-A lot of liberals are pulling the race card from the bottom of the deck with respect to the Code Red rally that took place today on the Capitol. Emily Miller from Politics Daily reports that she "didn't hear one offensive word from protesters on Hill." Since most of us did not attend the rally, what we have is a he-said, she-said situation where only video can provide the truth. Until such video is provided, there really is no reason for me to believe anything from Clyburn given his history of shamelessly playing the race card. I don't doubt that some offensive things were said today but to tar thousands of people as racists because several people allegedly said something offensive that up until this point has not been caught by any video is absurd. This same tactic was used to smear the thousands who attended Governor Palin's events during her run for the vice-presidency.
WSJ: "Everyone is preoccupied now with the politics [of ObamaCare], but ultimately at stake on Sunday is the kind of country America will be. The consequences of this bill will not only be destructive for the health-care system and the country's fiscal condition, though those will be bad enough. Inextricably bound up in a plan as far-reaching and ambitious as ObamaCare are also larger questions about the role of government, the dynamism of American enterprise and the nature of a free society."
Mike Brownfield: The Aftermath of Obamacare: What America Will Look Like If The White House Gets Its Way
Please stay involved throughout the weekend on the Obamacare debate. There will be another very important rally in D.C. at noon on Saturday. If you are anywhere near the Beltway or can travel there this weekend, I urge you to participate. Jon Voight and Rep. Michele Bachmann and many others will be there.
If you can’t attend the rally, you can still make your voices heard by calling and writing your Representative. Sign the petition here to remind Congress that “November Is Coming.” As Rep. Boehner said today, “Republicans can’t beat this bill, but the American people can.” Stand strong together!
The implications of Obamacare will reach into every aspect of our lives, from the value of our paycheck, to the quality of our health care, to the opportunities that will be stripped from Americans as we’re shoved under the enormous burden of more government growth and control. We must stop this now. “United We Stand, Divided We Fall.”
- Sarah Palin
Update: Palin also links to the following video that describes the process that the Democrat Party will use to ram this bill down America's throat.
-She tweets that we must push a "united effort against Obamacare and its unfathomable impacts on the country."
-The great Paul Greenberg writes in an editorial published in the New Bern Sun-Journal that Palin "can communicate clearly, sensibly and forcefully" and that "she can bring a Tea Party crowd to its feet by talking about TARP, AIG, bailouts, hedge funds, credit default swaps ... subjects that were once safely confined to the financial pages."
-Liberal Dave Weigel from the Washington Independent makes a good point regarding Palin and the television documentary about Alaska that she will reportedly host.
-Hotair commentator Terryann appropriately slams Kathleen Parker for mischaracterizing Palin's reported television documentary about Alaska.
-It was a short stay at the #1 spot on the NY Times best-seller list for Mitt Romney's book. However, the "two daggers" next to his book have not gone away.
-Tim Mak from the Frum Forum debunks a smear launched by Debbie Schlussel regarding Sean Hannity.
-Rand Paul continues to lead Trey Greyson by double digits in the Kentucky Senate GOP primary and would win a general election partially because of how voters in Kentucky (an electorate that is comprised of significantly more Democrats than Republicans) view Barack Obama.
If you don't get why the title for this open thread is spelled incorrectly, Obama will be able to tell you.
Mark your calendars and make your arrangements accordingly, it appears that Gov. Palin is slated to speak sometime between noon and 3:30pm on Friday, April 9 at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference.
As mentioned before, the SRLC straw poll will take place on Saturday, April 10.
Please let us know if you are attending by answering this survey.
Excerpted from an email from the SRLC:
DRAFT AGENDA
Thursday April 8
3:30pm – 5:45pm Pre-conference Breakout Sessions
6:30pm – 8:30pm Opening Session – Major Speakers
Liz Cheney
Newt Gingrich
Mary Matalin
Friday April 9
10:00am – 11:30am Brunch
Noon – 3:30pm General Session – Major Speakers
Bobby Jindal
Sarah Palin
Tony Perkins
Rick Perry
3:30pm – 6:30pm Breakout Sessions
6:15pm – 7:45pm Taste of Louisiana Reception 7:45pm - 9:00pm Sean Hannity Live
Saturday April 10
10:00am – 11:30am Brunch
Wayne LaPierre
Noon – 5:00pm General Session – Major Speakers
Haley Barbour
Ron Paul
Tim Pawlenty
Mike Pence
Rick Santorum
Michael Steele
David Vitter
3:00pm – 6:00pm Breakout Sessions
7:00pm – 9:00pm Gala
* Events and times subject to change. Speakers listed in alphabetical order within each session.
Yesterday the long-awaited "scoring" of ObamaCare was released by the CBO. The numbers purportedly show that the government takeover of the U.S. health care system will cost about $940 billion over the first ten years. As many have noted, including Paul Ryan, the CBO is staffed by generally competent and non-partisan people. However, they can only score what is put in front of them. For that reason, the Democrat majority in Congress provided them with convoluted data to guarantee a specific result. Many have written about the farcical nature of the of the CBO number over the past 24 hours. Here is one example from Investors Business Daily:
By presenting the CBO with incomplete, inaccurate and misleading data, the Democrats in Congress were finally able to come up with a cost score they like: $940 billion.
That's the estimate the CBO arrived at. Like a used car dealer pricing a car at $9,999 instead of $10,000, the hucksters in Congress were anxious to get the official cost below the scary $1 trillion level at which things suddenly sound very unaffordable.
Using the rigged $940 billion estimate, Democratic leaders now hope to force a health care bill through as early as Saturday, seizing 17% of the U.S. economy by simply "deeming" the bill is passed — rather than actually passing it in an up-or-down vote.
In fact, the real cost of this health care takeover is more like $2.5 trillion over 10 years — not $940 billion. That's off by, oh, 166%.
Garbage in, garbage out. The CBO was asked to score a ten-year plan which spends basically nothing in the first four years. This enables the Democrats to make the claim that it only costs $940 billion "over 10 years". They say a picture is worth a thousand words and the following graph, produced by Phillip Klein at the American Spectator, proves this to be true:
Hmmmmm. I can't put my finger on it but something doesn't look quite right.
Even the six-year estimate of the cost, which is what the CBO number actually is, has no realistic chance of verifying. Never in the history of entitlement programs has the cost ever been even close to it's initial estimate, and given the rosy scenario under which this forecast was issued, ObamaCare will certainly be no exception. Out of all the ridiculous statements issuing forth from Democrats yesterday, this one takes the prize:
President Barack Obama says his health care overhaul would be the most significant effort to reduce the nation's deficit since the balanced budget act of the 1990s.
This would be laugh out loud funny if not for the fiscal nightmare that will result from this farce. Does anyone seriously believe that adding a new entitlement for approximately 30 million more people will reduce the deficit? This is patently absurd and based on nothing but smoke and mirrors. Paul Ryan exposed the most egregious accounting chicanery contained in the plan when he confronted Obama at Blair House in February:
Obama had no answer for Ryan and did the only thing he could do: change the subject. Earlier this week Brett Baier of Fox News interviewed Obama and, unlike all other reporters who have questioned The One in the Age of Obama, actually expected answers. Baier repeatedly tried to question Obama about the accounting gimmickry and taxpayer funded bribes contained in ObamaCare. When Baier pressed, like a petulant child Obama became visibly agitated and, you guessed it, changed the subject, even fantasizing about an imaginary earthquake in Hawaii and suggesting ObamaCare would have been the right prescription for said imaginary earthquake:
It's clear from listening to the words emanating from Obama's mouth that he has no idea what a fiscal nightmare Obamacare will be. Either that or he knows but doesn't care. In any case, as Governor Palin has been repeatedly warning, we simply can't afford a mammoth new entitlement when we can't afford the multiple trillions we already owe on existing entitlements. In short, ObamaCare will only exacerbate an already critical fiscal condition. When you're in a hole, you stop digging.
I'll close with an excerpt from today's Wall Street Journal editorial, "March Madness", which succinctly sums up ObamaCare:
Has there ever been a political spectacle like the final throes of ObamaCare? We can't recall one outside of a banana republic, or, more accurately, Woody Allen's 1971 classic "Bananas." Capitol Hill resembles nothing so much as that movie's farcical coup d'etat in San Marcos as Democrats try to assemble the partisan minimum of 216 House votes—if only for an hour or so at some point on Sunday—and no bribe is too costly, no deal too cynical, no last-minute rewrite too blatant.
Update:Ed Morrissey has a post highlighting a leaked internal memo currently circulating among Democrats instructing them to mislead the media and public about the so-called "doc-fix" as we approach Sunday's vote. This gimmick alone, if included in the scoring data sent to the CBO, would destroy the claim that ObamaCare would somehow lower the deficit. It's no wonder the Democrats don't want to discuss the doc-fix since its continued obfuscation provides political cover to Democrats who claim they support ObamaCare due to its wonderful deficit reducing properties. The doc-fix will add another $371 billion to the cost. Oops.
Update II: Paul Ryan discussed the Democrat's cooking of the books this morning on Fox & Friends. His part begins at about the 42 second mark:
-Here is moreinformation about the group that Palin is allegedly speaking to next week in Midland, Texas. The group's focus is apparently "on policy and grassroots outreach to the youth and Hispanic communities."
-Expect a pretty big crowd for the Palin/Bachmann rally on April 7th.
-Obama is underwater with the Real Clear Politics Presidential Job Approval average for the first time. His favorable rating is underwater in Florida and his job approval rating is underwater in Washington, Ohio, and Oregon.
-Scott Rasmussen has bad news for John McCain but notes that McCain has good news on the horizon: "Palin will attend a McCain rally in Tucson later this month."
After advising everyone here to sign up for the NCAA tournament group that Whitney registered for us, I forgot to submit my own bracket! In any event, thanks again to Whitney for setting it up. What else is going on tonight?
Update: Eddie Burke has resigned from KBYR but he tweets that he has plans and that the "Tea Party is part of it." Best of luck to Eddie and we're interested in what he has in store for the future.
Former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin will be in Midland for two events next week.
The former Alaskan governor will be speaking about conservative issues and raising funds for a New York City-based political organization, a spokesman confirmed Thursday.
The high-profile conservative will address about 500 people, including schoolchildren carrying questions they have written for her, at 2 p.m. Thursday, March 25, at a location that had not yet been determined. She will then meet 400 people and speak from 6:15 to 8 p.m. at a fundraiser at the Petroleum Club, 501 W. Wall St.
Palin, who ran with GOP presidential nominee John McCain in 2008, will discuss issues she has emphasized at "Tea Party" rallies around the nation since last year along with energy concerns like the cap and trade proposals pending in Congress, said Executive Director Victor Cocchia for the Liberty & Freedom Foundation.
When asked if a format was considered where the tickets would have been less expensive and more people could have attended, Cocchia said, "The problem was timing.
"We would have loved a large-scale event, but it wasn't possible with the governor's scheduling. This is our first event with her, but we're hoping for a larger event in the future in Midland."
GOP supporter Dick Saulsbury first reported the foundation's intent to bring Palin here during a Valentine's Day luncheon of the Ector County Republican Women's Club in Odessa.
Read more here. Please note that this has not been confirmed by Governor Palin or her staff. As we reported earlier, Governor Palin will be appearing earlier that day at the Get Motivated Seminar in Beaumont, Texas. After the Midland events, she will head to Arizona for events on the 26th and 27th before ending up in Nevada for the Showdown in Searchlight. All in all an eventful weekend is shaping up for Governor Palin.
Earlier this month we reported on the proposed documentary to showcase the state of Alaska which Governor Palin and Mark Burnett were pitching to network executives in Los Angeles. Today Denise Martin at the LA Times has a bit more information on the project:
Two cable networks are bidding on the reality show Sarah Palin is pitching about Alaska.
According to Variety, it's come down to A&E and the Discovery Networks, companies that recently butted heads over the launch of two shows on Discovery's TLC that appeared to knock off A&E's highly rated "Intervention" and "Hoarders."
A&E and Discovery are said to be finalizing their bids and a decision could be made in the next few days. The trade reports that the show, which is being produced by Mark Burnett, could cost the winner about $1 million an episode. Burnett and Palin did pitch the project to the major broadcast networks, but they ultimately all passed.
Entertainment Weekly's initial report on the project described the show as "a travelogue-type documentary in which the former vice presidential candidate gives viewers an intimate look at her home state of Alaska."
Charles W. Moore at the Telegraph-Journal has written an article about Governor Palin from a Canadian perspective. Other than the recent tendency of many journalists to forget about her major speech last September in Hong Kong, it represents a fair and balanced view of Governor Palin from our friends north of the border:
Whether or not former Alaska governor and 2008 vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin can mount a successful campaign for the Republican Party presidential nomination in 2012, let alone go on to defeat an incumbent Barack Obama in a general election, there's no denying she's become a force to be reckoned with - not just in U.S., but in North American politics.
This was underscored by Ms. Palin's visit to Calgary recently, her first public appearance outside the United States since stepping down as governor of Alaska to speak at Calgary's BMO Centre as part of the Fraser Institute's influential speakers program. Ms. Palin addressed an enthusiastic audience of 1,200 who paid $160 to $220 a head for the opportunity to hear her deliver her message advocating smaller government and fiscal restraint.
Ms. Palin, currently a Fox News commentator, whose memoir, Going Rogue, is a bestseller, actually has a strong pro-Canadian record, although she's granted little credit for it in Obama-besotted Canuck public perception.
As governor of the border state of Alaska, after signing an agreement granting TransCanada pipeline US$500 million to help launch a new 2,700-kilometre pipeline project to carry natural gas from Alaska to Alberta, Ms. Palin affirmed her desire to "grow the relationship we have with Canada," observing that the NAFTA has enhanced job-creation and growth in both countries.
I hope you are all making arrangements to attend the Southern Republican Leadership Conference (SRLC), April 8-11, 2010. I have said it before, but it is very important that all of you be there.
I have a handful of news items to share about SRLC 2010:
1) Per two separate sources, Governor Palin will speak on Friday (April 9, 2010). This is contrary to the rumor going around that she was to speak on Saturday (April 10, 2010).
2) As expected, the SRLC 2010 straw poll will take place on Saturday (April 10, 2010).
3) A generous C4P reader has offered to sponsor a limited number of individuals for their admission to SRLC 2010.
4) C4P needs an accurate head count of how many ordinary barbarians will be attending SRLC 2010. Please let us know if you are coming or not by taking this survey.
Read more...
On tap this evening for your reading enjoyment, C4P is happy to present this excellent guest submission by longtime C4P reader, Patrick T. Skacel:
It sometimes seems that nearly everyone who inhabits this planet has an opinion of Sarah Palin. Even the esteemed ex-convict Martha Stewart offered up her political wisdom a few months back, predictably squealing that Palin is “Dangerous!” This type of analysis is useful for its comedic value, but not much more. What is frustrating, however, is the lazy and surprisingly common assertion by many self-described conservatives that Gov. Palin has no real, discernible political philosophy. These critics accuse her of simply singing from the conservative hymnal - limited government, strong national defense, low taxes – but they ask “does she really know what any of this means?” The short answer to this condescending question is “Yes,” as anyone who has spent any time at all looking at her record in public service would know. But there is something else these people just aren’t grasping.
We all recognize that Gov. Palin praises President Reagan often. This, in itself, reveals little, as even the most cynical Republican with two ounces of political savvy knows to mention Ronald Reagan every once in a while. But Gov. Palin has used a particular phrase that puts her admiration and understanding of him in a specific context that many of us of a certain age instantly get. President Reagan was inaugurated the day before my sixteenth birthday, which makes me about a year younger than Gov. Palin. So when I first heard her say she feels fortunate to have “come of age politically” during the Reagan years, I didn’t spend 10 seconds wondering what she meant by that. I had used those very words myself countless times over the years – long before I ever heard of Sarah Palin.
It is easy now to look back at history and see President Reagan as an American giant, and it’s valuable to study him as we would any historical figure. But viewing his or any other presidency or age through the prism of history cannot provide the same perspective as that gained by a teenager or young adult witnessing the events in real time before his or her political views have fully developed. In my case, I can’t say that taxes, interest rates, and massive government debt were at the top of my list of concerns in high school, but I knew about work, I knew you had to do it to get money, and I knew when you did, the money should be yours to spend as you saw fit. These just seemed like common sense. I also knew about competition from playing sports and I thought I knew about the concept of freedom, because I always wanted more of it. I remember the bicentennial celebration as one of the more exciting moments from my elementary school days, so I never was ashamed to express feelings of patriotism. I knew the Communists were no-good lying cheaters, mostly from watching the Olympics. And I was disgusted that a band of thugs in Iran could humiliate our great country while our president appeared to be impotent in the face of it. Perhaps these things predisposed me to conservatism, but I don’t recall any common thread tying them together into a cohesive political philosophy. Until President Reagan came along.
On day one of the Reagan presidency, we saw our hostages freed and thought: “someone sure believes this new guy is no pansy.” When he was shot two months later, we saw a remarkably resilient man our grandparents’ age seemingly unrattled by a close call with death, his optimism fully intact. When the air traffic controllers went on strike, we saw a leader who was serious about the rule of law, the safety of our citizens, and his duties to protect both. As time went on, we witnessed a president who spoke clearly of the burdens of government and why it mattered that they be lessened. Government made us less free and less able to compete and produce and get better. We saw a president who revered the Constitution and our Founders’ vision and told us so repeatedly. A man who marveled at the genius of our system and its respect for the freedom of the individual. He spoke of such things always, frequently referring to us as “we the people.” More subtly, he liked to speak of “these United States.” In either case, he never let us forget that our system was set up so that power resided in the people and the states – not in an oppressive federal bureaucracy. The President spoke bluntly of the evils of communism and its tension with man’s natural desire to enjoy God’s gift of freedom. And he spoke this truth in plain terms: “We don’t build walls to keep our people in,” he would say. He knew our side in this deadly serious struggle needed to win and he made sure we did. He praised and respected our military because he knew that in America, our military heroes serve the cause of peace and freedom.
In President Reagan we also saw a humble man unfailingly optimistic about America and eternally grateful to be an American. And when appropriate, he could illustrate his points perfectly with cutting, but gentle, humor. In his 1984 Convention speech, for example, he delivered this memorable truth: “You know, we could say [the Democrats] spend money like drunken sailors, but that would be unfair to drunken sailors ... because the sailors are spending their own money.” Countless events throughout his presidency - Grenada, the Berlin Wall address, Reykjavik, his budget and judicial battles - revealed his core principles and his gift for communicating them. As his presidency continued to unfold, it was clear that, to him, everything came back to the idea of liberty. He wanted to make sure we stayed strong in the world, not out of arrogance, but because our message of freedom was the hope of the world. The policies he pursued consistently reflected his deep understanding of the proper role of government in our lives and the vital role of America in a world threatened by evil. In all cases, the cause was individual freedom. He was often ridiculed as a simpleton, a divisive and controversial warmonger, callous toward the poor and infirm, and a friend only to the rich. But he didn’t relent because he knew he was none of those things and he knew he was right.
There was something else he did too. In 1983, he published a long article, entitled “Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation.” In it, he wrote bluntly that millions of unborn children “have had their lives snuffed out by legalized abortions.” He wrote accurately of the horrors of the procedure and the overreach of the courts to condone them. He wrote movingly about those with special needs and our duty to protect them. And he urged us to respect the value and sanctity of life, and not follow the disturbing “quality of life” ethic, where others decide our worth.
President Reagan didn’t set out to transform America. He loved America for what is was. He recognized who we were and wanted to do what he could to unleash us from the shackles of an oppressive, dysfunctional bureaucracy. And he was successful.
These are the things we, as young adults figuring out the political landscape, saw in President Reagan. A strong, competent and optimistic leader who understood America and defended it with all he had. In his predecessor we had seen none of these things. Worse yet, just the opposite: weakness, incompetence and pessimism, a small man out of touch with the greatness and goodness of the American people and unable to understand the world around us.
President Reagan was a man who showed us that defending the fragile gift of freedom was worth the fight. He knew that high taxes and excessive government steal that God-given freedom. He knew that projecting weakness in a dangerous world threatens our security. And he knew that devaluing human life stains our conscience. These were at the core of his political philosophy. To those of us who absorbed the lessons of the day, this became our political philosophy too.
When Sarah Palin speaks of her political coming of age, she’s not giving us the Cliffs Notes version of conservatism. She is telling us exactly what her gut-level political philosophy is. When she speaks of the Reagan era, and the simple, but powerful principles it taught us, she’s not offering up platitudes and clichés calculated to convince a group of self-important commentators she’s on board with their program. And when she speaks of President Reagan the man, she isn’t spewing the cynical utterances of someone who has been sliding through the gears of Republican machine politics for five decades – the type of candidate who is happy to invoke the Reagan name to direct votes and money his way, but who truly was never too far removed from those to whom President Reagan was nothing more than a temporary embarrassment - a simple-minded old washed up co-star to a chimp, eager to kick poor people to the curb, and prone to wander off his Hollywood script to blurt out some rhetorical excess on his march toward blowing the whole world to smithereens. No, when Sarah Palin speaks of her political upbringing, she speaks as a student who was paying attention in class.
Unlike most of us, however, Palin not only saw what a strong leader was, she became one herself. In her home state, whether cleaning out a corrupt government that didn’t understand who it was working for, being a wise steward of the people’s money, or thinking strategically about energy security for the nation, she served the public according to the principled philosophy that makes her who she is. And now, when she sees a massive government program that steals our freedoms, threatens our economic security and devalues human life, she stands up and fights. And she is mocked and ridiculed for it. But she doesn’t relent, because she knows she is right.
To those of us who came of age politically in the Reagan era, we know there will never be another Ronald Reagan. All we ask is that we have leaders who understand who he was and not just when to say his name. We have been burned before and we’re tiring of it. In Sarah Palin, we see one of our own, who learned the lessons we learned, but who also has been given the gifts to carry America’s message forward and the stage to reach an audience who needs to hear it.
To someone who sees leadership in the crease of a pant leg, Sarah Palin could never be The One. But that’s okay. We’re not seeking a messiah and we don’t need a nanny or a monarch. We do, however, expect our leaders to understand and respect the American people, to know the limits of government under our system and to lead with strength, integrity and competence. We don’t know what the future holds for Gov. Palin, but we do know this. She is a proven leader who is honest, optimistic and fearless. She loves this country with everything she has and will fight to preserve it as the Founders envisioned it. She respects our military heroes and the causes they serve. She understands freedom and the need to protect it, and she knows America represents hope for millions around the world. And if we know nothing else about her, we know she knows the value of life.
We also know from experience that having a leader who possesses these qualities is hardly “Dangerous!” In fact, “It’s a Good Thing.”
-Obama is underwater for the first time in Gallup's daily tracking poll of adults. His interview with Fox News will air in around fifteen minutes.
-Today is pretty much the last day to sign up for the NCAA tournament group that Whitney registered for us at ESPN. The password is "weeweedup" and you'll need to sign up for a free ESPN account if you don't already have one. Do the cool thing by joining the group and submitting a bracket.
What else is going on today?
Update: She'll on with Hannity later this evening.
Update #2: From my admittedly biased point of view, Brett Baier just claimed the President as a scalp. A good interviewee can take control of the interviewer even if the interviewee perceives the interviewer as "interrupting." Barack Obama seemed unable to do so. Mike Memoli from Real Clear Politics says that the "President's frustration showed quite clearly." You can find video of the interview here.
Update III by Doug: Mark Levin's Landmark Legal Foundation has prepared a lawsuit to be filed if Pelosi attempts to bypass the consititution via the Slaughter Rule. You can view the lawsuit, which Levin will file immediately if the above tactic is employed, here.
Yesterday, Governor Palin took President Obama to task for his bizarre and dangerous demonization of one of American's most important and loyal allies: Israel. Since Governor Palin's statement, several in the media and blogosphere have commented on her observations:
Joining the growing number of American notables criticizing America’s reaction to Israel’s construction announcement is Sarah Palin, who commented that America’s “unilateral” demands of Israel undermine the essence of the relationship with Washington’s strongest Mideast ally.
Speaking out on her Facebook page, Palin accuses President Barak Obama and his administration of “escalating” tensions with Israel, making “unilateral” demands of Jerusalem, warning such actions only serve to benefit Iran and its allies.
The former Alaska governor and Republican vice-presidential candidate said President Obama has been too hard on Israel for expanding settlements while giving dictatorships a free pass.
She questioned why envoys are sent to North Korea and the President shakes hands with Venezuela's tyrannical leader, yet the administration chooses to escalate a minor incident into a major diplomatic confrontation.
Governor Palin wrote about the critical importance of resetting our alliance with Israel, and abandoning the current Neville Chamberlain-esque appeasement policy towards enemy nations.
Sarah Palin scolded the radical Obama Administration today for embracing the dangerous anti-American regimes while attacking another great American ally, Israel.
Now this is what you call bipartisanship. Hopefully all of those Democrats criticizing the Obama administration's hostility toward Israel don't instinctually flip once they see Palin echoing their words.
The former Alaska Governor took to the Web today to offer up her own suggestions for the recent meltdown in U.S.-Israeli relations. Borrowing from the Obama administration's own vernacular, Palin calls for a "reset" of America's relations with the Middle Eastern ally.
Former Governor Sarah Palin, increasingly willing to criticize Obama on foreign policy grounds, is joining the chorus of Republican critics of his confrontation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, contrasting his policy of engaging enemies with the tough talk to an ally.
This is not the first time that this president has shown Jimmy Carteresque naïveté in his foreign policy. Last year, in order to appease Putin, he threw Georgia under the bus, followed quickly by Poland and The Czech Republic. And who can forget Obama advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski's recommendation in September 2009 that the U.S. defend Iran against Israel? I can't wait to see what the next 34 months of the Obama Administration holds in store on the foreign policy front.
Update:(H/T Uffda) Tammy Bruce's comments on Governor Palin's statement on Israel:
Update II: More comments on Governor Palin's Facebook statement:
On her Facebook page, Sarah Palin scolds Barack Hussein Obama and his radical anti-Israel administration for embracing third world tyrants and communists while attacking America's democratic and dependable ally, Israel.
Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin ripped the Obama administration in a prepared statement, contrasting its policy of 'engaging' with enemies to its tough talk to guess which ally.
The American electorate is the only entity capable of reining Obama in. And it won't have another shot at doing that until November.
But man did it feel good to hear Sarah Palin call us a 'treasured ally.'
Here we have a President that is openly hostile to Israel and the Jewish people, and continues to embrace the most radical anti-American communists this world has to offer. Not only embrace them, hell, Obama makes them part of his administration!
Sarah Palin is dead on, Obama needs to hit the reset button with our Israeli friends, but I’ll take it a step further, and say that Obama needs to reset his entire life, and realize he is supposed to be an American. That, and he needs to stop pallin’ around with terrorists.
Ben Smith reports that Governor Palin provided the following statement through an aide:
The Obama Administration reaches out to some of the world’s worst regimes in the name of their engagement policy. America and our allies watch as sanctions are eased on Cuba. Letters are written to Iran’s mullahs only to see that regime start killing protestors in the streets of Tehran. Envoys are sent to North Korea as they continue to defy the world’s demand to give up their nuclear weapons. The Burmese military junta’s representative is allowed to travel to our nation's capital. The President’s envoy for Sudan talks about giving that genocidal regime “gold stars,” while the President shakes hands with Venezuela’s tyrannical leader. In the midst of all this embracing of enemies, where does the Obama Administration choose to escalate a minor incident into a major diplomatic confrontation? With Iran, Cuba, Sudan, North Korea or Burma? No. With our treasured ally, Israel.
Last October, Secretary of State Clinton recognized Israel's desire for peace in the Middle East and praised Israel's “unprecedented” concessions for agreeing to halt settlement construction in the West Bank, a concession that did NOT include halting construction of apartments for Jews in Jerusalem. Even last week after planned construction was announced, Vice President Biden still expressed “appreciation” for the “significant” steps taken by the Israeli government to address this minor issue. Now, however, we see the Obama Administration has decided to escalate, make unilateral demands of Israel, and threaten the very foundation of the US-Israel relationship. This is quickly leading to the worst crisis in US-Israel relations in decades, and yet this did not have to happen. More importantly, it needs to stop before it spirals out of control. Vice President Biden should rein in the overheated Obama Administration rhetoric and chill the political spin masters' fire as they visit the Sunday media shows to criticize Israel.
Once again, the Obama Administration is missing the boat on a very, very important issue. They need to go back to the basics and acknowledge Palestinian leaders have not progressed any peace process since President Obama was elected. As Israel makes concessions (and is still criticized by the Obama Administration), Arab leaders are just sitting back waiting for the White House to further pressure Israel. The Obama Administration needs to open its eyes and recognize that it is only Iran and her terrorist allies that benefit from this manufactured Israeli controversy. Vice President Biden was actually right when he said last week, before the construction announcement, that “one necessary precondition for progress is that the rest of the world knows...there is absolutely no space between the United States and Israel when it comes to security.” Right now, thanks to the Obama Administration, there is a chasm. It's time for President Obama to push the reset button on our relations with our ally Israel.
Update by Doug: Roger L. Simon has a related piece today at Pajamas Media:
-Governor Palin advises everyone opposed to this government takeover of one-sixth of our economy to continue contacting Congress. Here is how you can contact Congress.
-The much-hyped Palin cover story in MacLeans is now available here. The piece is titled "Sarah Palin is unstoppable: How she’s changing the face of American politics."
-Only around 1400 people attended Obama's free rally yesterday in Strongsville, Ohio.
-In case you missed it, Whitney has set up a ESPN group for this blog for the NCAA tournament. You have until the first game on Thursday to submit your bracket. The password is "weeweedup." You'll have to sign up for an ESPN account if you do not already have one (it's free to sign up for an account). I encourage you to sign up if you haven't already done so.
What else is going on tonight?
Update: Lance Mackey has won his fourth straight Iditarod, the first musher in the history of the race to do so. You can check out a webcam of the finish line here, or try KTUU's coverage of the race here.
St. Paul- Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Tony Sutton today announced ticket information for the April 7, 2010 rally with former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and Representative Michele Bachmann at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The rally is free, open to the public and begins at 2:00 PM.
Go here for more information on the event and tickets.
Read more...
The simpatico between the Tea Party movement and the “We’re-Sick-Of-Your-Sexist-Bullcrap”-movement, with a smattering of anti-media-elitism thrown in the mix ...
Episode Three … In a break room in a high-end business park somewhere in liberal land.
”Well, it looks like John Edwards is about to get indicted for campaign finance fraud,” accountant Laura says to a co-worker from the legal department who has stopped to purchase a sandwich.
”Really,” Camille says. “Where’d you see that?”
”In The National Enquirer, naturally,” Laura says. “Where I get all my John Edwards news.”
”Ha,” Camille laughs. “I’ll stick with the L.A. Times, thanks.”
”Well then you would have missed the entire story about his escapades as a philandering presidential candidate, doling out campaign funds to his mistress,” Laura jokes. “It’s wonderful to know that our so-called media vetted VP candidate Sarah Palin more thoroughly than a man running for president.”
”Can't blame the media too much,” Camille replies. Here's one key difference. Palin's faults and flaws were patently obvious every time she opened her mouth. Edwards was a smooth talker and fabulous liar who had wealthy eccentric donors paying for him to maintain the elaborate facade. Palin's own words made for hilarious SNL skits. Edwards' most humorous trait was that he was such an expert builder of façade. Another key difference: the vetting by the candidates themselves. Obama knew better than to pick Edwards. McCain?”
”Certainly,” Laura snarks. “In his bid to become the most transformative U.S. president in the history of the world, Obama chose a blowhard senator with a history of plagiarism and verbal gaffes. What a choice. And our media applauded it instead of calling him on it. I love our media. They’re so pro-snake-oil these days. But, did you see Sarah Palin’s interview with Chris Wallace recently? She did very well.”
”Chris Wallace – isn’t he on Fox News?” Camille asks.
”Yes,” Laura responds.
”Well, I don’t watch Fox News,” Camille laughs. “Just like I don’t read the National Enquirer.”
”So your opinion of Sarah Palin is based on what again?” Laura asks. “Lemme guess: Couric and Tina Fey?”
”I don’t think we really want to get into this, ok?” Camille says, agitated. “I just think Sarah Palin may be a nice lady, but she’s not presidential or vice presidential caliber.”
”Ok, fine,” Laura says. “Because obviously what makes someone of presidential caliber is the ability to impress the press with unlimited braggadocio, not integrity, right? You don’t mind Joe Biden being a heartbeat away from our chain-smoking president despite Biden’s serial misstatements of fact that are rarely challenged. And you don’t give a damn that Sarah Palin helped send corrupt officials and lobbyists to prison, and time and again has risked her own political skin to fight business-as-usual politicians. Courage is not an attribute you’d like in a president. Ok, I get it. I really do.”
”Wait,” Camille says. “I think it’s great she did that. But, you know, Alaska is just so small and remote.”
”It’s the largest state in America, and it’s one of the 50 states – just like Obama’s birth state, Hawaii, that is six hours from here. Quite remote, you know?”
”Well, how’d she do all that corruption fighting when she can’t even string together two complete sentences? That truly is amazing,” Camille shakes her head.
”Do people really pay someone $100,000 a speech if they can’t string together two complete sentences?” Laura asks. “Because that’s reportedly how much Sarah gets for some of her speaking engagements, including to an investor’s group in Hong Kong, and a Canadian coterie of energy producers. And word is she delivers all her speeches sans teleprompter, with only a few notes.”
”Oh, ok,” Camille says. “I didn’t even realize that. I guess I haven't kept up.”
”It’s because you only read the L.A. Times,” Laura laughs. “You might want to pick up the National Enquirer – or at least log into the Drudge Report.”
”Yeah, well, maybe I’ll do that,” Camille laughs. “I am getting a little sick of the blowhards. And the snake-oil. For the record, I hope the judge throws the book at John Edwards.”
As some of you know, Congressman Alay Grayson (D) for Florida's Eighth Congressional District recently released what some political analysts described as an outlandish rant against Governor Palin. We thought the following would be the proper response to Grayson:
There are quite a few candidates who are lining up in a contested primary who want to take out Alan Grayson. And we think Alan Grayson -- what can you say about Alan Grayson? Piper might read this blog, so we won't say anything about Alan Grayson that can't be said around children.
In any event, the real response to Grayson will come this November. Charlie Cook is one of the most conservative political analysts in the country in the sense that his predictions nearly always lean towards the incumbent holding his or her seat (for evidence, Cook characterizes the re-election chances of Harry Reid and Blanche Lincoln as "toss-ups"). Given how safe Cook likes to play it with his predictions, you know an incumbent is in serious jeopardy of losing his or her job when the incumbent lands on Cook's "toss-up" list. Cook places fifteen incumbent House Democrats running for re-election in his "toss-up" list. Included on the list is none other than Democrat Party hack Alan Grayson.
Congressman Alan Grayson is an embarrassment to both his home state of Florida and the Congress he sits in. This time, however, he may have bit off more than he can chew,as he has decided to take on former Alaska governor Sarah Palin.
[...]
Let me suggest that Palin would wipe the floor with the Honorable Crybaby from the State of Florida. I doubt if Grayson has ever had to debate a "Lady" with brains. Grayson is like the child who doesn't know that there are lines that adults don't cross. Children like Grayson do not belong in elective office. They belong to have their mouths washed out with soap, and sent to bed without dinner.
It may be tempting to feel worn down as we take one step after another towards the “fundamental transformation of America” that Barack Obama promised. But we mustn’t let our energy be sapped, even in the face of the mind-boggling leap the Obama Administration just took that fundamentally shifts us towards more reliance on foreign energy sources. Hang on to your hat and take a look at this.
Months ago I discussed Washington’s decision to allow U.S. dollars to flow to Brazil for that nation’s off-shore oil drilling projects, while D.C.’s attitude towards America’s own offshore developments appeared less-than-enthusiastic. We gained hope though when our President promised in his State of the Union address that he’d be “making tough decisions about opening new offshore areas for oil and gas development.” Most of us optimistically assumed that “making tough decisions” meant allowing at least some offshore drilling. In fact, on national television that night I said that the President deserved kudos for acknowledging our need for domestic energy development in his speech.
Turns out that was just more drilling doublespeak: America has been snookered again.
While everyone has been focused on Obamacare, the Obama administration took advantage of America’s distraction andquietlysaid that it’s planning to place a hold on offshore drilling on the outer continental shelf until at least 2012.
At a time when our country is desperate for job growth, deficit reduction, and energy independence, it’s simply astonishing that the administration refuses to allow additional offshore drilling, even while supporting energy development in foreign countries.
According to a study by the American Energy Alliance, opening the OCS to drilling could create as many as 1.2 million new jobs and add hundreds of billions of dollars annually to the US economy. Those are real American jobs – and great American opportunities – that can’t be outsourced. Offshore drilling would provide billions in revenue for our states, allowing them to reduce their budget deficits without raising taxes. It would help reduce our trade deficit, which spikes with each rise in the price of oil because we’re so reliant on foreign sources of energy. And because we have some of the best environmental standards in the world, we should be drilling for our own oil instead of buying it from countries with less stringent standards.
When the Obama Administration first delayed offshore leasing on the OCS to allow for “an extended public comment period,” the comments it received reflected what all the polling tells us – that Americans overwhelmingly support offshore drilling. (Curiously, those pro-drilling findings weren’t heavily publicized by the Administration and the press.) Americans understand that a true “all-of-the-above” approach to energy independence must include responsible development of our conventional resources. Even as we develop alternative energy sources, we’ll still rely on oil and gas for decades to come. If we don’t drill for it here, then we’ll just have to keep buying it from others.
Using executive power to lock up energy resources ignores the will of the American people who want to develop those resources and know that we can do so in an environmentally responsible manner.
Ignoring the American people is never good politics, but whether it’s energy independence or health care, our leadership in Washington is tone deaf to the commonsense solutions that Americans want.
Watching this potentially earth-shattering energy policy decision made quietly while health care transformation distracts us, it makes one wonder what else our politicians are up to. An old trick is to intentionally consume attention with a “crisis” so as to sap the public’s energy, and then to conveniently push through rash measures that would receive great scrutiny at any another time. Remember Rahm Emanuel’s Saul Alinsky-style of political operation: “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.”
America, we must resolve to stay engaged in what our politicians are doing. Don’t get tired and give up. All political power is inherent in the people. America can only be transformed into something unrecognizable if we get so tired that we give up our political power and close our eyes to what is going on. Find the energy to stand for what you know is right, including supporting leaders who don’t engage in energy policy doublespeak.
Update by Mel: The governor refers above to Export-Import Bank's loan last summer to Petrobras, Brazil's state-owned oil company, to develop off shore oil resources. C4P addressed it at the time. You can read more about it here.
Read more...
St. Paul- Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Tony Sutton and Deputy Chairman Michael Brodkorb today announced that former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will appear at an April 7, 2010 rally with Representative Michele Bachmann at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The rally will be free and open to the public. Details on how to obtain tickets will be forthcoming from the Republican Party of Minnesota.
“The Republican Party of Minnesota is thrilled to be hosting this one of a kind rally with Governor Sarah Palin and Representative Michele Bachmann. Governor Palin and Representative Bachmann are two of the most dynamic and impressive conservative leaders in the nation. This exciting event will be a great way for Minnesotans to get involved in what promises to be a terrific year for Republicans,” said Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Tony Sutton.
“For the millions of Minnesotans who have had enough of the out of control spending and tax increases coming out of Washington, this is one event they will absolutely not want to miss. Governor Palin and Representative Bachmann will make sure everyone is fired up and ready to go for November,” said Deputy Chairman Michael Brodkorb.
The National Journal has more on the rally. This event will occur prior to the fundraiser that Palin will host on behalf of Congresswoman Bachmann later that evening. We'll provide more information on the exact time for the rally when it becomes available.
-Bill O'Reilly claims that he'll have "the details" on what happened at the Palin/Beck event last Saturday in Tulsa tonight on the Factor.
-Canadian conservative Joel Johannesen has already read the March 22nd MacLeans cover story on Palin. You can read what he has to say about it here.
-In case you missed it earlier, Palin will reportedly speak in Chicago on May 12th at the Rosemont Theatre.
-Whitney has been cool enough to set up a NCAA-tournament bracket group for this blog over at ESPN. To join the group, use "weeweedup" as the password. You'll need to sign up for an ESPN account if you don't already have one (it's free). You'll need to submit your bracket before the first game is played on Thursday. There is no prize (except bragging rights) as we have to save that for the winner of the 2010 predictions contest at the end of the year.
Update: There will be a free rally and picnic on March 26th from 12-1 PM with Governor Palin and Senator McCain at the Pima County Fairgrounds in Tucson, Arizona.
As reported previously, there will be a reception and dinner with Palin and McCain later that evening at the Biltmore in Phoenix.
On the 27th, the 2008 Republican presidential ticket will hold a rally at Dobson High School in Mesa, Arizona from 9-10 AM.
The Chicago Tribune reports that Palin will be visiting the old stomping grounds of the President and his political staff on May 12:
Former Alaska Gov. and current Fox News Channel commentator Sarah Palin has been booked to speak at the Rosemont Theatre on May 12, presented by Salem Communications' WIND-AM 560, the radio station announced Monday.
Tickets for the 7 p.m. event, priced from $54 to $297, are set to go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. March 22 through Ticketmaster and the theater box office. The radio station's Web site, however, promised access to a presale for those who register through a link at 560wind.com before 9 a.m. Friday.
The format of "An Evening with Sarah Palin," according to Jeff Reisman, WIND's general manager, calls for the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee to speak for 30 minutes or so and take questions from the audience for another 30. Topics are expected to include the coming Illinois election as well as national politics.
Reisman said there will also be music, Wayne Messmer's performance of the national anthem and an appearance by Big John Howell and Amy Jacobson, who is to become Howell's morning co-host on WIND-AM next week.
“We are so excited to bring Gov. Palin to Chicago,” Jeff Reisman, WIND's general manager, said in a statement. “There is no stronger voice for the conservative movement than Sarah Palin, and our listeners want to hear what she has to say.”
Joining WIND-AM as presenter of the Palin event is Basement Flood Protector, a regular sponsor on the talk station.
More information on this event, which is unconfirmed by anyone in Palin's camp, is available here. More information on the Salem Communications National Tour is available here.
Read more...
Posts
