Three Four Five

Calling Austin Powers
A South Korean military chief turned his eulogy at a funeral today for two slain marines into a tirade against the North, threatening to retaliate "thousand-fold" for the men's deaths by bombardment earlier this week.

Seoul is also readying 4-day military exercises with American forces beginning Sunday, aimed as a threatening display of military might and deterrence against Pyongyang. The USS George Washington, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that's one of the largest in the world, is due to take part. The North called the upcoming games an "unpardonable provocation" and warned of retaliatory attacks creating a "sea of fire" if its own territory is violated.

What do you say RedStateVT fans…Time to take out Dr. Evil and Mini-me?

En Vogue
Mavericks are not in vogue these days on Capitol Hill, a place where hyper-partisanship and obduracy seem to be their own rewards. But Senator Richard G. Lugar, an Indiana Republican who played that role long before it had a brand name, is standing against his party on a number of significant issues at a politically dangerous time to do so. (NYT, 11/28/10)

In the past, the New York Times has defined liberal Republicans as “principled” or “moderate.” The new naming convention is to call them “mavericks.” RedStateVT calls them Democrats.

Question for Liberals
President Obama should pound the table for a clean, yearlong extension of unemployment benefits, and should excoriate phony deficit hawks — in both parties — who say that jobless benefits are too costly, even as they pass vastly more expensive tax cuts for the rich. (NYT, 11/28/10)

So now the country cannot afford tax cuts for the evil rich because we need that money for continued unemployment benefits. (There’s always something to spend the money on!) Unemployment benefits have now been extended for 99 weeks. The New York Times wants a blanket extension for another 52 weeks. So here’s a question: how long should benefits be paid? We are at 99 now, the Times says 151 weeks. Pick a number…200? 300? 400?

Coexist

Targeted
Attacks against Jews and Jewish sites accounted for more than 70 percent of the 2009 incidents against religious targets, while Muslims were targeted in just over 9 percent of the incidents. (Politicsdaily.com, 11/27/10)

Schooled by the Left, Muslim groups like CAIR have learned well how to play the victim card. The reality, of course, is that the real victims of discrimination for over 2000 years continue to be the Jews.

Meanwhile
Mohamed Osman Mohamud, 19, was arrested at Union Station in Portland at 5:40 p.m. just after he dialed a cell phone that he allegedly believed would kill or maim hundreds of innocent people, including children, the authorities said.

Prosecutors said that Mohamud and an undercover agent drove to Portland in a white van laden with six 55-gallon drums with detonation cords and plastic caps, all of which were actually inserted. The men parked the van, and met another undercover agent who drove them to the Portland train station, from where Mohamud planned to escape. Mohamud dialed the cell phone given to him by the undercover agents, authorities said. But when the device did not detonate, the agents suggested that he get out of the car to get an improved cell signal and try again. When he did so, he was arrested. Mohamud reportedly yelled, "Allahu Akbar!" -- Arabic for "God is the greatest!" – and tried to kick the FBI agents and police officers who apprehended him. (Politicsdaily.com, 11/27/10)

Attorney General Eric Holder called this an isolated incident and cautioned against drawing any conclusions based upon the name of the accused or his religion.

Liberal National Defense: Unilateral Disarmament

President Obama insists that New START is important as a step toward his dream of a nuclear-free world. Where does one begin? A world without nukes would be the ultimate nightmare. We voluntarily disarm while the world's rogues and psychopaths develop nukes in secret. Just last week we found out about a hidden, unknown, highly advanced North Korean uranium enrichment facility. An ostensibly nuclear-free world would place these weapons in the hands of radical regimes that would not hesitate to use them - against a civilized world that would have given up its deterrent. (Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post, 11/26/10)

Thanks to Krauthammer for setting us straight on Republican reluctance on START.

If we only search people who "look like terrorists," al-Qaeda will send people who don't fit the profile. It's no accident that most of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers were from Saudi Arabia; at the time, it was easier for Saudi nationals to get U.S. visas than it was for citizens of other Arab countries. If terrorists are clever enough to hide powerful explosives in ink cartridges, then eventually they'll find a suicide bomber who looks just like you, me or Granny. (Eugene Robinson, Washington Post, 11/23/10)

Note to Robinson: the way to beat your enemies is to uncover their weaknesses, force them to adapt, repeat the process, and eventually break their will. It is not to say, in effect: why bother attacking, they are just going to try something else.

Thankful For

The top five things that RedStateVT is thankful for.......

1) The American Soldier

2) The Tea Party

3) The Attorneys General fighting Obamacare

4) The Climate-gate scandal

5) The defeat of Arlen Specter

Liberal Experiments in Capitalism

Many questions remain about who is going to step forward and provide the new equipment to keep Burlington Telecom in business. City officials remain confident that the state-of-the-art system has so much potential value that investors will overlook the fact that it hasn't been able to pay its bills so far. One of those bills is the $17 million borrowed illegally from city taxpayers. Both Kiss and Keogh believe that debt will eventually be paid back once BT gets back on its feet. But there's no guess as to when that will be. (WCAX.com, 11/25/10)

Some news items speak for themselves.

How Green is Your Valley?

With nearly 15 million Americans out of work and the unemployment rate hovering above 9 percent for 18 consecutive months, policymakers desperate to stoke job creation have bet heavily on green energy. The Obama administration channeled more than $90 billion from the $814 billion economic stimulus bill into clean energy technology, confident that the investment would grow into the economy's next big thing.

But the huge federal investment has run headlong into the stubborn reality that the market for renewable energy products - and workers - remains in its infancy. The administration says that its stimulus investment has saved or created 225,000 jobs in the green energy industry, a pittance in an economy that has shed 7.5 million jobs since the recession took hold in December 2007.

The industry's growth has been undercut by the simple economic fact that fossil fuels remain cheaper than renewables. Both Obama administration officials and green energy executives say that the business needs not just government incentives, but also rules and regulations that force people and business to turn to renewable energy.

Without government mandates dictating how much renewable energy utilities must use to generate electricity or placing a price on the polluting carbon emitted by fossil fuels, they say, green energy cannot begin to reach its job creation potential. (Washington Post, 11/23/10)

There you have it in a nutshell. The modus operandi of the Left. You are getting green energy whether you like it or not and irrespective of the cost because we say so.  It is yet another lie of the Obama administration along with ‘shovel-ready projects’ and ‘the health care mandate is not a tax.’

Corny Guy
Al Gore says his support for corn-based ethanol subsidies while serving as vice president was a mistake that had more to do with his desire to cultivate farm votes in the 2000 presidential election than with what was good for the environment. (Politicsdaily.com, 11/24/10)

What else is the ‘crazed sex poodle’ not telling us? That An Inconvenient Truth is filled with lies? That he has made millions from pushing the climate change hoax?

Netherlands

In the netherlands that is the “high teen” channels of cable broadcasting we find some strange things. There are the documentaries where reasonable looking people - often a professor of such and such - claims to have hard evidence that Dick Cheney was seen planting explosives in the South Tower of the World Trade Center. (It was a ‘controlled demolition!’ he swears.) There is the guy who wants Vermont to secede from the U.S. (In our view, the greater likelihood is the U.S. seceding from Vermont!) Also, that woman who knows for a fact that Bush invaded Iraq to get oil (notwithstanding $3/gal prices). And then there is the Colonel.

Yes, RedStateVT caught a replay of Vermont’s own Bernie Sanders giving a talk to St. Michael’s College students….something about “where America is headed.” It was Colonel Sanders in the environment that he loves, with no one to really challenge him. He droned on about income inequality as if material success in life is a completely random event. Of course he sees his role as that of arbiter of what is fair. ‘You got too much…..we need to take some of that back and give it to someone else….’ Here’s a RedStateVT rule: never trust a career politician like Sanders when it comes to spending your tax dollars.

And to St. Mike’s: how about presenting two sides of the argument so that your students can challenge both and make up their own minds? That’s educating.

Spendthrifts

The draft recommendations of the president's commission on deficit reduction call for closing popular tax deductions, higher gas taxes and other revenue raisers to drive tax collections up to 21% of GDP from the historical norm of about 18.5%. Another plan, proposed last week by commission member and former Congressional Budget Office director Alice Rivlin, would impose a 6.5% national sales tax on consumers. The claim here, echoed by endless purveyors of conventional wisdom in Washington, is that these added revenues—potentially a half-trillion dollars a year—will be used to reduce the $8 trillion to $10 trillion deficits in the coming decade. If history is any guide, however, that won't happen. Instead, Congress will simply spend the money. (Stephen Moore and Richard Vedder, WSJ, 11/22/10)

Why do die-hard conservatives oppose any new taxes? For the same reason that most average Americans do. They know that once the money goes to Washington, the political class will find ways to spend it.

If We Told You

RedStateVT Predicts...
Former Senator Carol Moseley Braun entered the race for Chicago mayor on Saturday by reintroducing herself to voters, some of whom were not born when she last won election in 1992. (NYT, 11/21/10)

The Obama administration will enlist former President Bill Clinton to dissuade Braun from running, thereby clearing the field for Rahm Emanuel.

Medical Mystery
Saudi Arabia's elderly monarch will travel to the U.S. to seek medical care after being hospitalized late last week, according to a statement released by his palace on Sunday. (WSJ, 11/21/10)

Now wait just a minute here! The Saudi king has all the money in the world. Why did he not seek treatment in Cuba…or Canada…or some other country where we have been told by the Left that health care is so much better? Why is he coming to the U.S., a health care backwater?  Call Michael Moore. Call Nancy Pelosi.  RedStateVT demands answers.

Told Ya So
Consumer advocates fear that the health care law could worsen some of the very problems it was meant to solve — by reducing competition, driving up costs and creating incentives for doctors and hospitals to stint on care, in order to retain their cost-saving bonuses. (NYT, 11/21/10)

Has anyone heard a story yet where the health care bill has resulted in lower costs? So far all we'ver heard is that it plugged the "donut hole" and adult children get to stay on their parents' plan (much to the chagrin of parents everywhere).

Bribegate II
President Obama's nominee for a high-level United Nations reform position dropped out of the U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania last year shortly after Sen. Arlen Specter switched parties and won an endorsement from the White House. (Foxnews.com, 11/20/10)

At what point do coincidences become corruption?

Rogues' Gallery

U.S. homeowners who have missed mortgage payments shouldn’t have “false hopes” that they can challenge foreclosures due to paperwork flaws, Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) said Thursday. (WSJ, 11/19/10)

Barney Frank: Criminal

Right after her victory, Ms. Pelosi blamed her low approval numbers on attack ads she said had undermined her image. (WSJ, 11/19/10)

Nancy Pelosi: Unpopular

After noting, yet again, that he felt that he and his family had been victimized by the news media in a way that was “just totally unfair,” Mr. Rangel thanked the members of the committee and said he was sorry. (NYT, 11/19/10)

Charlie Rangel: Guilty

Some on the left believe (Attorney General Eric) Holder should resign out of principle. Some on the right believe he should leave because he is out of his depth. Such bipartisanship should not go to waste. (Michael Gerson, Washington Post, 11/19/10)

Eric Holder: Incompetent

(Gerson deserves the Pulitzer for that line!)

Pulling Mussels From a Shell

Congratulations!

Representative Nancy Pelosi was re-elected as the House Democratic leader on Wednesday despite a striking show of unrest among members of her caucus following the Democrats' heavy losses in the midterm elections. Meeting in private, House Democrats voted 150-43 to leave in place a woman who, as Speaker of the House, became a lightning rod for public anger over some of the sweeping and costly legislation passed during the past two years. (NYT, 11/17/10)

This is what Pelosi’s friends at the New York Times had to say!

We recall that it was President Obama who famously told John McCain at the televised “bi-partisan” health care summit: “Elections have consequences.” Apparently 150 Democrats didn’t get that message. Here at RedStateVT, we could not be happier that Pelosi will continue to be the face of the Democrat Party for two more years.

He’s Unexceptional
The conservative use of American exceptionalism as a political sword today is perversely revealing. (Matt Miller, Washington Post, 11/18/10)

Miller derides Sarah Palin and other conservatives for talking about the uniqueness and greatness of America. He sees this as a sign of insecurity. Then he says that he loves his country and is a patriot. Then he says the following:

There's something off when the first generation of Americans that is less educated than its parents feels a deep need to be told how unique it is. Or that a generation that's handing off epic debts and a chronically dysfunctional political process (among other woes) demands that its leaders keep toasting its fabulousness. Especially when other nations now offer more upward mobility, and a better blend of growth with equity, than we do - arguably the best measures of America's once-exceptional national performance.

For a second there, we were not sure whether or not Miller was going to devolve into the Left’s litany of complaints about America. In the end, however, he delivered the usual claptrap of nonsense. Less educated…really? More upward mobility...where? Better growth with equity…what does that even mean?

Our only disappointment is that Miller did not get into foreign policy where he could have talked about wars of aggression and imperialism. Maybe a future column. Sounds like maybe someone doesn’t love his country as much as he claims!

Guilty!

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) was found guilty Tuesday of breaking 11 separate congressional rules related to his personal finances and fundraising efforts for a New York college. A House ethics subcommittee that handled the trial now sends the case to the full committee for the equivalent of sentencing. (Washington Post, 11/16/10)

Not to worry. On CBS with Katie Couric viewers were assured that Rangel was “beloved” by his constituents and that he would certainly not be expelled. Whew!

Isn’t it Rich?
One of the more interesting narratives of the 2008 Presidential election was the liberalization of the rich. Rather than voting simply for lower taxes and less government, the wealthy came out in force for Barack Obama the “wealth spreader.” Fully 52% of voters with incomes of $200,000 or more pulled the lever for then-Sen. Obama, compared with 46% for Sen. John McCain. Sen. Obama also did better than the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, John Kerry, who won only 37% of the vote from people with $200,000 or more in income. Mr. Obama raised more money than Sen. McCain in eight of the wealthiest 10 zip codes in the U.S. (WSJ, 11/17/10)

Low Voltage
George Will’s latest column (Washington Post, 11/16/10) provides these statistics on the Chevy Volt: it costs $41,000, seats four and travels forty miles on a charge. This is the “clean energy” technology that the Left wants more of.

Mayor Clueless
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Tuesday that he’s in favor of a carbon tax –- a view not shared by many political leaders of either party in Washington. (WSJ, 11/17/10)

RedStateVT Breaks Down the Charlie Rangel Ethics Hearing

"I am being denied the right to have a lawyer," he complained.

How could this happen in America? Rangel is denied legal representation! But wait….

Fresh off winning a 21st term, Rangel said he has spent more than $2 million from his campaign account on two legal teams, forensic accountants and media advisers.

Oh, so it turns out Rangel did have lots and lots of legal representation. Could it be that he didn’t like their likely suggestion to him to plead guilty and resign?

Unconvinced by his pleadings - Rangel had spent the past several months demanding a speedy trial - the subcommittee continued with its work after he left.

So first he wants a speedy trial…..

He pleaded for a delay so he could find time and financing for a new legal team.

…and then he wants a delay!

Rangel, the once-powerful committee chairman who oversaw tax and trade policy, walked out of the proceedings in protest less than an hour into the process.

What does this tactic of walking out of the hearing bring to mind? Exactly right! The Delta Tau Chi fraternity walking out of their disciplinary hearing in the movie Animal House, with Charlie Rangel playing the part of Flounder!

With the New York Democrat absent for much of the process, the panel agreed unanimously that Rangel had inappropriately housed his political committees in a rent-controlled building, had used his congressional office to raise millions of dollars from corporations with business before his committee, and did not pay some taxes and fully disclose his assets.

So the subcommittee agrees unanimously on Rangel’s guilt. So far, so good. However, read on…..

But the subcommittee determining Rangel's fate did not reach a verdict on whether those actions broke congressional rules. After three hours of deliberation behind closed doors, the eight-member panel, evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans, announced that it would resume talks Tuesday morning.

So while agreeing that Rangel did these horrible things, the subcommittee could not agree whether they broke the rules! The disagreement followed party lines. Let’s see, which side thought that Rangel had, in fact, broke the rules and which side did not?

(All quotes from the Washington Post.)

The Day We Have Been Waiting For Is Here

Charlie Rangel’s ethics hearing begins today.


Axe Axelrod
On Wednesday David Axelrod, President Obama’s top political adviser, appeared to signal that the White House was ready to cave on tax cuts — to give in to Republican demands that tax cuts be extended for the wealthy as well as the middle class. “We have to deal with the world as we find it,” he declared. The White House then tried to walk back what Mr. Axelrod had said. (Paul Krugman, NYT, 11/15/10)

If President Obama really wants a new start, the first thing he should do is get rid of Axelrod. RedStateVT caught him on the Sunday talk shows and he was just awful. This comes on top of being embarrassed by Bob Schieffer (of all people) over his baseless accusations that the Chamber of Commerce was funneling foreign money to the election. Question to Obama (paraphrasing Schieffer): “Is this the best you’ve got?”

Post Three Thirty Three

No Shelter
Has there ever been a major economic summit where a U.S. President and his Treasury Secretary were as thoroughly rebuffed as they were at this week's G-20 meeting in Seoul? We can't think of one. President Obama failed to achieve any of his main goals while getting pounded by other world leaders for failing U.S. policies and lagging growth. (WSJ, 11/13/10)

President Obama hightailed it out of town after the election which laid bare the disasters that are his domestic policy initiatives. And now he appears to be faring no better on the foreign policy front. Can any thinking person still believe that this man was qualified to be president?

Good TV
Bill O’Reilly’s interview with former President George Bush last week was well done and worth the watch. O’Reilly was tough but fair, the same as he was in the past with President Obama. It is just a relief to see a Republican get interviewed by a grown-up and not have to deal with the gotcha questions (e.g., “President Bush: do you feel that you owe the American people an apology?”)

Who Said It?

The president’s travails are not merely a “communications problem.” They’re also a governance problem….. You can’t govern if you can’t tell the country where you are taking it. The plot of Obama’s presidency has been harder to follow than “Inception.”
A) RedStateVT

B) Glenn Beck

C) Michael Steele

D) John Boehner

E) Liberal New York Times Columnist Frank Rich

If you guess E) you are today’s winner!

(NYT, 11/6/10)

Conspiracy Theory
In yesterday's Washington Post we were treated to Ezra Klein’s insightful analysis of why Democrats lost the election. Are you sitting down? It turns out it is all Joe Lieberman’s fault! Apparently Lieberman opposed a Medicare buy-in provision that was being debated which would have changed the economics of the bill which would have allowed it to begin delivering benefits earlier and which the public would have heartily embraced, then something about Colonel Mustard in the parlor with the candlestick and…voila….the Democrats would have won!

It’s akin to the 9/11 Truther gibberish that we get from the Left, but here is our favorite part. Klein describes Lieberman as a “conservative Democrat.” We might even agree with that. But how does the Left describe Olympia Snowe? Why she is a “moderate Republican!” Not a “liberal Republican,” a moderate Republican! Think about it for a moment and you’ll understand our point.

A Heartfelt Thanks to All Our Veterans!

Off Limits
A Pentagon study group has concluded that the military can lift the ban on gays serving openly in uniform with only minimal and isolated incidents of risk to the current war efforts, according to two people familiar with a draft of the report, which is due to President Obama on December 1. (Washington Post, 11/10/10)

Here is exactly what is going to happen as soon as gays serve openly in the military. A couple of enlisted neanderthals are going to get boozed up one night and beat up the openly gay soldier. The lawyers will then come in and the military will be put on trial for “fostering a hostile work environment.” Million dollar judgments will be awarded for which the taxpayer will foot the bill. This is not hypothetical. This will happen. Which is why RedStateVT hews to the simple philosophy that everyone is entitled to their own sexual preferences, but no one is allowed to talk about their sexual preferences. Wait a minute…..isn’t that pretty similar to don’t ask, don’t tell?

These Truths
The Obama administration is increasingly emphasizing the idea that the United States will have forces in Afghanistan until at least the end of 2014, a change in tone aimed at persuading the Afghans and the Taliban that there will be no significant American troop withdrawals next summer. (NYT, 11/11/10)

You knew it. RedStateVT knew it. Obama himself knew it. So why did he ever say otherwise?

Kicked to the Curb

You Decide: The Washington Post’s Dumbest Op-Ed Writer or the Most Naïve?
Richard Cohen’s ditty yesterday was all about how ridiculous Speaker-to-be John Boehner is because he stated that the U.S. has the best health care system in the world.

No American, certainly not one about to occupy a leadership position in our government, could possibly call the American health-care system "the best health care system in the world." Boehner did just that last week.

Cohen then goes on to describe how infant mortality in Cuba is lower and that while life expectancy in the U.S. is higher than in Libya, it still ranks 49th in the world. These shibboleths of the Left have been effectively refuted in the past, but Cohen either never got the memo or thinks that everyone has forgotten. In this regard, he is much like moonbat director Michael Moore who marveled at Cuban health care while being herded around by government handlers. Note to Moore (and Cohen): they are showing you (and reporting) what they want to. It’s rigged, guys! Some countries, for example, don’t count in infant mortality statistics a baby who dies within a few days of birth. But then again, let’s say Cohen truly believes that health care is better elsewhere. In that case, we strongly encourage him to act on his beliefs. Chest pains? High blood pressure? Just feeling under-the-weather? Head overseas for treatment!

For the record, RedStateVT says: the U.S. has the best health care system in the world.

Knuckleball for a Knucklehead
RedStateVT caught a few minutes of Hardball yesterday with Tingle Boy Chris Matthews (yes, apparently it is still on the air). No doubt, getting dissed by Michele Bachmann on election night has put Matthews in a foul mood. But on top of that, President George Bush is out there promoting his new book and this has Matthews apoplectic once again about the whole WMD thing. Furious that Saddam Hussein is no longer in power, Matthews wants answers.

We suggest he start with those on the Democrat side who looked at the same intelligence that Bush did and concluded that Iraq had WMDs. Begin with Hillary Clinton. Never mind that Hussein had invaded his neighbors or that he had gassed his own people or that he had defied UN sanctions or that he had locked radar onto U.S. jets patrolling the Kurdish no-fly zone or that he harbored terrorists…. Condi Rice, among others, has enumerated the multiple reasons why Hussein had to go. But Matthews is still not happy because the U.S. never found a nuclear warhead.  RedStateVT says: get over it, Saddam's not coming back.

Working It Out

Viva Los Republicanos!
The next Congress will feature an unprecedented five new Hispanic Republicans. Two are from Texas and defeated Democratic incumbents - Bill Flores of Bryan and Quico Conseco from San Antonio. Jaime Herrera was elected to an open seat in Washington state. Raul Labrador defeated a Democratic incumbent in Idaho. David Rivera won an open House seat in Florida, just as Marco Rubio won that state's vacant U.S. Senate seat. In addition, Republicans elected two Hispanic governors -- prosecutor Susan Martinez in New Mexico and Brian Sandoval, a judge, in Nevada. (WSJ, 11/8/10)

Welcome to our new Hispanic representatives.

Darth Vader Issa
California Rep Darrell Issa is already eyeing a massive expansion of oversight for next year, including hundreds of hearings; creating new subcommittees; and launching fresh investigations into the bank bailout, the stimulus and, potentially, health care reform. Issa told POLITICO in an interview that he wants each of his seven subcommittees to hold “one or two hearings each week.”

Issa also is looking to dig into procurement and government contracting, and he seems sure to return to the Countrywide VIP program — which has subpoenaed records en route to the Capitol. He’s also got inquiries into Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s role in the financial collapse. (Politico.com, 11/8/10)

Dems want to investigate and prosecute Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rove, etc? Well it’s payback time! It would be worth almost any price to see Issa get Blarney Frank in the chair.

Don’t Tell Michelle!
Secretary Clinton: I am an eater of chips. (Politico.com, 11/8/10)

Today's New York Times Headlines
Repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Faces Struggle in Congress
Gay Couples Begin Attack on U.S. Marriage Law
For Gays, New Songs of Survival

Question: Does The New York Times have an agenda?

Keep It Simple, Keep It Stupid

Engineered Failures
Urged on by government warnings about saturated fat, Americans have been moving toward low-fat milk for decades, leaving a surplus of whole milk and milk fat. Yet the government, through Dairy Management, is engaged in an effort to find ways to get dairy back into Americans’ diets, primarily through cheese. (NYT, 11/7/10)

Even as many politicians, environmentalists and consumers want renewable energy and reduced dependence on fossil fuels, a growing number of projects are being canceled or delayed because governments are unwilling to add even small amounts to consumers’ electricity bills. (NYT, 11/8/10)

Isn’t this what happens when the government starts mucking around in private sector issues?

Strange Desires
House Democratic leaders signaled a desire Sunday to avoid internal leadership battles in an effort to forge party unity, a move that would leave the same team in place that oversaw the worst political rout in 72 years. (Washington Post, 11/8/10)

Sounds about right.

The Land of Make-Believe

And-a One
Liberal New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman writes yesterday of the various failed Al Qaeda bombing plots over the past couple of years. For nine paragraphs he reviews the incidents and then opines that the U.S. was very lucky and that we must remain vigilant. That would have been a reasonable, though not terribly insightful, column. But, of course, you know Friedman could not leave it there. At the very end he drops this on us:

And that means working to end our addiction to oil. It is disgusting to listen to Republican politicians lecturing President Obama about how he has to stay the course in Afghanistan while they don’t have an ounce of courage to vote to increase the gasoline tax or renewable energy standards that would reduce the money we’re sending to the people our soldiers are fighting.

And there you have it. The liberal answer to terrorism: raise taxes and more windmills!

And-a Two
Liberal New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof was also at it yesterday. His column concludes that because of the income disparity between the top and bottom strata of the country, the U.S. is a “banana republic.” His recipe includes more government programs and, yep, you guessed it: more taxes on the wealthy! Liberals always assume that wealth results from a crime and so their answer is always to punish those who have done well. Funny how liberals are ready to conclude that global warming is “settled science” but refuse to recognize that after 70 years or more of income redistribution in this country, more income redistribution is not the answer. As RedStateVT often responds to those who bemoan their economic situation: “you should have studied harder in school.”

Foreign to Him

…Obama seemed to believe the essential U.S. problem with the world was rhetorical. The United States had not carefully explained itself, and in not explaining itself, the United States appeared arrogant. Obama seemed to believe that the policies did not matter as much as the sensibility that surrounded the policies. It was not so much that he believed he could be charming — although he seemed to believe that with reason — but rather that foreign policy is personal, built around trust and familiarity rather than around interests.
 (“http://www.statfor.com/weekly/20101103_world_looks_obama_after_us_midterm_election”)

"The World Looks at Obama After the U.S. Midterm Election is republished with permission of STRATFOR."

With little hope for advancing his domestic policy agenda given Republican victories, it has been suggested that Obama pivot to foreign policy. Here too, he appears to have fundamental misunderstandings.

Man in the Mirror
Its high-profile anchor and one of the key exponents of that cable news network's liberal politics, Keith Olbermann, was suspended on Friday without pay for making contributions to three Democratic candidates this election season. (Politicsdaily.com, 11/6/10)

Olbermann recently suspended his “Worst Person” feature citing a need for a return to civility. Sources tell RedStateVT that the real reason was that he would have been force to name himself. Forget the arguments about whether TV personalities should be allowed to donate to political causes. Here’s the real issue. Olbermann knowingly violated the expressed policies of his employer.

History Lesson
African-Americans found a place in Congress in the latter decades of the 19th century, particularly during the Reconstruction period after the Civil War, when 16 black men served, all of them Republicans. (NYT, 11/6/10)

The Republican Party: a long and cherished history of inclusiveness.

The Decider

In his book, titled "Decision Points," Bush recounts being asked by the CIA whether it could proceed with waterboarding Mohammed, who Bush said was suspected of knowing about still-pending terrorist plots against the United States. Bush writes that his reply was "Damn right" and states that he would make the same decision again to save lives, according to someone close to Bush who has read the book. (Washington Post, 11/5/10)

Amen.

First Step
He (Obama) acknowledged that a relationship with the business community had not been “managed by me as well as it needed to be.” (NYT, 11/5/10)

Isn’t the first step of recovery to admit that you have a problem?

See Above
Despite steep losses for her party in Tuesday's elections, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said on Friday that she would run to remain the leader of the House Democrats, even as some of her colleagues urged her to step down. (NYT, 11/5/10)

Republicans must be asking themselves how they got so lucky.

Slewed
Billionaire George Soros, the Hungarian-born businessman known for bankrolling liberal causes, saw a slew of his pet projects and candidates get wiped out in the Republican-red tide on Tuesday. (Foxnews.com, 11/5/10)

One can only hope that Soros continues to squander his fortune.

Harry Reid is an Ostrich

The defiance of the majority leader belied the party's losses for the evening, as the chamber moves ever closer to a 50-50 split. But Reid showed only a glimmer of compromise, while slamming the door, emphatically, on making all of the cuts permanent. "We are not ostriches with our head in the sand someplace. We're willing to pull our head out and look around if they have some better ideas. (Foxnews.com, 11/4/10)

First Reid says he is not an ostrich. Then he says that he is ‘willing to pull his head out and look around.’ RedStateVT concludes that he is, in fact, an ostrich.

Quote of the Day
We've heard over and over about the lack of smart messaging and the president's failure to communicate. If only Obama could better express himself, all would be well. Seriously? This is the same president whose soaring rhetoric once sent his ratings into the heavenly realm and who, after assuming office, never stopped expressing himself. (Kathleen Parker, Washington Post, 11/4/10)

Stunningly to the point! Kudos to Parker.

Now We Understand
What happened was that Obama ran into several crises that he and others had not anticipated, and the cumulative weight of those problems ended up frustrating him. (David S. Broder, Washington Post, 11/4/10)

Sometimes the best explanations are the obvious explanations. Why did Obama fail? Doggoneit, he just got frustrated. Thanks to Broder for setting the record straight!

Kingmaker
A Politics Daily tally puts Palin's Tuesday successes at 62 wins, 23 losses and seven contests that are still too close to call, with Palin's candidates trailing in five of those races. That's a 70 percent win rate, but some of the defeats loom large. (Politicsdaily.com, 11/4/10)

Never mind ‘large looming defeats,’ name another public figure with a 70% success rate.

RedStateVT's Election Favorites

--Mark Kirk defeats Alexi Giannoulias in Obama’s home town.


--Rand Paul beats back the smears to win decisively.


--John Kasich wins gubernatorial race in Ohio, key for 2012


--Pat Toomey beats Joe Sestak to reclaim traitor Arlen Specter’s seat.


--The utterly despicable Alan Grayson (38%) is trounced in Florida.


--California defeats marijuana legalization ballot measure.

Identity Politics
--Marco Rubio (Cuban-American) wins Senate seat in Florida.


--Nikki Haley (Indian-American, female) wins governor race in South Carolina.


--Col. Alan West (African-American) wins House seat in Florida.

All are Republicans and all won because THEY WERE THE BEST CANDIDATES!

Fruitless
But Democrats conceded that their plans to increase voter turnout did not meet expectations, party strategists said, and extraordinary efforts that Mr. Obama made in the final days of the campaign appeared to have borne little fruit. (NYT, 11/3/10)

After earlier Obama get-out-the-vote failures (e.g. Scott Brown), you would think Dems would have learned.

Oops!
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen believes Democrats will hold onto the House, despite polls suggesting otherwise. Appearing on "Fox News Sunday," the Maryland congressman contended that pundits should hold off from pronouncing an end to Democratic control of the House before voters go to the polls Tuesday. "It’s not a lost cause," he said. (Politico.com, 10/31/10)

Didn’t Joe Biden also predict victory?

Tears for Fears
Yesterday, the day of an historic election, here is what the Washington Post opinion writers chose to discuss:

--Richard Cohen: Sarah Palin, notwithstanding that so far as we can determine, she is not running for office.

--Eugene Robinson: the angry Tea Party, which just might be racist.

--Dana Milbank: election forecasts are often wrong.

--Anne Applebaum: because Al Qaeda’s latest bomb plot failed, we don’t need to worry about them as much or devote as many resources to protecting the public against them.

Love you guys!

Tonight's the Night

Pre-Election Quote of the Day
At least the captain of the Titanic tried to miss the iceberg. Congressional Democrats aimed right for it. (Scott Rasmussen, WSJ, 11/1/10)

Face Off
So what should we be doing? First, governments should be spending while the private sector won’t, so that debtors can pay down their debts without perpetuating a global slump. Second, governments should be promoting widespread debt relief: reducing obligations to levels the debtors can handle is the fastest way to eliminate that debt overhang. (Dr. Paul Krugman, NYT, 11/1/10)

Let’s go toe-to-toe. RedStateVT vs. Krugman. Krugman says more government spending and write-off debt. RedStateVT says reduce government spending, extend the tax cuts for all, repeal Obamacare and reduce regulation. Which gets the economy moving faster?

That Old Clinton Magic
Clinton praised Meek's support of the stimulus package, which he said created jobs, and Sink's cost-cutting measures as Florida's chief financial officer. Clinton went on to discourses on the failure of the banking system and health care until even the college students in the park were drifting away. (Washington Post, 11/2/10)

One of the big stories of this election cycle was the liberal media’s endlessly fawning depictions of Bill Clinton as a beloved figure and a dynamic campaigner.

Here’s a Judge We Like
"I've read your brief, I've read the District Court opinion, I've heard your interchange with my two colleagues, and I don't understand your argument," Noonan told deputy solicitor general Edwin S. Kneedler. "We are dependent as a court on counsel being responsive. . . You keep saying the problem is that a state officer is told to do something. That's not a matter of preemption. . . . I would think the proper thing to do is to concede that this is a point where you don't have an argument." (Washington Post, 11/2/10)

Judge Noonan quizzes Holder’s Justice Department lawyers on the Arizona immigration law.

Obviously
First, I'll state the obvious: It's not racist to criticize President Obama, it's not racist to have conservative views, and it's not racist to join the Tea Party. But there's something about the nature and tone of the most vitriolic attacks on the president that I believe is distinctive - and difficult to explain without asking whether race is playing a role. (Eugene Robinson, Washington Post, 11/2/10)

If Robinson wants to continue to opine about national politics, he is going to have to come up with something better. Calling the Tea Party racist is so….September.

Making History
Democrats made their last-minute appeals Monday. Michelle Obama headed to Las Vegas and Philadelphia as Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. traveled to Vermont and former President Bill Clinton raced up and down the East Coast. Mr. Obama hunkered down in the White House, conducting a few radio interviews and bracing for a rebuke that most pundits predict could be historic in its breadth. (NYT, 11/2/10)

Obama is becoming almost…..Nixonian.

Close to the Edge

Tricks and Treats
If the carnage is sufficiently bad for Democrats tomorrow will the party throw Obama under that car he keeps talking about? It’s a distinct possibility, especially with Hillary patiently waiting in the background. How ironic, especially given that Obama gave her the ideal job with which to burnish her credentials. If he had named her Vice-President, she would have the dubious task of defending his disastrous policies and being damaged goods in 2012. Instead she simply gets her picture taken shaking the hands of foreign leaders and bides her time. The big question is who walks into the Oval Office and has “the conversation” with Obama? RedStateVT thinks it has to be someone with stature in the Democrat Party, someone close to the president, but not a crony….in other words, Joe Biden!  “Mr. President, we have to talk about 2012…”

The Demodespicacrat Party aided by a willing press pulls out all their dirty tricks this time around. Joe Miller joins Christine O’Donnell, Sharron Angle, Meg Whitman, and Rand Paul as the latest victims of vicious smears.

Don’t forget that the fun doesn’t end on Election Day. We’ve still got ethics inquiries on Charlie Rangel and Maxine Waters to buoy our spirits in the coming months!

Compromised
But there is no Bob Dole in the Republican leadership today; there isn't even a Newt Gingrich. There is nobody with the clout to tell Tea Party-inspired backbenchers when it's time to put down the grenades and negotiate. Rather, there are weak leaders who, frightened by the Tea Party radicals, have become unquestioning followers of a radical approach. (Dana Milbank, Washington Post, 10/31/10)

With Republicans poised to record historic victories, liberals like Milbank call upon them….to compromise. Just like he counseled Obama and the Dems in 2008. Just kidding!

Frankly
If I am wrong about this, Congress will lose one of its singularly most intelligent members who also happens to have a better sense of humor than just about almost anyone in public life….(E.J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post, 10/31/10)

Meanwhile, in predicting the re-election of funnyman Barney Frank, fellow liberal Dionne objectively notes Frank’s brilliance, as well as his culpability in failing to regulate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Just kidding!