President

Abraham Lincoln - Barack Obama - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Ethics - Government - House of Representatives - Liberals - President - Progressives - Senate - Warner Todd Huston

In Lincoln’s Shadow: Obama’s Up Coming State of the Union Speech

January 13, 2013 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

President Obama will deliver the first State of the Union address for his second term on February 12 this year.

As is the custom, the President was invited to give the address by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. In his letter, Speaker John Boehner (R, OH) noted the “immense challenges” we face as a nation.

“Our nation continues to face immense challenges, and the American people expect us to work together in the new year to find meaningful solutions,” Boehner wrote. “This will require a willingness to seek common ground as well as presidential leadership. For that reason, the Congress and the Nation would welcome to an opportunity to hear your plan and specific solutions for addressing America’s great challenges. Therefore it is my privilege to invite you to speak before a Joint Session of Congress on February 12, 2013 in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol Building.”

Few expect Obama to use his upcoming State of the Union speech to offer any conciliatory gestures in order to work with the Republicans per Speaker Boehner. It is more likely that Obama will use his speech to outlay another series of demands to enlarge government and, since Sandy Hook, initiate new efforts to ban guns.
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In Lincoln’s Shadow: Obama’s Up Coming State of the Union Speech”

Barack Obama - Budget - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Ethics - Government - Law - Liberals - President - Progressives - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Obama Signs Law Giving Himself Armed Guards for Life

January 13, 2013 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

President Obama has signed a law that will give himself and all presidents Secret Service protection for life, reversing a law passed during the Clinton administration that gave former presidents a security detail for only 10 years after leaving office.

Armed guards. For life. Meanwhile he is trying to take away guns from the rest of us

The new law signed on Wednesday also gives former first ladies lifetime security details (unless they divorce their former presidential spouse) and all presidential children a security detail until they are 16-years-old.

The now nullified law passed in the 1994 was originally presented as a way to save millions of dollars to the federal treasury. It was postulated that former presidents would have enough money of their own to hire private security services, as Nixon did when he decided to forego his government-supplied Secret Service details in his post presidential years. The 1994 law was to take effect for all presidents elected after 1997, so of the surviving presidents only George W. Bush and Barack Obama would have been affected.

The new law sailed through both houses of Congress and had massive bi-partisan support.
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Obama Signs Law Giving Himself Armed Guards for Life”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Democrats/Leftists - Government - Journalism - Liberals - Media - Media Bias - Military - Pentagon - Politico - President - Progressives - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Politico Celebrates Obama’s ‘Bipartisan Spirit’ With Hagel Nomination

January 9, 2013 by

Politico Celebrates Obama’s ‘Bipartisan Spirit’ With Hagel Nomination
-By Warner Todd Huston

Upon President Obama’s nomination of Chuck Hagel for Secretary of Defense, Politico celebrated the move as proof of Obama’s “bipartisan spirit.”

Politico notes that Hagel has detractors on both sides of the aisle, but it appears the Washington political newser feels that makes him a great choice.

But inside the White House, the choice makes sense. It appeals to Obama’s bipartisan spirit — and the optics aren’t bad, either — to have any Republican as Defense secretary when Obama is seeking to end the war in Afghanistan and dramatically reduce the Pentagon’s budget.

Obama’s mythic sense of “bipartisanship” is deftly laid low by Peggy Noonan who wrote last week that Obama just loves to taunt.

Politico buries at the bottom of its long piece any listing of just why Hagel is opposed by some left and right.
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Politico Celebrates Obama’s ‘Bipartisan Spirit’ With Hagel Nomination”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Constitution - Democrats/Leftists - Ethics - Government - Law - Liberals - President - Progressives - Regulation - Warner Todd Huston

Obama’s Lawless Presidency

January 7, 2013 by 3 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

President Obama’s supporters love to call him the “cool” President, a “no drama” guy, and generally like to claim he is unflappable in office. Whatever the truth of that claim, there is one thing for sure: he doesn’t sweat the small stuff. Like following the law. During his four years in office this president has shown he couldn’t care less about the laws he’s supposed to be governed by as president.

This lawlessness started all the way back before he even became president. It was widely discussed in 2008 that he blatantly violated campaign donations laws by refusing to put in controls on his website that would prevent illegal, foreign donations. And we’ve only just learned as 2013 began that his 2008 campaign was levied the largest fine ever imposed on a presidential campaign for violations of campaign laws. In January the nation learned that the FEC fined Obama $375,000 for campaign reporting violations.

Once he became President, Obama immediately began misuse his powers to control Washington’s regulatory machinery to pay back pals and warp rules for ideological reasons. This president generally wields his regulatory powers with kid gloves to pay off supporters while at the same time that velvety hand holds a cudgel to smite foes.

One of his very first moves when he was swept into Washington, for instance, was to begin a program to give big payoffs to his union masters.
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Obama’s Lawless Presidency”

Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Democrats/Leftists - DOL - Economy/Finances - Ethics - Government - Jobs - Liberals - NLRB - President - Progressives - Taxes - Unemployment - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Obama’s Labor Sec: Jobs Are ‘Saved’ By Unemployment Payments

January 7, 2013 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Obama’s Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis, recently gave a quixotic assessment of how many jobs were “saved” by Obama’s work in the White House. In fact, she felt it was the constant extension of unemployment benefits that somehow “saved” millions of jobs.

On a January 4 segment on CNBC, Solis maintained that the benefits “generate” spending in “the community.”

“…what I think about is, those 2 million people that would have lost their unemployment insurance. Because think about it, all that money that goes out in terms of what’s being spent by that unemployment check helps to generate two additional dollars back in the community. Everyone continues to keep their jobs. I can’t give you an exact figure, but I’ll tell you just by the movement that the President made, we’ve saved millions and millions of jobs,” Solis claimed.

This is, of course, a perfect example of the classic “broken windows fallacy.”
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Obama’s Labor Sec: Jobs Are ‘Saved’ By Unemployment Payments”

2nd Amendment - Abraham Lincoln - Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Civil War - Constitution - Democrats/Leftists - Ethics - Government - Guns - Journalism - Liberals - Media - Media Bias - NBC - President - Progressives - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

David Gregory Fawns Over Obama’s ‘Lincoln Moment’

January 2, 2013 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

NBC’s David Gregory hosted the President on Sunday’s Meet the Press but compared to his last notable interview, when he verbally attacked his guest at every turn, Gregory was virtually asleep this weekend. Unfortunately, Gregory’s mostly timid questions and Obama’s rambling answers gave us nothing new.

The only real pointed question that Gregory asked Obama was over Susan Rice. But even there he asked the question in the meekest manner possible.

Gregory asked, “Do you feel like you let your friend Susan Rice hang out there to dry a little bit?”

The equivocation of “A little bit” was far more consideration than the badgering Gregory offered Wayne LaPierre of the National Rifle Association last week.

But all of Obama’s answers were mere talking points. Take his line about what he thinks Republicans priority is.
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David Gregory Fawns Over Obama’s ‘Lincoln Moment’”

2nd Amendment - Barack Obama - Constitution - Crime - Democrats/Leftists - Ethics - Government - Journalism - Media - Media Bias - NBC - President - Progressives - Warner Todd Huston

Obama to David Gregory’s Rescue

December 31, 2012 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Last Friday NBC’s David Gregory announced a surprise visit by President Obama for the weekend’s Meet The Press.

Gregory made the announcement on his Twitter account saying, “Excited to announce that President @BarackObama will be my exclusive guest this Sunday on @MeetthePress.”

This reverses Gregory’s announced vacation. He was not scheduled to be on this weekend.

Host Gregory has been under a cloud of controversy since his December 23 gun stunt. During last Sunday’s broadcast Gregory broke Washington D.C.’s strict gun banning laws when he brandished an illegal 30-round rifle magazine on the air in the D.C. studios.

So what gives? Why did the President suddenly appear on Meet The Press? Could it be to help Gregory out of his troubles? This is obviously a presidential back patting for Gregory so that maybe the D.C. police will back off.
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Obama to David Gregory’s Rescue”

Barack Obama - Budget - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Ethics - Government - House of Representatives - Jobs - Joe Biden - Liberals - President - Progressives - Public Employees Unions - Regulation - Senate - Taxes - Unions

What Fiscal Cliff? VP Biden, Gov’t Workers Getting Raises

December 30, 2012 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Imagine you are working for a company that is going bankrupt, but everyone you work with and your bosses are getting pay raises. Seem absurd? Not if you work for the failing federal government because President Obama has happily decreed that Vice President Biden, members of Congress and most federal workers are getting raises for 2013.

As the U.S. government is losing its luster on the bond market and as the fiscal cliff looms, President Obama issued an executive order to give everyone raises.

Obama has generously bestowed a $6,379 per year raise on Sheriff Joe, he’s given members of the House a $900 increase, and he’s doled out a .5 percent pay increase to federal workers. (See a full listing of pay raises for Congressional offices at The Weekly Standard)
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What Fiscal Cliff? VP Biden, Gov’t Workers Getting Raises”

2nd Amendment - Barack Obama - Constitution - Democrats/Leftists - Ethics - Gun Control - Guns - House of Representatives - Liberals - Media - NRA - President - Progressives - Senate - Warner Todd Huston

NRA Still More Popular Than Media

December 30, 2012 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

For all the abuse the Old Media establishment has dished out to the National Rifle Association this month, polls show that the NRA is still more popular than the media.

Gallup released a poll this month stating that the NRA stands at 54 percent approval.

Fifty-four percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of the National Rifle Association, while 38% have an unfavorable opinion. The public’s ratings of the NRA have fluctuated since first measured by Gallup in 1993 — from a low of 42% favorable in 1995 to a high of 60% in 2005.

On the other hand, the same polling firm shows that the media is distrusted at 60 percent! Approval rates for the media are below 30 percent.

And Congress? Their approval rate was last measured by Gallup at 21 percent.
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NRA Still More Popular Than Media”

ABC - Anti-Americanism - Budget - Democrats/Leftists - Ethics - Government - Journalism - Liberals - Media - Media Bias - President - Progressives - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

ABC’s Matthew Dowd: All Solutions are ‘Right Down the Middle’

December 29, 2012 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

On ABC’s, This Week With George Stephanopoulos for December 23, ABC political analyst Matthew Dowd uttered one of those phrases that always sounds nice, but is ultimately meaningless. Unfortunately, it is a phrase one hears all the time uttered by those low information-types in our political discussions.

During the panel discussion on the fiscal cliff, Dowd unleashed the rote claim that all good things for the nation are “right down the middle,” essentially claiming that compromise for the sake of compromise is the only real solution to anything in Washington.

The way out ultimately has to be right down the middle, right down the middle where there’s a series of compromises. Every good leadership is about both conservative ideas and progressive ideas we have to move forward we have to move forward in the future and also have to conserve the ideas and thoughts that actually are helpful to the country. Leadership is about both of those ideas.

This is a rote claim that isn’t necessarily a truism. For instance, Congress spent the first 70 years of our existence as a nation trying to go “right down the middle” on slavery. Neither one side nor the other made headway on the issue. It eventually led to civil war and the deaths of some 650,000 Americans! That “right down the middle” effort wasn’t so great for the country, was it Mr. Dowd?

The point is that being “right down the middle” is no panacea. There is a great quote about this sort of thinking. Jules Henri Poincaré once wrote, “To doubt everything or to believe everything are two equally convenient solutions; both dispense with the necessity of reflection.” This bogus claim that the only thing that works is “right down the middle,” dispenses with having to think about what either the left or the right is saying and instead to just assume mere compromise is always the right answer.
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ABC’s Matthew Dowd: All Solutions are ‘Right Down the Middle’”

Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Ethics - Liberals - President - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston - Washington D.C.

U.S. Already Hitting Debt Ceiling on Monday?

December 28, 2012 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is warning Congress that the U.S. is on the cusp of hitting the debt ceiling yet again, maybe as soon as Monday.

Geithner said that the Treasury Dept. will be taking some “extraordinary measures” to prevent borrowing from exceeding the previous debt ceiling limit, measures such as a temporary halt of the reinvestment of federal workers’ retirement account contributions.

This, along with other measures might save the government $200 billion as the debt limit approaches to just under $95 billion below the $16.394 trillion debt ceiling limit.

A major problem with these “extraordinary measures” is that no one knows what effects the fiscal cliff may have on them. The biggest unknown is what effect new tax rules will have on the situation.
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U.S. Already Hitting Debt Ceiling on Monday?”

2nd Amendment - Anti-Americanism - Constitution - Crime - Democrats/Leftists - Ethics - Gun Control - Guns - Liberals - Media - Media Bias - NBC - President - Progressives - Senate - Warner Todd Huston

Sen. Schumer Says Long Dead Assault Weapons Ban Responsible for Current Falling Crime Stats

December 28, 2012 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

On Sunday Senator Chuck Schumer tried to pass off the 1994 assault weapons ban bill that was canceled eight years ago as the reason that today’s violent crime rates have been down.

In a discussion about gun control with Senator Chuck Schumer (D, NY) and Lindsey Graham (R, SC), David Gregory of NBC’s Meet The Press correctly pointed out that past gun banning laws like the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban didn’t work and that is a challenge to Schumer’s anti-gun position. Schumer answered to Gregory with a nice twist of logic saying,

“Well, the amount of gun violence since we passed the assault weapons ban and the Brady law is down considerably,” Schumer said.

This is a twist of logic. Firstly the assault weapons ban has been off the books now for eight years so it is a big stretch to say it factors into what is happening today. Further, since the Assault weapons ban lapsed every state but one (Illinois) has passed some sort of concealed carry law meaning that there are more guns “on the street” in as much as more law abiding citizens are allowed to carry their firearms everywhere they go.
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Sen. Schumer Says Long Dead Assault Weapons Ban Responsible for Current Falling Crime Stats”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Democrats/Leftists - Liberals - President - Progressives - Warner Todd Huston

Report: Smaller Crowds for Obama’s Second Inauguration

December 28, 2012 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Officials in the District of Columbia estimated that 1.8 million folks attended President Obama’s first inauguration. But for his second inauguration, numbers appear to be down. Officials are only expecting up to 600,000 to 800,000.

One clue to attendance expectations is hotel room bookings. Four years ago hotels were sold out quite early across the city. This year, however, rooms are still plentiful.

“Very few hotels are actually sold out at this point, so there’s a lot of availability,” said Elliott Ferguson, CEO of the tourism bureau Destination DC, who added that he expected demand to pick up after Christmas.

In 2009, hotel bookings were at 98 percent capacity and due to supply and demand, prices remained high. For inauguration number two, however, most hotels are only half sold, so prices are dropping and staying times are increasing to entice guests.

Of course, posh spots like the Willard Hotel still have pricey packages to offer inauguration goers, but many deals abound throughout the city due to lower demand.
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Report: Smaller Crowds for Obama’s Second Inauguration”

2nd Amendment - Barack Obama - Constitution - Democrats/Leftists - Ethics - Journalism - Liberals - Media - Media Bias - President - Progressives - Warner Todd Huston

Old Media Fail? No Gun Questions at Obama’s Gun Press Conference

December 24, 2012 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

It was a mixed message from the Old Media establishment at the President’s December 19 news conference about the newest “crisis” he is pushing. As Obama appeared before America to talk about the gun “crisis” and his decision to hand it off to Joe Biden, instead of asking about Obama’s gun agenda, the media deluged him with questions about the fiscal cliff.

It was so odd that even other members of the media criticized their brethren for ignoring what the press conference was called for and instead going off on tangents during the Q & A period.

Obama called his press conference to announce his new anti-gun agenda. But one might question the President’s dedication to the effort. After all Obama put Joe Biden in charge proving that he isn’t really that interested in the whole thing. Regardless, though, that was the main topic of the presser.

Interestingly, as soon as Obama’s statements were through, when the media joined the question and answer time, out of the many questions asked only 2 or so were about Obama’s gun agenda. Most were about the country’s financial woes.
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Old Media Fail? No Gun Questions at Obama’s Gun Press Conference”

Barack Obama - Children - Crime - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Ethics - Government - Liberals - President - Progressives - Warner Todd Huston

Obama Raising Campaign Money Off Sandy Hook Massacre

December 22, 2012 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

You may think that after winning the election team Obama should be done raising money for its campaign fund. But Sandy Hook is a crisis too good to go to waste so with a new email from David Axelrod, team Obama is using the President’s remarks about the Sandy Hook massacre to raise more money.

The new campaign email carrying the imprimatur of Obama campaign chief David Axelrod urges campaign supporters to watch Obama’s address made at Newton, Connecticut where you’ll find a convenient donate now button.

“The next chapter begins today. Stand with President Obama for the next four years,” the email is headlined.

Axelrod doesn’t urge donations in the text of his email, of course, but the donate now buttons are both in the email and at the MyBarackObama.com page where team Obama is hosting the video of the speech.

Says Jeryl Bier: “Not one, but two buttons – two opportunities to donate to the Obama campaign. Not to the Red Cross, or to a memorial fund for the children and adults killed in Newtown. How hard would it have been to shift the focus, disable the buttons, for just one email, just one blog post? But the show must go on.”

The fact that any donate now button appears on any messages about the crime as Sandy Hook elementary is quite crass, indeed.
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Obama Raising Campaign Money Off Sandy Hook Massacre”

Barack Obama - Democrats/Leftists - Entertainment - Journalism - Liberals - Media - Media Bias - President - Progressives - Radio - Talk Radio - Warner Todd Huston

Ohio Progressive Radio Station Fails, Blames Obama?

December 19, 2012 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

WVKO, a left-wing radio station in Columbus, Ohio, is going under. Even after being the dutiful soldiers for team Obama the station can’t pay its bills. And as the station goes down the tubes they are pointing fingers. At Obama!

Talkers Magazine recently posted the announcement that WVKO, Ohio’s Progressive Radio, will cease operations for 2013. The station will replace the progressive shows with a new Gospel format.

“In a post at the station’s website, Richards spreads the blame around to everyone from the Obama campaign to local advertisers,” Talkers says.

Boy did WVKO’s Richards “spread the blame,” too. On the station’s website, it is a veritable whinefest.
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Ohio Progressive Radio Station Fails, Blames Obama?”

Budget - Business - Chuck Busch - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Entitlements - Ethics - Government - Liberals - President - Progressives - Taxes

Fiscal Cliff Fallacies

December 16, 2012 by

-By Chuck Busch

The “fiscal cliff” negotiations, although they are hugely consequential, are an over-dramatization of a self-imposed crisis narrowly focused on federal revenue policies. The country wouldn’t have to endure these theatrics in the middle of the holiday season during a lame duck session of congress, if our national leaders had made the hard decisions months ago to curb government spending which is the real crisis. The resumption of the Clinton era tax rate increases was known in well in advance and now, as the protections are about to expire, at least one party is doing what it can to preserve the Bush tax rate cuts.

To heighten the political theater, the whole episode is being portrayed as a cataclysmic event as though an immediate precipitous national financial collapse will occur on New Years Day if there is no resolution of the spending and tax issues. Certainly the country will continue its path of decline, but this occurrence will simply be one more step, not off a “cliff”, but down a very slippery slope to the rocky shore of a runaway inflation, massive unemployment, massive federal debt, and national insecurity where the economy will be continually pounded by fierce waves of unfunded spending, a devalued currency, a popular entitlement mentality, and an expansion of government control.
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Fiscal Cliff Fallacies”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Buzzfeed - Democrats/Leftists - Ethics - Government - Journalism - Liberals - Libya - Media - Media Bias - President - Progressives - Warner Todd Huston

Buzzfeed: With Rice Out, Benghazi Scandal Now Over?

December 15, 2012 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice came before the American people and served up the untrue story that the attacks on our embassy in Benghazi, Libya that killed four Americans was the result of some Youtube video. This false story seems to have helped torpedo her chances of being the next Secretary of State as today Rice pulled her name out of the running for the position. But, does her pulling her name from consideration somehow “end” the Benghazi scandal? Buzzfeed thinks it does.

According to Buzzfeed’s Zeke Miller, Rice pulling herself out of contention for the nomination as Obama’s next Secretary of State “effectively caps a three-month administration scandal over the Benghazi terrorist attack.”

Miller goes on to say that because the Republicans found “the scalp they’ve been seeking,” why, the whole thing is basically over.

Over? So, all the lies, the deaths, the lack of support for our embassy and support personnel that were killed is now all erased simply because Rice quit her hunt for Sec. State and the GOP “got a scalp”?

Miller does note that Republicans are vowing to continue the investigation into the major failures at Benghazi, but he feels that it will now continue “without the bloodthirst.”

Of course, Miller is viewing the Benghazi massacre that Americans suffered as merely some political witch-hunt as all Democrats do. This is little else but an effort to give Obama a pass on his disastrous foreign policy failure by dismissing the whole Benghazi affair as nothing but mere politics.
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Buzzfeed: With Rice Out, Benghazi Scandal Now Over?”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Government - Journalism - Liberals - Libya - Media - Media Bias - NBC - President - Progressives - Warner Todd Huston

NBC’s Chuck Todd: Susan Rice a Victim of Conservative ‘Advocacy Media’

December 15, 2012 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice announced today that she was taking herself out of the running to be considered the next Secretary of State. To explain why she took herself out of the running, NBC’s Chuck Todd blamed it on “conservative advocacy media.” To Todd, it was nothing but a right-wing witch-hunt.

Todd appeared on MSNBC on Thursday and proclaimed that Rice was a victim because she didn’t have a “consulting team or a full PR team” at her disposal. I guess the White House wasn’t enough of a mega phone for her.

Todd basically claimed that Rice being lost to the President as a nominee for State was a conservative witch-hunt.
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NBC’s Chuck Todd: Susan Rice a Victim of Conservative ‘Advocacy Media’”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Congress - Conservatives - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Elections - Entitlements - GOP - Government - Journalism - Liberals - Media - Media Bias - Nanny State - President - Progressives - Republicans - Stimulus - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston - Weekly Standard

Weekly Standard’s Kristol Throws Up Hands, GOP Should ‘Acquiesce’ to Obama

December 12, 2012 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

William Kristol, Editor of the Weekly Standard, seems to have decided that retreat is the way forward for the Republican Party. In a new editorial that approaches a meltdown, the Fox commentator and consummate Washington insider essentially advised the GOP to just throw in the towel on these fiscal cliff talks and more or less accept Obama’s terms.

In the piece, a dour Kristol detailed all the shock and depression that Republican insiders feel after losing an election they’d all thought was in the bag for team Romney and then went on to complain that the GOP’s legislative scene isn’t any better than its failed electoral scheme.

Even the fact that the Republicans still control the House is cold comfort for Kristol.

Worst of all, Kristol grouses, the GOP has no “proposal for averting the fiscal cliff.”

So, what to do, what to do? Maybe just “acquiesce” to Obama and be done with it?
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Weekly Standard’s Kristol Throws Up Hands, GOP Should ‘Acquiesce’ to Obama”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Ethics - Government - Journalism - Liberals - Media - Media Bias - President - Progressives - Warner Todd Huston

Old Media Fear Obama Excluding Them for 2nd Inauguration

December 12, 2012 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Old Media establishment is worried that Barack Obama is going to cut them out from his second swearing-in ceremony. As Politico reports, rumors abound that this time ’round Obama is going to hold a private ceremony, one not open to the media.

On Sunday, January 20, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts will perform the President’s swearing-in ceremony then Monday Obama will hold his public inauguration where he will be sworn in a second time in a symbolic gesture.

But Politico reports that some members of the inaugural committee have privately signaled to the press that Obama intends to exclude them from the Sunday ceremony — the one that really counts.

The White House Correspondents Association has already formally urged the Obama administration not to hold such a secretive swearing-in ceremony through a statement by issued Ed Henry, Fox News correspondent and the president of the White House Correspondents Association.
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Old Media Fear Obama Excluding Them for 2nd Inauguration”

Budget - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Ethics - GOP - Government - Jobs - Journalism - Media - Media Bias - New York City - Newspapers - President - Ronald Reagan - Taxes - The New York Times - Warner Todd Huston

Celebration: The NYTimes Finally Admitted Reaganomics Worked

December 10, 2012 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Will wonders never cease? American Enterprise Institute columnist James Pethokoukis saw something he never thought he’d see. After 30 years, The New York Times admitted that Reaganomics worked!

Pethokoukis was astounded by a Times article chronicling the steadily falling tax burden Americans have experienced since the 1980s.

The AEI money writer notes that the heart of The Times’ article is that in 2010 Americans “paid far less in total taxes — federal, state and local — than they would have paid 30 years ago.”

Pethokoukis points out that some tax hike advocates think this means that America’s tax burden is too low and time has come for a hike. But Pethokoukis disagrees.
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Celebration: The NYTimes Finally Admitted Reaganomics Worked”

Democrats/Leftists - Government - Journalism - Liberals - Media - Media Bias - President - Progressives - Warner Todd Huston

Obama Secretly Meets With His Old Media Propagandists

December 9, 2012 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

There was a secret, off-record meeting between President Obama and a passel full of extreme-left, so-called media folks last week. No, this isn’t black helicopters stuff. It really happened as the Washington Post admits.

None of these Old Media leftists are reporting what happened at the meeting, but none that have been outed, so-to-speak, for having been at the meeting are denying that they were there. They are just giving a “no comment” about what went on.

In attendance was the entirety of the MSNBC line-up. Matthews, Schultz, Maddow, the whole crew. Now, granted, these MSNBC people aren’t in any way journalists. They are pure propagandists that entertain with left-wing spin, not facts and truth. Ditto for Ariana Huffington and extremist activist Markos Moulitsas, both have admitted to being at the meeting. But many of the other participants are supposed to be real journalists.

Two of the so-called “real” journalists were Greg Sargent and Jonathan Capehart of the Washington Post. There were others but Whemple doesn’t list them by name in his Washington Post piece.

So, that raises many questions: What was said in that meeting? What was done? What assignments did the President hand out to his propagandists?
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Obama Secretly Meets With His Old Media Propagandists”

Barack Obama - Budget - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Entitlements - Ethics - GOP - House of Representatives - John Boehner - Journalism - Liberals - Media - Media Bias - Nanny State - Newspapers - President - Progressives - Stimulus - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

The Hill: No GOP Opposition to Speaker Boehner’s Turnabout on Tax Hikes

December 8, 2012 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

In a myopic report on the GOP’s half of the Fiscal Cliff debate, The Hill claimed there was no opposition to Republican House Speaker John Boehner’s sudden caving in to President Obama’s demand that tax hikes accompany any solutions to the budget mess.

The Hill reported on December 4 that the GOP was “moving reluctantly toward a debt deal that would increase revenues” and that Speaker Boehner had offered some $800 billion in new taxes in his most recent fiscal cliff proposal.

How could Boehner achieve this flip flopping away from the Party’s until-now stated principles? The Hill says it’s because there aren’t any Republicans opposing the tax hikes.

The lack of immediate backlash within the conference is a key early sign for Boehner, who has made intraparty unity a priority as he seeks the strongest possible hand in negotiations over the “fiscal cliff” with President Obama.

Of course, there could be a reason for this that The Hill doesn’t mention. Boehner is purging all conservatives from his power structure.
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The Hill: No GOP Opposition to Speaker Boehner’s Turnabout on Tax Hikes”

ABC - Anti-Americanism - Democrats/Leftists - Ethics - Journalism - Liberals - Media - Media Bias - NBC - President - Progressives - The Atlantic - The New York Times - Warner Todd Huston - Washington Post

Twitter Suggests White House is Just Like Left-Wing Commentators Sullivan, Krugman, Cuomo

December 7, 2012 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Daniel Halper recently discovered that Twitter wanted to help him out. After he chose to follow the Twitter feed of the White House, Twitter sent him a list of other accounts he might enjoy, accounts that the social media giant felt were “similar” to Barak Obama’s White House. Amusingly that list was filled with left-wing media types.

When Mr. Halper decided to follow the Twitter feed of the White House, Twitter quickly sent him an automatically generated email with some loverly suggestions. Now that he was following the White House, Twitter thought he might be interested in the following “similar” Twitter feeds:

  • Left-wing newspaper The Washington Post
  • Leftist Atlantic blogger Andrew Sullivan
  • Far left “economist” Paul Krugman
  • NBC News “First Read” blog
  • ABC News Chief Legal Correspondent Chris Cuomo

Quipped Halper, “Looks like Twitter’s algorithm, which appears to have automatically generated this email, is working perfectly.”

Just so.
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Twitter Suggests White House is Just Like Left-Wing Commentators Sullivan, Krugman, Cuomo”

Americans for Tax Reform - Barack Obama - Budget - Democracy - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Elections - Entitlements - Ethics - GOP - Grover Norquist - House of Representatives - John Boehner - Journalism - Liberals - Media - Media Bias - Policy - President - Progressives - Regulation - Republicans - Senate - Stimulus - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Norquist: Obama’s Failed Fiscal Cliff Ideas Like a ‘Seinfeld Episode Where No Learning Takes Place’

December 5, 2012 by 2 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

Grover Norquist worries that Obama is like a bad episode of Seinfeld and might prove unable to learn from his past mistakes pushing us over the fiscal cliff whether we like it or not.

This is what Norquist, chief of Americans for Tax Reform — evangelist for the no-tax pledge that so many Republicans have signed — said in an intimate conversation today during which he laid out some ideas on how to push this debate back in our direction.

In a call with only a few conservative bloggers, Norquist laid out the problems we are facing and then went into some of the specifics, the ins and outs of negotiations, and laid out one idea that could help better inform Americans on just what the heck is going on in this debate.

The first thing of interest the ATR chief said was that we should avoid a grand budget bargain that settles everything at once. Instead, Norquist argued to continue the process of having repeated continuing resolutions. Over the last several years, instead of having a full budget passed by Congress, the House has been making do with short-term budgets called continuing resolutions (CR). These CRs fund the government for months or even weeks instead of a full fiscal year.

For his part, Norquist felt that we’ve gotten far better deals and advanced the spending cut/tax cut ball much further with the CRs than we ever could with a single, year-long budget. He also noted that the GOP had a huge amount of power by having control over the debt ceiling and would be stupid to allow the president to take that from them as he’s proposed doing.
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Norquist: Obama’s Failed Fiscal Cliff Ideas Like a ‘Seinfeld Episode Where No Learning Takes Place’”

Barack Obama - Britain - Democrats/Leftists - Ethics - Liberals - President - Warner Todd Huston

Anna Wintour to be a U.S. Ambassador? ‘Ludicrous’!

December 5, 2012 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

News broke today that President Obama is considering offering the position of the next U.S. Ambassadorship to Great Britain to Anna Wintour, the editor of fashion magazine Vogue. This caused at least one Brit to call the whole idea “ludicrous.”

Indeed, the offer seems incomprehensible. To offer the ambassadorship to one of our most important allies to a prickly, sullen, misanthrope like Wintour defies logic. Aside from her arrogant, self-important attitude, it doesn’t even appear that she has any qualifications, temperament or otherwise, to take such an important role.

As Nile Gardiner of the British newspaper The Telegraph notes, Wintour doesn’t measure up in stature and intellect to some of our past ambassadors. Noting that John Adams, James Monroe, John Q. Adams, Martin Van Buren, James Buchanan, Andrew Mellon, and W. Averell Harriman were some of our past ambassadors to the Court of St. James’s, Gardiner finds the whole idea of Wintour joining those illustrious Americans a “ludicrous” idea.
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Anna Wintour to be a U.S. Ambassador? ‘Ludicrous’!”

Barack Obama - Budget - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Elections - Ethics - Government - Journalism - Liberals - Media - Media Bias - Politico - President - Progressives - Republicans - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Politico Just Realized Progressives Have Gripes About Obama

December 5, 2012 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Now that Barack Obama has been successfully re-elected, The Politico has miraculously discovered that some progressives are not exactly thrilled with the most left-wing president in American history. The lefties want more, says Politico. But, is this turn about really that sudden?

In a lengthy December 2 piece, Politico lays out the left-wing voices in the “progressive media” that have lately taken to criticizing the president for not leaning far enough to the left. If not criticizing, exactly, perhaps a more fitting word is they are “encouraging” Obama to take up the left-wing policies he’s given lip service to but not pushed too hard to implement.

The absurd aspect to Politico’s piece is that the Internet newser seems to think this criticism is all new. One has to wonder why Politico has paid no attention to the far left’s criticism until now? Perhaps Politico wanted to make it seem as if the left was united and had no qualms over Obama but now that he’s safely re-elected, it is Politico, rather than the far left, that finds it is safe to criticize the president?
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Politico Just Realized Progressives Have Gripes About Obama”

Associated Press - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Entitlements - Ethics - Government - Jobs - Journalism - Liberals - Media - Media Bias - President - Progressives - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

AP’s False Claim That ‘Some’ Democrats Open to Entitlement Cuts

December 4, 2012 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

In a November 28 article, the Associated Press tried to give cover to Democrats by insisting that they are somehow divided over cuts in entitlements to help solve the “fiscal cliff” problem. But the truth is, Democrats are united against these cuts, not divided.

In its piece headlined, “It’s Not Just Taxes: Benefit Cuts Divide Democrats,” the AP attempted to demonstrate a “division” that doesn’t exist by citing two Democrats that meekly offered to consider cuts to entitlements.

It’s not just about taxes. There’s another big obstacle to overcome as Congress and President Barack Obama work to skirt the fiscal cliff: deep divisions among Senate Democrats over whether to consider cuts to popular benefit programs like Medicare and Medicaid.

This is flat out absurd. There are no deep divisions among Democrats over cuts to these programs. In fact, just the opposite.

This tall tale goes on to present the weak claims of “considering” cuts to these programs uttered by Senator Max Baucus (D, Montana) and Kent Conrad (D, N.D.). But one, Conrad, is retiring and the other has no support from his fellows — especially Democrat leadership — for the idea.
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AP’s False Claim That ‘Some’ Democrats Open to Entitlement Cuts”

Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Entitlements - Ethics - GOP - Government - House of Representatives - Jobs - John Boehner - Journalism - Liberals - Media - Media Bias - Nanny State - President - Progressives - Republicans - Stimulus - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Obama’s Insulting Fiscal Cliff Proposal Lauded as ‘Strategic Move’

December 3, 2012 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

“Insulting.” That is what conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer termed Obama’s “plan” to prevent the federal government from falling over the fiscal cliff. But to the Old Media establishment, Obama’s insulting plan lacking in specifics was a brilliant “strategic move” that will force Republicans to “offer a counter proposal,” despite the fact that, going back to Paul Ryan’s Road Map, the GOP is the only side offering many specifics in this debate thus far.

Before Election Day, President Obama made vague comments about implementing 2.5 dollars in cuts for every dollar of spending increases, but he never really clarified what that meant in real terms, never saying exactly what he would cut. But at least before the election he gave lip service to cuts. This week, though, now that he is safely re-elected, he sent Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner to the GOP leadership to offer a plan that had no specifics, no cuts, and huge spending hikes.

Even more idiotic, Obama wants another stimulus of $50 billion!
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Obama’s Insulting Fiscal Cliff Proposal Lauded as ‘Strategic Move’”