Yes, Rush, I hope Obama Fails, too

-By Selwyn Duke

Ever since President Obama (PBUH) dropped Rush Limbaugh’s name recently, the talk-show host has figured prominently in the news. And now he is being attacked by the mainstream press – and truly odious entities such as MoveOn.borg – for saying that he wants Obama (PBUH) to fail. It is being portrayed as an un-American sentiment by those great patriots on the left.

I actually agree with Limbaugh wholeheartedly. I also want Obama (PBUH) to fail – abjectly, miserably, completely – and visibly. I may even pray for it.

Anyone on the left who takes issue with this is either ignorant or a liar – and probably a hypocrite as well. I will explain.
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Questionable Judgment

-By Thomas E. Brewton

The OECD Secretary-general seems not to understand the first and foremost responsibility of banks.

The Wall Street Journal carries the following brief interview note:

Angel Gurria, secretary-general of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, says the economic crisis will hit bottom in the last quarter of 2009, with a meager recovery starting in early 2010.

“2009 will be a very bumpy and bad year,” Mr. Gurria said. “2010 will be weak, but positive and in the black.”

Asked what sectors of the economy will drive the recovery, Mr. Gurria said: “Frankly the guys in the banks have to start doing their jobs again and start lending.”

A major contributor to the collapse of the financial community is the widely held attitude expressed by the Secretary-general that a bank’s job is to lend money. Arguably, it was precisely the urge to lend at the highest possible rates of return that led banks and other financial institutions to acquire too many high risk assets.
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The Man the Left Wants Hanged for Tax Cheating

-By Warner Todd Huston

Tax troubles were all the rage for certain folks recently. ABC News screamed in a headline about one fellow that was, “America’s Overnight Sensation… Owes $1,200 in Taxes.” Huffintgon Post was all up in arms over the same story. The San Francisco Chronicle was tsking the fellow for being “concerned about increased taxes – but hasn’t paid his own income taxes.” The Chicago Tribune chided this figure for being “delinquent on his taxes.” It was a crime, they all said. An outrage. This is not to even mention the unhinged, screaming mimis of the left blogosphere that dug in like pitbulls to excoriate this notorious tax cheat.

So, who are they talking about? Who had these people out for blood? Is it Tim Geithner, Obama’s tax cheating chief of the Treasury? Maybe the hubby of Hilda Solis, Obama’s choice for Sec. of Labor? Perhaps it’s Tom Daschle, Obama’s unfortunate choice for the HHS? Maybe it was Nancy Killefer, Obama’s pick for the post of chief White House performance officer who just bowed out over troublesome tax issues? Was it any of these tax cheats?

Just who was the guy that the news and left bloggers were so incensed over?

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Cash for the ‘Arts’ In Obama’s Stinkulus Bill: A Caviar Feast on a Cheeseburger Budget

-By Warner Todd Huston

Obama has called the economic worries facing Americans a “continuing disaster” and an “economic crisis,” one verging on a “catastrophe.” It will all “turn crisis into a catastrophe and guarantee a longer recession,” he says, unless we pass the stimulus bill now. There is no time to wait. It’s an emergency. We’re doomed and need only these most important federal handouts to get us past this disaster.

So, why is there uncounted millions of dollars for “the arts” in this pork laden mess?

I don’t know about you, but when my finances take a down turn and I am at emergency, subsistence levels in my income — a situation I have, indeed, faced in my life — the first thing I do is determine what expenditures are vital and necessary and cut out, or at least cut back, the rest.

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Czar Schmar

-By Warner Todd Huston

We have here an excellent lesson in just why it probably won’t work to have a “czar” or other countless outside groups attempting to advise the president at the same time that duly constituted, federal agencies are attempting to do the same thing. They will all jealously fight for turf and, in the end, it’s likely no one will be advising the president because of the turmoil.

Bloomberg has a story today revealing that the panel of economic experts that Obama claimed would advise him on such matters is not working well with Obama’s National Economic Council Director, Lawrence Summers. Former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker, Obama’s pick to head this outside group, is, according to Bloomberg, growing “increasingly frustrated” that his economic recovery group is getting no assistance from Obama’s administration.

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Tax Cheats, Unethical Lobbying, Now Porn Pushers for Team Obama?

-By Warner Todd Huston

That Obama fella knows how to pick ’em, I have to say. First we get a former governor of New Mexico that has to bow out over possible participation in illegal pay-to-play scams. Then we get a series of tax cheats offered up for various positions on Obama’s cabinet and in his administration. Then we find out that Obama has “relaxed” his rules against lobbyists and hired a slew of them — with one of them, Wanda Solis, having unethically lobbied her own House colleagues at the same time she was guiding through the House the very bill she was lobbying for. She was in essence lobbying herself.

And NOW Obama has picked a porn pusher for the number 2 man at Justice.

Barack Obama has picked David Ogden for deputy attorney general. Ogden has a fairly extensive history as a strident defender of Playboy and other porn producers having represented such interests many times. He also once filed a brief against the Children’s Internet Protection Act saying that it should be declared unconstitutional that librarians be forced to limit the sorts of sites that children should be allowed to visit on library computers.

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Reporter Arrested by Sec. Service, Jumped Rope Line Seeking Obama Autograph

-By Warner Todd Huston

A reporter apparently couldn’t resist the siren call of The One yesterday, so, like a star struck 15-year old at a Hannah Montana concert, he jumped the rope line separating the press from the president and ran up to him seeking Obama’s autograph.

Needless to say the Secret Service was not amused, interdicted the man’s Obammessiah signature seeking, and led him off to be investigated. The reporter was later seen gathering up his personal items in the White House press room and led from the premisses.

Gosh, it’s always great to hear of these types of stories of the hard-nosed press corps that is so cynical as to scoff at anyone that might be a tad awed by a mere politician isn’t it? We all know that reporters are way too nonchalant about the lure of The One to be all taken with his presence so, right? His autograph? Pshaw. That is absurd. Why, WHO would want the autograph of a politician? Heck, reporters see politicians everyday, so it’s just old hat, part of the job, uninteresting. Yep, good thing they are above hero worship!

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ABC’s Tapper: Doesn’t the President Want Transparency? What About His Nominee’s Taxes?

Jake Tapper cremates the struggling White House Press chief, Robert Gibbs. Tapper asks when we will ever get that supposed “transparency” that Obama keeps talking about. He also wonders why we still have not all been informed of the speaking fees and tax problems of Obama’s nominees to various offices. Press Sec. Gibbs just ignores the questions and never answers.

The transcript can be seen at: Tapper’s Political Punch.

Classic stuff.

Yeah, Let’s Cap Salaries. Start With Harvard!

-By Warner Todd Huston

Since Barack “Giant Killer” Obama thinks it’s his business how much CEOs and captains of business should be paid predicated on receiving federal money one has to wonder why this principle is not being applied fairly across the board? If receipt of federal money is enough to constitute total government control over salaries, let’s apply it everywhere. We can start with the salaries of university presidents.

Back in 2005, Senator Charles Grassley (R, Iowa) wanted to launch an investigation of the president and board of trustees of American University in Washington because of a giant severance package of $1.3 million given outgoing President Benjamin Ladner who only had a base salary of $633,000 in 2003. The severance seemed excessive, to say the least.

In 2005 Bloomberg published a story investigating the salaries of a handful of the nation’s top paid university presidents. The numbers then all exceeded President Obama’s new $500,000 cap for the evil CEOs of 2009.

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Obama Gearing up for Union Payoffs

-By Warner Todd Huston

Last week, president Obama signed several executive orders that he claimed would “level the playing field” for the unions. By that he means, of course, that he expects to take away more power from business and the individual as a payoff to big unions.

As the AP reported, Obama signed three orders that materially affects the business sector.

Require federal contractors to offer jobs to current workers when contracts change.

Reverse a Bush administration order requiring federal contractors to post notice that workers can limit financial support of unions serving as their exclusive bargaining representatives.

Prevent federal contractors from being reimbursed for expenses meant to influence workers deciding whether to form a union and engage in collective bargaining.

Now, Obama claims this is going to “help” workers, right? So, how does removing information from workers “help” them? As the second order above indicates, Obama has helped union thugs hide the facts from workers so that workers are left in the dark about their rights.

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Washington Times Quotes Me

As I do sometimes when I find myself used as a source in a story in the media, I run back here and toot my own horn. Shamelessly focusing on me, me, me! No ego here, baby.

Anyhoo, Candace de Russy, writer for the National Review, had an Op Ed in the Washington Times this week in which I was prominently featured. Well, mentioned, anyway. A full paragraph quote of mine appeared, at least.

I will helpfully embolden where it’s all about me, me, me…. you know…. in case you need help finding it.

The MSM’s rapture with Obama
Love affair becomes torrid, embarrassing
-By Candace de Russy
Tuesday, February 3, 2009

The True (and Pathetic) Story of the Torrid Romance Between Barack Obama and the Mainstream Media,” Bernard Goldberg counts the embarrassing and treacherous ways in which the mainstream media (MSM) flaunted their infatuation with Obama throughout the presidential campaign – how it endlessly paid court to and suppressed entire swaths of negative information about, their Romeo.

But mere slobbering turned to rapture during inaugural week, with some major players in the MSM casting all pretense of journalistic objectivity to the winds and raising political hackdom and near-religious idolatry of Obama to new heights. Two examples stand out:
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Muslim Grannie: Jihadi By Day Rape Coordinator by Night

-By Warner Todd Huston

Folks, this is the kind of sickness we are facing with the world wide Jihadi assault on civilization. Here we have the heartwarming story of kindly grandma Um al-Mumenin. She’s just the local little old lady that all the kiddies love, that’s all. She bakes cookies, loves the kids and instructs all the local young ladies on the fine art of suicide bombing. Yep, she’s an all around community organizer, she is. But, before she takes up the important instruction of all those girls eager for martyrdom, she arranges to have them raped so that later when she recruits them they are mentally “prepared” to feel that suicide bombing is the only way to regain their lost “honor.”

Ain’t she just the cutest lil’ ol’ thing?

Samira Jassam, 51, was arrested by Iraqi police last week and confessed her part in organizing the rapes of more than 80 young Iraqi women that would later be gathered up and encouraged to become suicide bombers to “escape the shame” of having been raped.

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Newspapers Launch PR Campaign Pleading for More Readers

-By Warner Todd Huston

A large grouping of newspaper publishers have joined together and launched a public relations campaign to inform readers that, yes, newspapers are still relevant — despite the financial hardships and layoffs of thousands of employees industry wide.

Unfortunately, the PR campaign does not seem to recognize that one of the main problems that newspapers are having is with their own content, not just the economy and the Internet.

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Why Inventories Matter

-By Thomas E. Brewton

The latest GDP figures showing a rise in 4th quarter inventories is not good news.

In the recently released estimates of 4th quarter Gross Domestic Production (GDP) numbers, the less-than-expected 3.8% drop is not evidence of business strength. In fact it’s the opposite.

Higher inventories ordinarily result from production increases, which add to GDP. In a contracting economy, inventories rise because production already in the pipeline can’t be sold.

In an ideal economy funded by increases in personal and business savings, demand at all levels will tend to grow at the rate of increase in savings. To meet growing demand, businesses increase production, which initially appears as increased inventories held for sale. Payments to workers and materials suppliers to produce that inventory add to personal and business savings, which support new growth.
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NRCC Updates Its Website

-By Warner Todd Huston

The National Republican Congressional Committee has upgraded its website and unveiled it today at nrcc.org. The catch phrase they wish us to take away from the new site is: Regaining America’s Trust Begins in the House.

I hate to say it, but that seems a bit defeatist and gives the impression of the beaten dog. Though, perhaps a little beat down is deserved, eh? Anyway, I just wish it was a bit more of a positive message. Of COURSE we have to admit as a party that we screwed the pooch, but do we have to make that our advertisement theme, too?

It almost seems to scream “We Effed up, but we’ll be better, I SWEAR TO GOD!” It is a bit unsatisfying as a rallying cry, I have to say. After all, “regaining” trust implies we lost it in the first place. Wile true, do we have to prostrate ourselves even in a rallying slogan?

It just reminds me of the skinny kid yelling “don’t hit me!” And we all remember that yelling that invites double the smacks.

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The Growing Privacy-Publicacy Fault-line — The Tension Underneath World Data Privacy Day

-By Scott Cleland

Given that January 28 was World Data Privacy Day, its instructive to examine why there is such increasing tension underneath the surface of the Internet over the issue of privacy. I believe there is a growing “fault line” between two opposing tectonic forces — one that believes in online privacy and the other which believes in the opposite — online publicacy.

I coined the term “publicacy” in my July 2008 House testimony on online privacy because Internet technology has created the need for an antonym to describe the opposite of privacy. Many in the Web 2.0 community believe in the “publicacy ethos” where if technology innovation can make information public, it should be public and that there should be no permission or payment required to access, use or remix this new “public”‘ information.
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Obama Porn Arrives on Ebay

-By Warner Todd Huston

**Images Unsuitable for Front Page Below the Fold** (Warning, not safe for work.)

It’s art, man. And it’s for sale. A naked Obama with a unicorn smearing suntan lotion on his back. An explicit “Madonna.” Another Naked Obama on a unicorn as a giant, bloated — and naked, of course — Rush Limbaugh floats by like a blimp tethered by a microphone cord. And they can ALL be yours if you are the highest bidder on the ebay auction site.

Is it a comment on the absurdity of this insipid Obama worship? Is it merely a way to cash in on a few current themes? And why is everyone always naked with Dan Lacey’s work, anyway? Is it porn? Is it just distasteful? All good questions. But, there is another one. Is ebay comfortable selling this Obama porn?

Here are three of Lacey’s latest…uh… artworks.

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To Commemorate the Day the Music Died

– By Warner Todd Huston

Today is the 50th anniversary of the terrible plane crash that took the lives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and Jiles “The Big Bopper” Richardson. There is quite an interesting story about The Big Bopper’s son that I discuss in today’s podcast.

Feel free to visit the Publius Forum TalkShoe page to see my past podcasts. New podcasts appear approximately monthly, or whenever the mood strikes me to do one.

Chi.Trib: Labeling One Group ‘Conservative’ But Not IDing the Liberal One

-By Warner Todd Huston

We have here a classic case of liberal bias in the Old Media. It isn’t as dramatic as may others that we have seen since The One came onto the national scene, but it is the sort of bias that has been endemic in the Old Media for a very long time. In a February 1 story in the Chicago Tribune, we find the old trick of naming a think tank as a source, but not mentioning that it is a liberal think tank, yet also citing a second group that is, however, labeled as a “conservative” think tank.

This sort of bias is very common in the Old Media. How it works is that the liberal think tank is cited as a source for some statistic or claim but that think tank is not labeled as a liberal group. This way the reader sees the liberal group’s advice or stats as unbiased or straight. Then the media will give a counter claim by the conservative think tank. But the conservative group is labeled as a conservative think tank so that the reader is led to be wary of that group’s stats or advice because they are biased.

In this way, the Old Media outlet in question can claim they’ve been “balanced” and were giving “both sides” of the story while still leaning the story to the left and attempting to discredit the right. It’s a typical smoke screen of leftward bias that is an old stand by for the liberal media establishment.

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Paper Editor Alters Column To Say Writer is ‘Bitter Conservative’ That ‘Can’t Wish US Well’

-By Warner Todd Huston

This is why newspapers deserve to be buried in the dust bin of history, at least unless they clean up their act. For well over 20 years a southwest suburban Chicago newspaper called The Reporter has employed a columnist named Michael M. Bates. He has been the local conservative columnist for many years until, that is, his latest column on Barack Obama was altered to add malicious content aimed at the columnist by the paper’s editor.

Bates was one of those conservatives (like myself) that wrote that he hoped that Obama would not succeed as president IF success meant that all sorts of socialist, unAmerican policies would be implemented. Bates was not wishing the president to fail except in implementing policies that Bates felt would be bad for America and even more to the point Bates was not saying he wised the U.S. as a whole ill. But it seems that “nuance” is not something that Bates’ editor understands because the editor decided to add some things to Bates’ column that Bates did not say.

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Petition drive launched for civil rights in education

-By Israel Teitelbaum

Parents representing a cross section of society have launched a petition drive on behalf of proposed federal legislation dubbed the Civil Rights Act for Equal Educational Opportunity (CRA for EEO). The text of the petition reads as follows:

“ ‘…The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness…And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age.’ President Barack Obama (January 20, 2009)

“Although America has long recognized that a nation, founded on individual liberty, requires equal opportunity in housing, employment and public accommodations, state governments and the District of Columbia financially coerce parents to send their children to government run schools. This is the greatest government-sanctioned violation of civil rights in today’s America.

“The Civil Rights Act for Equal Educational Opportunity will mandate equitable funding for children in non-public schools, while respecting the liberty of schools in hiring and provision of services. In accordance with the 10th Amendment, academic standards and means of funding would be left to the states.
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NBC: Obama Calls Singer Jessica Simpson Fat

-By Warner Todd Huston

**Video Below the Fold**

Apparently, President Barack Obama thought that Jessica Simpson’s weight was something he needed to make fun of during his pre-Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer on NBC Sunday. Seriously. Obama called Jessica Simpson a fatty on national TV.

Lauer displayed for the audience the cover of a recent issue of the tabloid entertainment magazine US Weekly that featured the President’s wife and daughters and also had an insert photo pushing a story about singer Simpson.

As he viewed the cover, Obama decided to smack the singer down for being “in a weight battle.”

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It’s About The Change Yet Lobbyists and Tax Cheats Abound in New Administration

-By Warner Todd Huston

From the early days of his campaign, Obama made with the flourish that, should he be elected, lobbyists would not be welcome in his new tone Washington, his Washington of change and hope. Soon after the election, Obama’s spokesman John Podesta made a great show of announcing that Obama was insisting on the “strictest ethics rules ever applied” to his ongoing choices for members of his administration and his transition team.

In the early November news conference, Podesta proudly proclaimed that Obama was so interested in distancing himself from the old, business-as-usual Washington that they didn’t care if they were excluding people of long Washington experience with their supposed strict ethics rules. Podesta sternly told reporters, “I’ve heard the complaint that we’re leaving all these extra people on the side, that we’re leaving all the people that know everything out in the cold. So be it. That’s a commitment that is one the American people expect and one the President-elect made.”

Yet within weeks it became clear that this new ethical standard was merely so much window dressing. Now, lobbyists abound in Obama’s administration and have since day one. Not only that, but tax cheats seem to be particularly drawn to the new president.

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CNN Sells Obama T-Shirts, Propagandizing for The One

-By Warner Todd Huston

Remember the days when news agencies claimed they were the fourth estate? Remember when they claimed to be “objective” and pretended at being separate from the controlling power in Washington D.C.? Apparently that whole claim has proven somewhat chimeric if the several stories we’ve detailed this week are any indication. And now, to add to the gathering evidence that the Old Media are actively joining Team Obama and the political left, comes CNN to hawk a new line of Obama T-Shirts. So much for being objective. So much for staying above joining a political campaign.

Judi McLeod of the Canada Free Press was alerted by one of her readers to CNN’s participation in Barack Obama’s permanent political campaign with its new capitalist venture. CNN’s headline shirts, where CNN fans can pick from various CNN headlines and have them emblazoned on a T-Shirt for their wearing pleasure, have been around for a little while, of course. But never before has the TV Cable Newser dedicated an entire series of such shirts to celebrate a single politician… until The One descended upon Washington.

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Why I Quit The Reporter

-By Michael M. Bates

The Reporter, a suburban Chicago newspaper, included on its commentary page last week this editorial announcement:

“The Reporter newspaper regrets to inform our loyal readers that columnist Michael Bates has chosen to discontinue his services after nearly 20 years writing for our commentary page.

“Mr. Bates is a polarizing commentator beloved by some readers and detested by others. . . We know some readers won’t be upset by his departure, but we also understand those members of the unofficial Michael Bates fan club will be extremely disappointed. One or two readers have actually told us over the years that Mr. Bates’ column is the reason they read The Reporter.” The notice went on to say something complimentary about my writing and to wish my family and me well.

The statement was wrong about how long I’ve taken up space in The Reporter. It’s been well over 20 years. Then again, since the editor was in elementary school when I began cranking – the emphasis here is on crank – out a weekly column, his error is understandable.
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50 Years After His Death, The Boy Finally Meets his Father

-By Warner Todd Huston

The boy that was born two months after his famous father died in a tragic accident saw his father’s face for the first time fifty years after the fatal day that stole the elder from our world.

How is that, you ask? Well, it may seem like one of those riddles or some exercise in logic but, no, I assure you it’s quite true. And the truth of the matter makes for a fascinating story.

Jay Perry Richardson was born the same year that his father died in a horrible plane accident. In fact, Jay was still peacefully floating in the womb when that fatal day in 1959 came to take the life of his vital and well-known father. Young Jay never laughed with his father, never touched his face, never was taught to ride a bike by his dad and were it not for the heavily thumbed and faded photographs that his family so cherished of the man lost to time, young Jay wouldn’t even know what his father looked like.

Unless… unless he looked in the mirror. Ah, that face he wore, he has been told, is the spitting image of his father’s. That thought likely always warmed young Jay’s heart.

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