Problems with Liberal policies

Obama spends nearly half his presidency outside Washington, plans to travel more

On "Meet the Press" December 26, top White House adviser Valerie Jarrett said PRESIDENT OBAMA'S "BIGGEST REGRET" IS THAT THE SEVERITY OF THE ECONOMIC CRISIS FORCED HIM TO "SPEND ALMOST EVERY WAKING HOUR IN WASHINGTON FOCUSING VERY HARD ON SOLVING THAT CRISIS" and thus kept him from traveling the country to connect with the American people. According to Jarrett, Obama recently told aides, "I really want to figure out a way where I can spend more time outside of Washington listening and learning and engaging the American people." Jarrett says that in 2011 the president's schedule will "reflect that priority" -- that is, include more time outside the nation's capital.

But it turns out OBAMA HAS ALREADY SPENT NEARLY HALF HIS PRESIDENCY OUTSIDE WASHINGTON. As of January 2, Obama has been president for 712 days. According to figures compiled by CBS News reporter Mark Knoller, who serves as a sort of unofficial White House record-keeper, Obama has spent 339 of those days -- nearly 48 percent -- outside Washington.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/01/obama-spends-nearly-half-his-presidency-outside-washington-plans-#ixzz19seZDLrU


You kind of think his greatest regret should be he has not solved the unemployment crisis.

Is the Obama Administration corrupt?

Although TARP – the program passed in 2008 intended to strengthen the financial sector by purchasing assets from financial institutions – was passed by Congress (a democrat controlled congress) under the Bush administration, Issa said THE UNREGULATED FUNDS WERE USED BY OBAMA LIKE "PRESIDENTIAL EARMARKS."

But the California Republican also admitted Congress shares some of the blame.

"All of that would not have been possible if Congress had done its job," Issa told CNN Chief White House Correspondent Ed Henry. "Instead what happened was WE GAVE PRESIDENT BUSH (THE MONEY AND) PRESIDENT OBAMA INHERITED $800 BILLION WORTH OF WALKING-AROUND MONEY WITH NO GUIDELINES."

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/02/goper-calls-obama-administration-corrupt/


The problem was that most of the TARP funds were supposed to be paid back. When the private banks started to do that, BHO decided he could use the money that came back however he wanted to without congressional authorization or approval. Absolute power…..



MSNBC: Bush's Book Is Popular Because He Was So Hated

ALEX PAREENE, SALON: Well, obviously we can't say for sure because we don't know why those two million people have bought it. But, there are, I’ve speculated a couple reasons. It may be the fact that HE WAS HATED BY SO MANY PEOPLE actually helped fuel his book sales because PEOPLE WANTED TO HEAR HIM ACTUALLY JUSTIFY HIMSELF AND EXPLAIN SOME OF HIS DECISIONS THAT HE MADE. And, you know, there are, I mean, you can imagine that some people bought it as a gag or some people got it, received it as a gift and didn't really want it. And also the fact is like there are Kindle copies now, there are ebooks that are much more popular and not that’s a much cheaper way to buy a book. But my favorite speculative reason is that it's just half as long as Bill Clinton’s book. Bill Clinton’s book is like 1,000 pages long and George W Bush got his presidency done in 500 pages and then he's out.

O’DONNELL: Alex, I, that is brilliant. I think that's actually probably one of the main, that’s probably one of the main reasons. IT'S ONLY HALF AS LONG. That's fantastic. But what about sort of the ereader phenomenon? I mean, actually, that makes it much easier to purchase a book rather than, than, you know, having to go to a book store.

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2011/01/01/msnbc-bushs-book-popular-because-he-was-so-hated#ixzz19vIWqmxB


Sometimes I think liberals are too cunning for their own good. Clinton was a popular president but when you think about his presidency you think of Monica Lewinsky and let’s face it, you don’t expect him to say much about that. Bush was there for 9/11, Afghanistan, and Iraq. The left said he committed war crimes and tortured (read that water boarded) prisoners). Let’s face it; W has a more interesting story to tell.


Tyranny by decree

Over the past year, it has become obvious that WHAT LEFTISTS CANNOT WIN AT THE BALLOT BOX, THEY WILL ACCOMPLISH VIA BUREAUCRATIC DICTATE. After the U.S. Senate in 2009 rejected the massive cap-and-tax scheme on carbon credits, the Obama administration rode to the rescue of global-warming fanatics. On Dec. 7, 2009, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa P. Jackson issued a ruling that the EPA WOULD BEGIN REGULATING FIVE "ANTHROPOGENIC" (MAN-MADE) GREENHOUSE GASES, INCLUDING CARBON DIOXIDE, THE AIR WE EXHALE. The EPA based its finding on research from the now discredited U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and rejected at least 10 petitions for reconsideration.

So the EPA is now preparing to hound power plants and refineries by drafting carbon-emissions limits by July 2011, with a final rule due by May 2012. Never mind the faltering U.S. economy and China's growing economic power. The greenhouse gods must be appeased.

Not to be outdone, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in December began regulating the Internet. IGNORING A RECENT COURT DECISION AND CONGRESS' POINTED REFUSAL TO GRANT THE FCC THIS POWER, THE DEMOCRAT-DOMINATED BODY SIMPLY VOTED 3-2 on Dec. 21 (the darkest day of the year) to adopt "net neutrality" rules.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jan/2/tyranny-by-decree/


I know that President Obama has said his favorite President was Abraham Lincoln. But it appears Obama, if he were writing the Gettysburg Address would end it: “A government of the Bureaucracy, by the Bureaucracy, and for the Bureaucracy shall not perish from the earth.”

What a GOP Congress might bring

There is already a standard line of advice to Speaker-to-be John Boehner and his colleagues that goes like this: DEMOCRATS OVERREACHED in the last Congress by doing too much and ignoring "the center." Republicans should be careful not to make the same mistake, lest they lose their majority, too.

This counsel is wrong, partly because the premise is faulty. DEMOCRATS DID NOT OVERREACH IN THE 111TH CONGRESS. ON THE CONTRARY, THEY COMPROMISED REGULARLY. Compromise made the health-care bill far more complicated than it had to be and the original stimulus bill too small. Democrats would have been better off getting more done more quickly and more coherently

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/02/AR2011010202380.html


Read the whole article. EJ Dionne not only gets it wrong about what the 111th congress did, but thinks the Republicans will be done in by if they do what the electorate wants them to do, that is, to act as a restraining order for the Obama Administration and it’s far left policies. Dionne is among the far left supporters of President Obama who seem to feel his problem was he didn’t go far enough to the left and compromised too much on leftist ideals. He is totally out of touch with the vast majority of the American public.

Who Doomed Europe's Youth?

I intended to comment on today's NY Times' article, "Europe's Young Grow Agitated Over Future Prospects," but the Powerline boys got to it first in "Europe's Doomed Generation."

In short, despite bundles of university diplomas (paid for by the state) and continuously lessening competition (due to plummeting birth rates), Europe's youth (particularly in the south) cannot find work. UNEMPLOYMENT IN ITALY IS 23%, SPAIN HAS REACHED 40% and "underemployment" - taking part-time or non/low-paying jobs - is ubiquitous among the young.

http://nlt.ashbrook.org/2011/01/who-doomed-europes-youth.php
This is the formula for revolution.

Democrats err in bid to muzzle senators

In claiming “FILIBUSTER ABUSE,’’ critics note that the CLOTURE MOTIONS UTILIZED TO SHUT OFF DEBATE HAVE BEEN FILED IN RECORD NUMBERS DURING THE PAST TWO YEARS. THIS IS TRUE, to a point, but driven largely by the majority’s own behavior. First, the Democratic leadership has pursued an unusual number of highly controversial measures, including partisan health care legislation, financial service regulation, and measures eliminating the secret ballot for union members.

Second, MAJORITY LEADER REID HAS FREQUENTLY FILED CLOTURE MOTIONS IMMEDIATELY AFTER BRINGING A BILL TO THE FLOOR — before anything resembling a filibuster has even materialized. This unusual practice denies the minority the opportunity to offer amendments and sends a very partisan message that the majority is determined to cut off debate as soon as possible

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2011/01/03/democrats_err_in_bid_to_muzzle_senators/

The democrats when in power in the senate see the problem quite differently than they do when they are in the minority. But this points out that rather than filibusters, the Democrats have filed a record number of cloture motions. That is, they are attempting to cut off debate.