Cain: Doesn't Matter If Christie Joins Race

◼ "It doesn't matter, just like it didn't matter if Rick Perry got in. I stick to my message," Cain said. "If he gets in, he gets in." - FOX/Houston
◼ Time to raise Cain to contender status (H)e's beginning to look like a contender. - Michael Barone/Washington Examiner
◼ Cain is able to shake up the GOP race - Jennifer Rubin at the Washington Post
◼ Cain says Christie too liberal for conservatives - Yahoo/AP

Governor Rick Perry: Americans Aren't Soft, We've Got a Soft President

◼ “Americans aren't soft,” Perry said. “We've got some bad policies on tax and regulation in D.C. that are kicking people out of jobs every day. That's the real tragedy. What we've got is a soft president.”
__________________
Rick Perry

Hot Air Candidate Survey Results: October Edition

◼ Herman Cain leads the pack for the first time, taking 39% of the vote. Cain also wins the second choice and declared candidate ballots. Sarah Palin takes second for a third consecutive week. Rick Perry drops from first to third. Mitt Romney takes fourth, and Chris Christie returns to the survey in fifth.

Marco Rubio is again the top pick for vice president, taking 40% of the vote. Complete results.

Fast and Furious Friday Document Dump

◼ Late Friday, the White House turned over new documents in the Congressional investigation into the ATF "Fast and Furious" gunwalking scandal. - CBS

The documents show extensive communications between then-ATF Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix office Bill Newell - who led Fast and Furious - and then-White House National Security Staffer Kevin O'Reilly. Emails indicate the two also spoke on the phone. Such detailed, direct communications between a local ATF manager in Phoenix and a White House national security staffer has raised interest among Congressional investigators looking into Fast and Furious.

◼ What did Napolitano know about Fast and Furious? - Ken Klukowski/Washington Examiner
◼ The cover-up is undeniable. Grassley & Issa drop a nuke on Phoenix US Attorneys Office. Emails utterly damning. Newell perjury certain. - Sipsey Street Irregulars

◼ New Fast and Furious details indicate gov’t cover-up, White House involvement - The Daily Caller

Poll: Dem approval rating at historic low

◼ Congressional Democrats have just a 28 percent approval rating, which broke their record-low of 30 percent in December 2007. - Joel Gehrke/Washington Examiner

Republicans in Congress have an even lower approval rating of 26 percent. Those statistics flip when Gallup polls the approval ratings of each party as a whole. Republicans have a 43 percent approval rating compared to 42 for the Democrats, and a 53 percent disapproval rating compared to 55 percent for the Democrats.

The most important election cycle statistic comes from polling of how the public views the parties on specific issues, as Republicans have signficantly higher numbers than the Democrats. 49 percent of respondents believe that Republicans will "do a better of protecting the country" from national security threats, with just 38 percent prefering the Democrats. On economic issues, the 48 percent believe the Republicans will be better at "keeping the country prosperous." Only 39 percent will say that of Democrats.

SOLYNDRA Won't Reveal Contracts, Customers or Executive Bonuses

◼ Top executives at Solyndra have refused to tell U.S. officials whether they received executive bonuses after the company began to fail, and they have frustrated bankruptcy proceedings by refusing to answer questions about the solar firm's sudden and dramatic shutdown, according to papers filed by Justice Department lawyers late Friday. - ABC

The fresh allegations that Solyndra is refusing to cooperate in bankruptcy proceedings come just days after two top Solyndra executives declined to answer questions from Congress, invoking their Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination.

Krauthammer: Obama's Going to suffer a landslide

Democrat's Solar Fire Sale: All Taxpayer Money Must Go!

◼ With Fund for Companies Like Solyndra About to Expire, Democrats are Rushing to Mint More Solyndra-Like Loan Guarantees Before the Clock Runs Out on Friday - NRCC

(Friday was) the last day of stimulus funding for the loan guarantee program that infamously backed now-bankrupt Solyndra with a $535 million loan—and Obama’s Department of Energy is doing its best to make sure there’s no money left in the bank when the fund expires at midnight.

Democrats appear to have learned nothing from the Solyndra fiasco, which was similarly characterized by a rush to issue loans before they were properly vetted to make sure taxpayers were protected.

Instead, a troublesome pattern is emerging of Obama energy loans going to long-time Democrat donors, a number of whom have deep ties to the Obama administration and Democrat Leader Nancy Pelosi.

Florida Flouts GOP Rules, Sets Jan. 31 Primary

◼ Newsmax reports: Florida decided Friday to hold its Republican presidential primary on Jan. 31, snubbing a party rule against fast-track delegate-selection for 2012 and triggering angry responses from traditional early voting states which will now likely rejigger their calendars to stay ahead.

The move actually thwarts efforts by both major political parties to delay presidential primaries and caucuses. Their aim has been to avoid a repeat of the 2008 scenario, when states jumped ahead of each other at that time in attempts to increase their influence in the process.

In Florida, a special nine-member committee appointed by legislative leaders and Gov. Rick Scott voted 7-2 to set the January date two days after House Speaker Dean Cannon announced that's what it was expected to do.

Cannon and other Florida GOP leaders said they didn't want to jump the traditional early states but wanted to make sure Florida was fifth, even the move was a violation of party rules.

"We're the biggest swing state in the union," said Republican former Gov. Bob Martinez, a member of the selection panel. "Texas is red, New York is blue, California's blue, and we're 10 electoral votes greater than Ohio. ... So I think this is a real, real election in Florida."

Start “The Revolution” Without Me

◼ Your 'On The Money' laugh for the day Teresa In Fort Worth

Survival and Self Defense: Becoming a Bond Girl

◼ The James Bond movie series wouldn't be complete without a sexy Bond girl, but jumping out of planes, flying helicopters and shooting 9 mm guns aren't reserved for just Hollywood movies anymore. - Townhall Magazine EXCLUSIVE

Bond Girl Bootcamp's Web site describes the program as "a 360[-]degree hardcore experience where you'll gain talents and confidence that will blow your boyfriend's mind and skills that could blow his head off." It continues: "Adrenaline pumping adventure, tactical training and raw emotion are just a taste of what you'll get before lunch. Should you choose to accept your mission, you'll train under the direction of special ops instructors, world class linguists, high[-]speed stunt drivers, shoot-to-kill marksmen and avant[-]garde burlesque performers. We're not here to baby anyone, and we don't charge extra for the bruises."

Ross founded Bond Girl to help women learn they don't have to be victims. ... ◼ On Facebook

Obama's former campaign funders on Wall Street turn against him

◼ The president's fundraising difficulties speak to his contentious relationship with the financial community. - LA Times

The president's campaign struggled this week to sell out a fundraising dinner Friday at Manhattan's gilded Four Seasons restaurant despite its being hosted by America's No. 1 capitalist, Warren Buffett, according to people close to the campaign who were not authorized to speak publicly. The dinner for 100 was also a relative bargain at $10,000 a plate; recent fundraisers in Hollywood and New York have gone for $35,800 a pop.

The episode highlights a worrying trend for the Obama campaign. Wall Street, a key contributor to Obama in 2008, seems to be switching allegiances.

◼ Dick Morris: 'Very Possible' Obama Will Bow Out of Presidential Race - CNS News

◼ Mark Steyn: Due diligence never done on Obama - Our ludicrously unqualified chief executive would have been regarded as a joke candidate in any serious nation. - OC Register

"Obama's Wall Street Donors Look Elsewhere" (UPI). Gee, aren't you the fellows who, when you buy a company, do something called "due diligence"? But you sunk everything into stock in Obamania Inc. on the basis of his "perfectly creased pant leg" or whatever David Brooks was drooling about that day? You handed a multitrillion-dollar economy to a community organizer, and you're surprised that it led to more taxes, more bureaucracy, more regulation, more barnacles on an already rusting hulk?

...Obama says America has "gotten a little soft." But there's nothing soft about a dead-parrot economy, a flat-line jobs market, regulatory sclerosis, "green jobs" multibillion-dollar squandering – and a mountain of dead Mexicans. In a soft nation, "centrist" government is hard and cruel. Only the media coverage is soft-focus.

“Obama Grammar: Using the President’s Bloopers to Improve Your English”

◼ GAFFE-OLOGY - Jennifer Harper/Washington Times

“The first wordsmith is, in fact, an occasional stem-winder who is grammatically challenged,” says author and Harvard-educated historian William Proctor, who pored over 3,000 pages of the president’s official speeches and remarks. He’s convinced that Americans — particularly students — can learn a little something from Mr. Obama.

“His speeches reveal that at this point, he is simply not in the same rhetorical-grammatical league as a Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy or Ronald Reagan,” Mr. Proctor says. “Even as we explore Mr. Obama’s errors, we should not lapse into smug, finger-pointing complacency. His mistakes should serve as a reminder to the rest of us that we, too, may need to clean up our technical language skills.”

The author also sets the record straight on presidential pronunciation bloopers of several persuasions and provides the “Great Obama Grammar Face-Off.” From Inkslingers Press, the ebook is available for $10 on Kindle, via Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Saving Money in Wisconsin

◼ Walker Budget Works for More Local Governments, Saving Taxpayers More Money - wisconsin.gov via Scott Walker on Facebook

Germantown School District - saved $1 Million
Hudson School District - will save an estimated $1.1-1.2 million annually
Ashland School District - A health insurance provider switch saved Ashland School District nearly $378,000
Kimberly School District - The district saved $821,000 by dropping WEA Trust
Baraboo School District - will save about $660,000 next year after deciding to change insurance providers
Pittsville - will see up to a 9% decrease in the school portion of their property tax levy
Appleton Area School District - will save $3.1 million just in health insurance costs alone due to competition among health insurance providers
◼ Oshkosh school board OKs new insurance provider, saving $3.7 million - The Northwestern

The California budget is beginning to look like a slow-motion train wreck, which everyone can see is coming but no one can do much about.

◼ California Budget Disaster Looms, but Slowly - Fox & Hounds

All the friendly backslapping and bonhomie was easy in June, since the budget was passed and December was a long ways away. Even when the state's July revenues came up $531 million short of estimates, hey, that's just one month.

But then the August numbers came up another $65 million below forecast and folks started to get nervous.

The prospect of watching as much as $2.5 billion in automatic cuts to K-12 schools, the university and state college systems and other state programs convinced legislative Democrats to come up with a bill that required state financial types to give 10 days notice if they decided those "trigger" cuts were needed and force the state Department of Finance to "consult" with the Legislature on alternatives to the cuts set out in the budget agreement.

Brown quickly vetoed the bill, saying the changes would undermine the budget plan.... read the rest...

◼ To the dismay of Democrats, Jerry Brown has become trigger-happy. - Peter Hannaford for The American Spectator

◼ We have a systemically dysfunctional state government. Until it is changed – radically – to align it with our 21st century reality, it will not and cannot deal effectively with the state's major issues. - Dan Walters.Sacramento Bee

Schwarzenegger at least tried to make reforms. If Brown really wants a legacy for the history books, he would revive that crusade.

In 1866: Republicans Passed the 14th Amendment

The 14th Amendment guarantees due process and equal protection of the laws to all citizens. It enshrines in the Constitution provisions of the GOP’s 1866 Civil Rights Act. The original purpose of the 14th Amendment was to defend African-Americans from their Democrat oppressors in the post-Civil War South.

The principal author of the 14th Amendment was U.S. Rep. John Bingham (R-OH). In Congress, all votes in favor of the 14th Amendment were from Republicans, and all votes against it were from Democrats.

In 1868, the Republican Governor of New Jersey vetoed an attempt by the Democrat-controlled legislature to rescind the state's ratification of the 14th Amendment.

◼ Learn More

Allen West with Michael Berry, in studio

Anwar al-Awlaki: Assassination of an American Citizen?

◼ al–Awlaki was a key player in the Ft. Hood Massacre, 9-11 and other failed attacks in the US. But what we never got with this thug was a trial and a guilty verdict - Strata-Sphere

◼ Anwar al-Aulaqi gets new designation in death - Greg Miller and Alice Fordham/Washington Post

U.S. officials have given Anwar al-Aulaqi a newly elevated designation on the day of his death by drone strike, describing him as “chief of external operations” for al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Yemen.

The new title, cited by officials at the White House and the CIA, reflects Aulaqi’s evolution from Muslim cleric to alleged terrorist plotter, as well as a desire by American officials to persuade the public that the extraordinary killing of a U.S. citizen overseas was warranted.

◼ Anwar al-Aulaqi had ties to Falls Church, Virginia mosque; under scrutiny by investigators for its connections to terrorist cases - William Wan/Washington Post

SNAP: Oregon Gets $5 Million Bonus For Food Stamp Sign Up

◼ In its quest to promote taxpayer-funded entitlement programs, the Obama Administration has actually rewarded one state with a $5 million bonus for its efficiency in adding food-stamp recipients to already bulging rolls. - Judicial Watch

It’s part of the administration’s campaign to eradicate “food insecure households” by improving access and increasing participation in the government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Incidentally, the program was recently changed to SNAP to eliminate the stigma that comes with a name like food stamps. Just a few months ago the federal agency that administers the program, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), launched a multi-million-dollar initiative to recruit more food-stamp participants even though the number of recipients has skyrocketed in the last few years.

Warren Buffett: Obama's Buffett Rule At $1 Million Is Not My Buffett Rule

◼ That awkward moment - Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion
◼ Won’t endorse American Jobs Act. - Weasel Zippers
◼ Warren and Barack’s Gift to America - White House Dossier
◼ Buffett doesn’t agree with Obama, or himself, on ‘Buffett rule’ - The Daily Caller

Vice President Joe Biden: What's relevant on the economy is 'we're in charge'

◼ "Even though 50-some percent of the American people think the economy tanked because of the last administration, that's not relevant," - The Hill

"What's relevant is we're in charge. And right now, we are the ones in charge and it's gotten better but it hasn't gotten good enough and in states like Florida it's become even more stagnant because of the real estate market."

Biden said the upcoming presidential elections would be a referendum on himself, President Obama and the economy.

"Right now, understandably, totally legitimate, this is a referendum on Obama and Biden and the nature of the state of the economy," Biden said. "It's soon going to be a choice."

Surprise! ObamaCare doesn’t lower health-insurance costs

◼ If you get the impression that no one at the White House knows what’s going on, well, you’re right. That was clear enough when the bill got introduced in the summer of 2009 and then extensively debated that the Obama administration had confused costs with prices. - HotAir

◼ Health Insurance Premiums Rise Sharply in 2011 - ABC

Health insurance premiums shot up 9 percent this year, nearly three times the rate of inflation and the most since 2005, a new study shows

◼ White House Admits Obamacare Raised Insurance Premiums - Mark Hemingway/The Weekly Standard

Now the White House is saying that they'll lower premiums by only $2,000 a year, and that won't happen until 2019 -- three years after the president's supposed second term comes to an end?

“Solyndra was the product of a bad bet rushed out the door and taxpayers are now on the hook... We cannot afford DOE rushing out more Solyndras in these final hours.”

◼ DOE Pushing On With $5 Billion In Solar Energy Loans - CNBC
◼ FBI Said to Be Probing Solyndra for Possible Account Fraud - Bloomberg
◼ Energy Secretary Steven Chu acknowledged Thursday making the final decision to allow a struggling solar company to continue receiving taxpayer money after it had technically defaulted on a $535 million federal loan guaranteed by his agency. - Washington Post
◼ Obama still silent on brewing Solyndra debacle - Brian Hughes/Washington Examiner

President Obama has remained silent weeks after a green-energy firm that received a more than $500 million loan from his administration went bust, avoiding a brewing controversy on Capitol Hill even as new details trickle out about the firm facing multiple investigations by Congress and the Justice Department.

◼ Solyndra’s lawyers major Obama, Democratic donors - The Daily Caller

Poll: Ron Paul (and Mitt Romney) v Obama a dead heat in Florida

◼ Public Policy Polling, a Democratic-leaning polling firm, shows Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, and former Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass., trailing President Obama by a mere one point in their latest poll of Florida voters. Obama has a 56 percent disapproval rating in the swing state. - Joel Gehrke/Washington Examiner

Michelle Obama shops at Target, and somehow, coincidence of coincidences, an Associated Press photographer just happened to be there to snap her.

◼ The first lady is constantly under a microscope. She was criticized earlier this month for wearing diamond bracelets costing tens of thousands of dollars to one of the New York fundraisers. (She had borrowed the jewels from a store for the night.) - AP (image source)
◼ Mrs. Obama goes “incognito,” Lady Gaga-style - Michelle Malkin (caption source)

The East and West Wings of the White House are guilty of more cheesy stage-managing than the Emmy, Oscar, and Tony Awards shows combined.

Last week, the glamour queen wore more than $40,000 worth of diamonds while partying with hubby at several high-priced fundraisers in New York. Her bling made international headlines and photos.

To counter the negative diva buzz as most Americans face hard economic times, Mrs Obama somehow managed to turn up at an Alexandria Va. Target (with her “shopping assistant” in tow).

And somehow, coincidence of coincidences, an Associated Press photographer just happened to be there to snap her.

(The first lady’s office confirmed that the pictures showed Mrs. Obama, though it did not immediately respond when asked if it tipped off (AP photographer Charles) Dharapak.)

It’s gotta be hard to fire up the liberal base with class-warfare rhetoric demonizing the “rich” when you’re collecting tens of millions from Wall Street special interests.

◼ Fund-Raising E-Mail Claim: Obama Campaign ‘Refused to Take Money From D.C. Lobbyists and Corporate Special Interests’ - The Other McCain

Our operation is fueled by people inspiring each other to take ownership of this campaign. That’s why we’ve been emailing this week, and that’s why I’m obligated to remind you once more that the deadline is coming up in a matter of hours... If you’re able to, will you chip in just $3 today?

...(Fundraiser) Rufus Gifford’s problem in a nutshell: The small fry on the OFA ('Organizing For America') e-mail list — who gave $20 or $50 or $100 to Obama four years ago — didn’t get any $737-million federal loans.

Even Democrats aren’t so stupid that they can’t understand what “green jobs” means: They get the green, you lose your jobs.

◼ 'Dinner with Barack' competition down to $3 - Politico
◼ First Lady Marks Down President - Michelle Malkin

PETITIONS: Help The California Republican Party FIX the Faulty Senate Maps

REFERENDUM TO OVERTURN STATEWIDE SENATE MAP CERTIFIED BY THE CITIZENS REDISTRICTING COMMISSION

The California Republican Party has always supported the idea of having an independent commission draw Congressional, Senate, Assembly and Board of Equalization legislative lines. However, the process as it stands now, has been contaminated with partisanship and secrecy, and is far from the independent and fair process Californians expected when they approved Propositions 11 and 20. Help us gather signatures to restore transparency to California's Redistricting process and to put the issue before voters in 2012!

Petitions must be in the mail on October 12th to make the October 15th submission deadline. Signatures are being gathered now to overturn the state Senate districts that were realigned by the Citizen Redistricting Commission last August. Petitions are available at the GOP headquarters (311 5th Street, Eureka) or go online to ◼ http://www.cagop.org/fairlines/ to have petitions sent to you.

This referendum campaign means a lot of signatures in a small amount of time. Your signature and help to gather other signatures are needed over the next two weeks.

If enough registered voters sign the petition by the deadline the referendum will do two things. It will place the revised Senate boundaries on a ballot and prevent them from taking effect unless approved by the voters at the next statewide election. The second thing this referendum will do is require court-appointed officials to set interim boundaries for use in the next statewide election.

Background

Districts are revised every ten years following the Federal Census. Voters approved Prop.11 and Prop. 20 to put the state Legislature and Congressional redistricting process in the hands of a citizen commission instead of the state Legislature. The citizen commission has been criticized that some didn’t disclose their political activist backgrounds and the resulting districts may not be as impartial as voters intended.

Who is proposing the Referendum?

While the Assembly, Senate and Congressional boundaries have been criticized the California Republican Party is targeting the Senate districts for the challenge. The petition that is being circulated is actually a packet. Attorney General, Kamala Harris, has required a copy of the formal resolution certifying the districts, the entire statewide map, and maps of all 40 Senate districts.... thus running as much as eight pages.

The state party is funding a referendum with a short timeframe. The cost of circulating a ballot measure, be it a referendum or an initiative, is borne by the proponents not the taxpayers. These extra pages are likely a huge cost. So far, the committee has reported only about $117,000 in contributions -- mostly from five sitting GOP state Senators most affected by the redistricting. (These efforts aren’t cheap, it is estimated that online giant Amazon will spend $5.25 million to overturn the state’s new online sales tax.)

If you would like to donate to the challenge, send a check to the CRP at 1215 K Street, Suite 1220, Sacramento, CA 95814. Make sure you note your desire to help fund the referendum.

◼ California Republican Party Chairman Tom Del Beccaro statement in response to the Citizens Redistricting Commission's final approval of the redrawn Senate maps
◼ STOP ONE PARTY RULE IN CALIFORNIA! - Contra Costa GOP

Obama: A disaster for civil liberties

◼ He may prove the most disastrous president in our history in terms of civil liberties. - Jonathan Turley/LA Times

Ironically, had Obama been defeated in 2008, it is likely that an alliance for civil liberties might have coalesced and effectively fought the government's burgeoning police powers. A Gallup poll released this week shows 49% of Americans, a record since the poll began asking this question in 2003, believe that "the federal government poses an immediate threat to individuals' rights and freedoms."

...In time, the election of Barack Obama may stand as one of the single most devastating events in our history for civil liberties. Now the president has begun campaigning for a second term. He will again be selling himself more than his policies, but he is likely to find many civil libertarians who simply are not buying.

‘Chicks with Guns’: Some 15 million US women pack heat

◼ “I was so surprised by the variety and breadth and diversity of these women,” McCrum said. “There are so many stereotypes about guns, mostly derived from popular culture, but the reality is so much more complex and varied than you can imagine.” - MSNBC

◼ Chicks with Guns - Available at Amazon

To see additional images and read caption excerpts from “Chicks with Guns,” click here to view a slideshow about the book. To learn more about photographer Lindsay McCrum and her project, visit ChicksWithGunsBook.com.

Democrats are really not thrilled about 2012

◼ In a potentially bad sign for President Obama's re-election chances, nearly half of Democrats say they are not exactly excited about voting in the upcoming 2012 elections. - Yahoo News The Ticket

By comparison, roughly 6 in 10 Republicans are excited about the upcoming elections, compared to just 30 percent who say they are "less enthusiastic."

According to Gallup, the current disparity between Democrats and Republicans on election enthusiasm is the largest they've measured in more than a decade.

REPORT: Dem-Donor Companies Got $500M From Feds...

◼ More solar companies led by Democratic donors received federal loan guarantees - Daily Caller

A Daily Caller investigation has found that in addition to the failed company Solyndra, at least four other solar panel manufacturing companies receiving in excess of $500 million in loan guarantees from the Obama administration employ executives or board members who have donated large sums of money to Democratic campaigns.

And as questions swirl around possible connections between political donations and these preferential financing arrangements, the Obama White House suddenly began deflecting The Daily Caller’s questions on Wednesday to the Democratic National Committee.

Asked Wednesday to comment on the connection between large Democratic donors and Obama administration loan guarantees to the companies they represent, the White House responded to TheDC with a single sentence: “We refer your question to the Democratic National Committee.”

Crony Capitalism: $737 Million Green Jobs Loan Given to Nancy Pelosi's Brother-In-Law

◼ Despite the growing Solyndra scandal, yesterday the Department of Energy approved $1 billion in new loans to green energy companies -- including a $737 million loan guarantee to a company known as SolarReserve - Weekly Standard

On SolarReserve's website is a list of "investment partners," including the "PCG Clean Energy & Technology Fund (East) LLC." As blogger American Glob quickly discovered, PCG's number two is none other than "Ronald Pelosi, a San Francisco political insider and financial industry polymath who happens to be the brother-in-law of Nancy Pelosi, the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives."

But wait... there's more!...

It's increasingly hard to tell the government's green jobs subsidies apart from the Democrats' friends and family rewards program.

◼ Obama admin approves 2 solar loans worth $1B - AP

Sarah Palin: Now He’s Blaming Europe

◼ On Monday, during a fundraiser in California, President Obama declared that Europe’s debt problems and their inability to solve them was “scaring the world.” He went on to explain that Europeans “have not fully healed from the crisis back in 2007 and never fully dealt with the challenges that their banking system faced” and that “they’re trying to take responsible actions, but those actions haven’t been quite as quick as they need to be.”

This of course is coming from a President who has done nothing to deal with our own country’s enormous debt crisis and who is in fact eager to incur even more debt with another useless stimulus bill (now called a “jobs bill” though the last stimulus failed to produce the jobs it promised, which is perhaps why Harry Reid doesn’t seem too eager to bring this new bill to a vote despite the President’s demands to “pass this bill”). Yes, Europe has serious debt problems, but for President Obama to be lecturing our allies about not being “quite as quick” in dealing with a debt crisis is downright hypocritical.

Vernon Robinson for running for Congress in North Carolina with an interesting message:

Dear Fellow Conservative:

I happen to be a black man, but the only thing I have in common with Barack Obama is a good tan! If you share my belief that Obama's socialist policies and his Democrat allies in Congress are destroying America, please read every word below.

Obama and I have traveled distinctly different paths.

When Obama was consorting with Communist mentors like Frank Marshall Davis, I was earning my Eagle Scout rank.

When Obama was smoking various controlled substances, I was defending our country as an Air Force Officer and Air Force Academy graduate.

When Obama was palling around with terrorist Bill Ayers and attending Jeremiah Wright's "G..D... America" church, I was raising a family.

The most dangerous special interest in Washington is BIG government and Barack Obama is its chief lobbyist.

I am running for Congress in North Carolina's newly redrawn 8th District because we cannot shrink big government and grow the economy unless we replace the Democrats in Washington with stalwart constitutional conservatives...
◼ robinsonforcongress.com

California cities, highest unemployment

◼ Cities with the highest, lowest unemployment rates - AP
__________________
Highest unemployment rates August 2011
El Centro, Calif. 32.4
Yuma, Ariz. 29.4
Merced, Calif. 17.5
Yuba City, Calif. 17.0
Stockton, Calif. 16.1
Modesto, Calif. 16.0
Fresno, Calif. 15.8
Visalia-Porterville, Calif. 15.7
Hanford-Corcoran, Calif. 15.3
Palm Coast, Fla. 14.9

All in: DOJ appeals ObamaCare ruling to the Supreme Court

◼ Obama bets health reform on SCOTUS - Politico

It could be one of the smartest political moves the Obama administration has made — or a historic mistake that could kill not just the health care reform law but the president’s chances for reelection, too.

By asking the Supreme Court to rule so quickly on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, the administration is taking a huge risk that the justices will rule against the law right in the middle of the 2012 race — either striking down the whole law or just slicing out the requirement for nearly all Americans to buy health coverage.

It’s also taking a huge political risk: Supreme Court arguments, and possibly a ruling in summer 2012, could generate headlines and wall-to-wall cable news coverage that would just remind millions of voters about the least popular parts of the health care law. If all voters hear about is the individual mandate — the most hated piece of the law — they may not hear about the parts they do like....

The states and the NFIB want the high court to strike down the entire law, not just the coverage mandate. But even if it’s just the mandate that falls, the change could create havoc with the rest of the law. That’s because the unpopular mandate is closely tied to other key provisions of the law — not the entire law, but important pieces of it — in ways that much of the public is still learning.

◼ And by going to the Supreme Court now, the Obama administration addresses a painful practical reality: A second Obama term is no longer as safe a bet as it was a few months ago. - HotAir
◼ DOJ Press Release

Cain’s alternate narrative — self-help, entrepreneurial skill, hard work and self-improvement — stands in stark contrast to the victimization/class warfare argument that the president has adopted

◼ Blacks leave Obama - Dick Morris at The Hill

...With only 26 percent of Americans approving of Obama’s handling of the economy (Fox News poll), the president’s ratings are bound to drop further, until and unless he can post real economic gains on the scoreboard, something his rhetoric alienating the GOP House of Representatives and scaring the daylights out of the business community is unlikely to achieve...

"Real American Exceptionalism" Chris Christie Speech At Reagan Library

Pt. 1


Pt. 2


Pt. 3 Chris Christie Answers Questions After Reagan Library Speech pt.3


Pt. 4


◼ 'Earned American Exceptionalism' - Christie's critique of the Obama era - Wall Street Journal
◼ Christie takes swipe at Perry on immigration - Philip Klein/Washington Examiner
◼ Christie discusses run for President - Charlie Spiering/Washington Examiner
◼ Text: Christie's speech at Ronald Reagan library

"Real American Exceptionalism"

Obama's female trouble

◼ Ann Althouse and TIME's Amy Sullivan discuss the issue in a Bloggingheads session, at the link. - Althouse

◼ "Sexist Obama?" - Althouse
◼ Bloggingheads segment makes the New York Times

“Stop complaining, stop grumbling, stop crying” — was a testament to the cratering enthusiasm of his biggest supporters

◼ ‘You woke the bears! Why did you do that?” - Jonah Goldberg/National Review Online

In March 2010, liberal columnist Peter Beinart argued that, for decades, Democratic politicians treated America’s innate conservatism like a slumbering bear: If you make no sudden moves and talk quietly, you can get a lot done. But if you wake the bear, as Democrats did in the late 1960s and early ’70s, the ursine silent majority will punish you.

But Obama promised to change that. He was tired of the timid, almost apologetic talk. He was going to be an FDR, or at least a Reagan for liberalism. He was going to “fundamentally transform” the country. And to those who counseled that Democrats can’t govern that way, Obama and his followers responded with shouts of “Yes, we can!”

You might think it was those shouts that woke the bear, but that’s not what happened. After all, Obama enjoyed stunning popularity when he entered the Oval Office.

No, it wasn’t words but deeds that roused the beast. The poorly crafted, deeply partisan stimulus was like a sharp stick to the bear’s belly. But it was “Obamacare” that ended the hibernation.

Despite his deployment of every rhetorical weapon in the progressive arsenal, Obama could never make the thing popular.... read the rest...

Arson Suspects Arrested, New Playset Ordered

◼ Arcata Police have arrested two juvenile suspects and are seeking third in the Sept. 3 arson which destroyed the playground at Chevret-Vaissade Park. - Arcata Eye
◼ Reward Posted In Playground Fire Case - Humboldt Sentinel
◼ Two juveniles arrested in playground arson; police still looking for one from Fortuna - Times Standard

A fund to help rebuild the park has been set up and the Rotary Club of Arcata has said it will match donations up to $4,000 to rebuild the playground. The local Soroptimist club is also collecting funds, and Humboldt Republican Women donated $250 on Tuesday.

Checks can be mailed or dropped off to the city manager's office at 736 F St. in Arcata. Donors should note “Vaissade Park playground fund” on the check.

Megan Hansen can be reached at 441-0511 or --- Email: mhansen@times-standard.com.

◼ CHEVRET-VAISSADE PLAYGROUND RECONSTRUCTION FUND STARTED - CITY OF ARCATA
◼ On Facebook: Help rebuild Chevret-Vaissade Park

North Coast Honor Flight takes off Oct. 4, 8:00 AM

North Coast Honor Flight will be taking off from the Arcata Airport on the morning of Tuesday, October 4, for our flight to Washington, DC! We have chartered a jet that will carry over 100 WWII veterans and 30 guardians.

Please come to the airport to send our vets off. We'll be departing at around 8:00 A.M. the morning of the 4th. Our return will be late Wednesday, October 5---probably around 10 or 11 P.M. and we hope to have a HUGE Humboldt County welcome. Please bring flags to wave.

You won't want to miss this opportunity to cheer these heroes as they return from this trip. (Bring Kleenex as well---you'll need them)
(But no balloons, they're bad for airplanes.)

Many thanks to Republican Women for all that you have done and for your ongoing support.

For more information, please call Kathrin at 677-0490 or visit KathrinBurleson.blogspot.com KathrinBurleson.com

◼ northcoasthonorflight.com

Saudi woman sentenced to 10 lashes for driving car

◼ Normally, police just stop female drivers, question them and let them go after they sign a pledge not to drive again. But dozens of women have continued to take to the roads since June in a campaign to break the taboo. - SF Gate

CNN Poll: Majority of Americans oppose Palestinian statehood

◼ ...American opposition remains stalwart, even if less so among Democrats, women and young people... - HotAir

Green jobs a bargain at … $23 million per?

◼ So far, the number of jobs created through Barack Obama’s green-tech stimulus programs have remained far below administration estimates, and at a far higher cost. - HotAir

Instead of creating 65,000 jobs with $38.6 billion, the first half of the money has created less than 3600 jobs at a cost of $4.85 million per position. Investors Business Daily notes that even this looks like a bargain compared to the deals that the Department of Energy is about to approve with the remaining funds in its green-tech subsidy programs... Read The Rest...

◼ Inefficiency isn’t the only problem with this model, either. Taxpayers will have to pay off the bonds created to give away this cash... Had we not borrowed this money to feed Obama’s green-jobs-explosion delusions, taxpayers in the future would have that capital to invest, expand and create businesses, and create jobs that make far more efficient use of the capital than $4.853 million per worker. We have not only failed in the present, we have set ourselves up for failure in the future as American capital has to get redirected into paying off the debt Obama hung on us for his green-jobs subsidy program.

That’s Obamanomics in a nutshell. Which is, by the way, exactly where it belongs. - Investors Business Daily

◼ The Energy Department on Wednesday approved federal loan guarantees for two green energy projects totaling more than $1 billion. It approved $337 million for a Mesquite Solar project in Arizona and $737 million for a Solar Reserve project in Nevada. The projects would create a total of 52-55 permanent jobs, according to earlier DOE figures and company statements.

◼ Solyndra Watch and the First Rule of Holes; Update: $1 billion in new DOE loans approved - Michelle Malkin

Governments Don't Create Prosperity

◼ Politicians say they create jobs, but they really don't.- John Stossel

Unfortunately, most politicians still don't understand -- or have no incentive to understand -- that economic freedom, and therefore less government, creates prosperity. Well, maybe that's changing. This year is first I've heard so many presidential candidates talk about the private sector. Indeed, one candidate, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, told me he created "not one single job. ... Government does not create jobs."

POLL SHOCK: OBAMA 39%, CAIN 34%

via Drudge
◼ Taking Cain Seriously - Daniel Henninger/Wall Street Journal

Put it this way: The GOP nominee is running against the incumbent president. Unlike the incumbent, Herman Cain has at least twice identified the causes of a large failing enterprise, designed goals, achieved them, and by all accounts inspired the people he was supposed to lead. Not least, Mr. Cain's life experience suggests that, unlike the incumbent, he will adjust his ideas to reality.

Herman Cain is a credible candidate. Whether he deserves to be president is something voters will decide. But he deserves a serious look.
__________________
Herman Cain

CALIFORNIA REPUBLICAN PARTY NORTHWEST REGIONAL MEETING

OCTOBER 8, 2011
1pm – 5pm

HAMPTON INN
1160 AIRPORT BLVD.
UKIAH, CA
(707) 462-6555

JOIN NORTHWEST REGIONAL VICE CHAIR, JANET KIRTLINK
FOR AN AFTERNOON OF LEARNING, PLANNING
AND GETTING TO KNOW EVERYONE.

CALL (707) 226-3974 for reservations or --- Email: jkirt1ink@yahoo.com

Obama's lecture to Europe 'overbearing, arrogant, absurd'...

◼ Germany slams 'stupid' US plans for EURO - Ambrose Evans-Pritchard/Telegraph

Germany and America were on a collision course on Tuesday night over the handling of Europe's debt crisis after Berlin savaged plans to boost the EU rescue fund as a "stupid idea" and told the White House to sort out its own mess before giving gratuitous advice to others.

◼ Obama's Euro-Crisis Lecture Is 'Pitiful and Sad' - Spiegel

US President Obama has given the Europeans a harsh lecture on the dangers of their ongoing debt crisis. Offended by the unsolicited advice, Europeans have suggested the US get its own house in order first. Obama's remarks were "arrogant" and "absurd," German commentators say on Wednesday....

On Wednesday, German media commentators slam Obama's criticism of Europe.

The mass-circulation Bild writes:

"Obama's lecture on the euro crisis … is overbearing, arrogant and absurd. … In a nutshell, he is claiming that Europe is to blame for the current financial crisis, which is 'scaring the world.' Excuse me?"

"The American president seems to have forgotten a few details. The most important trigger of the financial and economic crisis was US banks and their insane real-estate dealings. The US is still piling up debt … The American congress is crippled by a battle between the right and the left. The banks are gambling just as recklessly as they did before the crisis. The president's scolding is a pathetic attempt to distract attention from his own failures. How embarrassing."