Some Recovery

How can we be in an economic recovery if household income is falling?  I know economic terms have strange meanings, but when your income is going down the economy is not "recovering" for you in any meaningful sense of the term.

Household Income is Below Recession Levels, Report Says

Good Luck With That

Look, I don't like President Obama's refusal to enforce immigration laws any more than you do, but this is going nowhere.  Two points:  one, elections have consequences.  When someone like Barack Obama becomes president this is what happens.  Two, when you allow the executive branch to have control of pretty much everything, the executive branch gets to do pretty much whatever it wants.  The only way to stop it is to take control away from the executive branch, which probably isn't going to happen any time soon.

Immigration Agents Sue to Stop Obama's Non-deportation Policy

For the Record

I've been busy, and still am, so I don't have a link or anything for this.  I just wanted to note that if the hurricane hits New Orleans, and things go badly, it'll all be George Bush's fault.

Okay, maybe a little of the fault will be with Bobby Jindal.  But it'll mostly be Bush's fault.

Squirrel!

The really unfortunate thing about the Todd Akin flap is that it gives Democrats and the media (I know, redundancy), who were desperate for a chance to talk something about other than the economy and the debt, a chance to do just that.  The other really unfortunate thing is that Republicans, by being so quick and so vocal to try to force Akin out, have played right into their hands.

The GOP needs to get back on the subject, and quickly.

Barbara Boxer: Maybe Republicans Just Don't Like Their Moms or Their First Wives

Inconsistency

Not to mention hypocrisy, but we expect that.  The party that's upset that a private citizen (albeit one running for president) won't disclose ten years of tax returns won't disclose its current donors.

Democrats Won't Disclose Donors to Charlotte Convention Until After the Event

Not That He Could, Anyway

I don't think Chris Christie is capable of "toning it down".  Besides, if he did, he wouldn't be Chris Christie, and if he's not going to be Chris Christie, why do you want him to speak at the convention in the first place?

NJ Gov. Chris Christie: No Chance I'll Tone It Down During Keynote Address

It Could Happen

Suppose Mitt Romney wins the presidency and turns out to be a really good president.  Suppose that by 2015, the economy has turned around and is humming along.  Suppose, too, that there are no particular foreign threats that seem all that imminent.

In that case, Hillary Clinton might decide that she couldn't win, and so she won't run.  Other top Democrats make the same decision.  In which case, Joe Biden, with a few years of relative obscurity, so that his frequent gaffes and blunders have been forgotten, is put up as the sacrificial lamb Democrat nominee for President.

I can dream, anyway.

Biden Looks Ahead to 2016 Election

The Army You Have

Look, I get that Todd Akin said something stupid and offensive.  But he's not getting out of the race, regardless of whether you think he should.  Do you really think the country is better off if Claire McCaskill is returned to the Senate?

In a Bad Sign for Todd Akin, Crossroads Yanks Missouri Ads

Where Your Mouth Is

It's not because Republicans are rich--this is as a percentage of income, not an absolute dollar amount.  It's just a fact that people living in Republican states give more to charity than people living in Democrat states.

Of course, Democrats would claim their more charitable than Republicans.  It's just that they like to give away other people's money, not their own.

Study: Red States More Charitable

Wow

I'm not surprised that Niall Ferguson wrote this.  I am stunned that Newsweek would put that headline on its cover.

Now, don't be fooled.  This is not the beginning of a new, conservative era at Newsweek.  It may, however, be the start of rats leaving a sinking ship.  Remember, I've been predicting a Romney landslide for months now.

Niall Ferguson: Obama's Gotta Go

Concluding Our Way to Reasons

Ideally, we'd do it the other way around.  We'd reason our way to conclusions.  That, however, is hard work.  It requires us to approach a subject objectively and with an open mind.  It's much easier to reach a conclusion first and then come up with reasons why it's right.  Which is what many people, on both the right and the left, tend to do.

Obama's Catholic Supporters Drop Pro-life Argument in 2012 Appeal

Water Is Wet

He doesn't say anything we don't know, but when a member of the mainstream media comes out and admits that the mainstream media is on President Obama's team, I guess it's at least noteworthy.

Time Mag's Halperin: The Media Does What Obama Campaign Wants

Fear

There's playing it safe, and then there's living in fear.  When the President refuses to do an interview with Chris Matthews, who couldn't be more of an Obama supporter if he was on the President's payroll, that's fear.  He's afraid to say or do anything unless he can completely control how it comes out, for fear he'll say or do something wrong.

Remember when we were told what a great orator President Obama was?  Now, he won't even say hello unless he gets to approve how the news clip looks.

Obama's Soft-media Strategy

Anybody Home?

Somehow my liberal friends, who are so quick to ascribe mere disagreement with them to stupidity, hatred, or evil, or all three, did not see fit to say anything about this.  Go figure.

Protester Spits on Romney Supporter in Wisconsin

110 Percent

That's what it would take for President Obama to do "much better" among African Americans than previous Democrat candidates.  Which is why the Democrats fight so hard against measures designed to stop vote fraud.  It's their best chance of winning.

Morning Jay: Why Did Biden Play the Race Card

Who's Next? PInk Floyd?

First DEVO, now Rage Against the Machine.  Maybe they could combine and form a super-PAC or something.  They could call it "Has-Been Rockers Against Romney".

Tom Morello: Paul Ryan is the Embodiment of the Machine Our Music Rages Against

I Wanna Talk About Me

It's a great Toby Keith song, but it was never intended to replace Hail to the Chief.  When it comes to President Obama, though, himself is all he ever wants to talk about.

Morning Bell: Obama Edits Official State Department Documents to Tout Himself

I'm Not Buying It

To replace Joe Biden on the ticket, President Obama would have to admit he made a mistake putting him on the ticket in the first place.  When do you remember President Obama admitting he made a mistake?

"The Amateur" Author Ed Klein: Jillary Dismissed VP Possibility Two Weeks Ago

In Case You Missed It

And you probably did, since no one watches Toure's program.  The important thing to remember is that any time anyone other than a liberal/progressive criticizes President Obama in any way for anything, it's racist.

By the way, I apologize for the word in the link.  It's a quote.  It's Toure's word, not mine.

MSNBC's Toure: Romney Engaging in the "Niggerization" of Obama

Still Around

I'm fine.  Nothing's happened to me.  I just haven't had a lot of time to look at stuff lately.  Thanks for asking, though.

Not that any of you actually did, of course.  I'm sure you intended to, though.

DEVO? Seriously?

Weren't they last relevant about thirty years ago?  With all of President Obama's connections in the entertainment world, the best he can do is...DEVO?

This may be an even bigger Romney landslide than I thought.

Listen to DEVO's New Song About Mitt Romney's Dog

I Know What I Said, But...

It's no defense to say, "Well, it's just Joe Biden."  This man is a heartbeat away from the presidency, and it's Barack Obama who put him there.

Krauthammer on Biden "Chain" Comment: "Is It a Big F'ing Deal? I Don't Know"

Don't Be Afraid to Win

Rush says on occasion that the Republicans have been in the minority for so long that some of them are actually uncomfortable with winning and prefer to be in the minority, where it's safe.  I'm starting to think there's a lot of truth in that.  There are all kinds of reasons to be optimistic about this election, but a lot of supposedly smart Republicans aren't.  Maybe, deep down, they really prefer to lose.

GOP Pros Fret Over Paul Ryan

Shackles and Chains

Let's not get distracted, folks.  Yes, of course, we can all play the "What if Romney had said that" game.  But making a big deal out of this just changes the subject from the economy, which where we need to keep it.

It's hard to resist having fun with Joe Biden, but let's keep our eye on the ball.

VP Biden Says Republicans Are "Going to Put Y'all Back in Chains"

Meanwhile, In the Real World

The Muslim Brotherhood has taken firm control in Egypt.  Remember that whenever someone says about some foreign leader, "he's so bad that nobody could possibly be worse."  Someone can always be worse.  And if you don't know what you're doing when you force a leader out, they probably will be.

Crowds in Cairo Praise Morsi's Army Overhaul

Why Do We Do This?

Why, why, why, do Republicans always agree to liberal moderators for their debates?  Candy Crowley?  Jim Lehrer?  Bob Schieffer?  Granted, they're not Keith Olbermann, but nobody is, not even Keith Olbermann any more.  This is like agreeing to play a ball game with all the umpires having bet on the other team.  There's no way you can win no matter how well you do.

The Obligatory "Presidential Debate Moderators Pretty Much Who You'd Expect" Post

Oh, Yeah

While all anyone talks about is Paul Ryan, there are a few other things going on.  One of them is that the Republicans continue to look into Fast and Furious.  It won't matter as far as the election is concerned, but it might, possibly, matter in other ways at some point.

GOP-led House Oversight Committee to File Contempt Suit Against AG Eric Holder

Good Choice

I don't know if I've actually said so yet, but I think Paul Ryan is a fine choice for vice president.  He's someone who's serious--you can actually see him being president.  He's someone who's knowledgeable about the budget and economic matters.  It puts the focus of the campaign both on the economy and on out-of-control government spending.

Will the Democrats say all kinds of terrible things about him?  Of course, but they were going to do that anyway.  What are they going to do, accuse Mitt Romney of being a murderer?  Oh, wait, they've already done that.

Reports: Romney Picks Paul Ryan, Announcement Saturday Morning in Virginia

Panic

Why am I the only one with any confidence?  Almost every Republican and every conservative is running around saying the sky is falling.  It's not.  We're going to win this.  Have we lost so many times that we don't know how to win any more?

Laura Ingraham Tears Into Romney Campaign: He Needs Knew Communications Team, Strategy

Mitt Romney Has a Heart

You might not believe that if all you heard was the mainstream media, but this actually appeared in the New York Times.  It makes the ratio of pro-Mitt articles about one to two hundred thousand, but still, it was there.  Remember it the next time someone tells you how mean and cruel Mitt Romney is.  Don't argue--that won't do again good.  Just remember.

In Real Estate Deal, Romney Made His Loss a Couple's Gain

Drops In Buckets

One interesting thing about naming Paul Ryan as the vice-presidential nominee is that it makes not just the economy, but the national debt a part of the election.  The Ryan plan is a small step toward trying to start working on the national debt.  If we're unwilling to take even this small step, there's no chance we'll ever take bigger ones.  This election will tell us much about whether a majority of the people have any degree of seriousness whatsoever in regard to the national debt.

Blink! U. S. Debt Just Grew By $11 Trillion

An Overlooked Danger of Big Government

There are plenty of dangers of big government, of course, but what few people talk about is the sheer arbitrariness of it.  You go along, living your life, not bothering anybody.  Then, you either deliberately or accidentally make the wrong person mad at you, or you just happen to become the target of someone trying to justify their job, and all of a sudden you're in violation of sixteen laws you never knew existed, and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it.

Examiner Local Editorial: Fauquier County Steps Over the Line

The Last Refuge of Scum

Apparently, it's to claim ignorance and/or incompetence.  "We didn't know" seems to be the standard excuse of the Obama Administration every time they get caught.

Come to think of it, an extremely good Romney campaign ad could be made featuring all the times the President or his aides have used ignorance and incompetence as excuses.  Actually, it'd have to be a series of ads, since you couldn't get them all into one spot.  The tag line could be something like "If they're that ignorant and incompetent, why would we give them a second term?"

Team Obama Denies Knowing Story of Man in Its TV Ad, Call

Genius

Remember, this woman is held up to us as one of the best and brightest on the left.

Elizabeth Warren Backs Off Demand That Scott Brown Release More Tax Returns

When a Democrat Loses CNN...

Of course, President Obama hasn't actually lost CNN, nor will he.  It's getting harder and harder for them to blindly support him, though.  When even CNN thinks it has to point out the President's lies in order to maintain whatever shred of credibility it thinks it still has, it's not a good sign for him.

CNN: Wife of Steelworker in New Obama Superpac Ad Still Had Job and Health Insurance After He Lost His

Desperation

As angry as this ad makes me (and believe me, it makes me very angry), when I think about it, I have to take it as a positive sign.  This is what people do when they're desperate to hold on to power.  They see the power slipping away from them, and they get desperate.  It happened to Jimmy Carter in 1980.  It happened to Tom Daschle when he lost his senate re-election.  It's happening to President Obama now.

Believe me, if President Obama thought he was going to win, he would not allow ads calling Mitt Romney a tax cheat, let alone a murderer.  That he's allowing this to happen in his name shows that he thinks he's going to lose, and is desperate for something to turn the tide.

Priorities Ad Ties Romney to Lost Health Insurance, Cancer Death

Priorities

Folks, I want to post more here.  Really, I do.  It's just that I have a lot of other things I want to do, too, and they take up time, too.  I just want to reiterate that if I don't post for a while, it doesn't mean that I've abandoned this place.  Please keep checking once in a while.  If I ever decide to stop, I'll post something to let you know.

In short:  I'll post when I can.  When I can't, I won't.  And I'm not going to feel guilty about it.

The Political Is the Personal

President Obama doesn't really have a personal dislike for Mitt Romney, even if he thinks he does.  He doesn't know Mitt Romney.  He has no interest in knowing Mitt Romney.  If he actually got to know Mitt Romney, he might have to actually consider what Romney says.  He has no interest in considering what Romney says. From President Obama's viewpoint, Mitt Romney is the enemy and must be defeated.  Not because of who Mitt Romney is personally, but because Mitt Romney disagrees with President Obama politically.  That's all President Obama knows, and from his point of view, it's all he needs to know.

How Obama Grew to Dislike Romney

Bad Idea

There are a lot of things I like about Chris Christie, but if there's one thing you don't want from the vice-presidential nominee, it's that he overshadows the presidential nominee.

A Big Campaign?

We'll Never See Them

This is one thing the Obama campaign doesn't need to worry about.  If there are empty seats at Bank of America stadium for his acceptance speech at the Democrat convention, they won't be seen or referenced anywhere in the mainstream media.  Out of sight, out of mind.

Dems' Dire Seat-uation

But With Whose Words?

Of course, Harry Reid "speaks for himself", but who supplies the words?

Look, I don't know whose idea this was originally, but I know one thing.  If President Obama didn't want this smear of Mitt Romney to be out there, he could shut it down in about ten seconds.  He hasn't.  Therefore, he wants it to be out there.

White House: Sen. Reid 'Speaks for Himself' on Romney Tax Returns

The Old Attitude

On the other hand, we still have some Republicans who want are conditioned to cowering whenever the Democrats dislike them.  They will get most of the publicity.  Hopefully, the Romney campaign will ignore the Ed Rollins' of the world, and privately tell them to shut up.  Although the Ed Rollins' of the world are so conditioned to cowering and appeasement that they probably won't listen.

GOP Strategist Ed Rollins: Romney Needs to Release More Tax Returns

A New Attitude

One thing the response to Harry Reid's smear of Mitt Romney has shown is that the Romney campaign has a different attitude than most Republicans of the recent past.  In the past, when Democrats threw out a charge, the Republican response was to be defensive, act apologetic, and back down.  How that would've played out is that Mitt Romney would've released all his tax returns and apologized for not releasing them sooner.

Instead, Mitt Romney's response so far has been to call Harry Reid a liar and tell him to shut up.  That's a much more aggressive response than we're used to, and it's a good sign.  In politics, you're either on offense or on defense, and you can't score points on defense.  This was an attempt to make Mitt Romney play defense.  So far, he hasn't fallen for it.

Flashback: Questions Harry Reid Won't Answer, Part I

It's a Little Late Now

Had there been some interest about this in the media while Sen. Byrd was alive, it might have made a difference to something.  He's been dead two years now.  Nobody's going to care.

But this is how the media makes it's claim to be bi-partisan.  "See?  We say bad stuff about Democrats, too."  And they do.  They just do it when either nobody notices or nobody cares.

Late Sen. Byrd's FBI Files Reveal CIA Leak Uproar

For Crying Out Loud

This is beyond ridiculous.  Mitt Romney's ninth grade report card is news?

For the record, when I was in ninth grade, I wasn't "as industrious or as responsible as [I] might be", either.  I'm still not.  I'm working on it.


Mitt Romney's High School Freshman Report Card Released

Because They Can

That's why the TSA is violating a federal court order.  They think they're more powerful than the courts, which is another way of saying they think they're above the law.  They think they can do whatever they want, and nothing will happen to them.

They may yet be right.  We'll see.

Court Demands TSA Explain Why It Is Defying Nude Body Scanner Order

Harry Reid is Ugly

Smear.  It's an ugly word for an ugly act.  Harry Reid is giving us a textbook example of it.

First, throw out an unsubstantiated accusation.  When challenged to support it, say that it's something you heard from a reliable source that you can't name.  Then, when challenged further, say that you don't know if it's true, but it's something that people are saying.  Then, put the person you've accused in the position of having to disprove what you've said.

Remember, Harry Reid has produced no evidence whatsoever, other than his word, based on something he allegedly heard, that Mitt Romney has paid no taxes.  Suppose I said that I'd heard Harry Reid abused children.  I can't tell you where I heard it, but it's something people are saying.  He should come out and disprove it.

That would be a horrible thing for me to say.  This is a horrible thing for Harry Reid to say.  If he has evidence, he should bring it forward.  Otherwise, he should shut up.Reid Doubles Down on Tax Claims

Win Some, Lose Some

It seems like any time there's an election involving someone who's considered a Tea Party candidate, the result is taken as a referendum on the Tea Party.  If the Tea Party candidate wins, the Tea Party is incredibly strong and is going to take over the Republican Party.  If the Tea Party candidate loses, the Tea Party is weak and is about to collapse.

The truth is that, like every other party, some Tea Party candidates will win and some will lose.  Some will be strong candidates and some will be weak candidates.  Only after a long period of time, and maybe only in retrospect, will we be able to see just what impact the Tea Party has.

Tea Party Basks in Cruz's Win in Texas

Management Is Not Responsible For Occasional Interruptions in Service

I'm posting stuff here when I can, but I've been incredibly busy at work over the last month, and just when I thought I was about to get some breathing space something else happened.  I'm not asking for sympathy--I love what I do, even when there's a lot of it.  I'm just asking for patience if I don't post anything for a day or three once in a while.  Please keep checking back here.  I shall return, I promise.  And if I ever decide to break that promise, I'll at least come here to let you know.

Bad Credit? No Problem!

Don't get too excited about the stories saying President Obama is having trouble raising money.  First, he has plenty of money.  Second, he'll spend as much money as he wants to, whether he actually has it or not.  If the Obama presidency has taught us nothing else, it should have taught us that.

Obama Supporters Barraged with Pleas for Cash

Harry Reid Is Pond Scum

I don't know that for sure, of course.  But somebody I'm not going to name told me that, so I'm just going to throw it out there.  We can assume it's true, because Harry Reid hasn't done everything I want him to do to prove he's not pond scum.

We're three months from the election, and this is the best they've got.  I'll say it again:  a Romney landslide is coming.

Harry Reid: Bain Investor Told Me That Mitt Romney "Didn't Pay Any Taxes For 10 Years"

Mitt Romney Was Overseas?

That's my guess at the reaction of most people to Romney's recent trip, with "Who's Mitt Romney" in second place.  Look, we're busy.  We're going camping.  We're going to ball games.  We're watching the Olympics.  Nobody cares what Mitt Romney said overseas.  Nobody.

Wait, So...Why Exactly Was Romney's Overseas Trip Such a "Public Relations Disaster"?

Don't Get Too Excited

Yes, it says something about President Obama that Elizabeth Warren will make a prime time speech at the Democrat Convention.  It's fine to point that out.  However, Mitt Romney is not running against Elizabeth Warren.  Most people have no idea who she even is.  We need to keep our focus on Barack Obama, not Elizabeth Warren.

Obama's Elizabeth Warren Test

Legislating Morality

Remember when liberals used to tell us "you can't legislate morality".  Ah, the good old days.  Now, apparently, you not only can legislate morality, you can dictate it.

Reflections on "Chicago Values"