The Stupidity of the Left

Massacre, then libel

The charge: The Tucson massacre is a consequence of the "climate of hate" created by Sarah Palin, the Tea Party, Glenn Beck, Obamacare opponents and sundry other liberal betes noires.

The verdict: RARELY IN AMERICAN POLITICAL DISCOURSE HAS THERE BEEN A CHARGE SO RECKLESS, SO SCURRILOUS AND SO UNSUPPORTED BY EVIDENCE.

As killers go, Jared Loughner is not reticent. Yet among all his writings, postings, videos and other ravings - and in all the testimony from all the people who knew him - THERE IS NOT A SINGLE REFERENCE TO ANY OF THESE SUPPOSED ACCESSORIES TO MURDER.

Not only is there no evidence that Loughner was impelled to violence by any of those upon whom Paul Krugman, Keith Olbermann, the New York Times, the Tucson sheriff and other rabid partisans are fixated. THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT HE WAS RESPONDING TO ANYTHING, POLITICAL OR OTHERWISE, OUTSIDE OF HIS OWN HEAD.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/11/AR2011011106993.html

Dr. Krauthammer again tells us what we already knew if we were anything but rabid partisans.


Dupnik for Dummies

As you may know, Dupnik has been busy warning of how speech has consequences while in the same breath blaming conservatives for the actions of Loughner. Now, I don’t blame the sheriff for asking why. It is fine to look for reasons. IT IS NOT FINE TO BE RECKLESS AND WRONG. AND IT’S A SIN WHEN IT’S BORN OF INDIFFERENCE TO TRUTH.

To be precise, Dupnik implicates right-wing talk radio—HE MENTIONED RUSH LIMBAUGH—and cable news in the Giffords shooting. Yet a number of obvious things seem to have eluded this man, this supposed professional investigator. For starters, if we’re actually going to analyze the politics of Loughner, we should note that ONE OF HIS FORMER CLASSMATES DESCRIBES HIM AS A “LEFT WING” “POLITICAL RADICAL” AND “POT HEAD” and that Loughner had listed THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTO AMONG HIS FAVORITE WORKS on his YouTube page. Then, many know about Loughner’s bizarre YouTube video. What few know, however, is that HE APPARENTLY POSTED IT TO DEMOCRATICUNDERGROUND.COM BEFORE ITS APPEARANCE ON YOUTUBE. Yes, sheriff, that’s “democratic” as in Democratic Party—not as in Republican, Tea, or Animal House.

http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/32041


This one is well worth the read. The Democraticunderground.com is a website bathed in hate however it is left wing hate.



What is a climate of hate?

THE RODEO CLOWN POSSE was led out of Tucson in a cloud of dust with a hay-burning frenzy by Arizona's Pima County Sheriff CLARENCE DUPNIK. Close in tow were hyper-boiling politicians and the usual lefty print and TV media cowboys such as REP. JAMES CLYBURN, columnist PAUL KRUGMAN, TV antagonista CHRIS MATTHEWS, and even our own Secretary of State HILLARY CLINTON. These tin-star constables couldn't get on their donkeys fast enough to round up the usual outlaws. THE LEADING PERENNIAL VILLAIN, OF COURSE, IS OVERHEATED POLITICAL RHETORIC, THE EUPHEMISM FOR ANY STRONGLY HELD OPINION THAT DIFFERS FROM THE LIBERAL NARRATIVE.

http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/01/we_need_more_political_rhetori.html


A good explanation of how what is going on by the Democrats is an assault on free speech and why free speech is so vital to a democracy.



Extreme Rhetoric about Extreme Rhetoric

When it was revealed by Middlebury College sociologist David Stoll that Nobel Prize-winning writer (and doyenne of university syllabi) RIGOBERTA MENCHU HAD INVENTED KEY PARTS OF HER HARROWING MEMOIR OF THE GUATEMALAN CIVIL WAR, many who taught the book INSISTED THAT IT WOULD REMAIN A PART OF THEIR CURRICULUM. Menchu might have been a first-class fabulist, it was argued, but HER STORY REPRESENTED A TRUTH FAMILIAR TO THOSE AFFECTED BY THE GUATEMALAN CIVIL WAR. So there I was, sitting in a television studio yesterday, debating a university professor who intoned gravely that WHILE THIS PARTICULAR SHOOTER MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN MOTIVATED BY THE TEA PARTY, THAT TYPE OF RHETORIC COULD POTENTIALLY PROVOKE OTHERS TO SHOOT MEMBERS OF CONGRESS.

Crawling out from under an avalanche of doltish tragedy blogging and tweeting, there isn’t much more one can say about the shootings in Tucson that hasn’t already been said by the few sensible pundits left in the United States. But it is perhaps worth pointing out that many of those denouncing rhetorical extremism are themselves in danger of drifting into similar territory (I won’t say "extremist" because dumb political rhetoric isn’t always "extreme").

But this debate about the “tone” of American politics is IDEOLOGICALLY UNIDIRECTIONAL, DESIGNED NOT TO ELEVATE DEBATE BUT TO VILIFY A POLITICAL ENEMY. The call for calm—with its frequent invocations of Tea Party “fascism”—is STUPID PARTISAN POLITICS DRESSED UP AS INCOHERENT MORAL POLITICS

http://reason.com/blog/2011/01/11/the-extreme-rhetoric-about-ext


The talk by the left is dangerous. Freedom of Speech needs to be upheld, not attacked because there may be individuals who might go off the deep end. It appears the left is looking to try to castigate the right and specifically the TEA Party. But these charges like the ones of the TEA Party being extremist and racist will fail.



My Name is Betsy. I’m a killer

My name is Betsy. I'm a wife and proud soccer mom, a writer, and small business owner. I'M ALSO A KILLER.


On the morning of January 8th, 2011, I intentionally entered a gathering held by Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, and shot her at near point blank range. I injured 14 others, killing six: among them a beautiful, curious, doe-eyed, nine-year-old girl. I DIDN'T ACTUALLY PULL THE TRIGGER, BUT I'M AS GUILTY AS THE PSYCHOPATH WHO DID.


Here are just a few of the charges against me:

I am a CONSERVATIVE.

On occasion, I LISTEN TO BECK, LIMBAUGH, AND FOX NEWS.

I've been known to pick up a book or two by conservative authors; Thomas Sowell, Andrew McCarthy, or the Founding Fathers, for example!

I BELIEVE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS TOO LARGE, far too intrusive, and dangerously powerful……

The only person who actually pulled the trigger on that terrible, fateful day was Jared Loughner, by every account, a deeply troubled young man. But THE REAL GUILTY WALK AMONG US: SENIOR CITIZENS IN RED, WHITE, AND BLUE, ARMED WITH SIGNS, "Taxed Enough Already," flag-wavers clinging to guns and religion, doctors, the wealthy, business owners, talk radio, and ANY CITIZEN THAT DARE EXERCISE HIS OR HER RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH, particularly a conservative.

http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/01/my_name_is_betsy_im_a_killer.html


Satire, but very effective satire.



Bush vs Obama

….IF OBAMA IS SO MUCH SMARTER THAN BUSH IS, HOW COME HE CAN'T come up with new ways to do things but ends up instead with the Bush tax cuts, with the Bush protocols for the war on terror, with the Bush wars, the Bush generals, the Bush surge strategies, and the Bush policies on Guantanamo Bay?

HOW COME BUSH'S APPROVAL RATINGS NOW MATCH OBAMA'S? How come Bush beat out President Clinton for second place in the annual ranking of men most admired? And how come his memoir sold 2.2 million copies in the two months since it's been published, a little more than Clinton's memoir sold in six years?

"Who's actually buying the poorly reviewed book of a failed former president?" asked the Washington Monthly. "I THINK IT'S THE FACT THAT HE WAS HATED BY SO MANY PEOPLE," Salon's Alex Pareene answered.

People wanted to read Bush's excuses for the terrible things that he did.

Other excuses Pareene offered were these: PEOPLE BOUGHT THEM AS GAGS FOR PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T WANT TO RECEIVE THEM.

They were bought in bulk orders by conservative think tanks and book clubs. IT WAS SHORTER THAN CLINTON'S BOOK, AND PEOPLE HATE READING……

Almost as much as trying to live in the state of denial, it seems.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/2011/01/noemie-emery-liberals-denial-about-obamas-achievements#ixzz1Apr1dQB1


I’m becoming more convinced that the left really doesn’t have a reasoning ability. They simply emote.



Lopsided Spill Commission Doesn’t Single Out BP

The While House oil-spill commission made it official today: THE ENTIRE OIL INDUSTRY, NOT BP, IS EVIL AND POTENTIALLY THE SOURCE OF ANOTHER DEEPWATER-SIZED SPILL. Thus the entire oil industry, which has already been punished by the administration with its drilling moratorium and slowdown in permitting, should be punished further with massive new regulations and fees.


Those conclusions were virtually predetermined when the administration appointed a panel heavily stacked with academics and environmentalists. And those findings are wrong.


Why? A simple reality check: Other companies drilling in deep water in the Gulf have not had well blow-outs. But in BP’s case, the commission’s own studies show not just one mistake but a series of failed judgment calls by BP officials. Responsibility is specific, not collective. WE DON’T SHUT DOWN THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY WHEN A PLANE CRASHES, AND WE SHOULDN’T SHUT DOWN THE OIL BUSINESS.

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/256923/lopsided-spill-commission-doesnt-single-out-bp-lou-dolinar

BP was the Democrats favorite oil company prior to the failure in the Gulf. They were heavy donors to the Democrats and Barack Obama in particular (BHO got $71,000 in donations in 2008 alone). This appears to be Democrat politics as usual.



Where’s the “missing” heat?

I’m bowing to pressure to prepare a post on a current science topic that people seem to want to talk about. This topic refers to Kevin Trenberth’s infamous statement in the CRU emails:

THE FACT IS THAT WE CAN’T ACCOUNT FOR THE LACK OF WARMING AT THE MOMENT AND IT IS A TRAVESTY THAT WE CAN’T.

This statement was written in reference to the following paper: An imperative for climate change planning: tracking Earth’s global energy (Trenberth 2009). The paper discusses the planet’s energy budget in terms of how much net energy is flowing into our climate and where it’s going, and how we observe and track this energy flow. For additional background on this, see also Trenberth, Fasullo and Kiehl.

Trenberth and Fasullo wrote a follow on perspective published in Science entitled “Tracking earth’s energy: from El Nino to Global warming.” THE PUNCHLINE OF THE PAPER IS THERE IS OBSERVATIONAL EVIDENCE FOR MISSING ENERGY ACCUMULATING IN THE CLIMATE SYSTEM FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS.

Roy Spencer responded to Trenberth and Fasullo here and here, There is a back and forth exchange between Trenberth and Pielke Sr here. The gist of their arguments relate to problems in the measurements and the possible impact of clouds.

This week, there is discussion ABOUT A NEW PAPER BY KNOX AND DOUGLASS ENTITLED “RECENT ENERGY BALANCE OF EARTH” is in press at the International Journal of Geosciences and some text is posted at WUWT, with the following overall punchline: THEY FIND THAT ESTIMATES OF THE RECENT (2003–2008) OCEAN HEAT CONTENT RATES OF CHANGE (OBSERVED FROM ARGO FLOATS) ARE PREPONDERANTLY NEGATIVE, which does not support the existence of either a large positive radiative imbalance or a “missing energy.”

http://judithcurry.com/2011/01/07/wheres-the-missing-heat/#comment-29221


I don’t run a lot on AGW anymore because quite frankly it isn’t a very big issue anymore. The alarmists have either moved on to a new crisis or find themselves being ignored by the public. But with all the stories on the Tucson tragedy, it actually nice to look at some other news.

Warmists say cold weather proves AGW happening

Temperatures for December and January were consistently 1.8 F ( 1 C) lower than the average of 41 F (5 C)and 37 F (3C) respectively and more snow fell in London this week than since the 1960s.

But despite this extreme weather, scientists say that the current cold snap does not mean that climate change is going into reverse. In fact, the surprise with which we have greeted the extreme conditions only reinforces how our climate has changed over the years.

A study by the Met Office which went back 350 years shows that such extreme weather now only occurs every 20 years.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/4436934/Snow-is-consistent-with-global-warming-say-scientists.html?sms_ss=email&at_xt=4d2e42b3bf2fcb62%2C0

It appears everything supports the speculation about AGW.  You can watch a video on it below.
And here’s an explanation why no matter what happens it doesn’t change their minds

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdxaxJNs15s

Have the Republicans peaked too early?

President Obama—An editorial

I remember an episode of the TV show Frasier when he had met the most popular girl in his high school who was interested in him. After a night together he was talking with his brother, Niles, and said, “I went to bed with the high school prom queen and woke up with Carrie.” I think America is feeling similarly with President Obama. WE ELECTED SOMEONE WHO SEEMED LIKE LINCOLN AND WOKE UP WITH AN INCOMPETENT VERSION OF NIXON.

Nixon was a divisive figure in American politics. The left hated him, but at least he was a competent President. Obama on the other hand is turning out to be just as divisive a figure but is showing all the signs of being in well over his head. From the stimulus package which hasn’t lived up to its promises to the healthcare bill that seems to have something in it that everyone can hate, Obama seems to be forced to explain his accomplishments in hypothetical terms since the actual results are disappointing.

The Democrats are desperately trying to frame the 2010 midterms as a choice rather than a referendum on the Obama Presidency. Is there any wonder why?

Americans' Image of "Federal Government" Mostly Negative

More than 7 in 10 describe government in negative terms

PRINCETON, NJ -- More than 7 in 10 Americans use a word or phrase that
is clearly negative when providing a top-of-mind reaction to the federal
government.

A Sept. 20-21 USA Today/Gallup poll asked respondents what they
would say "if someone asked you to describe the federal government in one word
or phrase." The accompanying chart shows the results in graphic form, with the
words or phrases displayed according to how frequently they are mentioned.

Overall, 72% of responses about the federal government are
negative, touching on its inefficiency, size, corruption, and general
incompetence, with the most common specific descriptions being "too big,"
"confused," and "corrupt."

I don’t think you want to be thought of as the party of big government.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/143492/Americans-Image-Federal-Government-Mostly-Negative.aspx

Perhaps Democrats regret using strong-arm tactics

Perhaps the Democrats are starting to realize that pushing health care
through on a procedural loophole against the vigorously expressed will of the
people wasn't such a great idea after all. Long before health care was
passed, or began to unravel, it became apparent that this bill would be a
disaster for the party that passed it, a bomb that blew up in the hands of its
maker, destroying not only the party in question, but the political climate, the
trust of the voters, and the political discourse for cycles to come

Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columns/Perhaps-Democrats-regret-using-strong-arm-tactics-1193735-104809954.html#ixzz12CWnShFJ

Obama, the Chamber and Foreign Money

President Obama on Monday dropped any mention of the charge he hurled
days earlier at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, that the business industry group
was using foreign money to finance election year TV ads.

However, Vice President Joe Biden and the Democratic National
Committee kept up the attacks, in what appeared to be an attempt to distance the
president himself from the mudslinging while keeping the issue in the news,
despite its crumbling credibility as an accusation.

It appears that the attack on the Chamber of Commerce has backfired on the Democrats and they are moving on to another set of attacks. Expect more in the next three weeks.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2010/10/11/obama-drops-foreign-money-charge-from-fundraiser-remarks-but-biden-and-dnc-continue-attack/#ixzz129EcCztm

Obama's Miracle: He's Making Bush Look Good

A new poll shows that people are becoming more nostalgic for the Bush years.

Back in April, Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg was fairly confident
that Republicans had peaked too early. While Democratic losses would be severe,
he predicted, "it will not be another 1994." Now the former pollster for Bill
Clinton is less sure Democrats can avoid a blowout. The reason? His polls show
that President Obama's campaign refrain that the country must "go forward, not
go backward" to the past ACTUALLY LOSES VOTES FOR DEMOCRATS.

President Obama has been enamored of the theme that the country
can't afford to return to what he terms the discredited policies of the Bush
years. "That's the mantra that he wants to drill into voters' heads between now
and November," ABC News reported last summer.....

But so far the only thing that seems to be coming back is nostalgia for George W. Bush. A new CNN poll finds voters still believe Mr. Obama is a better president than Mr. Bush was, but by only 47% to 45%. That's down from a whopping 23-point margin last year. "DEMOCRATS WOULD BE WISE TO THINK TWICE BEFORE BRINGING UP THE NAME OF PRESIDENT BUSH ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL THIS FALL," says CNN Polling.


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703440004575548130895975438.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_MIDDLETopOpinion


AZ 7 slips into Likely Democrat

Yesterday I linked a story of AZ7 where the Democrat incumbent had called for a boycott of his own state. I mentioned that it was not listed as at risk for the Democrats. Today, Real Politics took one away from the safely Democrat column and moved AZ7 to Likely Democrat.

In the meantime, the Republicans gained one in the Republican column. There are 39 tossups and the Republican should only have to win 7 of them to gain control of the House of Representatives. The Democrats would need to win 33 to maintain control.


http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2010/house/2010_elections_house_map.html

Frank for crisis

Rivals pull no punches in debate

Barney Frank’s GOP challenger came out swinging in a pair of debates yesterday, faulting the 30-year Democratic congressman for the nation’s great economic collapse.

“He supported housing policies that caused the economy to crumble,” said Sean Bielat, who’s running for the 10th congressional district.

Frank fought back, saying he rescued the nation’s sinking finances by tossing out faulty home ownership policies put in place by the Bush administration

Talk about chutzpah! Frank was THE defender of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and those were the prime movers in the subprime crises which lead to the economic disaster. Trying to blame Bush for this is absolutely astonishing.

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1288225

For Democrats, Even ‘Safe’ Seats Are Shaky

ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio — Republicans are expanding the battle for the
House into districts that Democrats had once considered relatively safe, while
Democrats began a STRATEGY OF TRIAGE on Monday to fortify candidates who they believe stand the best chance of survival.

As Republicans made new investments in at least 10 races across the
country, including two Democratic seats here in eastern Ohio, Democratic leaders
took steps to pull out of some races entirely or significantly cut their
financial commitment in several districts that the party won in the last two
election cycles.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/12/us/politics/12repubs.html?_r=2

Goodbye: Democrats Withdrawal Support from Dahlkemper Race

Watching what is going on in this election is fascinating. It’s akin to watching a military battle and you see the Democrats yielding more and more territory trying to get a defensible perimeter. It appears PA3 is no longer in it.

Kathy Dahlkemper will have to go it alone in the final weeks of her campaign
as she struggles to hold on to her third district congressional seat against
Republican Mike Kelly in northwestern Pennsylvania. The Democratic Party is
pulling support of Dahlkemper in order to focus on more competitive races
elsewhere.

http://www.nationalreview.com/battle10/249434/goodbye-democrats-withdrawal-support-dahlkemper-race-thomas-shakely


A Model for Economic Recovery?

While states like Nevada wallow in recession, tiny North Dakota becomes the
first state rated as expanding by a leading service. Could it be the state's
burgeoning energy industry?

The recession — induced by Democrats and activists meddling in the housing market through the Community Reinvestment Act and then whistling past the bad-loan graveyard of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — officially ended in June 2009, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research….

The key may be North Dakota's development of the energy
resources under its soil and in its rocks, something the Obama administration is
loath to do nationally. Instead we get drilling moratoriums and polar bear
habitat protection that serve to make AMERICA THE ONLY INDUSTRIALIZED NATION NOT DEVELOPING ITS DOMESTIC ENERGY RESOURCES.

Almost every move Obama and the Democrats have made seems to have been wrong. Green jobs, deficit spending, and plans to raise taxes in a weak economy shutting down offshore wells in the Gulf, all loom as job killers rather than job creators.

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/550055/201010111833/Drill-North-Dakota-Drill.aspx

Reid misses on his greatest living American nominations.

Christian Broadcasting Network’s White House correspondent David Brody has a
weekly feature called Five 4 Friday where he asks five rapid-fire puff-ball
questions to public figures. This week’s guest was Senate Majority Leader Harry
Reid. Question number three, Brody asked who were the greatest living Americans? REID’S ANSWER WAS ROBERT BYRD AND TEDDY KENNEDY neither one is qualified to be considered the greatest living
American.

Perhaps he was confusing living Americans with voting Americans in Chicago?

http://biggovernment.com/jdunetz/2010/10/12/harry-reid-picks-two-dead-senators-as-the-greatest-living-americans/

24 Days

95,000 Americans lose their jobs in September

The economy lost 95,000 jobs in September, and the national
unemployment rate remained steady at 9.6 percent, according to numbers released
by the U.S. Department of Labor on Friday, presenting Democrats with another
challenge in making their case to voters that they should remain in control of
Congress.

Friday's unemployment report is the last that will be released
before voters go to the polls on November 2 in midterm elections that will
widely be perceived as a referendum on President Obama's first two years in
office.

The economy lost 159,000 government jobs and added 64,000 private
sector jobs. Though the unemployment rate held at 9.6 percent, the job losses
were worse than expected.

This is not the message you wanted to hear if you are a democrat.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/10/08/final_unemployment_numbers_before_election_day_107488.html

CNN Poll: Was Bush better president than Obama?

(CNN) - Americans are divided over whether President Barack Obama or his
predecessor has performed better in the White House, according to a new national
poll.

And a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Friday also
indicates in the battle for Congress, Republicans hold large advantages over the
Democrats among independents, men and blue-collar whites. The poll also
indicates that Republicans are much more enthusiastic than Democrats to vote.

By 47 to 45 percent, Americans say Obama is a better president than
George W. Bush. But that two point margin is down from a 23 point advantage one
year ago.

"Democrats may want to think twice about bringing up former
President George W. Bush's name while campaigning this year," says CNN Polling
Director Keating Holland.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/08/cnntime-poll-was-bush-better-president-than-obama/

Another Reason the Democrats don’t deserve to retain control

For the first time since modern budgeting was introduced with the Budget Act
of 1974, the House failed to even write a budget. This in a
year of extraordinary deficits, rising uncertainty and jittery financial
markets. Gold is going through the roof. Confidence in the dollar and the
American economy is falling -- largely because of massive overhanging
debt. Yet no budget emerged from Congress to give guidance, let alone
reassurance, about future U.S. revenues and spending.

That's not all. Congress has not passed a single appropriations bill. To keep
the government going, Congress passed a so-called continuing resolution (CR)
before adjourning to campaign. The problem with continuing to spend at the
current level is that the last two years have seen a huge 28 percent jump in
non-defense discretionary spending. The CR continues this profligacy,
aggravating an already serious debt problem.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/07/AR2010100705106.html


The Elections: How Bad for Democrats?

Here’s an interesting if self serving look at what liberals think went wrong and continues to go wrong to the left.

How did things get this bad for Obama? The reasons are numerous. The
condition of the economy is of course the chief one. If the stimulus had kept
unemployment below 8 percent, as Christina Romer, recently departed chairwoman
of the Council of Economic Advisers, once promised it would, in one of the least
advisable public comments by any Obama administration official so far on any
subject, then discontent across the land would not be so great, and the bayings
of the furious Tea Party minority would likely not be resonating as they are. By
all accounts, top presidential economic advisers like Timothy Geithner and
Lawrence Summers (who will leave office at the end of the year) really did think
the economy was going to be in recovery by now. Had they been right, the
political prognosis for Democrats would consist of lost seats, but not on nearly
the scale predicted today…..

This is not the sort of thing that is
measured by polls, but I believe the Democrats’ hesitance to tie their programs
to larger beliefs has been demoralizing to liberals and confusing or off-putting
to independents. The impression is left with voters that Republicans are fighting for the country, while Democrats are fighting for their special
interests. The pre-presidential Obama powerfully made this kind
of broad, patriotic appeal, both at his 2004 convention keynote address and in
his stirring Jefferson-Jackson Day speech in Iowa in November 2007. But any
sense that the Democrats are now making a coherent argument about what kind of
country they want has vaporized. Underneath all the Democrats’ bickering about
such issues as health care and the performance of Tim Geithner, that is their
real problem.

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2010/oct/28/elections-how-bad-democrats/


Rasmussen sees more Democrat seats in danger

With the Crystal Ball shifting 21 House race
ratings in the direction last week, the national picture looks bright for Republicans, both from a
birds-eye view and also from a race-by-race perspective. This week we nudge
three more Democratic-held House seats into more competitive categories, as we
hone in on where exactly the GOP gains we have long projected will come from.

Democrat need to defend what has been their territory

Republican advances in traditionally
Democratic states, including Connecticut, Oregon and Washington,
may not translate into a wave of GOP victories. But they have rattled local
campaigns and forced the Democrats to shift
attention and money to races they didn't expect to be defending.

Rising sentiment against the party in power has washed ashore even in
coastal Oregon, where Democratic Rep. Peter DeFazio won his 10th re-election two
years ago with 82% of the vote.
"I am having the same problem that Democrats
are having across the country, which is ennui," he said, noting that his
opponent's yard signs "are thick" across much of the district. Mr. DeFazio said
he is facing the fight of his political life.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704657304575540300424055286.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsTop

Dumbing down of America—but it’s in a good cause.

Nearly half of American history teachers believe it is less
important that their students understand the common history, ideas, rights, and
responsibilities that tie the country together as Americans than that they learn
to celebrate the unique identities and experiences of its different ethnic,
religious, and immigrant groups.

Advocates of radical "social-justice"
multiculturalism in many university schools of education -- the places where
most K-12 teachers are trained -- continue to oppose assimilation with a
common culture while instead seeking to radically transform an
"oppressive" America.

http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/10/do_american_history_teachers_v.html

I find stories like this frightening. This might also explain the next story.

Ignorance and the New York Times

The people who run the New York Times, along with columnists like Paul
Krugman and Maureen Dowd, are so ill-informed and out of touch that their
efforts to tell the rest of us what to think grow more pitiful every day. This
is from today's NYT Corrections Section. The paper corrects a news story written
by a reporter who has no comprehension of the tax code, but nevertheless tried
to make a political point by implying that subchapter S corporations represent
some kind of tax dodge:

An article on Wednesday about the business
culture at the Tribune Company after its acquisition by Sam Zell referred
incorrectly to federal taxes on an S corporation, which Tribune became after the
deal. S corporations pay no federal taxes because shareholders are
responsible for all taxes; therefore, taxpayers do not become
"essentially silent partners in the deal."

So we have a NYTimes reporter seeing a conspiracy in the tax code that didn’t exist. But the fact checking editors didn’t seem to know better either.

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2010/10/027404.php

Just for fun—Irony Alert

The American Postal Workers Union has extended its internal election after
thousands of ballots appeared to have gotten lost . . . in the mail.

The
union's election committee was supposed to be counting those ballots this week
in downtown Washington, D.C., following a tradition mail-in election. But the
union announced that only about 39,000 ballots were turned in -- and that "a
large number of union members had not received their ballots."

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/10/07/postal-union-election-delayed-ballots-lost-mail/