REPUBLICAN REDEFINED

Right Wing Extremists: March 8 2010

T. CHRISTOPHER — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:25:35 +0000

California: A Fiscal Lesson the Democrats Refuse to Learn – Lonely Conservative

(I know, quite a few Republicans have been almost as bad as the Democrats. But they’re not in power right now, and if we elect the right candidates there’s hope for the GOP.) All one has to do is look to California for proof that liberal policies are a disaster. But the liberals still think they can solve the problem by raising taxes. Amazing. (ViaNewsalert, via Instapundit) And this sort of thing certainly doesn’t help matters. Unfortunately, my state, New York, is following in California’s foot steps.

Media Fraud – Just A Cup Of Coffee My Ass – Founding Bloggers

This latest example of mainstream media fraud comes from St. Louis, and features coverage of the so called “Coffee Party”. The following clip is only 2 minutes long, so watch all of it, and then look at the images below to understand why this video is nothing short of media prostitution for their progressive cause.

Scratcher was all over this last week…

Coffee, Tea, or…? Makes My Brain Itch

The Classic Liberal links us in his Right-Wing Links and posts this excerpt from Glenn Reynolds article in the Washington Times.

What is the job of our elected officials? – POLITICAL REALITIES

Comment by Mr. Pink Eyes in Larry’s post “Obama – Time to make a decision”: “I also would like to know who he thinks he is. He is supposed to act on the will of the people, not enact laws against the will of the people just because he feels it is right. He needs to remember that he works for us, we pay his salary.”

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Check this one out folks. Lots of great minds collaborating in one place…

We are The Resistance.

The Conservative Resistance. It’s a new group blog created by Steve from MotorCityTimes.com. Also on board are The Classic Liberal, my fellow Jerseyans at That’s Right, and Gator Doug. And just to make things interesting they included me!

We will resist Barack Obama’s vision of a socialist America with every fiber of our being. We will stand athwart history yelling “STOP”. And we will never, ever immanentize the eschaton.

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MOTOR CITY TIMES - Obama Is Demonizing Insurance Companies To Achieve His Dream Of Socialized Medicine

This is nothing more than propaganda. The health insurance industry is heavily regulated and if they are a non-profit like Blue Cross they have even more hurdles to cover.

If Obama’s real goal was to provide more access to uninsured people he could, and really shoul, focus on insurance reform.

An appropriate fate (UPDATED) – Washington Rebel

A US-born spokesman for al-Qaida has been arrested, Pakistani authorities said today , hailing an intelligence coup that struck a blow at the organisation’s public relations apparatus.

Reports of the arrest of Adam Gadahn in Karachi came on the same day the California-born American appeared in a web video in which he called on American Muslims to launch attacks in the US.

Gadahn, the first American to be charged with treason since the second world war era, is one of the FBI’s top 10 most wanted terrorists and has had a $1m reward offered for information leading to his capture.

Extradition?

Sarah Palin is Worse Than Hitler – Russ at That’s Right

Keystone Kops Swoop in to Seize Unlicensed Beer - The Wy Blog

Benjamin Franklin is spinning in his grave. The man who once said that “beer is proof that God loves us” never envisioned the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. The Keystone Kops have a list of Officially Licensed Beer and woe unto you if yours isn’t on the list.

Conservative Blogger Debate: Sarah Palin Edition

T. CHRISTOPHER — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:18:16 +0000

For the second round of the conservative blogger debate series, yours truly and Don from Conservative Hideout 2.0 and Present Discontent are discussing the conservative starlet Sarah Palin. Russ at That’s Right and the Classic Liberal are moderating, so expect the unexpected in terms of the questions they may come up with. Here’s question number one…

Present economic conditions being what they are (9.7% unemployment;projected 1.5 trillion budget deficit;skyrocketing national debt; etc.) what impact, if any, do you think Sarah Palin’s prior actions as governor or policy pronouncements more recently, would have on any given specific economic indicator or the economy in general? Don’t feel restrained to the indicators given in your answer. Specific examples of her implemented policies/pronouncements are encouraged but not necessarily required.

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Ed: This is not intended to be a referendum on why we are where we are but rather a question on whether the debaters think Sarah Palin’s prior actions and more recent words if implemented would have any impact (good, bad or indifferent) on the situation as it exists.

Here’s a piece of Don’s answer….

Sarah Palin is many things to many people, a lightning rod of unfair criticism for the left, a mother, a wife and among other things, a strong conservative. Not only that, Sarah Palin is a Reagan Conservative, so that means she is very fiscally conservative. Under the guidelines of the question above, with her self professed “Common Sense Conservatism” it would be easy to predict that she would have a very positive impact on the American economy. Therefore, I want to review her fiscal policies she enacted as both a mayor and a governor.

As Mayor of Wasilla, AK she cut property taxes by a huge margin of 75%, offsetting it with a 2% sales tax increase that had been enacted before she took office. Additionally she eliminated business inventory and personal property taxes. This increased the business climate in Wasilla, prompting the Boston Globe to quote a local business man who credits Sarah with making the town “more of a community…It’s no longer a little strip town that you can blow through in a heartbeat.” She also kept a jar on her desk with all the names of the residents of Wasilla in it and once a week, she would randomly choose a name, call that person and elicit their thoughts on how the town was doing. Her fiscal actions helped her to win re-election as Mayor with 75% of the vote.

Check out his full remarks here…. and here

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I feel I must state at the onset that I wholeheartedly object to the first question offered in this “debate” with every ounce of my being. I cannot – even for a second – consider the alternate reality that would have to present itself and suck me in for Sarah Palin to actually have an impact on our nation’s economic future, so I am admittedly struggling to formulate a response to Don’s post and want to beat Russ with an Old Hickory switch for even offering up this miserable question.

For those of you unfortunate enough to find yourself enamored with the Alaskan maverick, I must tell you from the “get-go” that I see your conservative rockstar as nothing more than an uber-popular political talking head. I think her reach extends to her audience and her audience alone…. and her impact is minimal at best and will remain as such until she slowly fades into the background of the political theater never to be seen or heard from ever again. I do not discount her popularity or even her following. I simply see her career evolution taking her in the direction of a Glenn Beck (or dare I say Oprah Winfrey) rather than that of a Ronald Reagan or even a GW. The very idea of Palin (at any point in the future) having an impact on the nation’s economy in my mind is tantamount to thinking cheerleaders have an impact on the outcomes of football games. She can no more impact our nation’s economy than can Beck, Hannity, Coulter, or my seven year old nephew for that matter; but in the spirit of this “debate” I will forge ahead nonetheless and play along.

So I guess the premise has to go something like this… At some point in the future, Sarah Palin becomes something or someone capable of impacting the economic future of this great country… (See.. I’m really struggling with this. I mean is someone going to make her head of the Fed for Christ’s sake – because I know we’re not talking President?? Are we?)

I guess what we’re really trying to get at here is the meat of Sarah Palin’s economic pronouncements / policies…both recently and while she served as mayor of Wasilla and Governor of Alaska. I think I can muster up the strength to discuss the points offered by Don, but I fail to see where much “debate” will come from this either – so prepare yourself for a bit of a ramble from me on this one. As I have stated many, many, many times on this site… I DO NOT DISAGREE WITH SARAH PALIN on the vast majority of issues. In fact, my disdain for Gov Palin comes from the very fact that she’s the queen of offering up exactly what I want to hear. She’s read the token conservative playbook cover to cover, and I firmly believe she places head to pillow every evening memorizing talking points with the hope of dropping a noteworthy post via Facebook before her morning moose hunt.

I do admit that its not fair to criticize Sarah Palin for giving me exactly what I want, but ask any of my former girlfriends and they will certainly tell you that giving me what I want (in G.I. Joe terms) is only half the battle – and who ever said I had to be fair in the first place? I simply need more… I need to know that you know why I want what I want – and that’s where Sarah Palin loses me. She knows I want lower taxes, smaller government, etc, etc… so she force feeds it to me day after day. If she is the great communicator and conduit for relating to “everyday” Americans as everyone tells me that she is, shouldn’t she be the one to begin explaining to the American People how we as conservatives have come to those positions – or more importantly how we’re going to put talk into action? If she is the common man’s woMAN of choice, why hasn’t she realized that the vast majority of her followers couldn’t connect the Tenth Amendment with States’ Rights if they were sitting with a copy of the Bill of Rights in their Right hand and the Declaration in their left because people like Sarah Palin have gone so long without referencing the two openly and honestly that they’ve all but become an afterthought. Perhaps even more troubling is the fact that its approaching the point of impossibility to assume that anyone can sift through the token conservative Republican model rhetoric and ramblings to understand that ideas like “universal health care,” job creation, and bank bailouts are counter to the intentions of our Founders on the most fundamental of levels – and that even engaging in the dialog about these topics without having a constitutional discussion discredits, disgraces, and attempts to destroy the very documents our Forefathers created. They aren’t simply Democratic creations Republicans must oppose, they are threats to our very system of government.

Why can’t a political figure so in touch with the needs, wants, and interests of her right-wing supporters (she did have that bowl of names in Wasilla – which when viewed through the who gives a shit looking glass sounds a great deal like President Obama’s Ten Letters he reads every night) understand that the red meat doesn’t carry the day 365 in Washington. Being conservative is about a great deal more than being able to recite the Mount Vernon Statement or whatever list of campaign issues Republicans are rallying around for the day, week, month. If she is the great hope of “common folks” everywhere and not just another Great White Hype, why isn’t she at the forefront of framing these debates in a more reflective light – one that pays homage – not lip-service to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights? One that begins to remind Americans that Republicans and conservatives support those laundry list issues because of our adherence to Founding principles?

I think the answer is two-fold. One. I think she knows the current climate and I think she knows what sells. Car salesmen in the 50’s weren’t running ads boasting fuel economy and Victoria’s Secret isn’t buying spots to talk about where their bras are manufactured (trust me on that one folks – ladies check out that label next time your slipping one on or gentleman next time your fumbling through taking one off – it ain’t Detroit). Its just easier to put out there what people want according to the passions of the day, and to drive the point home by showing them exactly what they want to see and telling them what they want to hear. Sarah Palin is a marketing genius in this regard. She knows riled up right-wingers want to hear right-wing rhetoric and they want their daily does of red meat – and who can blame them after a year of this madness and eight years of “Compassionate Conservatism?”

Two. I think Palin knows that if she goes that route she runs the risk of being torn apart by academics – both on the Left and on the Right. Now this is not where I go David Brooks on you folks… I simply think many – like Palin – have allowed themselves to believe that historical and constitutional analysis of issues is just too complicated to explain on a case by case basis – and the reality is that it is anything but. Christians use the Ten Commandments as a point of reference on a daily basis – and that “little” piece of literary brilliance tells them what they can’t do rather than what they can do as it is presented under the format laid out in the Bill of Rights. Why isn’t that one easier to reference?

It should be, but for some reason, it is a foreign document to many like Sarah Palin. They reference it when convenient for their talking points, but they rarely rely upon it. Doing so would expose too many of the hypocrisies in their overall message. That First Amendment is pretty tricky and has been broadly interpreted, but the pesky little Separation of Church and State business is a bit tough to sell for many on the Right when examined under strict interpretation. Explaining the constitutional foundation for specific debates, issues, and controversies becomes somewhat complicated when doing so establishes a paper trail that can come back to haunt them on the “big issues” like abortion or gay marriage … and we all know Gov Palin only loosely adheres to that Free Speech nonsense – just ask Rahm / Rush…

So you ask… how does any of this relate to Palin’s impact on our economic future??? Right now, I see Palin as a one trick pony. If she can trade in the talking points and bone up on the rarely-used practice of strict interpretation and start to flesh out a few of her talking points, I think she could have a tremendous impact on the economic future of this great nation because she could use her broad range of support to remind the American people that our Founding Fathers gave us the answers to the problems we now face – more than 200 years ago. They created a model that guaranteed individual liberty and has allowed capitalism to flourish for more than two centuries. If Palin can lead us back to those roots… even I will follow.

The only people in this great nation that can directly impact our nation’s economic future (positively) are the American people themselves. They need to be reminded that our federal government was never intended to do even a fraction of what it does by personally granted mandate in the current hour – not blinded to that reality by bumper stickers and campaign slogans. As I stated earlier, in theory I wholeheartedly support most of the initiatives and actions mentioned by Don in his post. That said, my initial objections to this question were exacerbated by reading Don’s endorsement of her record and by extension her potential impact on the national economy because while I love “lower taxes,” selling off private jets, and dropping per diem expenses… that just not telling me much. In fact, thats not holding much water with me at all because our current President promised a middle class tax cut, dropped his fleet of private helicopters, and his wife even put their kids on a diet – and I’m thinking that’s not working out for me too well. Talking points are great folks, but I’m not buying stock in Palin Corp, and I’m not wagering the economic future of the great nation on the hope that she means what she says and an anecdote from a local citizen telling me she could make this nation more of a “community.”

The body of evidence is simply too small folks, and that is why without further explanation from Governor Palin, I cannot allow myself to drink the Kool-Aid and believe she has any role to play greater than what is already behind us. Personally, I believe she is the fine conservative she says she is. I make that statement purely on faith and accordingly it has little merit, but I do believe she means what she says. I simplyfail to see how she is in any way, shape, form, or fashion capable of putting to work and bring to fruition any of what she allegedly believes in. I think far too many have christened her the chosen one without even asking the question – does she want it even if she’s capable of doing it? I think Palin is content playing political pundit; and as long as that is where she remains, I will support her, listen to her, pay money to hear her speak… but the second she becomes something else or something more… I’m going to need some answers.

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Make sure to check out Makes My Brain Itch, Classic Liberal, That’s Right, Fishersville Mike, and Mind Numbed Robot for commentary and the inevitable criticism of my position on Gov Palin…

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Don’s Response is up… Check it out here.

Clips From the Sunday Circuit: March 7, 2010

T. CHRISTOPHER — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:28:16 +0000

Kathleen Sebelius, Orrin Hatch, Harold Ford Jr., Lindsey Graham, Evan Bayh, and Mitch McConnell headline the weekly spin around the Sunday Circuit. Still not much to report around here. Health care reform is still the topic of the day with an occasional New York Democrat-corruption reference tossed in for good measure. Have a look.

MEET THE PRESS

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius defends Obamacare and reminds the American People that they want the reform proposal offered up by this President even though they repeatedly say just the opposite.

Will this bill get passed before the Easter Break… and if it doesn’t, will it ever get passed?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Responding to the political ramifications of passing or not passing this bill…

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Addressing the Abortion issue and concerns raised by Blue Dogs in the House.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Orrin Hatch, Harold Ford Jr, and the rest of the round table debate the use of the filibuster, health reform, and the potential political fallout from reconciliation.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Ford discusses his decision Not to Run for Senate

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

FACE THE NATION

Senators Lindsey Graham and Evan Bayh discuss health care reform – I know – shocking…. Bayh pats himself on the back for championing bipartisanship – as if anyone really wants that which bipartisanship can produce.

Graham sobs about Bayh’s departure and tells Schieffer that he shares a gym locker next to Bayh – somehow that doesn’t surprise me.

Watch CBS News Videos Online

The Round Table discusses whether or not “Washington is broken.” I for one think they should be discussing why Washington is “BROKE” and still spending…

Watch CBS News Videos Online

FOX NEWS SUNDAY

Mitt Romney discusses health care reform and the Massachusetts version he presided over

THIS WEEK WITH…?

Kathleen Sebelius graces the set with the token ABC Stephanopoulos fill-in of the week and sticks to the talking points – “up or down – majority vote – for what Americans really want.” Here she discusses the Stupak impasse brought on because the proposal still remains ambiguous regarding its abortion language.

Round Table Ramblings…
George Will, Donna Brazile, Torie Clarke and Robert Reich discuss Eric Massa (D-NY), Charlie Rengel (D-NY), and Governor Patterson (D-NY) … and of course – health care reform..

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell weighs in on the President’s call for an up or down vote. Here he discusses the possibility of the House passing the Senate version to avoid using reconciliation.

Round 2: The Conservative Blogger Debate – The War On Terror

T. CHRISTOPHER — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:30:21 +0000

Round Two of the Conservative Blogger Debate focusing on the Global War on Terror. Topic dejure is “PREEMPTION” folks… So this should be a good one.

“A lot of the controversy over the war, particularly in Iraq, stems from the fact that our actions were pre-emptive.

With respect to pre-emptive military action, please explain what you consider an acceptable threshold for American action. For example: Should we wait until an attack has been launched but not yet struck (re: Paul) before acting? Should we act when we have “reasonable suspicion” that another country or entity is actively planning violence against us? Should we act against any state or nation that we know wishes to cause us harm, before they have the opportunity to organize an act of violence against us?

Where do we draw that “line in the sand”?

The First Remarks from The Classic Liberal….

I believe that’s an oversimplification of Paul’s foreign policy, but a) I don’t think he manages media sound-bytes as well as he should, and b) I’m not here to talk about him anyways. I’m here to debate my position against our current war strategery.

To begin with, I’m against any form of pre-crime. It’s simply too Orwellian for me. Whether it be locking people up at home, or killing them abroad, the very idea of pre-crime can only take us down the dark path towards tyranny.

But does that mean we have to be attacked prior to taking any action? Of course not. Let’s turn to John Locke for insight:

Read the rest here….

Here’s Russ at That’s Right’s Response….

(CL in bold)

“To begin with, I’m against any form of pre-crime”:

What “crime”? Killing terrorists who we’re absolutely certain want to kill us is a “crime”? According to whom? I challenge this premise at the basest level. For pretty much the exact same reasons why KSM should not be entitled to our Constitutional criminal law protections, there is no reason why application of our criminal law standards should be extended to foreign wars. Something is a “crime” here only because we, through our elected representatives, say it is. In my humble opinion there is no such thing as a “crime” when American soldiers are defending our God-given right to exist and live as we see fit.

“…violating UN resolutions isn’t [a just reason for attacking Iraq]”:

Says who? I would agree with this only in the sense that I couldn’t care less what the UN says about anything. There is no credible argument to support a claim by anyone that we are bound by any UN resolution, for or against. By definition, doing so is an abdication of our sovereignty and therefore invalid. The UN simply should not be a factor in any decision we make to go to war.

“…we’ve built 2 Islamic States…”

This is a popular refrain but it is both misleading and irrelevant. To directly answer the question posed, the only metric relevant in deciding on a “line in the sand” is whether it is ‘more likely than not’ that a given enemy will inflict American casualties. As I mentioned in round 1, if we can “build” an Islamic state that is less of a threat to us than the predecessor nation, that’s a good thing. The goal is to build one that isn’t a threat at all and I for one would keep trying until we get it right. American lives depend on it.

While quantifying this “line” is admittedly difficult, the best analogy I can come up with is the budget reconciliation process; we need 51 “votes” out of a 100 to justly attack anyone. Those “votes” include considerations too numerous to mention here, but if collectively they add up to “more likely than not”, we are perfectly within our rights as a nation to preemptively attack. The “laws of war”, to the extent such ever really existed, have changed. Sworn enemies of the United States with access to ICBM’s and nuclear warheads must be dealt with swiftly and convincingly. Again, any resort to a corresponding American criminal justice standard is both in vain and irrelevant.

“…in the execution of our current war strategery, we’ve actively reduced our freedoms at home. Isn’t that exactly what the enemy wants?”

Read the rest of his response here…

The Classic Liberal offered this Rebuttal…

While I did say that we shouldn’t act “pre-emptively,” and correctly compared this to a popular Tom Cruise movie, I also stated in no uncertain terms that we need not wait until actually being attacked. I also stated clearly who we should have attacked (after finishing the job in Afghanistan), and detailed why they were a much more clear and present danger as compared to Iraq.

If violating UN sanctions is reason enough for the United States to go to war, then we must accept them as our governing regime. This would include, of course, adopting their tyrannical “human rights” laws over our system of inalienable rights, and their bizarre “hate crime” laws among others. I reject all of this in favor of our Declaration and Constitution.

America first.

If you understand what an Islamic State is, then you must accept that they exist to either convert or kill the infidel. By law, an Islamic State cannot accept ours (or anyone else’s) freedoms. So unless we wish to adopt a more “politically-correct” understanding of Sharia law, building 2 Islamic States is indeed a strong gain for radical Islam.

As Lord Acton famously warned, “power corrupts.” Unfortunately, these are some of the truest words ever spoken. Yes, our government has violated our rights by abusing the Patriot Act, an Orwellian piece of legislation that was never needed in the first place.

Our Constitution may present roadblocks for those who believe in power, but in no way does the plain language of the Constitution impede anyone from taking whatever actions are necessary to protect our way of life. We know for example, that our intelligence services had plenty of advanced warnings prior to 9/11. It was not a lack of laws and power that prevented them from stopping the attack. It was mere incompetence. In other words, there was no need to alter the 4th amendment among others, which the Patriot Act does.

There is never a moment in life where compromising your principles makes sense. While one should certainly be “wise as a serpent,” one must still remain “innocent as a dove.” Nations are no different. Just look where compromising our principles has gotten us – a quagmire of war, a quagmire of debt, and a quagmire of progressivism.

And finally, as I stated in my initial answer to the question, this isn’t about Ron Paul. Anyone who thinks it is, is fighting a ghost.

Check out Makes My Brain Itch, The Wy Blog, Washington Rebel, Motor City Times, Theo Spark, and Present Discontent for more commentary on Round Two of the debate.

Cartoon Image – Gus Lionisky via YourDemocracy.net

Jim Bunning is Going Out with a Bang Update: Bunning Folds Bill Advances

T. CHRISTOPHER — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:52:11 +0000

(March 1, 2010 - Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images North America)

Retiring Kentucky Senator Jim Bunning has apparently decided to make the most of the time he has left in Washington by making the lives of his fellow senators a living hell. In what has now become a four-day standoff with many from both sides of the aisle, Bunning is holding firm on his opposition to proposed legislation that would extend unemployment benefits to millions of Americans. With Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN following the story almost exclusively all morning, his standoff is quickly becoming the political news story of the week.

As you might expect, many have offered strong objections to Bunning’s position on the matter. The Left is trying to paint it as a REPUBLICAN effort to take much-needed money from struggling American families and many on the Right are calling for Bunning to stop before it is viewed as such by the American people.

Now I must admit that I am anything BUT a fan of Senator Bunning. Frankly, I will be happy to see him go. That said, I am with him on this one. Any Republican in the Senate who thinks Bunning is in the wrong on this one is focused solely on the political repercussions of taking such a stance on an issue such as this. They should all be willing to admit it as such, or shut their mouths and let at least one man speak the truth.

The underlying reality of this standoff is the fact that just days ago Democrats pushed through the “Pay as You Go” standard which they characterized as a plan to maintain fiscal responsibility. With the ink on the paper still moist from its drafting, they then moved on to this – a spending bill that “quietly” ignores the rules that THEY have just written.

Bunning wants the $10 billion price of extending the programs offset by reductions in spending elsewhere in the budget to not drive up the deficit.

This is just another attempt by the Pelosi-Reid brain-trust to force Republicans into a politically damned if you do – damned if you don’t position. If Republicans vote NO, they are casting a vote that would allow unemployment benefits to stop for those who are hoping for an extension and thousands of jobs to be lost if funding for the programs that created them is allowed to lapse. If they support it, they are equally to blame for the continued expansion of government and for violating PayGo just days after it was adopted.

We won’t even address whether said extension is a prudent measure – even if proposed on its own – because the reality is that such an extension is not being proposed on its own. Its being lumped in with a piece of nuclear waste that Democrats don’t want to touch and cannot explain – the Medicare reimbursement appropriation.

Look, I understand that Bunning may be a little off his rocker, and he may have been rocking like a mad man for quite some time, but the fact of the matter is he’s right on this one. He alone is in a position to take this stance, because we all know the rest of the Republicans only stand on principle when its politically convenient or expedient to do so. He’s on his way out and he’s falling on the sword for the rest of the spineless twits that share his Party label. They should be thanking him not opposing him…

The other reality is this… Bunning isn’t “filibustering” this bill. He is simply taking his unanimous consent objection to astronomic proportions. Dem’s could have skirted his objection procedurally and moved on to a vote already – they just don’t want to. They’d rather make this a political charade and paint Republicans as the people standing in the way of unemployment benefits. As Erick Erickson at Red State points out… Dems are simply trying to gain 100% support for this bill at the same time their complaining about having to get 60 votes for health care. Go figure…

This is nothing more than Dems being Dems and the MSM providing them cover. Bunning isn’t filibustering away jobs and unemployment benefits, he is holding Democrats accountable for rules that they have just written. PayGo is great in theory, but this fiasco demonstrates precisely why it is nothing more than a cleverly designed hoax. It is word play – smoke and mirrors at best. Placate fiscal responsibility by passing a PayGo bill saying you’re required to do so, and then go on spending, spending, and more spending. Its like slapping a Jesus fish on the back of your minivan and then road-raging like a madman flipping the bird at little old ladies while “sexting” and running moonshine.

Questionably Republican Susan Collins of Maine took the floor today to attempt to break the Bunning “filibuster” and offered up this piece of political ass-cover…. via Roll Call

“There are 500 Mainers whose benefits expired on Sunday. The COBRA health insurance benefits subsidies for the unemployed, important flood insurance, highway funding, small business loans” expired, Collins said on the floor. “If we don’t act, physicians all across this country are going to have a 21 percent cut in their Medicare reimbursements. Madam President, I hope that we can act together for the American people, and again I want to emphasize that this issue is so important to Senators on both sides of the aisle.”

But in objecting, Bunning took a shot at his own party and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) as he read a letter from a constituent who praised his stand against the bill. McConnell and Bunning have a frosty relationship — it hit a low point last year as Bunning was deliberating over whether to seek another Senate term.

“It’s too bad Sen. Mitch McConnell and some of the elected officials on your side of the aisle do not have the backbone or your sense of decency when it comes to keeping their promises to the American people,” Bunning quoted his constituent from Louisville as writing.

Bunning is still insisting that the 30-day extension be paid for from stimulus funds before he allows a quick vote on the House-passed measure. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has offered to hold a vote on a Bunning amendment to offset the bill, but Bunning refused on the basis that his proposal would likely fail.

The Gateway Pundit posted this video of the exchange between Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Bunning…

Michelle Malkin has the full video via CSPAN

In this video from Democrats.Senate.Gov… Harry Reid says Bunning’s stance on this bill is “IMMORAL.” (A clip from last week)

Fire Dog Lake has a list of the programs shut down because of the Democrat-imposed delay in passing this bill.

Ed Morrissey explains why this is not a “filibuster” for anyone who may have been lost on that point as even Fox News is characterizing it as such.

This is not a filibuster, which is a specific procedure in which Senators force debate to continue indefinitely as a means to block a final vote, denying “cloture” to the majority party. Alternatively, and now somewhat archaically, it also describes an effort by one Senator to just continue talking to stall action. Bunning is usinganother mechanism altogether, one that won’t block a final vote, although it will delay it:

No one is required to give unanimous consent to any request for it. Senators normally give it, though, in order to keep business moving. Withholding unanimous consent simply means that the Senate will have to hold procedural votes that it would otherwise waive in order to finish its work. That’s not a filibuster.

Furthermore, Bunning’s action is based on the demand by Democrats and the White House to restore the pay-go rule, as Heritage’s Brian Darling explains:

Bunning isn’t even opposing the bill, or at least not its purpose. He’s objecting to thefinancing, which violates the pay-go rules Democrats just imposed.

Pay attention to the misreporting on this issue, because it will happen again when Republicans begin using the same process to slow down reconciliation. Coburn threatened to withhold unanimous consent on bill readings during the ObamaCare debate last December, and wound up forcing the clerk to read the bill aloud for hours. If Democrats decide to cram ObamaCare through reconciliation, it won’t just be Bunning withholding unanimous consent, and not just on ObamaCare, either.

Bunning isn’t filibustering. If Democrats want to get to a vote, they can with or without unanimous consent. If their bill is well supported, it will eventually pass. But after the scolding a few weeks ago from Obama on deficit spending and the Democrats’ victory dance on pay-go, the real reason Democrats are unhappy about Bunning’s action isn’t because it’s a filibuster, but because it shows their hypocrisy on deficit spending. And the American media needs to do its research on Senate procedure before declaring the withholding of unanimous consent a “filibuster.”

Political Realities has a more general explanation of the backstory here just in case you’re new to this one and trying to catch up… “The thing is, Bunning is right…sort of.”

Via Memeorandum

Just wanted to add this video from Newsy. They’ve sent me video before and I thought it was rather unique and very well done and I think this one isn’t half that bad either. So hat tip to the new journalists/commentarians over there…

Via Michelle Malkin

9:19pm Eastern.The Senate bill extending unemployment insurance and other govt benefits passes, 78-19. No pay-go provided for as pushed by Bunning.

Here’s the roll call vote:

Chile Quake Shifted Earth’s Axis and Made Days Shorter?

T. CHRISTOPHER — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:30:12 +0000

Did you hear this story? Well, its all over the place today and frankly it scared the hell out of me when I heard it. Yeah I said that – a shift in the Earth’s axis? Come on. That’s scary stuff. Its the sort of thing really crappy movies starring John Cusack are made of… Then I read this…

The massive 8.8 earthquake that struck Chile may have changed the entire Earth’s rotation and shortened the length of days on our planet, a NASA scientist said Monday.

The quake, the seventh strongest earthquake in recorded history, hit Chile Saturday and should have shortened the length of an Earth day by 1.26 milliseconds, according to research scientist Richard Gross at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

“Perhaps more impressive is how much the quake shifted Earth’s axis,” NASA officials said in a Monday update.

The computer model used by Gross and his colleagues to determine the effects of the Chile earthquake effect also found that it should have moved Earth’s figure axis by about 3 inches (8 cm or 27 milliarcseconds).

The Earth’s figure axis is not the same as its north-south axis, which it spins around once every day at a speed of about 1,000 mph (1,604 kph).

The figure axis is the axis around which the Earth’s mass is balanced. It is offset from the Earth’s north-south axis by about 33 feet (10 meters).

Strong earthquakes have altered Earth’s days and its axis in the past. The 9.1 Sumatran earthquake in 2004, which set off a deadly tsunami, should have shortened Earth’s days by 6.8 microseconds and shifted its axis by about 2.76 inches (7 cm, or 2.32 milliarcseconds).

AND THIS…

(Bloomberg) VIA Drudge– The earthquake that killed more than 700 people in Chile on Feb. 27 probably shifted the Earth’s axis and shortened the day, a National Aeronautics and Space Administration scientist said.

Earthquakes can involve shifting hundreds of kilometers of rock by several meters, changing the distribution of mass on the planet. This affects the Earth’s rotation, said Richard Gross, a geophysicist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, who uses a computer model to calculate the effects.

“The length of the day should have gotten shorter by 1.26 microseconds (millionths of a second),” Gross, said today in an e-mailed reply to questions. “The axis about which the Earth’s mass is balanced should have moved by 2.7 milliarcseconds (about 8 centimeters or 3 inches).”

The changes can be modeled, though they’re difficult to physically detect given their small size, Gross said. Some changes may be more obvious, and islands may have shifted, according to Andreas Rietbrock, a professor of Earth Sciences at the U.K.’s Liverpool University who has studied the area impacted, though not since the latest temblor.

Santa Maria Island off the coast near Concepcion, Chile’s second-largest city, may have been raised 2 meters (6 feet) as a result of the latest quake, Rietbrock said today in a telephone interview. He said the rocks there show evidence pointing to past earthquakes shifting the island upward in the past.

‘Ice-Skater Effect’

“It’s what we call the ice-skater effect,” David Kerridge, head of Earth hazards and systems at the British Geological Survey in Edinburgh, said today in a telephone interview. “As the ice skater puts when she’s going around in a circle, and she pulls her arms in, she gets faster and faster. It’s the same idea with the Earth going around if you change the distribution of mass, the rotation rate changes.”

Rietbrock said he hasn’t been able to get in touch with seismologists in Concepcion to discuss the quake, which registered 8.8 on the Richter scale.

“What definitely the earthquake has done is made the Earth ring like a bell,” Rietbrock said.

The magnitude 9.1 Sumatran in 2004 that generated an Indian Ocean tsunami shortened the day by 6.8 microseconds and shifted the axis by about 2.3 milliarcseconds, Gross said.

The changes happen on the day and then carry on “forever,” Benjamin Fong Chao, dean of Earth Sciences of the National Central University in Taiwan, said in an e-mail.

“This small contribution is buried in larger changes due to other causes, such as atmospheric mass moving around on Earth,” Chao said.

Come on guys… Why the hell you gotta run around scaring conservative bloggers with talk of global catastrophe when we’re talking about “1.26 milliseconds?” I can’t even change the channel that fast.

President Obama Likes Non-Union Beer?

T. CHRISTOPHER — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:45:23 +0000

A bet is a bet… and once again our Chief Prognosticator incorrectly chose the victor of another sporting event, so its time to pay up. In a friendly wager with Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, the President promised to send a case of Yuengling to Canada if the neighbors to the North were victorious in Sunday’s Gold Medal Hockey contest at the Olympics – and if the Americans brought home the Gold, Harper would have had to send some Molsons the direction of our little presidential drinker. Well by now you know how that game turned out, so President Obama has to pay up. (In fairness, there is some contention over whether the President chose Yuengling or Prime Minister Harper, and I think it makes more sense for the President to have to buy Molson; but last I checked both sides have to agree on a wager, so I really don’t give a damn who was buying what. He still chose Yuengling)

Ignoring the point that the President is quickly becoming the unluckiest charm out there in the world of sports, we will focus solely on the beer of choice of our wonderful president. I for one love Yuengling. I’d even go so far as to say its my favorite beer. I wasn’t aware; however, of why I should have loved the brew even if it tasted like a mixture of bacon grease and day old coffee.

Apparently Yuengling is a non-union shop. Newsworthy? Probably not – except for the fact that it used to be and the President of Yuengling, Dick Yuengling Jr., went to his employees at “America’s Oldest Brewery” and told them that if they didn’t drop the union nonsense, he’d have to close the doors and deprive the world – and me – of my favorite beer. And guess what those deeply oppressed / union-protected employees did? They saved their jobs and dropped the union.

I bet Bammy’s having one hell of a time explaining this wager to his boys over at SEIU….

From the Beer Advocate

Dick Yuengling Jr., fifth-generation owner of the brewery that bears his name, called his employees together a few weeks before their labor contract was set to expire to talk about the future of the business.

“Read between the lines,” he told them at one point, according to government documents on the management-union feud that followed.

Depending upon whom you ask, Yuengling’s speech was either a pep talk to urge employees to work harder or an ultimatum to dump the Teamsters union, which is what they did.

This guy was devastated…

This past weekend when I discovered that Yuengling had illegally busted their union, I was emotionally devastated. I had just bought a case of Yuengling earlier that same day and had it sitting at home in the refrigerator waiting for me. What would I do? I was broke and couldn’t possibly afford to buy another case of beer, but at the same time I couldn’t possibly enjoy drinking a Yuengling knowing what they had done to their workers. So instead, I found myself at home, watching a baseball game on a Saturday night, and enjoying a nice, cold glass of milk as I struggled to deal with how Yuengling had betrayed not only its workers, but me.

Harold Ford Jr Opts Out of New York Senate Race

T. CHRISTOPHER — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:14:41 +0000

Former Tennessee Congressman Harold Ford Jr. has apparently decided that a run for the Senate in his new state of New York is not in his plans for the Fall of 2010. According to the New York Times, Ford believes he could have won the nomination over Kirsten Gillibrand but saw that victory coming at a great price to his party because a tough primary race would have drained financial resources and improved the chances that a Republican could claim the seat. I guess its back to weekend punditry and Merrill Lynch for the “telegenic” Lefty...

NY Times: After traveling the state on a closely watched tour, he told friends that he could prevail but feared that an ugly campaign would leave the winner drained of cash and vulnerable to a Republican challenger at a time when the Democratic Party’s filibuster-proof majority in the United States Senate has evaporated. The New York Times reported his decision on its web site early Monday evening.

“I’ve examined this race in every possible way, and I keep returning to the same fundamental conclusion: If I run, the likely result would be a brutal and highly negative Democratic primary — a primary where the winner emerges weakened and the Republican strengthened,” Mr. Ford wrote in an opinion article that was posted on The New York Times Web Site on Monday night and appeared in Tuesday’s issue of the newspaper.

The possibility of a Senate campaign in New York by the telegenic Mr. Ford, who has been working as a vice chairman of Merrill Lynch and a political commentator on NBC since moving to New York in 2006, had riveted New York’s political world and touched off a furious behind-the-scenes effort to keep him out of the race.

NY Magazine: Ever since Ford, who moved to New York in 2006, said he was “weighing a bid” in early January, Democratic leaders have urged the Merrill Lynch vice-chairman not to run. Senator Chuck Schumer met with Ford one-on-one in an attempt to dissuade him, and even the White House offered support for Gillibrand.

Post Master General To Cut Saturday Delivery…Bring on Government Run Health Care

T. CHRISTOPHER — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:55:19 +0000

In a move that admittedly makes me sad while smiling, the Post Master General John Potter announced today that he intends to ask Congress to make the necessary changes to appropriation legislation to allow him to cut mail service down to five days eliminating Saturday delivery. Neither rain, nor sleet, nor gloom of night can keep the mail from going through, but a raging recession, growing costs, private-sector competition, and government inefficiency will do the trick… Republicans on Capitol Hill have to be loving this development. Could there be a better example of the federal government’s shortcomings in the administration and implementation of services? How about five years from now cutting back doctor-patient visits to Monday through Friday as well.

Fox News:

Postmaster General John Potter said Tuesday that he intends to seek congressional approval to cut Saturday delivery as part of a wide-ranging plan to close a multi-billion dollar budget gap.

Though the idea of cutting service from six to five days has gotten a cool reception on Capitol Hill, Potter said that the plan would include enough flexibility so that customers who need Saturday service can get it and that this and other changes need to be implemented for the Postal Service to survive.

“We built a plan that we think is very reasonable. … We intend to pursue that,” he said. “It’s a move that we simply have to make.”

The financially struggling Postal Service is trying to find ways to get out of the red without resorting to taxpayer aid. Potter announced Tuesday that the service could lose a staggering $7 billion this year — losses attributed to a combination of the recession and the predominance of e-mail and other electronic forms of communication.

It is estimated that cutting Saturday delivery, a move that requires congressional permission, could save $3.5 billion a year.

Potter said the Postal Service, aside from trying to cut down service days, would also use price increases in “moderation” to close the budget gap as well as pursue other changes. He urged regulators to act quickly in helping the Postal Service implement those changes and expressed optimism that the service could eventually get above water.

Though he said privatization had been on the table during a lengthy internal review, that option appeared to be ruled out. One consultant, Thomas Dohrmann from McKinsey & Company, said privatization was “unlikely” in part because it would be hard to find a buyer.

“We need to rethink everything and every approach to move the Postal Service forward,” Potter said. “We need to reinvest, redefine and reinvigorate the value of mail to business and households.”

The Postal Service posted $3.8 billion in losses last year. Mail volume was down 13 percent, a decline officials say will continue.

Potter said mail volume went from 213 billion pieces in 2006 to a projected 166 billion pieces in fiscal 2010.

Right Wing Extremists: March 1, 2010

T. CHRISTOPHER — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 02:00:42 +0000

I’ve been a bit MIA the last few days and I apologize for that – as if any of you really care – but thanks for indulging me. While I haven’t been doing a great deal of writing, I have been carrying on with my daily journey around the conservative blogosphere. To prove that I haven’t just been being lazy, here are a few posts/articles/ramblings I’ve bookmarked in recent days. Have a look. Like I’ve told you before. You can learn just as much about me from who I’m reading as you can from what I’m writing about..

Man is that a dangerous statement. Ten bucks says that one comes back to haunt me some day….

Russ at That’s Right opened up the Conservative Blogger Debate with a bang with his take on the Global War on Terrorism and the role of nation building in that process. The Classic Liberal responded to Russ’s argument and the first round was officially under way…

Russ also offered the question….”Are Democrats Mentally Unstable?” and the Classic Liberal reminded us that You’re a Racist if You Disagree with Nancy Pelosi.

Scratcher at Makes My Brain Itch isn’t “Holding this Failure Against President Obama” apparently nicotine addiction and alcohol use are on the shortlist of forgivable shortcomings over there – and they are certainly among the few accepted around here as well…

The Lonely Conservative was as busy as ever. LC is wondering why if Dems have the votes to push the HC bill through… why haven’t they done it yet? LC also reports that Obama’s visit to Nevada was anything but a boost for the Reid reelection recovery team…

Steve at Motor City Times says “You can tell you are winning the intellectual argument when an avowed liberal pulls out the old Hypocrite card”

Conservative Hideout 2.0 tells us that the “Truth is out there” in the health care debate and shares a poll that shows that a majority of Americans view government as a threat.

The WyBlog warns us that a Democratic Governor is promising health care to illegal immigrants... and reports on Congress passing the “Hawaiian Balkanization Act.”

The Washington Rebel offers up the first piece of punditry and reaction to the Great Conservative Blogger Debate and has a little Dylan for ya..

The Whited Sepulchre has a picture of an ugly dog and tells the story of how cops shot it. – over pot. Scratcher “Bring Me Some Reefers” will love this one… if he hasn’t seen it. He also has a the “Nolan Quiz” posted for you just in case you’re still trying to figure out where you fall in this whole conservative/liberal/ libertarian/ asshole thing….

Mike at Political Realities says Jim Bunning is “Wrong even when he’s Right” and shares a tip that he knows Gov Mike Huckabee isn’t running for President after seeing him at the airport this weekend because of…. “Three reasons: he has put on at least 30 pounds; he was travelling first class; and he had no posse along with him.”

Founding Bloggers gets the Catchy Title of the Week Award with this….

Farrakhan Takes Credit For Chile Earthquake

I know you read it…

Gateway Pundit exposes the MSM’s phony Tea Partier and his phony military background..

and….

The Left Coast Rebel reports that Warren Buffet wants Obama to “Start Fresh with Obamacare”

and ROUND OF APPLAUSE….

The Left Coast Rebel topped the Google Blog Search for his piece lambasting Pelosi…. - congrats…. Its always great to see good work rewarded…

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