Focused
Illegal immigrants can now apply for state-funded scholarships and aid at state universities after Gov. Jerry Brown announced Saturday that he has signed the second half of a legislative package focused on such students. (Foxnews.com, 10/8/2011)
The average family plays by the rules, sacrifices and saves to send their children to college. To which Governor Brown replies...what?
Magnetism
No wonder then that Occupy Wall Street has become a magnet for discontent. There are plenty of policy goals to address the grievances of the protesters — including lasting foreclosure relief, a financial transactions tax, greater legal protection for workers’ rights, and more progressive taxation. The country needs a shift in the emphasis of public policy from protecting the banks to fostering full employment, including public spending for job creation and development of a strong, long-term strategy to increase domestic manufacturing. (NYT editorial, 10/9/2011)
This is the prescription from the New York Times for the country's economic woes: forgiving mortgage deadbeats, more taxes, preventing companies from laying off workers, and more taxes. Sounds like a winner...not!
Spotlit
White House staff discussed in emails that either President Obama or his chief of staff were eager to help spotlight a solar company in early 2009, despite numerous internal warnings that the company could be financially unstable, according to new e-mails. (Washington Post, 10/7/2011)
Was the real reason Rahm Emanuel left town that he was afraid of getting caught up in Greengate?
Designs
It has been a record year for new legislation designed to make it harder for Democrats to vote — 19 laws and two executive actions in 14 states dominated by Republicans, according to a new study by the Brennan Center for Justice. As a result, more than five million eligible voters will have a harder time participating in the 2012 election....There is almost no voting fraud in America....Many of them are poor, or elderly, or black and Hispanic and could have a hard time navigating the bureaucracy to get a card. (NYT editorial, 10/9/2011)
What's that great expression? The "tyranny of low expectations." This is how the New York Times views the poor, elderly, blacks, and Hispanics: You folks are just not smart enough to figure out how to get a voter ID card. It is downright insulting. Meanwhile, the only voter intimidation of late involved two members of the New Black Panthers standing outside a polling place holding clubs. Attorney General Eric Holder declined to prosecute.
RedStateVT announces today the official naming of the Obama administration green energy scandals. The scandals - beginning with Solyndra and, no doubt, to grow in the weeks and months ahead as more waste and nepotism is uncovered - will now be known as Greengate.
Granted
A science program at the University of Vermont is going to use a $20 million grant, the largest in the school’s history, to help study the health of the Lake Champlain basin. (Burlington Free Press, 10/7/2011)
$20 million? Are they kidding? This could not have been accomplished with, say, $250,000? Your tax dollars at work...or at waste.
Out of the Office
Governor Shumlin is off on another vacation this year, just one month after he promised Vermonters that he would be working full time on recovery efforts: (VTGOP.com, 10/7/2011)
What is it with Dems and their vacations?
Walking Dead
They're calling it the zombie in the budget. It's a long-term care plan the Obama administration has put on hold, fearing it could go bust if actually implemented. Yet while the program exists on paper, monthly premiums the government may never collect count as reducing federal deficits.
Real or not, that's $80 billion over the next 10 years.
The Community Living Assistance Services and Supports program, CLASS for short, may just keep lurching along indefinitely. It would join other peculiar creatures of the federal budget such as "trust funds" that are actually more like IOUs and Medicare cuts that can be counted twice.
"It's a gimmick that produces phantom savings," said Robert Bixby, executive director of the Concord Coalition, a nonpartisan group that advocates deficit control..
"That money should have never been counted as deficit reduction because it was supposed to be set aside to pay for benefits," Bixby added. "The fact that they're not actually doing anything with the program sort of compounds the gimmick."
The program was created under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, and arguably provided much of the 10-year, $143 billion in savings claimed under the law. But now some Capitol Hill aides have dubbed CLASS a "budget zombie." (NYT, 10/8/2011)
Maybe Nancy Pelosi was right! We did have to pass Obama's healthcare bill to find out what was in it. Let's see where this revelation takes us.
Inferences
This week, when Palin finally announced her decision, she made her priorities clear. In a statement to supporters, she said that she and her husband, Todd, “devote ourselves to God, family and country.” Her decision, she said, maintains that order.
We can only infer from these tidings — glad or sad, you pick — that God did not open that door or reveal it. I’m not exactly sure how this works, but clearly Palin got the word that she should not run for president. (Kathleen Parker, Washington Post, 10/8/2011)
Kathleen Parker mocks Sarah Palin and her faith. What a bold and courageous journalist!
Mushroom Soup
To hear some Democratic analysts tell it, the mushrooming protests could be the start of a populist movement on the left that counterbalances the surge of the Tea Party on the right, and closes what some Democrats fear is an “enthusiasm gap” between their party and Republicans in the 2012 election. But that assumes the president is able to win the support of these insurgents, rather than be shunned by them. (NYT, 10/7/2011)
Obama is in the White House and a grubby band of miscreants have taken to the streets. And this somehow might be good for him? We don't think so. Which is why - in our view - the Dems have sent organized labor to these protests. The idea is that labor gives the protest more legitimacy and deflects attention aware from Obama and the Dems and toward Repubs.
Opposition Party
And oil-state Democrats opposed his (Obama's) plans to increase oil companies’ taxes. (NYT, 10/7/2011)
Democrats oppose more taxes on oil companies? This has got to be a misprint. First we learn that Goldman Sachs was the largest contributor to Obama in 2008 and now we learn that Dems are in the pocket of the oil companies. The world is upside down.
Hopes and Dreams
Black individuals who don't see themselves primarily as victims are a threat to the political left, which helps explain why MSNBC commentators have derided Mr. Cain as a token and why Jon Stewart has mocked him in tones that evoke Amos 'n' Andy or Stepin Fetchit. To secure political victories, Democrats need blacks to vote for them in unison. Independent thinking cannot be tolerated.
No one is hoping more than the White House that Mr. Cain fades away. If he doesn't, Mr. Obama's fear of Mr. Romney winning independent voters next year could turn into a fear of Mr. Cain peeling away black support. Black enthusiasm for the president remains high but has slipped in recent months, and a black alternative to Mr. Obama is not a scenario that Democrats would welcome. (Jason L. Riley, WSJ, 10/7/2011)
With the ever-increasing appearance of politicians like Herman Cain, Bobby Jindal, Michele Bachmann, Nikki Haley, etc. the standard Liberal smear of Republicans as the party of rich white men is being debunked. This has got to be the Dems worst nightmare.
Separately, RedStateVT has heard from three independents in recent days who voted for Obama in '08 and now say they would not do so again. It's unscientific, of course, but is also reflective of what we have heard on a broader scale. This has got to be Obama's worst nightmare.
Bottom Line
Four in 10 Americans “strongly” disapprove of how President Obama is handling the job of president in the new Washington Post-ABC News poll, the highest that number has risen during his time in office and a sign of the hardening opposition to him as he seeks a second term. While the topline numbers are troubling enough, dig deeper into them and the news gets no better for Obama. Forty-three percent of independents — a group the president spent the better part of the last year courting — strongly disapprove of the job he is doing. Forty-seven percent of people 65 years of age and older — reliable voters in any election — strongly disapprove of how he is doing his job. (Washington Post, 10/5/2011)
And this is a Washington Post - ABC News poll! Imagine what an objective poll would show!
Solar Plexus
The head of the Energy Department’s embattled loan program announced Thursday that he was stepping down amid an expanding probe of the agency’s $535 million loan to a now-shuttered solar company. (Washington Post, 10/6/2011)
Of course, this had to be done, but no doubt Obama must realize that it will not be enough. Despite the state-controlled media's veritable blackout on this scandal (what would their coverage look like under a Bush presidency?), Republicans and Fox News will keep it alive well into the election cycle.
Established
Chris Christie’s decision on Tuesday to pass up a White House bid means that only one establishment candidate remains: Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, who offers brainy competence and private-sector experience as the answer to four years of Mr. Obama. (NYT, 10/5/2011)
This unexpectedly complimentary description of Mitt Romney by The Times gave us pause until we remembered Ann Coulter's warning. She tells us that the liberal media tries to pick the Republican candidate for us, hence we get beatable Republicans like Bob Dole and John Cain. Good to remember.
Failed
...the day's events underscored that as submitted by the White House, Obama's bill would not only fail in the Republican-controlled House, but faced enough opposition from Democrats to endanger its prospects in the Senate, as well. (Foxnews.com, 10/5/2011)
It cannot be said enough.
Distanced
Democrat Earl Ray Tomblin overcame weeks of Republican attack ads to win the West Virginia governor's race Tuesday, successfully distancing himself from the Obama administration and the president's health care plan. (Foxnews.com, 10/5/2011)
The real question is how Obama is going to distance himself from Obamacare.
Stumbled
With an offhand attack on Bank of America’s plans to impose a $5 debit card fee, President Barack Obama may have stumbled into a ready-made populist issue for the 2012 campaign.
Obama’s aides insist that his sharp criticism of the bank during an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos this week wasn’t intended to kick off a campaign against banking industry bad guys. But it has already had a galvanizing effect on Democrats who see it as the perfect way to hop on the right side of the Wall Street vs. Main Street divide. (Politico.com, 10/5/2011)
It is telling that time after time, Obama's reflexive action is always to demonize business. As we have said, we only hope the bankers are smart enough not to write checks to him this time.
Harped
One thing you won’t hear the MSM harp on the way they harped about the Tea Party: The overwhelmingly pale face of the “99 percent” movement. Just like their ideological elders in the liberal media, they are a lot more skilled at carping over lack of proportional representation among conservative institutions and the GOP than they are at demonstrating it in their own ranks. (Michelle Malkin, 10/5/2011)
Despite questions about the protesters’ hostility to the authorities, many union leaders have decided to embrace Occupy Wall Street. On Wednesday, for example, members of the A.F.L.-C.I.O.’s executive council had a conference call in which they expressed unanimous support for the protest. One A.F.L.-C.I.O. official said leaders had heard from local union members wondering why organized labor was absent. (NYT, 10/6/2011)
The Occupy Wall Street movement is a hoot. The inability of any of the "protesters" to articulate what they stand for is - in itself - a stunning indictment of the teachers' unions. Apparently they are upset about their students loans and their lack of job prospects. Well, they should talk to the guy in Washington. Of course, Obama's solution will likely entail something like "student loan forgiveness" to go with "mortgage forgiveness," thereby creating yet another group that is dependent upon central government.
Meanwhile, we have others like Van Jones and the labor unions looking to get involved. The more nut jobs the better, we say. The Tea Party stood for something which is why it survives. We suspect Occupy Whatever dries up - as has been pointed out - when the weather turns cold.
Temper Tantrum
Christie’s temper represents an opportunity for his opponents and a real burden for him. He operates a lot on instinct, but that instinct can come off as bullying. So in New Jersey debates, he has dialed back his personality and comes off as flat. The quick retort, the cutting rejoinder — the classic “You’re no Jack Kennedy” moment — will never be his. He has to be nice, and nice is the one thing Chris Christie is not. (Richard Cohen, Washington Post, 10/4/2011)
You know that Liberals like Cohen are scared when they start throwing this nonsense around. It's too bad that Christie decided not to run. We would have loved to see him debate Obama....temper and all!
Dial Tone
Reid has been Obama’s most important ally in Congress, but the relationship has never been particularly affectionate, even though Reid was one of Obama’s first Senate colleagues to privately urge him to run for president. Obama and Reid speak frequently on the phone, but the conversations can be terse. One Democratic source quipped that it’s often a contest to guess who will hang up on the other first. Reid, as it turns out, doesn’t have a habit of saying goodbye when he ends a call. (TheHill.com, 10/4/2011)
An under-reported story is just how little - in private - fellow Dems care for Obama.
Fundamentals
Obama said in an interview with ABC News that Bank of America's decision to charge debit card users highlights the need for the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau....
"It's disappointing and puzzling that the President would attack a private corporation for responding to government price fixing that has fundamentally altered the economics of offering a debit card," American Bankers Association President Frank Keating said in a statement. "As a direct result of the Durbin Amendment, consumers have started paying for financial services they previously enjoyed free of charge." (Huffington Post, 10/4/2011)
More Liberal adventures in capitalism. Every time that they muck around in the private sector they end up costing you more money.
Anyway
Newly released documents show that a Silicon Valley investor and senior administration officials warned the White House against having President Obama visit the solar company Solyndra in May 2010 because of its mounting financial problems, saying he might be embarrassed later. (Washington Post, 10/3/2011)
It is undeniably a characteristic of the Obama presidency that he does not follow the often sensible advice given to him. Therefore, in the midst of a recession we see Michelle Obama traveling to Spain for vacation with the kids, the President partying with Jay-Z before a dismal economic report, more vacations and golf on Martha's Vineyard, and this report. Well now he must pay the price. Republicans will time the investigations for the 2012 campaign.
Smoking Gun
Environmental groups said the e-mails were disturbing and evidence of “complicity” between TransCanada, the pipeline company, and American officials tasked with evaluating the pipeline’s environmental impact. (NYT, 9/3/2011)
No doubt these same environmental groups saw no issues concerning the e-mails in the Climategate or Solyndra scandals.
On The Hunt
The campaign of Gov. Rick Perry of Texas found itself on the defensive on Sunday over a report that he had hunted at and taken guests to a West Texas camp with a racially charged name that his father, and later Mr. Perry, had leased. (NYT, 10/3/2011)
As loyal readers know, the state-controlled media vets Republican candidates by innuendo. We forgot to include this one - he's might be a secret racist - on our previous list that any Republican is likely to face. Its gets added to: he might cheat on his wife and he might drink too much. Meanwhile, we still don't know anything about Obama's past use of illicit drugs.
Droning On
The U.S. drone program has been highly effective in killing senior al-Qaeda leaders, but the administration needs to work harder to explain and defend its use of drones as lawful and appropriate — to allies and critics — if it wants to avoid losing international support and potentially exposing administration officials to legal liability. (John B. Bellinger III, Washington Post, 10/3/2011)
Yes, by all means, let's ask the French what they think of U.S. use of drones to kill our enemies before they kill us. It will certainly be enlightening to get the European perspective. Another idea? How about we ask the United Nations to take up the issue? It would be very interesting to hear what the Chinese Communists and the North Koreans think. Alternately, we could conduct U.S. foreign policy as best suits the interests of the safety and security of our citizens.
Fire in the Sky
The decision to make Mr. Awlaki a priority to be sought and killed was controversial, given his American citizenship. The American Civil Liberties Union, which fought unsuccessfully in the American court system to challenge the decision to target Mr. Awlaki, condemned the killing. (NYT, 10/1/2011)
Another excellent call by Obama to take out a murderous thug. We can only imagine the outrage from the Left had Bush done the same thing. Protest so far seems to be limited to the ACLU. As we have said before, generally you have done the right thing if the ACLU objects. Ron Paul: take note.
Headlines
Tycoon Warren Buffett, headliner of last night’s fund-raiser for President Obama at the Four Seasons, reiterated his advice for a tax on “ultra-rich people who are paying very low tax rates.” But the message appeared to have limited appeal to donors expected to pay $10,000 a plate; the turnout was “disappointing,” according to one guest.
An Obama fund-raising insider said the campaign has been getting resistance from some Wall Street donors from 2008 over the proposal, though Buffett said the event “went OK.” (New York Post, 10/1/2011)
Wall Street donates to Obama? Who would have thought it? We thought they supported Republicans. If Wall Streeters fold and double-down on Obama, they deserve what they get. In a second term, Obama will make them bleed.
Footings
The Cuomo administration killed a controversial proposal that would have required taxpayers to foot the bill for transgender patients to get sex-change surgery. (New York Post, 10/1/2011)
OK, this is getting crazy now. New York Governor Cuomo is on the fast track to being named as an honorary Republican.
