Democrats

The REAL scandal

Drew McKissick — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:09:46 -0400

As I've said before, the bad thing about this financial "crisis" is that it's attracting all the media attention away from the real scandal that they don't want to cover. That being the crooks at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac...and their buddies in the Democrat party.

Taxpayers for Truth have a new YouTube video out today which does a good job of comparing this scandal to the ones we were treated with wall-to-wall coverage of, (Enron and Tyco, etc.). Bottom line, dozens of times larger.

Click the video below, or go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQtq77RQRf0

Nothing like have Democrat friends in high places, (like Congress and the media).

Vatican: Democrats are "the party of death"

Drew McKissick — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:36:10 -0400

This is gonna' leave a mark...

Vatican officials seldom single out political leaders who differ with the Church on issues like abortion rights or embryonic stem cell research. But now that the Vatican’s highest court is led by an American, the former St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke, we can expect things to get more explicit in Vatican City — at least when when it comes to U.S. politics.

Burke, who was named prefect of the Vatican’s Supreme Court of the Apostolic Signature in June, told the Italian Catholic newspaper Avvenire that the U.S. Democratic Party risked “transforming itself definitively into a party of death for its decisions on bioethical issues.” He then attacked two of the party’s most high profile Catholics — vice presidential candidate Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — for misrepresenting Church teaching on abortion.

Boy, it's refreshing when you come across someone who gives it to you without the varnish. He went on...

Burke said pro-life Democrats were “rare” and that it saddened him that the party that helped “our immigrant parents and grandparents” prosper in America had changed so much over the years.

No joke. Given their party's positions on abortion, embryonic stem-cell research, and gay marriage, you can't think that their leadership feels too happy about the Vatican taking a more aggressive role in holding its flock to account, (especially when you consider how many blue-collar Catholics there are in those swing states in the north and upper-midwest).

GOP 'Brand' Improving According to New Poll Released by Pew Research

Gary Gore — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 12:29:10 -0400

Pew Research Center has a brand new poll out that reflects some very favorable numbers for the Republicans going into the peak of the election season.

The poll shows that 'independent voters' now have an equally favorable opinion of both parties - 50% to 49% - a 1-point edge actually going to the Republicans. As recently as August, the Democrats had held an 18-point advantage over the Republicans in this very demographic; a huge gap that had previously held for over a year.

Former DNC Chair and SC Democrat Congressman Find Enjoyment in Impending Hurricane's Approach

Gary Gore — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 16:29:49 -0400

Two democrats taking enjoyment in the destruction that is surely to come from Hurricane Gustav and the political gain they are benefiting from due to the storm hitting at the time of the Republican National Convention...

This is about as nauseating and sickening as politics can get; we should hope.

Fowler: (Laughing) "The hurricane’s going to hit New Orleans about the time they start."

Spratt: Inaudible.

Fowler: (Laughing) "The timing is — at least it appears now - that it’ll be there Monday."

Spratt: Inaudible.

Fowler: "That just demonstrates that God’s on our side." (Laughing)

Spratt: Inaudible.

Fowler: "Right. Everything’s cool." (Laughter)

Just in Time for The Democratic Convention

Gary Gore — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:33:18 -0400

As was rumored to happen several weeks ago, it is now becoming a certainty that one of the biggest issues the Democrats were hoping to run on over the next 2 1/2 months is now a moot point.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced today that the United States and Iraq have now reached agreements on "time horizons" in which U.S. troops will begin staggered exits from Iraq. While the final deal is not totally complete, the withdrawal plan and strategic framework pact is close to final completion.

This from Fox News:

"We have agreed that some goals, some aspirational timetables for how that might unfold, are well worth having in such an agreement," Rice told reporters after meeting with Iraqi officials, including Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

"This agreement determines the principle provisions, requirements, to regulate the temporary presence and the time horizon, the mission of the U.S. forces," Zebari said.

A draft agreement announced Wednesday would have American troops leave Iraqi cities as early as June 30. Rice flew into Baghdad on an unannounced trip on Thursday to hammer out unresolved issues.

Zebari said the pact has to go before Iraq's Executive Council for Review, but, "really, we are very, very close to closing this agreement."

Besides spelling out that U.S. troops would move out of Iraqi cities by next summer, the Iraqi government has pushed for a specific date, most likely the end of 2011, by which all U.S. forces would leave the country. In the meantime, the U.S. troops would be positioned on bases in other parts of the country to make them less visible while positioned to help Iraqi forces as needed.

This news could not have come sooner, though ideally maybe it should have come a few days later. It would have been great fun to watch Obama in Denver have to quickly rework his acceptance speech, especially on the fly, if this news would have come out during the Democratic Convention's final evening. Talk about losing the wind in their sails!

I guess, however, that would have been politicizing the Iraqi strategy a bit much. And while tossing about that sort of rationale may be fine for the pundits, it's clear this administration would never behave in that manner. But, alas, I am not a part of the administration, am I?

This news is very good politically for the GOP on several fronts but mostly due to the fact that it plays up to John McCain's insistence on certainly leaving Iraq, but doing so with the qualifier that it does, indeed, occur on the heals of victory! Also, it takes one of the Democrats' very top issues away from them that they intended to use against the Republicans... and that is never a bad thing to happen!

Isn't it so interesting how that, more often than not, what is a good thing for America, is a bad thing for the DNC?!?

Campaign watch: 8/14

Drew McKissick — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 10:57:36 -0400

Latest comments and numbers from the trail...

Karl Rove sees the key battleground coming down to 4 states:

Other states will see serious competition, including Florida, Pennsylvania, Nevada, New Hampshire, Missouri and Wisconsin. But Colorado, Virginia, Michigan and Ohio are likely to be the center of the action. To win, Mr. Obama needs to pick up 18 electoral votes more than John Kerry received, meaning Mr. Obama must carry Colorado or Virginia and add another small state to his column. If Mr. McCain carries Michigan as well as Ohio, it would make Mr. Obama's Electoral College math very difficult. And if Mr. McCain can limit GOP losses to one or two small states from those won by the GOP in 2004, he'll be America's 44th president.

The latest polls:

Rasmussen puts it this way:

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Thursday shows Barack Obama attracting 43% of the vote while John McCain earns 42%. When "leaners" are included, it’s Obama 47% and McCain 46%

The race for the White House remains remarkably stable. With leaners, Obama’s support has stayed between 46% and 48% every day for the past two weeks. During that same time frame, McCain has been at 46% or 47% every day.

Even the favorable numbers are neck-and-neck at 55% for McCain and 54% for Obama.

From Gallup:

Gallup Poll Daily tracking from Aug. 10-12 gives Barack Obama a six percentage point lead over John McCain in the race for president, 48% to 42% among national registered voters.

From Pew:

With less than two weeks to go before the start of the presidential nominating conventions, Barack Obama's lead over John McCain has disappeared. Pew's latest survey finds 46% of registered voters saying they favor or lean to the putative Democratic candidate, while 43% back his likely Republican rival. In late June, Obama held a comfortable 48%-to-40% margin over McCain, which narrowed in mid-July to 47% to 42%.

Pew also notes that McCain's gains have come from consolidating GOP support...while the Dems - meaning former Hillary supporters - haven't closed ranks quite as much for him. (No wonder he doesn't want that roll-call in Denver).

Keep in mind that Rasmussen polls "likely" voters...Gallup and Pew, just "registered" voters.

Meanwhile, it appears that the drilling issue continues to cut well for Republicans and is gaining traction.

Veepstakes:

McCain doesn't "rule out" Ridge:

Republican John McCain says he has not ruled out choosing Pennsylvania's popular former Gov. Tom Ridge as a running mate despite his support for abortion rights, a hot-button issue that could inflame some voters among the party's conservative base.

Malkin sees a trial balloon. Urges conservatives to visit McCain's blog and shoot it down. Ditto. Just when the polls show the base coming around, the last thing you need to do is punch them in the gut. Yes, yes, we know we have pro-choicers in the party that we need to "work with", etc..., but that doesn't mean you put them in key leadership positions...much less potentially make them Vice-President and give them a leg up on future leadership of the party.

The Michigan GOP'ers want Romney.

John McCain came to Michigan on Wednesday to raise money. But some Michigan Republicans had another agenda: lobbying for native son and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney as McCain's running mate.

U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg, for example, once a Romney-for-president supporter who faces a tough re-election battle in the fall, said he was going to recommend Romney to McCain. He is among Republicans who believe Romney would not only help put McCain over the top in Michigan — a key state this fall — but also could boost Republican candidates down the ticket.

Romney "could really help things here and (in) four or five other states in the Midwest," Knollenberg said at a McCain fundraiser in West Bloomfield.

They're right, (IMHO). For all the talk about how Romney's Mormonism might hurt McCain with evangelicals, I don't buy it. Those folks (myself included) are more apt to focus on the social issue positions of the candidates when it's all said and done. Further, I don't think you can point to a single state where Romney might "cost" McCain enough votes to lose...whereas you can more easily point to a few he might help make competitive.

Meanwhile, the Dems have picked former VA Governor and Senate candidate Mark Warner for their keynote address...which some think diminishes the chances that the Veep will be current VA governor Kaine. Fine by me.

And the speculation continues over whether or not Powell will endorse Barry O. (That's loyalty for you)

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More: Sister Toldjah - The Fix - Polipundit - Hot Air - Outside the Beltway - WaPo

Support the American Energy Act

Drew McKissick — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 10:33:08 -0400

UPDATE: click here to follow the campaign to support the House Republicans and the "don't go" movement on twitter, (#dontgo).

Unless you've been living under a rock, you probably know that energy policy has become a big issue lately. And you don't need to look any further than the gas pump to know that it has a huge impact on our economy.

Well, now the Republicans have finally gotten their act together and taken the bull by the horns, so to speak, and are promoting an "all of the above" strategy to solve our energy problems. It's called the American Energy Act, (H.R. 6566).

In short, it really does seek to do "all of the above" when it comes to addressing our energy needs. Meaning, all of the proposed solutions that have been offered - more drilling, more refineries, more nuclear, more wind, more solar, more hydrogen research, more conservation, more tax incentives, etc...

It's one of those "about time" ideas, and it deserves our support.

Unfortunately, Nancy Pelosi and the Dems have decided it's more important to go on vacation right now than deal with this issue. So now's our chance to let them know how we feel. We've set up a petition and a fax campaign on this issue here.

So be sure to show your support for the American Energy Act - and tell Congress to get back to work!

Political Gamesmanship: Great New Ideas for Summer Vacation Fun!

Gary Gore — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:42:41 -0400

By now, we've all heard about the Democratic leadership in the U.S. House taking off for vacation without taking action on our nation's dire energy problems. Most notably, bringing up for vote the ending of the congressional ban on offshore drilling.

But, in the U.S. Senate, it's another story entirely. Over there it's the Democrats that refuse to leave. On the other side of the Capitol, they are engaging in political gamesmanship by refusing to adjourn the Senate for their annual August recess. Their fear is that President Bush will utilize the timeframe to make "recess appointments" while the Senate is away.

Considering how difficult it has been for President Bush to bring his various nominations through the process in this highly politically charged, partisan Congress, the president has been forced to make 165 recess appointments during his presidency through last fall. A recess appointee is allowed to serve until the end of the congressional session, which in this case coincides with the end of the Bush presidency.

From the AP via Yahoo:

Senate Democrats, repeating a tactic they have used all year, staged a lightning-fast pro forma session Tuesday, a procedure that keeps the Senate from officially adjourning and stops President Bush from making "recess appointments" without Senate confirmation.

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., took 28 seconds to gavel the Senate in and out of session. It's a process that will be repeated every three working days to keep the Senate from going into recess until lawmakers return in September.

Often it's senators from nearby Virginia or Maryland asked to do pro forma duty. Reed said he was helping out because he was staying at his Washington home with his 19-month-old child while his wife was traveling.

Seems these guys will use every rule in the playbook to keep the business of this nation from being successfully carried out. I think it's slightly more than just "unfortunate", which White House Spokesman Tony Fratto uses to describe the situation.

Jim Manley, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, said there was no particular nomination they were trying to stop. He said they just wanted to prevent "any mischief from happening."

White House spokesman Tony Fratto said there were 250 pending nominations — 151 non-career, 50 judicial, nine career civilian and 40 career military.

"It's really unfortunate that Congress left for yet another recess without dealing with pending nominations, especially for key officials dealing with energy issues, like our nominee for deputy secretary of Energy and three nominees to be commissioners of the CFTC (Commodity Futures Trading Commission)."

Indeed, this is more than "unfortunate". This is an outright betrayal of the American people by the very chosen few they have sent to Washington to lead and conduct the business of our government. But, instead these 'leaders' decide to use their time to play vacation games.

Another Dem plays the racist card

Drew McKissick — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 13:47:31 -0400

We're all familiar with McCain's charge against Obama last week of introducing race into the campaign, (in the course of mentioning that he would be attacked by Republicans because he doesn't "look like all those presidents on the dollar bills").

Well, now we've got another Democrat playing the race card, and about as overtly as possible. What makes this different? He's playing it against a fellow Democrat in a primary. Check out the YouTube video here.

Trouble in Obamaland

Drew McKissick — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 10:18:08 -0400

I wondered how long it would be before we got another dose of how the likes of Jesse Jackson (and other black "leaders") feel about Obama. Last year we had Jackson saying things like Obama was "acting white", guys like Sharpton indicating that he didn't have "real" black roots, etc.. Well now, thanks to an open mic at Fox News, we've got this from Jackson:

In a shocking blast at Barack Obama that was caught on tape, the Rev. Jesse Jackson said, “I wanna cut his nuts out.”

He made the astonishingly vulgar remark as he accused the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee of giving moral lectures to African-Americans.
“See, Barack [has] been talking down to black people . . . I wanna cut his nuts out,” Jackson said.

His whispered comments - accompanied by his hand-miming a cutting motion - were picked up by a live mike before an interview on health care in Fox News Channel’s Chicago studio Sunday.

In an effort to blunt the controversy, Jackson apologized publicly at a news conference before the tape aired last night on Bill O’Reilly’s “The Factor” show on Fox News Channel.

Also, Jackson had not plans to even admit that it was true (despite being on tape) until he learned Fox planned to air the comments.

Some are saying that this helps Obama...because he's being dissed by Jackson for saying things that should be said to the black community. But I disagree. This just reveals what we've already known was there. Dissention. Yes, the Jacksons and Sharptons will salute when needed, if just to maintain their credibility, but how hard will they work this fall? How hard wiill Jesse work the Rainbow-PUSH coalition when it comes to voter turnout for a guy that, should he win, obviates the need for guys like himself and Sharpton? I don't see it.

In the meantime, Obama's not making his peace treaty with Hillary any easier to maintain...

NEW YORK - It was all part of a careful arrangement: Democrat Barack Obama would get fundraising help from his erstwhile rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton, in exchange for his help retiring about $10 million of her campaign debt.

But Obama momentarily forgot his part of the deal at a major New York fundraiser Wednesday night, forcing him to retake the stage after he had concluded the event and said goodnight to the audience. ...

The Democratic nominee-in-waiting then wrapped up his speech and thanked the audience, moving to shake hands along a rope line.

After a minute or so, the music was cut short and Obama returned to the stage.

"This is not the speech part, but it is important," he said sheepishly, urging the group to reassemble.

"Senator Clinton still has some debt, and I could have had some debt if I hadn't won. So I know the drill," Obama said, encouraging donors to use the forms under their seats to make a contribution to help her.

"It's very important to us, and obviously Senator Clinton will be grateful as well," Obama said.

Don't think that slight went un-noticed by the Clinton folks. And don't forget, she's not the only one he has to make happy here, by helping her retire a multi-million dollar debt. And not just the hold-out Clinton supporters who "just don't like him"... But he's got to figure out what to do with the Clinton elite. The folks who've been running the Democrat party's power structure for the past twelve years. So far, they haven't been trhown a bone and don't have a spot in the Obamasphere.

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More: Michelle Malkin - Ace