Romney’s Psych Out Ad

Alana Goodman  "Mitt Romney’s latest attack ad against President Obama (the first negative spot of the campaign, as Jim Geraghty points out) sends two messages. On the surface it’s a cut-and-dry ad criticizing Obama as out of touch on the economy, but there’s another message that seems aimed at psyching out the Obama campaign. See if you can catch it:"

"Look familiar? As the Huffington Post reports, Romney’s ad is a mirror image of one of Obama’s most effective attack ads against John McCain in 2008. Same music. Same format. Same kicker: “How can [he] expect to fix it…if he doesn’t understand what’s broken?” Take a look:"....

Nanny Bloomberg and his orcs never sleep

Bloomberg: Big Gulp Sodas only the beginning  The fact that so many New Yorkers are willing to let Nanny Bloomberg run their lives brings to mind my favorite Sam Adams quote:

"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen."

 New York Health panel talks about wider food ban  "At the meeting, some of the members of board said they should be considering other limits on high-calorie foods."  Ah, the addictiveness of power.

Bad timing, Burger King:

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2012/06/13/100183

Another Obama economic proposal coming down the tracks.

http://terrellaftermath.com/

Let's see now; what do I think Mr. Obama will propose today? I'd say since his goal is to get another four years in office, he will probably propose significant gifts and incentives to particular segments such as young people. Word is that there is less enthusiasm among young voters, so how about forgiveness for their college loans (at enormous cost)? They  will naturally be wisely opposed by Republicans, who will then be demagogued by Obama. The Obamamedia will ask Romney if he opposes these "gifts," and what can he say that they won't grill him unmercifully about?

I'd guess the things Obama may propose will all be enacted only if and when he is re-elected, giving voters a financial incentive to vote Democrat. 

Watch for the word, "inherited" in his speech which seems to be a good tactic.

MSNBC agrees.

Now let's see what wiser minds think about all this:

Neal Boortz: Obama speaks on economy today  "Whether you intend to vote for Obama or not, you know in your hearts and brains that this hack does not have a clue in hell how to oversee, let alone rescue, a private sector capitalist economy.  He will have no new ideas today.  It will be the same old ObamaCrap.  We need to hire more government (union) workers and make those evil rich bastards pay some income taxes. 

"But … don’t forget, this is a “framing speech.”  So here’s what Obama can be expected to do:"....

Michael Barone seems to think Obama's plans will be influenced by these people: Obama Listens to Rich Liberals, at His Peril  "He’s also had plenty of chances to absorb the advice of the kind of rich liberals who like to give money to Democratic presidents. And the evidence that he has taken some of that advice is his initiatives on three issues, each of which involves serious political risk."

Washington Post: Obama needs to end his slide. Today's speech is important.  "I'm increasingly convinced Obama doesn't know what to say. He knows he is for tax increases, but his reasons seem punitive rather than economic. He is for firemen and police. But the suggestion that he is alone in that support, or that Romney or anyone else is against them, is arrogant to the point of being insulting. Insulting not to Romney, but to voters. He shouldn't stoop to hiding his failures behind pious pledges of support for firemen and law enforcement."

Dueling speeches, big day: Obama, Romney in Ohio  "Obama wants: a choice between his economic ideas and Romney's. As he has done before at pivotal moments in his presidency, Obama will use a big speech to try to reframe the debate."....

"Romney will talk about cutting regulation and spending, overhauling the tax system, doing away with Obama's health care overhaul and supporting a major oil pipeline known as Keystone XL." 

Hot Air Video: “Lost Focus”   "The RNC goes after Barack Obama ahead of his “reframing” speech in Ohio [today] by reminding people just how often Obama has had to “reframe” his approach to the economy.  In “Lost Focus,” the spot highlights just a few of the promises of “pivots” to jobs by the Obama administration:"

"Instead of coming up with new ideas — as Obama’s policies clearly aren’t working — Obama will propose that the failure of Obamanomics is still the fault of a man who hasn’t been President in almost four years.  Voters may still blame Bush for the economic collapse in 2008, but they’re not going to buy that the current economic malaise isn’t due to Obama’s policies, and they certainly aren’t going to vote to “stay the course” as we slip back closer to another recession."

Politico: Boehner gives 'pre-buttal' to Obama speech "In the video, Boehner is shown with copies of several of the 30-plus House-passed bills – a line that has been a rallying mantra for congressional Republicans this year. In tandem, Boehner’s office released a blog post that lays out a sharper attack on Obama and what they view as a “pivot to nothing” amid an economy still suffering a jobless rate above 8 percent."

NRO: Dismantling the Case Obama Will Take Today   "President Obama will use a speech in Ohio today effectively to hit a reset button on his re-election campaign, following a stretch of bad economic news and messaging missteps that have shaken Democrats’ confidence and caused some allies to sound the alarm."....

"Translation: Trash the opposition, promise the world to your base, and hope to win a low-turnout election."

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/

Young Jamie Lee Curtis doing a bit part on Colombo

Columbo with Jamie Lee Curtis (1977)

You can't bring that donut in here!

Ann Coulter: Obama's Public Sector Full Employment Plan

Ann Coulter  "Obama's monumentally idiotic statement has led his media defenders to recycle Mitt Romney's alleged "gaffe" from several months ago, when he said: "I like being able to fire people who provide services to me."
...."Far from a gaffe, Romney's actual sentence is the key to understanding the nation's health care crisis -- which happens to be exactly what he was talking about."

...."Only with the government do we continuously get worse service for a higher price.

"Take away the ability to fire people, and you have airport security, public schools, Veterans Administration hospitals, the Postal Service, General Motors and Pinch Sulzberger, New York Times family scion.

"Health insurers may technically be private companies, but they are required by law to cover a slew of services, making them an extension of monopolistic government. (Similarly, the old AT&T was a "private" company, but in reality it was just a government-run monopolistic phone company providing no choice, poor service, little innovation and obscenely high prices.)

...."Insurance companies need only concern themselves with satisfying government regulators and corporate purchasers. Meanwhile, doctors have to please only the insurance companies, which don't particularly care how patients are treated, as long as it's cheap."

...."Once we were allowed to purchase health insurance across states lines -- prohibited by law today -- everyone would be buying insurance from companies based in states such as Utah, which have the fewest mandates about what health insurers must cover.

"Insurance companies would be responsive to us, the people buying their services, and not the government or corporations."

Townhall cartoons
...."For better service right now, for example, the American people need to fire Barack Obama and hire Mitt Romney."

They told me if I voted for McCain that America would be torn apart with racial divisions. So it is.

Neal Boortz: That's Raaacist  "For the record, let’s take a look at our “That’s Raaaacist” list that we’ve been compiling over the last few months.  This is an evolving list of all the examples where libs and proggies try to claim that some reference to Obama is racist."

• AP reporter droppin’ G’s from Obama speech is racist

• Bill Maher: "Denying Racism Is The New Racism"

• MSNBC’s Ed Schultz: The Word “Break” Is “Racist”…

• NYT Editorial Page Editor Calls Boehner Racist for Asking Obama to Delay Speech to Congress

• Dem Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee: Gingrich Calling Obama Food Stamps President Has “Underlying Suggestions,” He’s Developing An “Explosiveness” In America…

• Mitt Romney’s ‘Obama Isn’t Working’ Banner Evokes Racial Stereotypes

• NBC Panelist: Ad Calling Obama A Celebrity 'Another Attempt' to Paint Him As 'Other'

• Mediaite Lib Tommy Christopher Says BuzzFeed Calling Obama a “Tabloid Cover Boy” Is Racist…

• NY Daily News Columnist: Racist Nation Prepares To Reject Obama Because He Is Black

"Now it’s already time to add another."...


Obama Ad Targets Blacks: "Show The President We Have His Back"   (Audio)
" “Four years ago we made history,” a male announcer says. “Now it’s time to move forward and finish what we started together. We have to show the President we have his back.” The spot is inter-cut with audio from President Obama’s speeches, touching on familiar political and campaign themes."

J. Christian Adams: Meet the Radical DOJ Lawyer Suing Florida to Keep Foreigners on Voter Rolls  "Let’s meet Jenigh Garrett, the radical DOJ Voting Section lawyer who filed the lawsuit today to stop Florida from removing non-citizens from the voter rolls.  She is a long-time opponent of state election integrity laws, as are so many of the recent hires exposed by the PJ Media Every Single One series."


CBC staff: Opposition to Obama is racist  "Angela Rye, Executive Director of the Congressional Black Caucus, argued that President Obama has struggled during his first term due to racially-motivated opposition from conservatives who dislike having a black president."

Here it comes. The economy isn't Obama's fault; racial division in this country is not Obama's fault and if he loses this next election it will not be because he is inept, immature, a demagogue and associated with radicals, it will be due to his being black.
If Obama is voted out of office, be prepared to have our country branded as racist by African-Americans, celebrities, college professors and every liberal in the country with a need to "make a difference". Be prepared to see Obama present at every racial protest along with Sharpton, Jackson, Van Jones and every other leftist with a racial axe to grind.


Thomas Sowell: Holder's Chutzpah (Reprise)  "But the actor had made his point. When a white man with no identification can go to a voting site, impersonate a black man who lives in that district, and get his ballot offered to him, then it is far too easy to commit voter fraud."

How is this administration looking overseas?

Germans Increasingly Disillusioned with Obama  "Germans were ecstatic when Barack Obama took over the keys to the White House from George W. Bush. Now, though, a new Pew Research Center survey shows that disillusionment with the US president is widespread in Germany and that Obama has not lived up to the high expectations Europeans had of him."


International approval of US President Barack Obama's foreign policy has dropped sharply during his term in office   "Among the 21 countries surveyed, the largest drop in approval - from 57% to 27% - was seen in China, the Global Attitudes Project reveals."
...."Despite these numbers, confidence in Mr Obama remains high among US allies, especially in Europe." Well, apparently except for the Germans.

UK cartoon

The poll cited above: Global Opinion of Obama Slips, International Policies Faulted
"In predominantly Muslim nations, American anti-terrorism efforts are still widely unpopular. And in nearly all countries, there is considerable opposition to a major component of the Obama administration’s anti-terrorism policy: drone strikes." 

I inherited that "doing fine" remark from a screwed-up teleprompter!

http://terrellaftermath.com/

Neal Boortz: The phony push for more teachers "Meanwhile, the quality of our education has only gone down the crapper.  What do we have to show for more teachers compared to kids in the classroom?  Generations of dumb masses.  Clearly class sizes isn’t the key to success."
But I can tell you California schools are in a mess. Our teacher niece has lived  under threat of a pink slip for the last few years and this time has actually been laid off along with numerous others at her school. But then California is in a class -hopefully- by itself. So far.
Also here: Our imperial federal government is growing.


For Obama, the Context is the Killer   "Obama’s comments were taken out of context, his top aides insist.

"Nice try, but here’s what the president said in context:"...

...."What Obama did on Friday was to lay out, in 136 words, what his economic theory is and what he would like his second term to look like." 

Clinton 'rebellion' against Obama as former aides warn President he will lose election unless he changes message on economy  Via Lucianne.
"Their stinging critique is a sign of panic among Democrats about Obama’s campaign as well as a potential split between Obama and old hands from the Clinton era who believe he has moved too far to the Left."   He hasn't "moved too far to the left"; he is too far to the left.


Obama Can't Keep His Jobs Story Straight  "Just how inept is the White House these days? On Friday, President Obama was demanding that Congress put "teachers, cops and firefighters" back to work. But his own website says he's already accomplished that."

Why Obama’s ‘The Private Sector Is Doing Fine’ Gaffe Matters  "He looks like a loser now, and has given voters a reason to take a chance on giving someone else the job he currently occupies. Like the 1992 Bush gaffe, Obama tells voters that whatever his other merits might be, he is not familiar with their daily lives and thus is unlikely to be capable of making things better."

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2012/06/13/100050

http://www.allvoices.com/cartoons/c/93098750-obama-campaign-gaffes

Perhaps the Israelis aren't so confident of the US as an ally

This cartoon is in today's Jerusalem Post. The Israelis apparently are not so enamored of the Obama administration as is Hollywood.

And this one below is from a few days earlier:

Do you think that US President Barack Obama's administration is more pro-Israel or more pro-Palestinian? 

(Smith Research/Jerusalem Post)

	May 2009	June 2009	August 2009	March 2010	July 2010
More pro-Israel	31%	6%	4%	9%	10%
More pro-Palestinian	14%	50%	51%	48%	46%
Neutral	40%	36%	35%	30%	34%
No opinion/Refused to answer	15%	8%	10%	13%	10%

Of all the polls in this article, the Pew poll shows Israelis and Arabs about even on confidence in Obama. Other polls in this article have the Israelis much less sure of Obama.

Reading list

1. Heritage: Paycheck Fairness Act Unfairly Burdens Employees and Employers 
 "The government has a legitimate role in protecting women from discrimination but should allow employers to decide how they value the work performed for them. S. 3220, the Paycheck Fairness Act (PFA), undermines this policy."
2. Security leaks; spot the weasel words: "...Attorney General Eric Holder ... appointed two attorneys to lead criminal investigations into any "unauthorized disclosure of classified information."  "STOP EVERYTHING! It's time to play "Spot the Weasel Wording!" Did you catch it in Holder's statement? (tick, tick, tick...)
"Time's up! The weasel word was "unauthorized.""

3. Victor Davis Hanson: From Hope and Change to Fear and Smear  "Private equity firms are good for campaign donations but bad when a Republican rival runs them. "Romney would do worse," rather than "I did well," is the implicit Obama campaign theme of 2012."

4. California: America’s Welfare Queen  "...The state accounts for one-third of America’s welfare recipients, though it only contains one-eighth of the population, and there’s no good reason for it."
5. Thomas Sowell: Barack Obama: Dictator of the Left  "What President Obama has been pushing for, and moving toward, is more insidious: government control of the economy, while leaving ownership in private hands. That way, politicians get to call the shots, but, when their bright ideas lead to disaster, they can always blame those who own businesses in the private sector."
6. WSJ: ObamaCare's Secret History  "The lesson for Republicans if they do end up running the country next year is that their job is to restore the free and fair market that creates broad-based economic growth. The temptation will be to return for the sake of power to the methods of Tom DeLay and Jack Abramoff." Then goodbye, Republicans.
7. Holder rejects resignation call at testy Senate hearing  “I’m afraid we’ve come to an impasse,” Cornyn said, adding that Holder “violated the public trust” in his view. “With regret, you’ve left me with no choice but to join those who call for you to resign your office.”
8. Unions Out to Divide and Conquer Workplaces  "A new rule hatched by the Obama-appointed board, authorizes the creation of union cells—organizing a few employees within a company to gain a foothold—which will severely impact businesses."

9. Mr. Netanyahu’s Dilemma  "As the prime minister of Israel he has a dreadful calculus to make: Is Barack Obama sufficiently serious about preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons?"
10. Reporter to Obama: You should be on American Idol "I was just wondering if you would give any thought to being on 'American Idol' or 'America's Got Talent'?" he asked. "You'd be a big hit Mr. President."  Local reporters! Via Weasel Zippers
11. AFL-CIO Teams Up With NAACP, La Raza To Launch “Most Aggressive Push” Against Voter ID Laws In Six Battleground States… "When exactly did unions go from representing workers to shilling for every left-wing cause under the sun?"
12. Teachers Union: Socialist Ideas “As American As Apple Pie”… "While other union activists around Wisconsin are sometimes coy about their radical views (outside the classroom, that is), Verdin is just the opposite. He’s a Marxist teacher who wants to bring a socialist revolution to the United States, and he’s very proud of that stance."
13. Edward Klein’s “The Amateur” — and what it reveals about America’s partisan media "Witness the election coverage that sees the media play lap dog to the Obama campaign, while working hard to undermine the Romney campaign."

14. (Photo at right) ‘Blue Bloods’ Exemplifies the Good in Contemporary Popular Culture  "If Blue Bloods isn’t the best show on TV, it is certainly in the running."  "... wisdom clearly comes from those in the family who are older and the younger learn from them, not the other way around so often seen in popular entertainment." 
15. 'Green Acres' actor Frank Cady dies at 96  "...played Hooterville general-store proprietor Sam Drucker on the TV sitcoms “Green Acres” and “Petticoat Junction,”
16. Sob Story Over Jane Fonda’s “Haunting” By “Hateful Nickname” Hanoi Jane  "She also attacked U.S. soldiers–many of whom died or lost limbs–on Viet Cong loudspeakers and radio."
17. Obama outfoxed by Putin  "That is how totally out to lunch the Obama foreign policy team is when it comes to Syria and to its “reset” relations with Russia."

18. Judicial Watch Sues Obama Justice Department Regarding DOJ’s Decision to Block South Carolina’s Voter ID Law  "In May 2011, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley signed R54 into law."

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