private-sector line.  Frustrated host Candy Crowley tried repeatedly to get Mr. Axelrod to answer her original question, but the effort failed miserably."

Washington Examiner:  Paul Krugman: Economy under Obama in a Depression  "We don't have a formal definition, I'd say that a Depression is when things are down, when things are terrible for an extended period of time," Krugman said, reminding them that were even "official" periods of recovery during the Great Depression.
"So it is again today," he said."...  H/T to Lucianne.

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2012/06/05/99974

Those who help us will be protected, you have our word on that. (Updated with Ramirez 'toon)

http://news.investors.com/editorialcartoons/cartoon.aspx?id=614346

GOP Ramps Up Calls for Leak Investigation "In contrast, the latest leakers have clearly been high-level administration officials who have been privy to classified security briefings. And there has been a stark contrast between how the White House has handled these cases. With the latest leaks, the administration only initiated the DOJ investigation after an outcry from lawmakers."

Rep. King: Obama using leaks to build image, trying to be like 'John Wayne' 

"Some Republican lawmakers have questioned whether the attorneys assigned by Holder will be able to act independently of the Obama administration. King added his voice to those skeptics Sunday, questioning what kinds of powers those attorneys might have should they come across wrongdoing. 

"Holder, though, said Friday that the attorneys are authorized to prosecute violations and that the probe could reach into the Obama administration."

Investor's Business Daily: Obama Leaks Risk National Security For Political Gain   "The fact that the Allies in World War II had the ability to intercept and decode German and Japanese military transmissions, leading to critical military victories at Midway and elsewhere, remained a secret until long after World War II was over, and it didn't matter who knew it. "Loose lips sink ships" was then more than a clever wartime slogan.

"The pattern of national security leaks under this administration and its political exploitation of what should be secret has even liberal media flagship CNN wondering if "President Barack Obama's administration can keep a secret — or in some cases even wants to." "
Update by Mike Ramirez:

http://www.nationalreview.com/

Pat Condell gives his thoughts on the killing of OBL

Should I vote for Barack Obama? flow chart for undecideds

http://www.thelookingspoon.com/index.php/3076-a-vote-for-obama-flowchart

Elizabeth Warren

Legal Insurrection: Native American Harvard alumna and lifelong Dem accuses Elizabeth Warren of “ethnic fraud”  "There have been protests by Cherokees and other Native American groups over Elizabeth Warren’s continued insistence that she is Native American despite the complete lack of evidence to sustantiate that claim and substantial evidence that the claim is not true.
"Now a Harvard graduate, Margo (Kickingbird) DeLaune (Ed. ’81) and her son, Cole R. DeLaune (Dartmouth ’08), have cirulated a letter to Harvard Native American graduates and to the Harvard Law School faculty, denouncing Elizabeth Warren." (Below)

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2012/06/04/99897

Indian Country Today:  We Should Denounce the Conduct of Harvard and Elizabeth Warren  "Perhaps, in the end, we should appreciate Professor Warren for revealing institutionalized deficiencies at our alma mater that may have otherwise remained unexamined. However, we should nevertheless hold her accountable for the damage she has wrought—by either crassly capitalizing on the plight of the American Indian or indulging in the fetishization of a frequently caricaturized minority group."

http://www.conservativedailynews.com/2012/06/elizabeth-warren/

http://www.allvoices.com/cartoons/c/92649170-elizabeth-warren

This is to remind us all of why we originally were concerned over Warren: Video Of Elizabeth Warren’s Passionate Rebuttal Of ‘Class Warfare’ Goes Viral

What about an Obama second term?

From American Thinker: Obama's Second Term Transformation Plans   "The governmental structure of the United States was set up by the founders in the hope that over the years only those people of high moral character and integrity would assume the reins of power.   However, knowing that was not always possible, they dispersed power over three distinct and independent branches as a check on each other.

"What they could not imagine is the surrender and abdication of its constitutional duty by the preeminent governmental branch, the Congress, to a chief executive devoid of any character or integrity coupled with a judiciary essentially powerless to enforce the law when the chief executive ignores them."

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2012/06/05/99936

Politico: What exactly would President Obama do in a second term?   "Absent big — and for the moment, unlikely — Democratic gains in congressional races, the chances are high that the election will not bring clarity but more divided government. That means part of Obama’s election-year message, at least implicitly, is to elect him not for what he would do but for what he would stop conservative Republicans from doing."


Daily Caller: Obama Plans to Accelerate Ideological Course in Second Term   "He has also said many times that he believes his goals are so important that he intends to implement them with or without Congress, through executive or administrative usurpations. He has done more than talk; he has acted in contravention of the Constitution and intends to continue in that vein."   David Limbaugh

 Robert Reich:  Obama must offer bold plan to fix economy in 2nd term  "President Barack Obama’s electoral strategy can best be summed up as: “We’re on the right track, my economic policies are working, we still have a long way to go but stick with me and you’ll be fine.”

"That’s not good enough. This re­covery is too anemic, and the chance of an economic stall far too high. Even now, polls show, Mitt Romney’s empty “I’ll do it better” refrain is attracting as many voters as Obama’s “We’re on the right track.” "

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2012/06/06/100029

Michael Medved : Obama and the Second-Term Curse  "But to keep that promise the president must overcome a "second-term curse" which constitutes one of the iron rules of the American presidency. Since the origins of the Republic, every re-elected president met with more frustrations and fewer notable triumphs in a second term than in his first.

"The record of rocky, often scandal-plagued second terms applied even to the most admired chief executives, very much including George Washington.... "

Ed Lasky: Obama believes the most important issue of second term is 'climate change'    

"Do we have the most obtuse President ever in the Oval Office? 

"Tens of millions of people out of work or underemployed; pension funds at risk; the entitlement crisis is getting worse every day it is unaddressed; the oncoming "fiscal cliff" threatens to throw us into another recession (predicted by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office; Taxmaggedon begins on January 1^st; our deficit is enormous and we have accumulated trillions of dollars of debt under his presidency with nothing to show for it other than high unemployment and high debt; and Barack Obama believes climate change trumps these concerns?"

Headline: "HILLARY IS APPARENTLY... SECRETARY OF U.S. TAXPAYER GIVEAWAYS... NOT SECRETARY OF STATE!"

From RiteOn.org.  Also here at Jihad Watch

FactCheck.org has this take: Funding Mosques Overseas  "But the program isn’t the brainchild of President Barack Obama. The program was created by Congress in late 2000 under President Bill Clinton, and the first grants were announced under President George W. Bush in 2001. The State Department says that, in total, the fund has contributed nearly $26 million to approximately 640 cultural heritage sites in more than 100 countries, and more than half was given before Obama took office."

Here is a fact that I wouldn't expect to read: "Plus — as anyone who has visited the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul or the Mezquita, a mosque and cathedral in Cordoba, Spain, could tell you — there are many ancient sites that were Islamic and Christian places of worship at different points in time."  Who'da thought?

allvoices.com

About that Ground Zero mosque: Quoting Wizbang:

Not many seem to understand (or get the importance) of how the enemy sees the mosque.

It's not just about freedom of religion or property rights

Ground zero mosque opened to public, two weeks after 9-11 anniversary