More bad news for Obama

Obama Administration punishes reporter for using multimedia

The hip, transparent and social media-loving Obama administration is showing its analog roots. And maybe even some hypocrisy highlights.

WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS HAVE BANISHED ONE OF THE BEST POLITICAL REPORTERS IN THE COUNTRY FROM THE APPROVED POOL OF JOURNALISTS covering presidential visits to the Bay Area for using now-standard multimedia tools to gather the news.

The Chronicle's Carla Marinucci - who, like many contemporary reporters, has a phone with video capabilities on her at all times - PULLED OUT A SMALL VIDEO CAMERA LAST WEEK AND SHOT SOME PROTESTERS INTERRUPTING AN OBAMA FUNDRAISER AT THE ST. REGIS HOTEL.

She was part of a "print pool" - a limited number of journalists at an event who represent their bigger hoard colleagues - which White House press officials still refer to quaintly as "pen and pad" reporting…..

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/bronstein/detail?entry_id=87978#ixzz1Kty5fGY2

So this is Obama’s definition of transparency? She’s banned and other journalists were threatened if they reported the fact she had been banned.



Obama approval all time low: second straight week

President Barack Obama’s weekly approval rating remained at its all-time low for the second straight week, according to the Gallup poll.

IN THE WEEK OF APRIL 11-17 AND AGAIN IN THE WEEK OF APRIL 18-24, 43 PERCENT OF THE AMERICANS POLLED BY GALLUP SAID THEY APPROVED OF THE JOB OBAMA WAS DOING AS PRESIDENT.

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/obama-s-approval-remains-all-time-low-se

There’s still plenty of time until the next election, but do you see anything that demonstrates Obama is growing and getting better? It appears to be just the opposite.



Pennsylvania: Keystone for Democrats

If you're looking for ways to boil the 2012 presidential race down to its simplest form, here's one of the easiest: IT'S NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO ENVISION ANY WAY BARACK OBAMA CAN WIN RE-ELECTION NEXT YEAR IF HE LOSES PENNSYLVANIA. No Keystone State, no second term. It really is that simple.

As of right now, THINGS ARE LOOKING DICEY FOR THE PRESIDENT IN PENNSYLVANIA. Two weeks ago, the Democratic polling firm PPP released a survey showing the president's job approval rating at just 42% among Pennsylvania voters.

Yesterday, Quinnipiac University confirmed PPP's findings with a survey of their own conducted in Pennsylvania last WEEK SHOWING AN IDENTICAL JOB RATING OF 42% FOR THE PRESIDENT - A NEW LOW FOR OBAMA SINCE TAKING OFFICE.

Worse still for the president, for the first time the Quinnipiac poll found A MAJORITY OF PENNSYLVANIA VOTERS SAYING THAT OBAMA DOES NOT DESERVE TO BE RE-ELECTED.

The numbers show a sharp decline in Obama's standing in the Keystone State over the last nine weeks - particularly among Independents. In the last Quinnpiac survey, taken in mid-February of this year, Independents approved of the job Obama was doing as president by a net 4-point margin, 50 to 46. TODAY THEY DISAPPROVE OF THE JOB HE'S DOING BY A NET 20-POINT MARGIN, 37 TO 57.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/04/29/the_keystone_to_obamas_re-election_109702.html


This is a disaster for the Democrats.



Americans Are Ready to Take On the Deficit


A

reader pointed out these remarkable numbers from a Washington Post/Pew Research Center poll conducted April 21-25. Respondents were asked whether they think the federal budget deficit is a major problem that must be addressed now; a major problem that should be addressed when the economy improves; or not much of a problem:

MAJOR PROBLEM THAT MUST BE ADDRESSED NOW: 81%

Major problem that should be addressed when economy improves: 14%

Not much of a problem: 1%

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2011/04/028919.php

Again this is not good news if you are a partisan democrat. It appears fear mongering will not work against this as an issue.



Don’t Blame Speculators for Oil Prices

http://www.pjtv.com/?cmd=mpg&mpid=174&load=5344


Some interesting stats on how we can bring down oil prices now.



Paul Krugman’s name is mentioned at town hall to hearty laughter

http://jammiewearingfool.blogspot.com/2011/04/leftwing-drone-cites-nobel-prize.html


What is truly remarkable is the amount of laughter when a liberal uses Krugman’s name to try and discredit a Freshman Republican representative at a town hall meeting.



Paul Ryan receives standing ovation

Paul Ryan received a standing ovation Thursday afternoon during the Q&A part of his meeting with constituents at a high school auditorium in a suburb of Milwaukee.

Ryan faced a larger number of hecklers at this event than previous ones, but they were just a sliver of the max capacity crowd. The vast majority of those present stood and applauded Ryan after one constituent rose to thank the congressman for producing his plan to rein in the federal budget

Paul Ryan received a standing ovation Thursday afternoon during the Q&A part of his meeting with constituents at a high school auditorium in a suburb of Milwaukee.

Ryan faced a larger number of hecklers at this event than previous ones, but they were just a sliver of the max capacity crowd. The vast majority of those present stood and applauded Ryan after one constituent rose to thank the congressman for producing his plan to rein in the federal budget

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/video-paul-ryan-gets-standing-ovation-town-hall-meeting_558453.html




The Birther Networks

...As it turns out, ONE WAS 35 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO HEAR ABOUT THE BIRTHER ISSUE ON CNN OR MSNBC THAN ON FOX NEWS DURING THE WEEK OF APRIL 11 THROUGH 17, when Obama was touting his budget. The cable network most often railed against as the birther-enabler was least likely - by far - to even mention the issue.....

... the following breakdown of birther stories as a percentage of total coverage for each cable news channel:

- Fox News: 0.4 percent

- MSNBC: 9.2 percent

- CNN: 5 percent

MSNBC devoted 23 times as much airtime as Fox to cover the birther issue. CNN devoted 12.5 times as much. So, as mentioned above, one was 35.5 times more likely to see a birther story on Fox's competition than on FNC itself.

http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/lachlan-markay/2011/04/28/study-msnbc-and-cnn-covered-birther-issue-far-more-fox-news#ixzz1Ku73Jt1b

Obama claimed that he had to give up his birth certificate because “this was a "distraction" from "real issues" and therefore "silliness.” It’s funny which network(s) fed their partisan viewers a steady diet of this silliness.



The Obama Lie that flamed the birther story

... For the last two years or more, many in THE BIRTHER COMMUNITY KNEW THAT OBAMA'S "MULTICULTURAL IDEAL" WAS BASED ON A LIE. Knowing that Obama was capable of lying about the first two years of his life, they had no reason to believe he was telling the truth about his birth, especially given the lengths he had gone to in order to protect his birth certificate.

FOR THEIR PART, THE MAJOR MEDIA -- ALMOST TO A PERSON -- WERE DOING EVERYTHING IN THEIR POWER TO PROTECT THE LIE. This was unprecedented on the sunny side of the Iron Curtain. The birthers had absolutely no reason to believe the media….

http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/04/the_obama_lie_that_drove_the_b.html

An interesting look at Obama’s childhood compared to the story he told in his 2004 Democratic Convention speech. Sometimes the story isn’t really THE story.



Obama trying to make America Great!

The budget is out of control because of THE THING THAT OBAMA SAYS MAKES AMERICA GREAT: ENTITLEMENTS. Who knew that giving money to the shiftless and lazy is the way we are supposed to measure ourselves?

Apparently America is at the pinnacle of its greatness, because we are giving it all away. According to this report, 50% OF AMERICANS ARE RECEIVING ENTITLEMENTS, AND MORE SHOCKING IS THIS REPORT THAT SHOWS THAT AS MANY AS 62% OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARE RECEIVING THEM. I can understand 10% of Americans receiving entitlements, because conservatives are sensitive to the plight of the underprivileged, despite the lies from the lunatic left. But 50% just helps me understand how many lazy leftoids there are -- you know, people who believe that they are entitled to our money

http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/04/obamas_brand_of_greatness_for.html

I was shocked by the fact that 62% of illegals are getting handouts.





















Tornadoes whipped up by wind, not climate: officials

US meteorologists warned Thursday it would be a mistake to blame climate change for a seeming increase in tornadoes in the wake of deadly storms that have ripped through the US south.

"If you look at the past 60 years of data, the number of tornadoes is increasing significantly, but IT'S AGREED UPON BY THE TORNADO COMMUNITY THAT IT'S NOT A REAL INCREASE," said Grady Dixon, assistant professor of meteorology and climatology at Mississippi State University.

"It's having to do with better (weather tracking) technology, more population, the fact that the population is better educated and more aware. So we're seeing them more often," Dixon said.

But he said IT WOULD BE "A TERRIBLE MISTAKE" TO RELATE THE UP-TICK TO CLIMATE CHANGE.

http://www.france24.com/en/20110428-tornadoes-whipped-wind-not-climate-officials

But of course the alarmists will relate this to climate change. You see them on the TV trying to connect tornadoes to climate change to prove a theory that is falling into disrepute.

Obama and the budget

Obama abdicates on the budget

....The president keeps promoting an “adult conversation” about the budget, but THAT CAN’T HAPPEN IF THE FIRST ADULT DOESN’T PLAY HIS PART. Obama is eager to be all things to all people. HE’S AGAINST THE DEBT AND ITS ADVERSE CONSEQUENCES, BUT HE’S FOR PRESERVING SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE WITHOUT MAJOR CHANGES. HE’S FOR “TOUGH CUTS,” BUT HE’S AGAINST SAYING WHAT THEY ARE AND DEFENDING THEM. He pronounces ambitious goals without saying how they’d be reached. MAINLY, HE’S FOR SCORING POLITICAL POINTS AGAINST REPUBLICANS....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-budget-conversation-we-should-be-having/2011/04/22/AFvhu4dE_story.html


This is a column by Robert Samuelson, a liberal pundit. It’s actually quite good and demonstrates to me that people are realizing we have to do something about the budget. It’s a major problem for Obama and the Democrats and even his allies in the press are starting to call him on it.



They think you’re stupid

It is with great interest that I read this past week about the President's initial response to rising gas prices. What or who was to blame? ACCORDING TO THE PRESIDENT...SPECULATORS. NAMELESS, FACELESS SPECULATORS. THEY ARE TO BLAME FOR THE RISING PRICE OF CRUDE OIL UP AND THE ACCOMPANYING PRICE AT THE PUMP!

"The problem is...speculators and people make various bets, and they say, you know what, we think that maybe there's a 20 percent chance that something might happen in the Middle East that might disrupt oil supply, so we're going to bet that oil is going to go up real high. And that spikes up prices significantly…."

….No, the main culprit here isn't the nameless, faceless "speculators" that are now the object of the President's scorn, BUT GOVERNMENT POLICY ITSELF, BOTH WITH THE FEDERAL RESERVE (MONETARY) AND THE BUDGET DEFICITS ACCRUED IN RECENT YEARS (FISCAL). What is going on is that THE GOVERNMENT IS TRYING TO DEFLECT BLAME to these nameless, faceless speculators for their own disastrous fiscal and monetary policies.

IN OTHER WORDS, THEY THINK YOU ARE STUPID.

http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/04/gasoline_prices_and_speculator.html

Actually the title may be a bit harsh. They HOPE your are stupid.

‘I will get into trouble’

It seems Tom Friedman’s awesome China is still practicing too much central planning, and appears headed for a hard fall. See this terrific broadcast report from Australian television about China’s ghost towns, which follows on the heels of several good print-media reports about this phenomenon, such as this one from the Daily Mail and this one in Time magazine.

Most revealing is a comment at the 11:35 mark of the video by a Chinese worker in the property sector: “I can’t tell you my views. Because I work in the property sector, I know a lot about it, I will get into trouble.”

http://www.sbs.com.au/dateline/story/watch/id/601007/n/China-s-Ghost-Cities


China has a lot going for it, but it also has a lot of problems. We shouldn’t overestimate what China will do in the future.

Guantanamo Bay

The sputtering end of the Obama administration’s plans to prosecute Khalid Sheik Mohammed in federal court came one day late last month in a conversation between the president and one of his top Cabinet members.

ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC H. HOLDER JR. HAD CALLED PRESIDENT OBAMA TO INFORM HIM THAT HE WOULD BE RETURNING THE CASE TO THE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT, A DECISION THAT WOULD MARK THE EFFECTIVE ABANDONMENT OF THE PRESIDENT’S PROMISE TO CLOSE THE MILITARY DETENTION CENTER AT GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA.

During the call, Obama did not press Holder to find a way to resurrect the federal prosecution of Mohammed and four co-defendants, according to senior administration officials familiar with the conversation. He DID NOT OBJECT. INSTEAD, HE CALLED IT A PRAGMATIC DECISION.

It was a fittingly quiet coda to the effort to close the military detention center. For more than two years, THE WHITE HOUSE’S PLANS HAD BEEN UNDERMINED BY POLITICAL MISCALCULATIONS, CONFUSION AND TIMIDITY IN THE FACE OF MOUNTING CONGRESSIONAL OPPOSITION, according to some inside the administration as well as on Capitol Hill. Indeed, the failed effort to close Guantanamo was reflective of the aspects of Obama’s leadership style that continue to distress his liberal base — a willingness to allow room for compromise and a passivity that at times permits opponents to set the agenda….

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/guantanamo-bay-how-the-white-house-lost-the-fight-to-close-it/2011/04/14/AFea3TZE_print.html

If you want to read what happened and confirm why Obama should not be re-elected, read this article.



Why Do So Many People Believe in Political Conspiracy Theories?

Belief in political conspiracy theories is widespread on both sides of the political spectrum. SOME 45% OF REPUBLICANS BELIEVE THAT OBAMA IS NOT A NATIVE-BORN CITIZEN and (presumably) that the Democrats have gotten away with covering up that fact. Similarly, 35% OF DEMOCRATS BELIEVE THAT GEORGE W. BUSH KNEW ABOUT THE 9/11 ATTACK IN ADVANCE, BUT LET IT HAPPEN ANYWAY. About a quarter of all Americans, including 32% OF DEMOCRATS AND 18% OF REPUBLICANS, BELIEVE THAT “THE JEWS” ARE TO BLAME FOR THE FINANCIAL CRISIS OF 2008.

Other widely-endorsed conspiracy theories include claims that THE GOVERNMENT IS COVERING UP EVIDENCE OF ALIEN LANDINGS ON EARTH, and that THE AIDS VIRUS WAS CREATED IN A GOVERNMENT LAB FOR THE PURPOSE OF INFECTING BLACKS. In a recent interview with CNN, Professor Robert Blaskiewicz of the Georgia Institute of Technology tried to explain the prevalence of such beliefs:

People are extremely social critters, and part of what makes that possible is the ability to perceive others as deliberately acting in the world, in other words to detect agency.

It’s extremely useful in building respectful communities. Sometimes that faculty doesn’t turn off when it should, and you associate “agency” with events and ideas that are unrelated.

WHEN A RESPONSIBLE AGENT IS NOT EASILY DISCERNIBLE, THAT SENSE THAT SOMETHING IS STILL DELIBERATE ENDURES, AND YOU ARE LEFT WONDERING, “WELL, WHO CAUSED IT, THEN?” You fill in the blanks…

http://volokh.com/2011/04/23/why-so-many-people-believe-in-political-conspiracy-theories/

The nuts come in all sizes, all colors and all political beliefs.



Higher education at the lowest possible level

If you are wondering why some folks are starting to question whether a college education is worth the cost, the video below goes a long way towards explaining it. Recently, the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) and the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) sponsored two college courses: INTRODUCTION TO LABOR STUDIES AND LABOR POLITICS AND SOCIETY, TO BE TAUGHT SIMULTANEOUSLY THROUGH A VIDEO CONFERENCE BETWEEN TO TWO CAMPUSES.

The Professors are Judy Ancel, Director of Labor Studies at UMKC and Don Giljum, business manager for the International Union of Operating Engineers at Ameren UE in St. Louis. (Bonus: he is a member of the Communist Party.)

In the class, THE PROFESSORS NOT ONLY ADVOCATE THE OCCASIONAL NEED FOR VIOLENCE AND INDUSTRIAL SABOTAGE, THEY OUTLINE SPECIFIC TACTICS THAT CAN BE USED. As one of our colleagues pointed out, it’s the matter-of-factness of it all that is so disturbing.

http://biggovernment.com/publius/2011/04/25/union-official-professor-teach-college-course-in-violent-union-tactics/


About 45 seconds into this video they start talking about violence and say it is sometimes necessary as is industrial sabotage. And wonder why we call them Union thugs?



Brit Hume: If the election were today

“I think it’s upside down,” Hume said. “IF THE ELECTION WERE HELD TODAY, IN MY VIEW, BARACK OBAMA WOULD LOSE. HE MIGHT LOSE BIG. Obviously, he’s got some time. Events change. HE WOULD LOSE TO ANY REASONABLE NOMINEE FROM THE REPUBLICAN PARTY. The Republican Party might be able to lose the election if they nominate some extremely colorful freakish candidate, but my view of this is this election, Juan [Williams] – as you may have heard me say before, IS UNLIKELY TO BE ABOUT THE REPUBLICAN NOMINEE. IT WILL BE ABOUT PRESIDENT OBAMA AND HIS RECORD and if the public decides it wants to make a change, and it would do that if the election were held today, they will elect a Republican.”

http://dailycaller.com/2011/04/24/hume-if-the-election-were-held-today-in-my-view-barack-obama-would-lose-he-might-lose-big/#ixzz1KY8qPpou


Left begins to realize their welfare state is unsustainable

Today’s WASHINGTON POST CLAIMS THAT MANY EUROPEANS ARE BEGINNING TO QUESTION THEIR WELL ESTABLISHED SYSTEM OF “REDISTRIBUTING WEALTH through taxes and welfare programs.” Specifically, the Post reports:

Manuel Valls, a presidential hopeful in France’s Socialist Party, challenged party doctrine recently by DECLARING THAT IT SHOULD NOT MAKE AN ISSUE OF PRESERVING THE 35-HOUR WORKWEEK if French factories have to compete with Chinese factories where the workweek starts at 60 hours and goes up from there. In Denmark, Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen rattled many in that icon of Scandinavian cradle-to-grave welfare by SUGGESTING DANES SHOULD WORK LONGER BEFORE RETIRING, TO PEEL BACK THE DEFICIT BY $2.8 BILLION.

Europeans are not the only ones that are beginning to notice that liberal social welfare states are unsustainable. The citizens of the bluest state in the union, California, are also beginning to question the size and scope of their government. The Los Angeles Times released a poll today showing 70% OF CALIFORNIANS SAID THEY SUPPORTED A CAP ON PENSIONS FOR FUTURE GOVERNMENT WORKERS, 68% APPROVED INCREASING GOVERNMENT WORKER CONTRIBUTIONS TO THEIR PENSIONS, AND 52% SUPPORT RAISING THE RETIREMENT AGE FOR GOVERNMENT WORKERS.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/04/left-begins-realize-their-welfare-state-unsustainable#ixzz1KYQeFHzr

I believe that when Obama expanded the spending he was counting on the Bush tax cuts to end and a tax on carbon to greatly increase revenues. When neither happened, his prolific spending instead led to a crisis in leadership and a revival of the Republican Party. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way.



Most Ridiculous Lawsuit of the Month – The ‘Deep Pockets’ Edition

....In 2008, a teenager grabbed a tip jar from the counter of a Starbucks and took off running. One of the customers, Roger Kreutz, chased the kid out into the parking lot and caught up to him as he was getting into a car. The two scuffled a bit until the teen was able to get into his car drive off, but as he did so his car knocked Kreutz over, who hit his head on the pavement and died two days later. The thief pled guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to a year in jail.

One life lost, another ruined over a tip jar containing less than $5. But out of this tragic story comes a redeeming twist. Kreutz’s family has forgiven the teen, and even invited him to participate in a memorial service where they all planted a tree in Kreutz’s honor. The family members say they knew the teen meant no harm.

HOWEVER, THE FAMILY’S COMPASSION DOESN’T EXTEND FURTHER TO THE STORE THE TEEN WAS ROBBING – THEY ARE TAKING STARBUCKS TO COURT ON THE GROUNDS THAT THE TIP JAR “INVITED THE ACT” OF THE CRIME, and that Starbucks was negligent in not employing a security guard. The teen was not named in the suit....

http://www.instituteforlegalreform.com/today-in-legal-reform/37-ilr-spotlight/275-most-ridiculous-lawsuit-of-the-month--the-deep-pockets-edition.html

This is a tragedy, but Starbuck was not to blame.