Karl Rove weighs in

On Tuesday, Republicans offered an alternative to the president's big-government vision.

"After Tuesday night's address, the president sent supporters an email about his speech. The subject line read "We Do Big Things" and the message was signed simply "Barack." The familiarity was touching, but the theme was misplaced. Tuesday's speech gave no evidence that Mr. Obama will do the big things this country needs in the next two years."

The GOP's Health-Care Offensive Has Just Begun "Seasoned Democratic observers like pollster Pat Caddell believe that opposition to ObamaCare helped drive turnout and draw independents into the Republican column. The GOP would have deeply damaged its credibility if it failed to follow through on its pledge."

Karl Rove breaks down president's speech, responses. Video

Photo from Huffington Post

Our Sputnik Moment

Investors.com

Brian Farrington

Why Cruise Lines are sailing away from California: avoiding high taxes and Mexican violence

Coach is Right "Since California already has a “reported” $26 billion deficit, the notion that a liberal Democrat like Jerry Brown, supported by a liberal Democrat Legislature, will raise taxes is as sure a bet as the daily tides. They’re fleeing the new taxes they KNOW are coming.
"Second is the extreme violence taking place in the “Mexican Riviera.” It isn’t hard to see the cause and effect between the sickening carnage Acapulco awoke to on Saturday January 15 when 28 bodies... were found on its streets and the unusual ...Saturday afternoon announcement that the major Cruise Lines had paid enough seen enough and were leaving almost immediately. "

Iranian Book Celebrating Suicide Bombers Found in Arizona Desert

Fox News "The book, "In Memory of Our Martyrs," was spotted Tuesday by a U.S. Border Patrol agent out of the Casa Grande substation who was patrolling a route known for smuggling illegal immigrants and drugs.

"Published in Iran, it consists of short biographies of Islamic suicide bombers and other Islamic militants who died carrying out attacks."
Hat tip to Harley Standlee, Placerville, Ca.

Confronting the Unsustainable Welfare State

Robert Rector and Chuck Donovan Fourteen years ago, an energized Republican Congress voted to reform a vital part of the nation's fast-growing welfare system. President Clinton signed the bill into law, promising that the measure would "end welfare as we know it."
"But what began as a promising era of reform has completely collapsed. Government welfare spending is climbing rapidly, and at an unsustainable rate." 

We’re going to pay poor people to inflate our tires and tell us how to save energy. Yes, really.  "Some of the more astute liberal critics also recognize that workfare poisons the labor market. When companies or government agencies have access to cheap workfare labor, there’s no incentive for them to offer entry-level jobs. Unemployment increases and more people go on workfare. It becomes a never-ending cycle." Pajamas Media, 2009

Conservatives Must Lead Where Obama Has Failed

Heritage  "...President Barack Obama said Americans must “understand [that] if we don’t take meaningful steps to rein in our debt, it could damage our markets, increase the cost of borrowing, and jeopardize our recovery—all of which would have an even worse effect on our job growth and family incomes.” This is all true. But then in a total failure of leadership, President Obama went on to completely abandon his own deficit commission’s spending cut proposals."
I honestly cannot see how conservatives can lead; the Democrats will demagogue them into the ground, aided by the press and the entertainment industry. Things will have to deteriorate past the tipping point before the left will get on board and by then it may be too late.

ObamaCare

500 more waivers granted for Obamacare "Note: Darrell Issa and his investigative team have targeted recipients of these waivers to see if some political shenanigans were involved. They might want to start here:"

Medicare Chief Actuary confirms Obamacare a tissue of lies  "In essence, in response to direct questions, Foster blew up the rationale for Obamacare and placed the president and his party in the uncomfortable position of having to explain why they lied to the American people about the two main selling points for the program."  Also here.  Astute Blogger has this: "Obama so-called health care reform is an epic fail and a series of lies perpetrated upon the American people."

GOP invokes 1700s doctrine in health care fight  "They are introducing measures that hinge on "nullification," Thomas Jefferson's late 18th-century doctrine that purported to give states the ultimate say in constitutional matters."

Gary Varvel on "Investments"

http://townhall.com/cartoons/garyvarvel

Darrell Issa reveals list of investigations



signonsandiego

Politico  "According to an outline of hearing topics obtained by POLITICO, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is also planning to investigate how regulation affects job creation, the roles of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the foreclosure crisis, recalls at the Food and Drug Administration and the failure of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission to agree on the causes of the market meltdown." 

Chairman Issa’s Response to State of the Union  "We agree that American job creators deserve the opportunity to succeed and grow here in the United States. The first step is listening to the personal stories of job creators, innovators and entrepreneurs about how government impacts job creation.” 

Contact info for Rep. Issa

House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform  This committee has 41 members. Click to learn about them and about upcoming committee meetings.

Obama's Education Power Grab

Photo: blogs.e-rockford.com 

American Thinker  "Perish the thought! The President is in the process of creating a top-down strategy to "prepare" (translated to mean indoctrinate) teachers to literally transform education as we know it, from an American system to a full-fledged corporatist regime where big business backs the socialist programs. No wonder Obama devoted 11 paragraphs in his SOTU to the topic of education."

More commentary about the substance in the State of the Union (Updated)

Heritage Responds To The State Of The Union  "And here are just some of our experts’ immediate reactions to parts of the speech:"
O's empty State of the Union  "Obama's call for reforming the corporate tax code and medical-malpractice law might issue in bipartisan legislation. Otherwise, the speech was a table-setter for the deeply partisan and ideological combat to come over the budget. The president is trying to take the rhetorical high ground of growth and innovation, while Republicans begin the grim work of austerity." Rich Lowry. 
And the Republicans will be demagogued mercilessly by Obama's followers.

AP’s Devastating Fact Check of Obama’s SOTU  "Apparently the President, having nothing better to offer, has decided to pretend the fact checks (and the facts themselves) don’t exist." 

Terrellaftermath




Fact Checking President Obama's State of the Union Address  "ABC News takes a close look at some of the claims in the president's second annual State of the Union address to the joint Houses of Congress. "

What Obama didn’t mention in his speech  "Some of the most intriguing things in the Statue of Union address were the issues the president did not address:"...
Hey, he didn't blame Bush for anything, did he?

Nate Beeler, TH

Stephen F. Hayes: Not a Winning Speech  "Does President Obama really mean to suggest that the engine of the U.S. economy is government spending? It’s consistent with the way he governed over the first two years of his presidency, but it’s a jarring departure from his sudden centrism.
"Overall, the speech was a lot like the Obama presidency: phony bipartisanship, too much spending, unconvincing rhetoric on fiscal restraint, and not enough attention to foreign policy and national security."

Fred Thompson: Fixing Bathroom Tiles on the Titanic "But in all seriousness, was it too much to ask for one honest statement about the most pressing challenge that our nation has faced since World War II?"

Hope, Change, and "Invest"

Ann Coulter  "Obama said, "We are the nation that put cars in driveways and computers in offices; the nation of Edison and the Wright brothers; of Google and Facebook."

"And then the government outlawed Edison's great invention, made the Wright brothers' air travel insufferable, filed anti-trust charges against Microsoft and made cars too expensive to drive by prohibiting oil exploration, and right now -- at this very minute -- is desperately trying to regulate the Internet."

....

"Actually, I was glad to hear him say that "there isn't a person here" -- which presumably included Democrats -- who would live anyplace else.

"Then why are they always trying to turn us into Western Europe?"