Aimlessly Askew

The Great Divide
The divide was further illustrated by the House’s rejection of a constitutional amendment that would generally require the federal government to balance its budget. The House voted 261 to 165 in favor of the proposal, but that was 23 votes short of the two-thirds majority needed to advance a constitutional amendment. The vast majority of Republicans supported the measure. Democrats, even some who voted in favor of a similar measure in 1995, pushed it to failure. (NYT, 11/19/2011)


So just to be clear, Democrats oppose fiscal responsibility.


Revisited
The Obama administration pressured analysts to change an environmental review to reflect fewer job losses from a proposed regulation, the contractors who worked on the review testified Friday. The dispute revolves around proposed changes to a rule regulating coal mining near streams and other waterways. The experts contracted to analyze the impact of the rule initially found that it would cost 7,000 coal jobs. But the contractors claim they were subsequently pressured to not only keep the findings under wraps but "revisit" the study in order to show less of an impact on jobs. (Foxnews.com, 11/18/2011)


Fast and Furious, Greengate (Solyndra, et. al.) and now Minegate. Will Obama's turn out to be the most corrupt administration in modern times? Meanwhile, the state-controlled media yawns.


Strike Out
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said ahead of a meeting Friday with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak that he would warn his Israeli counterpart about the global economic consequences of a military strike on Iran's nuclear program, adding that he still favors sanctions and diplomacy over a strike. (Foxnews.com, 11/18/2011)


Two Truths: Dems always want sanctions; sanctions are meaningless.


Hedged Bets
“Senator Brown is a free-market advocate who believes that our strength as a nation comes from the ingenuity and hard work of its people,” read an invitation to a fund-raiser at a New Canaan, Conn., country club last week, that circulated among hedge fund and private equity executives. His Democratic opponent, the invitation noted, was all but certain to be the financial industry’s most prominent foe: “big government liberal Elizabeth Warren.” (NYT, 11/19/2011)


Maybe the hedge fund geniuses who have fallen all over themselves to support Democrats in the past have wised up. We are skeptical.


Ovewhelmed
As night fell on Tuesday, protesters voted overwhelmingly to put up tents in defiance of Robert J. Birgeneau, Berkeley’s chancellor, who has prohibited encampments synonymous with the Occupy demonstrations. More than a week ago, the police dragged protesters by the hair and struck them with batons as they tried to protect a similar encampment. (NYT, 11/19/2011)


There are three inalienable tenets of Liberal protest: 1) They support non-violence, 2) When they are asked to obey the law, they become violent, and 3) They then whine about being mistreated by the police. 


Frankly, we think the police have shown remarkable restraint...including the cops in Oakland!