Boker tov, Boulder!

Oy a broch, Obama-Clinton?!

Gird your loins, folks.  Former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich predicts an Obama-Clinton ticket in 2012:

 

My political prediction for 2012 (based on absolutely no inside information): Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden swap places. Biden becomes Secretary of State — a position he’s apparently coveted for years. And Hillary Clinton, Vice President. 

So the Democratic ticket for 2012 is Obama-Clinton.

Why do I say this? Because Obama needs to stir the passions and enthusiasms of a Democratic base that’s been disillusioned with his cave-ins to regressive Republicans. Hillary Clinton on the ticket can do that.

Moreover, the economy won’t be in superb shape in the months leading up to Election Day. Indeed, if the European debt crisis grows worse and if China’s economy continues to slow, there’s a better than even chance we’ll be back in a recession. Clinton would help deflect attention from the bad economy and put it on foreign policy, where she and Obama have shined. 

And it gets worse:

The deal would also make Clinton the obvious Democratic presidential candidate in 2016 — offering the Democrats a shot at twelve (or more) years in the White House, something the Republicans had with Ronald Reagan and the first George Bush but which the Democrats haven’t had since FDR. Twelve years gives the party in power a chance to reshape the Supreme Court as well as put an indelible stamp on America. 

According to the latest Gallup poll, the duo are this year’s most admired man and woman...

LA Times: Obama won for the fourth consecutive time while Clinton has been the most admired woman in each of the last 10 years.

I feel like my head must be screwed on backwards. How can this be, that Obama is so admired when I see him as such a villain and the very personification of tyranny? The only conclusion I can draw at present is that the biggest threat to our freedom and prosperity lies in the fact that the media is all set to re-elect this bastard. 

These words of warning fell on deaf ears when they were first published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch in 2008 and so they do still, yet they haunt my thoughts every day:

.... In the late 1950s, most Cubans thought Cuba needed a change, and they were right. So when a young leader came along, every Cuban was at least receptive.

When the young leader spoke eloquently and passionately and denounced the old system, the press fell in love with him. They never questioned who his friends were or what he really believed in. When he said he would help the farmers and the poor and bring free medical care and education to all, everyone followed. When he said he would bring justice and equality to all, everyone said "Praise the Lord." And when the young leader said, "I will be for change and I'll bring you change," everyone yelled, "Viva Fidel!"

But nobody asked about the change, so by the time the executioner's guns went silent the people's guns had been taken away. By the time everyone was equal, they were equally poor, hungry, and oppressed. By the time everyone received their free education it was worth nothing. By the time the press noticed, it was too late, because they were now working for him. By the time the change was finally implemented Cuba had been knocked down a couple of notches to Third-World status. By the time the change was over more than a million people had taken to boats, rafts, and inner tubes. You can call those who made it ashore anywhere else in the world the most fortunate Cubans....

 

Movie Crowds Shrink to 16-Year-Low

LOS ANGELES (AP) —

... movie crowds keep shrinking — down to a 16-year low as 2011's film lineup fell well short of studios' record expectations....

Just what has kept the movie business in the dumps the rest of 2011 is anyone's guess — though safe bets include the tight economy, rising ticket prices, backlash against parades of sequels or remakes, and an almost-limitless inventory of portable and at-home gadgetry to occupy people's time.

 

I can think of other reasons as well. You?

The 8th Day

New York Times 9/4/2009: An ultra-Orthodox Jew prays at sundown ... near the town of Modi'in, in the West Bank.

 

Modi'in -- in the First Book of Maccabees, Ch. 2:

The King's officers who were enforcing apostasy came to the town of Modi'in to see that sacrifice was offered, and many Israelites went over to them.  Mattathias and his sons stood in a group. The King's officers spoke to Mattathias: "You are a leader here," they said, "a man of mark and influence in this town, with your sons and brothers at your back. You be the first now to come forward and carry out the King's order. All the nations have done so, as well as the leading men in Judea and the people left in Jerusalem. Then you and your sons will be enrolled among the King's friends; you will all receive high honors, rich rewards of silver and gold, and many further benefits."

To this Mattathias replied in a ringing voice: "Though all the nations within the king's dominions obey him and forsake their ancestral worship, though they have chosen to submit to his commands, yet I and my sons and brothers will follow the Covenant of our fathers. Heaven forbid we should ever abandon the law and its statutes. We will not obey the command of the king, nor will we deviate from our forms of worship."

Fast forward now to the present, and this essay by Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger, by way of Lazer Beams and Brother Jack.

(Who knew?)

.... [a] statue of Judah the Maccabee ... is displayed at the West Point Military Academy, the most prestigious U.S. military academy, founded in 1802. The statue of Judah the Maccabee, known for his principle-driven leadership and daring battle tactics, is displayed along with the statues of Joshua, David, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Hector, King Arthur, Charlemagne and Godfrey of Bouillon – “the Nine Worthies.”

I am struck by the enormity of my ignorance.

.... In 2011, Hanukkah is still a living experience in the U.S. For example, the residents of Billings, Mont. celebrate Hanukkah in solidarity with the Jewish community of 40 families, and in protest of the 1993 vandals who broke the windows of Jewish homes that displayed Hanukkah menorahs. In response, more than 10,000 of the city’s residents put makeshift menorahs in their own windows. They persist, annually, in this ritual.

On this last day of Chanukah, we have much to learn... and much to teach those who will come after us.

.... Judah the Maccabee’s own Valley Forge was at Beit El; his capital was Jerusalem; he scored dramatic victories in Beit Horon (over Seron), Hadashah (over Nicanor), Beit Zur (over Lysias) and Ma’aleh Levona (over Apolonius); he was defeated at Elazar and killed at Ba’al Hatzor – all are located beyond the “1967 Lines.”

 

Read it all.

Tax the Rich? Do the math.

In case you come across any Occupiers or other left-wing kooks in your daily rounds, here is a factoid you should have at your disposal: 

A 1.9 percent tax surcharge on million-dollar-earners

would yield [at most]

$11 billion.

 

The total U.S. National Debt stands at $15.1 Trillion. If my calculator is working correctly, this means that Harry Reid's 1.9 percent surcharge (i.e., penalty) on millionaires would wipe out only about one-tenth of one percent of our debt.

For more detail, see "Sen. Harry Reid's Unicorns: Fact Checking a Whopper" at Forbes.com --

Tax policy should be serious business carried out by serious politicians using real facts and figures. This is why we have the Library of Congress and the Congressional Budget Office, among other expert institutions.

How can we take Congress seriously when the Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, makes patently inaccurate, outrageous and bizarre claims on an important tax-policy issue without any heads being turned?

 

Not to worry, one day all this will be in the Tax History Museum. And what an entertaining place it is. Feel free to roam around at will. 

1904 .... The Supreme Court found the oleomargarine tax to be constitutional. Originally enacted in 1886 at the behest of dairy interests, the tax was designed to prevent margarine — which was relatively cheap to manufacture — from competing with butter in the marketplace. The tax was almost purely regulatory, although it did raise significant revenue as margarine became increasingly popular.

* * * 

1909 An uneasy coalition of Democrats and western Republicans joined to support passage of an individual income tax. The specter of a hostile Supreme Court haunted the debate. Some observers believed the justices would invalidate an income tax, just as they had in 1895. Others, however, thought the Court had changed to reflect growing bipartisan -- and popular -- support for the levy. A few income tax supporters wanted to press the issue regardless of the Court's likely response, eager to make the case for progressive taxation. In any case, the income tax coalition developed a moderate proposal and sought to attach it to tariff legislation in the Senate.

GOP leaders were alarmed by rebellion in their own ranks, with numerous Republican progressives indicating their support for a new income tax. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Nelson Aldrich (R-R.I.) tried to fend off the income tax proposal, but pro-tax forces enjoyed considerable momentum. Worried that Aldrich would lose the battle, President Taft convinced the senator that a modest tax on corporate income would siphon off support for general income taxation. In doing so, it would deny victory to the congressional income tax coalition, preserving GOP unity.

 

 

33 of The People's Seats up for grabs

Will anyone ever forget the moment that got Scott Brown elected? (It wasn't the truck, though that did help.)

 

 

 

World Net Daily offers an "in-depth look at 33 [Senate] seats up for grabs -- and who's grabbing."

Control of the U.S. Senate is now up for grabs in what could be one of the most competitive elections in years – and the struggle for power appears to hinge on 10 hotly contested seats that could go to either party.

Thirty-three U.S. Senate seats are now available for the taking. Democrats have 23 seats up for election, including two independents (Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, who is retiring, and Vermont's Bernie Sanders, who is seeking re-election) who caucus with the Democrats. Of those 23, six are retiring and 17 are seeking re-election.

Republicans have only 10 seats up for election. Two Republicans are retiring, while eight are seeking re-election. To claim a Senate majority, Republicans must gain four seats (or three to tie) in 2012.

According to the Cook Political Report, some of the biggest toss-up Senate seats include New Mexico, Wisconsin, Ohio, Virginia, Montana, Nevada, Missouri, Massachusetts, Nebraska and North Dakota. All are controlled by Democrats, except Massachusetts, where Sen. Scott Brown is struggling to hold his favor with voters against Elizabeth Warren, who is leading in recent polls.

The Cook Political Report also rates 21 races as being to some extent competitive, five more than any of the three preceding elections....

You might want to bookmark the link for future reference, as it goes into great detail, state by state.

Moral Imperative, Jews, "not worth it"

Jeffrey Scott Shapiro:

 

On the evening of Sept. 16, 2009, I was invited to a function for Rand Paul’s U.S. Senate campaign at the headquarters of Americans for Tax Reform.

I had been invited by a friend of mine via Facebook who was a passionate supporter of Ron Paul. Within minutes of arriving, I saw Rep. Paul enter the room, followed by an entourage of several college students.

I immediately walked up to Paul and introduced myself, and Paul smiled at me and shook my hand. I told him that I had always wanted to ask him a question, and that it was a hypothetical question, but I would appreciate his answer nonetheless. Paul smiled, and welcomed the question. At this point there were about 15 people surrounding us, listening.

And so I asked Congressman Paul: if he were President of the United States during World War II, and as president he knew what we now know about the Holocaust, but the Third Reich presented no threat to the U.S., would he have sent American troops to Nazi Germany purely as a moral imperative to save the Jews?” 

And the Congressman answered:

“No, I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t risk American lives to do that. If someone wants to do that on their own because they want to do that, well, that’s fine, but I wouldn’t do that.”

Paul then looked at me, and I politely thanked him for his time. He smiled at me again and nodded his head, and many of his young followers were also smiling, and nodding their heads in agreement. Clearly, I was the only one in the room who was disturbed by his response.

When I first presented the story of Paul’s comments about the Holocaust to major news media outlets two years ago, they were so stunned they were afraid to publish my story, and as a result it has remained unpublished until now.

I went to great lengths afterwards to learn more about the basis for Paul’s comments. I spoke to Eric Dondero, a former senior aide for Paul, in February 2010. Dondero is quoted in a Weekly Standard article today about Paul’s isolationist beliefs.

When I called Dondero again this morning, and told him I was finally going forward with the story, he told me that Paul had made similar comments to him.

“He told me numerous times it was not worth it to intervene to save the Jews in World War II,” Dondero said. “I don’t think that’s because he’s an antisemite. It’s because he’s an extreme isolationist and he’s trying to be 100% principled – he doesn’t think there’s any reason to intervene for human rights or any other reason anywhere on the planet.”

Calls to Rep. Paul’s congressional office and campaign office last week and this morning were not returned....

 

Maybe it's just me but I find it more than a little creepy, then, to see Ron Paul trying to raise, not 5 or 7, but 6 Million... dollars.

 

"Six Million To Win." What is that, a dollar for every Jew murdered in the Holocaust? And they say Jewish blood is cheap. Sorry, but that's how this looks to me after reading his forthright answer and hearing it affirmed by a former "senior aide."

I VOTE: To hell with Ron Paul.

You Decide.

A Salt Lake Tribune poll found that 67 percent of Americans want the president to be Christian...

 

Misfit Politics by way of The Right Scoop:

 

John Hawkins Examines "Electability"

It's possible that we have more than one emperor running around naked.

"Let's be perfectly honest,

Mitt Romney excites no one except for

Mormons, political consultants,

and Jennifer Rubin."

John Hawkins, writing at Townhall, lists seven reasons that Romney's purported "electability" is only a myth. I find No. 4 the most convincing:

.... Mitt has been running for President longer than the other contenders. He has more money and a better organization than the other candidates. The party establishment and inside the beltway media is firmly in his corner. That's why the other contenders have been absolutely savaged while Romney, like John McCain before him, has been allowed to skate through the primaries without receiving serious scrutiny.

Yet, every one of those advantages disappears if he becomes the nominee. Suddenly Obama will be the more experienced candidate in the race for the presidency. He will also have more money and a better organization than Mitt. Moreover, in a general election, the establishment and beltway media will be aligned against Romney, not for him. Suddenly, Romney will go from getting a free pass to being public enemy #1 for the entire mainstream media.

If you took all those advantages away from Romney in the GOP primary, he'd be fighting with Jon Huntsman for last place. So, what happens when if he's the nominee and suddenly, all the pillars that have barely kept him propped up in SECOND place so far are suddenly removed? ....

  

Q: Did the VA GOP change the rules ... in November 2011?

 

A:  Apparently, yes.

 

I was just getting ready to hang up my blogger's hat for the day when Yeshiva Son sent me this. It's complicated, and since I haven't eaten anything all day except Grandma's coffee cake, my head was spinning before I ever laid eyes on Moe Lane's explication:

"...the laws weren’t changed; the internal rules were, and on short notice."

 

I'm going back to my original plan now, to EAT SOMETHING, while you guys figure out what the heck the Ruling Class is up to now -- and maybe even note your confusion and or displeasure out there on the innernut.  You can submit news tips to Drudge, you know; see the box in the right-hand column near the bottom of the page. And if you don't know where else to take it, the Top 10 Must-Read Blogs for Conservatives would be a good place to start. That should keep you busy...

 

State-Run Media at The Washington Post

If you have nothing better to do, you might want to look at the "Best of Washington Post Photography 2011." [You can google it ~ I wouldn't link to it if you paid me.]

While hardly any of the 67 photographs are devoid of a left-wing political agenda in one form or another, this one (#34) takes the cake.

Shame on them.

 

 

Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) awaits the arrival of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for an address to a joint session of Congress in May. 

Melina Mara / The Washington Post