It’s Saturday, the weather is gorgeous and I have a date with a grill and some steaks so rather than spend my afternoon in front of the computer I thought put together a political blotter of sorts. First up, Chris Dodd trails likely Republican challenger Rob Simmons by 9 points in the latest the latest […]
Archives for 2009
Chris Dodd Hates Lobbyists But Not Their Cash
What I’m about to say should come as no surprise… Chris Dodd is a populist hypocrite. Just days after his campaign manager Jay Howser was sending e-mail to Dodd’s supporters proclaiming, “But what about the forgotten victims of Chris’s efforts? What about the lobbyists? The lobbyists can’t get meetings with Chris. He won’t return their […]
Reid: No Health Care Vote Before August Recess
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid effectively pulled the rug out from under Pres. Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi today by announcing that the Senate will wait until the fall to debate and vote on the presidents health care reform proposals: Senate Democratic leaders on Thursday abandoned plans for a vote on health care […]
Obama Administration Putting Off Budget Update
The Associated Press is reporting that the Obama Administration is putting of releasing the annual mid-summer budget update until mid-August: The White House is being forced to acknowledge the wide gap between its once-upbeat predictions about the economy and today’s bleak landscape. The administration’s annual midsummer budget update is sure to show higher deficits and […]
Joe Biden: ‘We Have to Go Spend Money to Keep From Going Bankrupt’
From CNSNews.com: Vice President Joe Biden told people attending an AARP town hall meeting that unless the Democrat-supported health care plan becomes law the nation will go bankrupt and that the only way to avoid that fate is for the government to spend more money. “And folks look, AARP knows and the people with me here today […]
Lest We Forget: Darrell C. “Shifty” Powers
Staff Sergent Darrel C. “Shifty” Powers passed away at his home in Virginia on June 17, 2009. Staff Sergent Powers was a veteran of World War Two having served with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. He received two Bronze Stars and a Combat Infantryman Badge. He in fought in […]
Steny Hoyer: Idiot
From CNSNews.com (emphasis mine): House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said that job growth and economic recovery would not be harmed by a Democratic plan to increase income taxes by $540 billion to pay for their health-care reform proposal because the tax hikes would not affect small businesses. Hoyer also said he could not think of any small business […]
Mandating Unemployment?
From the Wall Street Journal: Here’s some economic logic to ponder. The unemployment rate in June for American teenagers was 24%, for black teens it was 38%, and even White House economists are predicting more job losses. So how about raising the cost of that teenage labor? Sorry to say, but that’s precisely what will […]
Speed Bump: Senate Democrats Delay Action on Obama’s Healthcare & Climate Initiatives
Democrats in the House and Senate handed President Barack Obama a double dose of bad news yesterday when they moved to delay on his top legislative priorities, healthcare and climate change. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) said they would put off work on the climate change bill until September while […]
About that Alleged CIA ‘Lie’
From the Wall Street Journal: As political spectacles go, one would be hard pressed to find anything as ridiculous as the Washington Romper Room now starring Congressional Democrats and the CIA. If only the consequences weren’t potentially so damaging for national security. The latest episode comes courtesy of Silvestre Reyes, Chairman of the House Select […]
United Breaks Guitars
How to turn bad customer service into a public relations disaster: Step 1: Break folk singer Dave Carroll’s guitar. Step 2: Give Dave the run around for 9 months before finally telling him to get stuffed. Step 3: Leave Dave so frustrated that he writes song called “United Breaks Guitars”, records it and then produces […]
Pelosi v. CIA
From the Wall Street Journal: The last time the CIA and Nancy Pelosi were in the news together, the House Speaker was accusing the agency of lying about its briefings to Congress on the interrogation of al Qaeda detainees. This week, the Speaker’s fellow Democrats are set to block public disclosure of what Ms. Pelosi […]
Anatomy of a Crisis: The Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Debacle
Republican members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform have released a report analyzing the role of the government sponsored enterprises (GSE), Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, in the housing meltdown. You can read the full report here, but here are the highlights: Political pressure led to the erosion of responsible lending practices: […]
Will Obama Push for a Weaker Dollar?
Ugh, this is not good… former Clinton trade official and current member of the Obama administration’s economic advisory panel Laura Tyson said in Singapore today that the $787-billion plan Congress passed in February “will have a positive effect, but the real economy is a sicker patient.” She went on to say the plan turned out […]
Independence Day: Happy 233rd America!
In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776. The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which […]