Saturday, August 11, 2012

College, Young Republicans praise Romney for selection of young running mate


The College Republican National Committee (CRNC) and the Young Republican National Federation (YRNF) both expressed approval of Romney’s decision to pick a the relatively young House Budget Committee Chairman to serve as his Vice President should be he be elected President in November. - Conservative Read

“Congressman Paul Ryan is one of the bravest and boldest figures in the Republican Party,” said CRNC Chairman Alex Schriver in a press release just after the announcement. ”College Republicans around the country are excited about Governor Romney’s selection of a young, energetic running mate. He has a stake in our future the way you and I do.”

Lisa Stickan, Chair of the Young Republicans, a national organization for Republicans under the age of 40, called Ryan a “proven reformer and leader who has courageously offered concrete proposals to turn our economy around” in a press release issued after Romney and Ryan’s first appearance together as running mates this morning in Norfolk, Va.

At the rally Ryan said that it was he and Romney’s ”duty to save the American Dream for our children and [other Americans]. He also noted that the country is ”running out of time, and we can’t afford four more years of this.”

With the Ryan pick, Romney signaled he welcomes a showdown on the biggest issues of our time even when discussing them can be politically daunting. President Obama’s latest, dippy, face-to-the-camera ad in Virginia says the choice between his leadership and Romney’s couldn’t be bigger, and Romney has now gamely agreed with the president, showing he believes the contrast works in his favor. The man who walked into the sun in Norfolk, Va. today is not the one Obama expected to face.

I’m your huckleberry: Romney/Ryan ticket starts a showdown - Mary Katharine Ham/HotAir

Pundits & Politicians: Romney/Ryan “Bold Decision, Campaign of Substance”

Congressman Paul Ryan...
Welcome to the GOP presidential ticket!

This is such a great day for the America! We need to just soak it in... Plenty of others think it is a significant day, as well. Here's what they're saying about Romney/Ryan... Jayde Wyatt

Huge crowds line Manassas streets for Romney-Ryan


link - Mark Tapscott/Examiner Page Editor/Washington Examiner (image source)

Susan Ferrechio, The Washington Examiner's crack congressional reporter traveling with the Romney-Ryan press bus troupe today, offers a photo of the crowds lining the streets of Manassas, Virginia, as the political caravan makes it way through downtown.

How to explain such crowds if Obama is leading in Virginia, one of the key swing states? Either the Romney advance team did a phenomenal job of generating interest before today, or there is a continuing surge in electoral momentum for insurgent change-agent candidates like that which powered the Republican sweep of the 2010 races....

Smart Democrats Should Be Worried


No doubt there are many Democrats rubbing their hands in glee in contemplation of reviving some version of the ad that featured an actor playing Paul Ryan pushing a grandmother in a wheelchair off a cliff. But the smarter ones are worried. - John Fund/National Review

First, if Ryan is an extremist and his proposals are so unpopular, how has he won election seven times in a Democratic district? His lowest share of the vote was 57 percent — in his first race. He routinely wins over two-thirds of the vote. When Obama swept the nation in 2008, he carried Ryan’s district by four points. But at the same time, Ryan won reelection with 65 percent of the vote, meaning that a fifth of Obama voters also voted for him.

Ryan has pointed out to me that no Republican has carried his district for president since Ronald Reagan in 1984. “I have held hundreds of town-hall meetings in my district explaining why we have to take bold reform steps, and I’ve found treating people like adults works,” he told me. “All those ads pushing elderly woman off the cliffs don’t work anymore if you lay out the problem.”

Second, Democrats know that Ryan has Reaganesque qualities that make him appealing to independent, middle-class voters. Take the cover story on Ryan that the Isthmus, a radically left-wing Madison , Wis. newspaper, ran on him in 2009. “Ryan, with his sunny disposition and choirboy looks, projects compassion and forcefully proclaims dedication to his district,” the story reported. “And he’s proved he is not unyieldingly pro-corporate, as when he recently joined in condemnation of AIG ‘retention’ bonuses.”

Third, Ryan’s ideas aren’t that novel or scary. The idea of “premium support” for Medicare, which would change the program’s one-size-fits-all policy to a private-insurance model with public options, was endorsed by a bipartisan commission appointed by Bill Clinton back in the 1990s. Late last year, Ryan announced a new version of his proposal with a new partner signing on: Democratic senator Ron Wyden of Oregon , who first achieved political prominence as an advocate for seniors.

Four, Ryan puts Wisconsin and its ten electoral votes in play. Polls have shown that President Obama holds a five to seven point lead in Wisconsin — significant, but much less than Obama’s 14-point margin in 2008. With Ryan on the ticket, polls show the race is dead even.

Five, if Republicans were looking for a superior candidate, they’ve found it in Ryan. His maiden speech as the GOP vice-presidential candidate was perfectly pitched:
We won’t duck the tough issues . . . we will lead!
We won’t blame others . . . will take responsibility!
We won’t replace our founding principles . . . we will reapply them!
Echoes of Ronald Reagan at his best.

Ryan was judged to have already had the better of President Obama in televised exchanges on Obamacare. His debate with Joe Biden this October might well be remembered as cruel and unusual punishment for dim vice presidents. Recall that Sarah Palin fought a much more engaged Joe Biden to a draw in their 2008 vice-presidential debate.

Six, as Democratic consultant Joe Trippi acknowledged today on Fox News, Ryan will bring in a flood of donations from overjoyed conservatives and tea-party members. Romney had a problem with energizing the GOP base. That problem is now solved, and that will make it easier to pump up conservative turnout.

Democrats will no doubt try to make Paul Ryan into a younger version of the devil they’ve tried to paint Mitt Romney as. But they should worry about fighting a campaign on fundamental issues in a weak economy. That’s precisely how Jimmy Carter, the last Democratic president to run for reelection during hard times, wound up losing so badly that it not only cost Democrats control of the U.S. Senate but damaging the liberal brand for years afterwards.

Romney's choice of Ryan reshapes race for White House - Steve Holland/Reuters
What Is the ‘Ryan Budget’? Twelve points that outline the proposal - Damien Paletta/Wall St. Journal
Romney Raises $2 Million After Ryan Veep Choice - Connor Simpson/Atlantic Wire

Andrea Saul reported about an hour ago that the campaign has now passed $2 million in donations today.

UPDATE: ◼ THE TICKET: ROMNEY CAMPAIGN EXPECTS $3 MILLION OFF RYAN PICK TODAY - Larry O'Connor/Breitbart

America's Comeback Team



Paul Ryan: A reformer. A visionary. Ready to lead.
It's time for a president and vice president who believe in America.
It's time for America's Comeback Team.

With Ryan pick, Romney gives conservatives something to fight for - Philip Klein/Washington Examiner

For decades, Republicans were content to talk a big game about shrinking government and reining in the welfare state only to cower once elected. But as a Congressman, Ryan has worked tirelessly to design and advocate solutions to the nation’s most vexing domestic problems. To be sure, Ryan himself has deviated from conservatives on important occasions. He voted for the Wall Street bailout and for President Bush’s Medicare prescription drug plan, for instance, as he quietly walked a fine line between being a bold reformer and a loyal soldier. As the debt issue rose in the public consciousness over the past several years, Ryan was the only politician in town that had an actual plan to do something about it. In 2010, when I wrote a long feature about Ryan and his “Roadmap” to reform entitlements, health care and the tax code, few Republicans would go on record endorsing it. Now, just over two years later, he’s being embraced by Mitt Romney, notorious for being one of the most cautious politicians in America. That is the power of ideas.

...This week, many people, including myself, were questioning whether Romney’s campaign actually stood for anything. By nominating Ryan, the former Massachusetts governor is taking a stand. There will be plenty of days going forward on which Romney will frustrate, even infuriate, conservatives. But this is a day on which Romney deserves to be praised. The Ryan pick may not have eliminated conservatives’ doubts about Romney, but it has eased them. He has given conservatives something to fight for.

PAUL RYAN’S SELECTION ELECTRIFIES GOP GRASSROOTS - John Gizzi/Human Events @JohnGizzi

“In choosing Paul Ryan, Gov. Romney is signaling he wants to change the course of government, not manage it. This is the start of an aggressive, ideas campaign!”

So said California’s Republican State Chairman Tom Del Beccaro Friday night, shortly after television news reports strongly suggesting that Romney was planning to name House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) as his vice presidential running mate Saturday morning. Del Beccaro was hosting a private party of fellow California GOP leaders in his suite at the Burbank Marriott here during the state Republican convention. To a person, the other party activists were genuinely excited about the 42-year-old Ryan’s selection, and all echoed their chairman’s confidence that this was a first step in what would be a campaign grounded in conservative ideas and change.

“I’m as grassroots as you can get and I’m thrilled about Ryan!” Alameda County GOP Vice Chairman Hugh Busell told Human Events, “He had the courage to say why we needed to eventually change the nature of entitlements such as Medicare, and he could explain it.”

As news outlets confirmed that the Badger State lawmaker would indeed be tapped by Romney on Saturday, Republicans activists throughout the country last night seemed to be trying to outdo the excitement evinced at the Burbank convention last night. Minnesota State GOP Chairman Pat Shortridge told reporters: “Ryan’s a great pick. This proves Gov. Romney knows that getting to 270 electoral votes is a means to an end. Only bold solutions will suffice.”

Arizona Rep. and GOP Senate hopeful Jeff Flake was even more ecstatic, as he tweeted supporters: “Wow! What a powerhouse economic team! It drips of gravitas. Can’t wait for the fall elections.”

DO NOTHING PRESIDENT:

Obama will be the ONLY president to have NO BUDGET PASSED during his tenure, says John Sununu

Mitt Romney Selects Paul Ryan as Running Mate



Meet Paul
__________________
MittRomney.com

Here is Mitt Romney’s (And Paul Ryan's) Speech in Norfolk, Virginia:

AMERICA'S COMEBACK TEAM: “We Americans look at one another’s success with pride, not resentment, because we know, as more Americans work hard, take risks, and succeed, more people will prosper, our communities will benefit, and individual lives will be improved and uplifted”


Romney/Ryan 2012: This is what “FORWARD” really looks like - Michelle Malkin

Paul Ryan comes out swinging: ‘If you have a small business, you did build that’ - Joel Gehrke/Washington Examiner @Joelmentum

“I’m proud to stand with a man who understands what it takes to foster job creation in our economy, someone who knows from experience, that if you have a small business—you did build that,” Ryan will say, according to excerpts of his speech released by the campaign.

Ryan then praised Romney for his career at Bain Capital — mentioning that company’s role in launching Staples, especially — before offering this implicit rebuke of Obama’s attacks on Romney: “We Americans look at one another’s success with pride, not resentment, because we know, as more Americans work hard, take risks, and succeed, more people will prosper, our communities will benefit, and individual lives will be improved and uplifted,” Ryan plans to say.

He will also say: “We can turn this thing around. Real solutions can be delivered. But, it will take leadership. And the courage to tell you the truth.”

Romney goes bold with Ryan as VP pick - Byron York/Washington Examiner

By... choosing Rep. Paul Ryan, Romney is sending a clear signal that he intends to run a more daring and more ideologically vigorous campaign than he has run up to this point.

Veepstakes over. And the winner is… - Jazz Shaw/HotAir

Reports: Romney Picks Paul Ryan, Announcement Saturday Morning in Virginia - Guy Benson/Townhall

Any way you slice it, this is a game-changer. As I wrote earlier this week, Paul Ryan is one of the sunniest, most likeable conservatives on the scene today. He’s also the party’s top wonk and is completely fluent in fiscal issues. I predict that Democrats will publicly gloat over this pick (“he’ll be so easy to demonize!”), even as they privately worry. Paul Ryan is earnest, smart, articulate, attractive, calm, good-humored, and exceptionally gifted in explaining his case in persuasive and unthreatening terms. He’s from the Midwest, has blue collar appeal (unlike Romney, he did not grow up wealthy), and has a beautiful young family. The Left will launch vicious and totally dishonest attacks, as they have throughout the last two years of budget debates. But never before has Paul Ryan enjoyed a larger platform from which to make his case to the American public: The country is going broke, a fiscal calamity awaits, but we can avoid it if we take responsible, urgent action. This campaign is about to get a major (and needed) injection of seriousness.

Excerpts of Ryan's Speech - Weekly Standard

The commitment Mitt Romney and I make to you is this:

We won't duck the tough issues...we will lead!

We won't blame others...we will take responsibility!

We won't replace our founding principles...we will reapply them!

We will honor you, our fellow citizens, by giving you the right and opportunity to make the choice:

What kind of country do we want to have?

What kind of people do we want to be?

We can turn this thing around. Real solutions can be delivered. But, it will take leadership. And the courage to tell you the truth.

Mitt Romney is this kind of leader. I'm excited for what lies ahead and I'm thrilled to be a part of America's Comeback Team. And together, we will unite America and get this done. Thank you.

HUMBOLDT: Council filings submitted for November election, And the candidates are...

Friday was the deadline for most local city council candidate filings, and city clerks around the county saw a flurry of activity. - Grant Scott-Goforth/The Times-Standard

In Fortuna: ...two seats currently held by Mayor Douglas Strehl and Councilman Ken Zanzi are up... As of Friday, Strehl ...had filed.

Additional filers include Tami Gillam-Trent, the owner/operator of Tangles hair salon in Fortuna, and Fortuna Les Schwab Tires assistant manager Josh Brown.... Fortuna City Clerk Linda Jensen said Zanzi -- who was elected to the council in 2008 -- is not seeking re-election. Under state law, that means filings for his seat will be accepted through Aug. 15 at 5 p.m.

In Arcata, the seats currently held by Mayor Michael Winkler, Vice Mayor Shane Brinton and Councilwoman Susan Ornelas are up for grabs.... All three have submitted candidacy papers, along with Arcata Kineticab owner Mark Sailors, community volunteer Jolian Kangas, and child care provider Valerie Rose-Campbell.

In Blue Lake, three city council seats currently held by Councilwoman Karen Barnes, Councilwoman Lana Manzanita and Councilwoman Michele McCall-Wallace are up. Manzanita, a retired teacher, filed her papers along with environmental director Stephen Kullman and restaurant businessman Gregory Sawatzky.

In Eureka, Melinda Ciarabellini is running unopposed for the 4th Ward seat.... Ciarabellini has qualified for the November ballot.

The 2nd Ward seat currently held by Linda Atkins is also up.... Atkins also qualified for the November election...

Running against Atkins in the 2nd Ward will be Joe Bonino, a payroll tech for Humboldt State University.

Candidates for the Ferndale City Council have until Monday at 4 p.m. to file their papers. The city's offices were closed Friday.

The three seats currently held by Mayor Jeff Farley, Councilman Stuart Titus and Councilman Ken Mierzwa are all up for election.

As of Wednesday... Only one application, from Titus, had been submitted for the mayor's position. Titus has served as a councilman since 2004.... Mierzwa said Friday that he's running for reelection and filed his paperwork Thursday.

Ferndale Planning Commissioner Dan Brown has expressed an interest in running for a seat, after serving on the commission for seven years. Brown said Friday that he's taken out his paperwork and plans to file it by Monday's deadline.

The council is facing another open seat due to the death of Councilman Niels Lorenzen last month. The council will be appointing a Ferndale resident to fill the remaining two years of Lorenzen's term during an upcoming meeting.

(I)n Rio Dell, the city seats currently filled by Councilman Frank Wilson and Councilman Jack Thompson are up for grabs. As of Friday, Rio Dell City Clerk Karen Dunham said only the two incumbents have filed paperwork. She said it's likely the city council will choose to cancel its election, and simply have the two incumbents appointed to the council by the rest of its members....

In the northern part of the county, there are two seats up for election on the Trinidad City Council. The seats are currently held by Councilwoman Julie Fulkerson and Councilman Mike Morgan. Fulkerson confirmed via email that she filed her candidacy papers Friday afternoon. Calls placed to the city clerk were not immediately returned, and it is unclear if any other candidates have filed.

Friday, August 10, 2012

AP SOURCE: ROMNEY PICKS RYAN FOR RUNNING MATE


A Republican with knowledge of the situation tells The Associated Press that Romney has chosen Ryan. The Republican spoke on condition of anonymity because this person was not authorized to disclose the decision. - AP

DRUDGE HEADLINES: RYAN ROCKS IT!
Will Announce His Running Mate at 9AM ET Saturday in Norfolk...
At Nauticus Museum, home of USS Wisconsin...
SOURCES: Final names were Ryan, Rubio, Pawlenty, Christie, Portman and one unnamed wild card...
ROMNEY MADE CALLS LATE TONIGHT TO THOSE WHO DID NOT GET SLOT...
IS HIS FAMILY READY?
How Paul Ryan became intellectual leader of Republican party...
CLAIM: Romney plane parked in Paul Ryan's hometown...
WHY ROMNEY MADE THE PICK...



VIDEO: Paul Ryan took apart Obama and Obamacare -- in 6 minutes!

10 interesting facts about Paul Ryan - DAILY CALLER

On Twitter:
Kevin Eder ‏@keder
If it's indeed Paul Ryan, the main storyline of this election is: Plan vs. No Plan. #Mitt2012

National Journal ‏@nationaljournal
National Journal Confirms: Romney Picks Ryan as VP

Will Antonin ‏@Will_Antonin
The problem with Ryan is that 10 years after he left his last job someone there probably died from cancer.

Mr. Hoyt ‏@joshuahoyt
Romney-Ryan. OH MY GOD! I just got done jumping up and down with joy. We're gonna win this thing. #AmericasComeBackTeam #PaulRyan #Mitt2012

MATT DRUDGE ‏@DRUDGE
Romney surprises yet again -- who confirms at 1 am on a Saturday morning?

Sunny ‏@sunnyright
CNN describes Ryan as a "blue collar guy", "a numbers guy", "captivating", and "devoted to fixing economy".

America Deserves Better

Prager University: The Bigger the Government...



Dennis Prager, nationally syndicated radio talk show host and best-selling author, asks a fascinating and important question: what happens to the citizens of a country when the government gets bigger and bigger?

"When you start running ads accusing your opponent of killing people, then you have lost your credibility"

Top Romney Aide: Obama Has “Lost His Credibility” - Buzzfeed

Young in G.O.P. Erase the Lines on Social Issues

In a break from generations past and with an eye toward the future, many of the youngest leaders of the Republican Party are embracing views on some social issues that are at odds with traditional conservative ideology — if they mention such issues at all, according to interviews, experts and some polling - New York Times

“I would prefer that Mitt Romney leave social issues sort of alone, because I do disagree with him on those things,” said Ms. Kotzambasis, whose group, like many others, operates mostly independent of any national party oversight. “He keeps saying that the first things he’ll tackle are health care and the economy, and I hope he tackles the economy. I’m graduating in a couple years, and it’s pretty dismal where I am.”

What has become the norm, some experts say, is for young Republicans to take a cafeteria-style approach to issues that are important to them. And some established leaders see that as a boon to their party.

“My theory is that, just as young people don’t have to buy a whole album on iTunes and can pick and choose just the songs they like, they can customize their political views — and they do,” said Kristen Soltis, a Republican pollster who is the communications adviser to Crossroads Generation, a new pro-Romney “super PAC” aimed at young voters.

Whole Foods CEO John Mackey on The Moral Case for Capitalism



"You have to understand the narrative that people have about business and capitalism is that they are fundamentally selfish, greedy, and exploitative," Says Whole Foods CEO John Mackey. "Of course, I don't agree with that narrative." - Reason Magazine

At FreedomFest 2012, Reason's Matt Welch sat down with Mackey to discuss how businesses create value, the politicization of "organic," and the need to shift the narrative of capitalism.

GALLUP: OBAMA APPROVE SLIPS TO 43%


Gallup Daily: Obama Job Approval

RASMUSSEN: Romney 47% Obama 43%

GALLUP: CANCERGATE AD FLAP HURTING OBAMA - Mike Flynn/Breitbart

Today's data from Gallup confirms that the "cancer" ad attacking Romney has strongly backfired on Obama.

Gallup's latest results, polled between Tuesday and Thursday, days dominated by the controversy over the "cancer" ad show Obama's approval ratings moving down 3 points and his disapproval rating moving up 3. 51% of voters now disapprove of Obama and only 43% approve. Romney's support edged up 1. Gallup shows the race tied at 46%.

A six-point swing in approval ratings is pretty significant in a moving average.

Rasmussen also showed Romney gaining strength mid-week, moving into a 4 point lead over Obama. This is significant, because they are the only two pollsters who were polling throughout the controversy.

Three other polls were released this week, all showing leads for Obama. The first, Reuters, was conducted last Wednesday through Sunday, missing the entire controversy.

The Fox poll was conducted Saturday through Monday, also missing it. CNN was conducted Tuesday and Wednesday, just as the controversy was unfolding. (Side note: always beware polls conducted significantly over a weekend--very erratic sampling.)

The Obama campaign is basing most of its reelection on smearing Romney. Today's Gallup results, which show significant weakening of Obama during the controversy, should light a path for Romney. Fight back. The voters are watching.

'A cancer within the cloak of the Presidency'



Star Of Obama Super PAC's Cancer Ad Says Bain Offered Him A Buyout - Real Clear Politics

Fact Check: Obama attack ad has ‘so much deceit here we hardly know where to start’

Today’s report comes as the Obama super PAC is under fire for a video that blames Romney for a woman’s death by cancer. “Our Briana Keilar did a fact check of that ad and it’s full of falsehoods,” said CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, who noted that the Romney campaign and super PAC have both fallen afoul of the fact checkers. In this case, Blitzer was unable to elicit a condemnation of the super PAC ad from Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki. - Joel Gehrke/Washington Examiner @Joelmentum

How fast is the federal deficit rising?

New Obama Ad Questions Whether Romney Paid Taxes... Left Seeks To Tie Romney to El Salvador Death Squads...

Romney spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg said the Obama campaign was pushing “another dishonorable and dishonest attack.” - CBS Washinton via Drudge

Reid aide divulges details on source of Romney tax claim -- then retracts - FOX
The White House has distanced itself from Reid's comment. Still, the Obama campaign is launching an ad that raises those questions about Romney.
Really, can they go any lower?… - Gateway Pundit via Drudge

“Hey Matt — you familiar with this organization?”

Interview request to Ohio mayor sets off alarms for Bloomberg, Media Matters - Daily Caller

MAIG Coordinators Paid as City Employees, Saves Gun-Hater’s Money - Sean Caranna/All Nine Yards

Here’s a great way to reduce overhead and be effective at running a national organization dedicated to infringing on the gun rights of everyday people all at the same time… Have cities hire your people for you so that tax payers cover ¼ of your people’s salary and benefits, pay for most of their operational costs, and finance all of their other resources! It also embeds your people as leaders in city government so that you don’t have to lobby there!

Sounds like another conspiracy theory from the tinfoil hat brigade… Right?

...Back in March, while researching the repeal of some anti-gun ordinances, I stumbled across an Orlando City Council agenda item that grabbed my attention. It was, on its surface, just a mundane action item for the annual contract renewal of a city employee. But this city employee’s job title was, well, unique…

“Approving Employment Contract for the Grant-Funded Position of Mayors Against Illegal Guns Regional Coordinator.” City of Orlando Website

The agenda included a budgetary breakdown for how a $75,000 grant from the “United Against Illegal Guns Support Fund” was to be spent.
$60,000 in salary and benefits for the “MAIG Regional Coordinator”
$2,000 for Supplies
$3,000 for “Contractual Services”
10,000 for Travel
Also attached was the Fiscal Impact statement. It showed that this employee’s salary and benefits were expected to cost the city $84,000 for the year. It allocated $24,000 from the city’s “General Fund” to cover the grant’s shortfall.... ◼ More at the links

Thursday, August 9, 2012

California Convention THIS WEEKEND!

There is still time to attend the California Republican Party Convention THIS WEEKEND!

Convention will be in beautiful Burbank, Saturday, August 11th to Sunday, Agust 12th.

Hear from RNC Committee member Shawn Steele, Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, Senate Republican Leader Bob Huff, Assembly Republican Leader Connie Conway and many more fabulous speakers!

This will be an action-packed weekend you wont want to miss!

CLICK HERE to register!

Obama Campaign App Raises Privacy Concerns

The free Obama for America app – which can be downloaded for the iPhone and Android – gives users the first name, last initial, gender and addresses of registered Democrats. - CBS

The app has raised the ire of privacy advocates.

“It doesn’t make it right just because it’s legal,” Shaun Dakin, CEO and founder of The National Political Do Not Contact Registry, told The Washington Post. “Anybody can get this. There’s no way to prevent anyone from downloading this.”

THE REAL MITT ROMNEY

How many people has Mitt Romney helped? Not in the abstract–by, say, making someone else buy them contraceptives–but personally? No one knows, probably not even Mitt, but I suspect the instances of his generosity that have come to light are only the tip of the iceberg. The New York Times, to its credit, adds another to the list. - John HInderaker/PowerLine

Democrats Introduce Bill to Seal Up Obama’s Presidential Records

According to Judicial Watch, Rep. Edolphous Towns (D-NY) has introduced the Presidential Records Act Amendments of 2011. That bill would do with Obama’s presidential records what Obama has already done to his personal and collegiate records: Seal them up. - Bryan Preston/PJM
If the Democrats’ proposed measure (Presidential Records Act Amendments of 2011) becomes law, former presidents will be allowed to assert a new “constitutionally based privilege” against disclosing records of their liking. Here is how it would work; the Archivist of the United States would be required to notify the former president, as well as the incumbent, of intentions to make records public. Anything that either the former or current president claims should be kept private won’t be released.

The veteran Brooklyn congressman (Edolphus Towns) who recently introduced the law in the U.S. House has yet to explain why it’s necessary.
This looks like a sign of surrender to me. Why seal up Obama’s records now, if you think he’s strong to get re-elected next year?

And, how many Solyndras and executive directives to punish various enemies may be lurking in those records?
H.R.3071 -- Presidential Records Act Amendments of 2011 (Introduced in House - IH)

Obama's down-and-dirty negative campaign dovetails nicely with his best strategy, which is to depress the vote among all but his most reliable partisans. Making the election about nothing except negative attacks should do that for him.

Larry Sabato looked at previous polls and had several conclusions: 1, there are not very many swing voters at all. 2, they're unenthusiastic about voting (which either causes, or is caused by, the fact that they're uncommitted and don't love either candidate). And 3, they don't much like this Barack Obama character: - Ace Of Spades

Sabato: Swing Voters Have Almost As Negative An Opinion of Obama As Romney Supporters - Ace Of Spades

Swing voters: Unhappy with Obama but unenthusiastic about voting - Sabato's Crystal Ball

Obama camp acknowledges knowing man's story

Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki acknowledged Thursday that the campaign was no longer pleading ignorance about the story of a man who has appeared in both a super PAC ad and a campaign ad. - Politico

UPDATE: Amanda Henneberg, a spokesperson for the Romney campaign, said this in a statement: "President Obama’s campaign has been caught lying about its knowledge concerning a vicious smear run by his Super PAC. And now, they have doubled down with another dishonorable and dishonest attack. In 2008, candidate Obama said ‘you make a big election about small things’ when you don’t have a record to run on. Since President Obama can’t run on record unemployment, falling incomes, and massive debt, he has decided to run a dirty campaign that is an affront to everything he claims to stand for."



Obama’s Campaign Goes Stupid - Larry Johnson/No Quarter
It is one thing to produce a hard hitting ad that presents factual information in an unflattering light. That is hard ball politics. It is an entirely different cat to lie your ass off and then get caught lying and not have the smarts to concede you overstepped. That summarizes the state of the Obama campaign.

You know you have screwed the pooch when your own cheerleaders start giving you the raspberry.
Part I: The scurrilous ad defaming Mitt Romney - Bronwyn's Harbor/NoQuarter
Part II: The Scurrilous Ad Defaming Mitt Romney - Bronwyn's Harbor/NoQuarter

Michelle Malkin to Romney: Nail Obama team for illegal coordination - Ed Morrissey/Michelle Malkin



Obama Campaign Admits Knowing Story Behind Man in Super PAC Ad - Mary Bruce/ABC News @marykbruce

In response, the Romney campaign said the president’s campaign had been caught lying.

“The Obama campaign acknowledged today that it ran a television ad and hosted a conference call that promoted the same despicable attack that was used in a discredited ad run by President Obama’s Super PAC,” Romney spokesman Ryan Williams said. “The Obama campaign has now admitted that it lied to the media and the American people in a disgraceful attempt to conceal their connection to this shameful smear. Americans deserve better – they deserve a president who’s willing to run an honest campaign and be honest about his own record.”

Sununu: Obama Camp 'Caught With Pants Down' on Cancer Ad - Todd Beamon and Kathleen Walter/Newsmax

“This is a perfect sign of how desperate the president is to avoid talking about issues,” the former GOP New Hampshire governor and White House Chief of Staff said. “Actually, the new low was reached in denying that they knew anything about this ad — and then getting caught having had a discussion of exactly the same topic, with exactly the same individual that’s in the ad, in a telephone news conference with the press last May.”

“They got caught lying,” Sununu told Newsmax. “They got caught with their pants down. They got caught with a despicable ad. They got caught fulfilling the strategy they enunciated a year ago: That all they were going to do in this campaign is to try and destroy Mitt Romney.

“The public should begin to understand that there’s nothing that comes out of this campaign, or this Obama White House, that they can believe. It truly is all misrepresentation and deception.”

Busted: Obama Campaign Video Shows Pension Agreement For Man In Super PAC Cancer Ad… - Weasel Zippers

Video: Obama supporters stumped on why government should pay for birth control



Revealing Politics.com sent a cameraman out to meet women voters at Obama’s Colorado rally Wednesday, where he was introduced by the country’s most famous adult woman incapable of making a run to the CVS, Sandra Fluke. Enjoy.

No, Romney Won't Raise Your Taxes $2,000

Mitt Romney's tax plan is a winner, and, lacking a serious rebuttal, President Obama settles for fabricating charges. - Peter Ferrara/American Spectator

The only candidate in this race proposing to increase taxes is Barack Obama. He has already enacted increases in the top rates of virtually every major federal tax, which will go into effect January 1. That is when the tax increases of Obamacare will hit, and when the Bush tax cuts will expire. (Remedial education for Obama supporters: "Bush tax cuts expire" means tax increases)....

Mitt Romney, in sharp contrast, actually has a very good tax plan that will get the economy booming again and restore the American Dream. The key is reducing tax rates, in particular marginal tax rates, which are the rates that applies to the next dollar of income. Marginal rates determine the incentive for productive activity, such as working, saving, investing, expanding businesses, starting businesses, or creating jobs....

But President Obama tells us on the campaign trail that we already tried Romney's approach, and it didn't work. So what does the record show?
The Bush tax cuts quickly ended the 2001 recession, despite the contractionary economic impacts of 9/11, and the economy continued to grow for another 73 months. In the four years after the rate cuts were fully implemented, the economy created 7.8 million new jobs, and the unemployment rate fell from over 6 percent to 4.4 percent. Real economic growth over the next three years doubled from the average for the prior three years, to 3.5 percent....

But as a career Marxist street agitator, President Obama has no idea what works and what doesn't. That is why, after four years as president, he still has America in the ditch. And if the American people are stupid enough to give him another four years, he will have America completely under water. Read the whole thing, very informative.

54.5 mpg and the law of unintended consequences

A perfect example is the Obama Administration’s plan to increase new car mileage standards, from the currently legislated requirement of 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016 to 54.5 mpg by 2025, as an average across each automaker’s complete line of cars and light trucks. - Net Right Daily

First, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) analyses indicate that the mileage standards will add $3,000 to $4,800 to the average price of new vehicles for models from now until 2025. Moreover, this price increase does not include the $2,000 to $6,000 in total interest charges that many borrowers would have to pay over the life of a 36-60 month loan.

The consequence: 6 million to 11 million low-income drivers will be unable to afford new vehicles during this 13-year period, according to the National Auto Dealers Association (NADA). These drivers will essentially be eliminated from the new vehicle market, because they cannot afford even the least expensive new cars without a loan – and many cannot meet minimal lending standards to get that loan.

These drivers will be forced into the used car market. However, far fewer used cars are available today, because the $3-billion “cash for clunkers” program destroyed 690,000 perfectly drivable cars and trucks that otherwise would have ended up in used car lots. In addition, the poor economy is causing many families to hold onto their older cars longer than ever before.

Exacerbating the situation, the average price of used cars and trucks shot from $8,150 in December 2008 to $11,850 three years later, say the NADA and Wall Street Journal. With interest rates of 5-10% (depending on the bank, its lending standards and a borrower’s financial profile), even used cars are unaffordable for many poor families, if they can find one.

All this forces many poor families to buy “hoopties,” pieces of junk that cost much more to operate than a decent low-mileage used car. These higher operating costs can cripple families in borderline poverty situations.

The compounded financial impact is a “regressive” tax and a war on the poor.

Rasmussen to Newsmax: 'No Way' Obama Re-elected If Economy Stays Same



Pollster and political analyst Scott Rasmussen tells Newsmax that if Americans’ satisfaction with their financial situation does not improve before November, there is “no way” President Barack Obama will be re-elected. - Newsmax

He also warns that if Romney does not take Florida, he has “no chance” of winning the White House — but adds that Obama is in trouble there because of seniors’ opposition to Obamacare.

Elizabeth Emken Visits Dennis Prager Today

Nationally syndicated radio talk show host Dennis Prager has invited Elizabeth Emken to join him in-studio today at 11:30AM to discuss her campaign to retire Dianne Feinstein. Prager is one of America's most respected radio talk show hosts, broadcasting Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM until noon (Pacific time) from the studios of KRLA/Los Angeles.

This is Elizabeth's second syndicated radio interview and an important opportunity to get her message out to a nationwide audience, with the latest poll showing Feinstein at only 45% (the lowest of her career) and Emken now only 12 points behind and gaining.

Dennis Prager talks with Elizabeth Emken at 11:30 this morning for a full half hour. You can listen on the following stations:

Los Angeles — KRLA-AM 870 The Answer
San Diego — KCBQ-AM 1170
Sacramento — KTKZ-AM 1380
Riverside — KTIE-AM 590

Or you can listen live online ◼ HERE.

Twitter: @ElizabethEmken @DennisPrager

Share this alert with your friends and followers!

###

You can follow Elizabeth on Twitter at @Elizabeth Emken and @Emken2012 and like her Facebook page to keep track of campaign news and events.

Rachel didn’t get a call from the President



The Rachels built America. The Sandras just feed off of it. - Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion

CANCER AD TURNS MALIGNANT


Obama camp denies knowledge of cancer tale it told in May - OLiver Know/Yahoo News

"We have nothing, no involvement, with any ads that are done by Priorities USA. We don't have any knowledge of the story of the family," Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters aboard Air Force One on Wednesday.

The ad features Joe Soptic, who lost his job and his health benefits after Romney's Bain Capital closed the GST Steel plant in Kansas City, Mo., in 2001. Soptic later told CNN that his wife had health insurance through her own employer from that point to 2002 or 2003, when she left that job because of an injury—a detail that undermines the ad's heartbreaking narrative.

"I don't know the facts about when Mr. Soptic's wife got sick, or the facts about his health insurance," deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter told CNN on Wednesday.

But there's a problem. As Politico first reported, Soptic told essentially the same story in a May 14, 2012, conference call hosted by the Obama campaign...

...The revelation drew an immediate rebuke from Romney campaign spokesman Ryan Williams, who said Obama and his campaign "are willing to say and do anything to hide the president's disappointing record."

"But they're not entitled to repeatedly mislead voters," he said.

The Obama campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.More at the link.

Obama Personally Briefed on Troubled $OLYNDRA Program, Documents Show

E-mails about clean-energy loans provide new details on White House involvement - Alex Brandon/AP via Washington Post via Drudge

President Obama’s staff arranged for him to be personally briefed last summer on a loan program to help clean-energy companies, two months before the program was thrust into headlines by the collapse of its flagship, the solar company Solyndra, records show.

About the same time, then-White House Chief of Staff William Daley resolved a dispute among administration officials over another project in the program, clearing the way for a $1.4 billion loan, according to documents and sources familiar with the situation.

The documents, a series of e-mails among Energy Department staff members involved in managing the program, provide new details about the level of White House involvement in the controversial initiative. White House officials have said in the past that final decisions about which companies would receive the loan guarantees were made by career staff members at the Energy Department, not political appointees. More at the link.

Humboldt County: Seats still open on various city councils in Humboldt; Filing papers due Friday in most cities

Declaration of candidacy statements and nomination petitions are due by Friday at 5 p.m. in Arcata, Eureka, Fortuna, Rio Dell and Trinidad. - Megan Hansen, Grant Scott-Goforth and Thadeus Greenson/Times-Standard

Humboldt County Registrar of Voters Carolyn Crnich said there's a special statewide rule that comes into play if the incumbents on each city council don't file their paperwork by the set deadline. ”Then it is extended by five days,” Crnich said, adding that this means filing papers are due Aug. 15 in those cases.

In Fortuna, there are two city council seats up for election currently being filled by Mayor Douglas Strehl and Councilman Ken Zanzi. As of Wednesday, Jensen said, three people have filed papers with the city to run for office, including Strehl. She said Zanzi isn't planning to run for reelection, so papers for his seat will be accepted through Aug. 15 at 5 p.m.

In Arcata, the seats currently held by Mayor Michael Winkler, Councilman Shane Brinton and Councilwoman Susan Ornelas are up for grabs. All three have announced they are running for reelection. City officials said Wednesday that a total of seven people have taken out nomination papers, but only Winkler has filed.

In Blue Lake, there are three city council seats available to the public. The seats are currently held by Councilwoman Karen Barnes, Councilwoman Lana Manzanita and Councilwoman Michele McCall-Wallace. As of Wednesday, city officials said only one person -- Manzanita -- had filed papers. (In Blue Lake, officials said people have until 4 p.m. Friday to file their paperwork before the office closes)

In Eureka, two city council seats are up for grabs in the November election. The 4th Ward seat currently held by Melinda Ciarabellini is open. Ciarabellini was appointed in January 2011 by Mayor Frank Jager to fill his old seat after he won the mayoral election. She has already qualified for the November ballot -- having submitted signatures that were verified.

The 2nd Ward seat in Eureka currently held by Linda Atkins is also up for election. Atkins was elected in 2008, when she defeated appointed incumbent Polly Endert, and is finishing up her first term on the council. Atkins had not yet qualified for the November ballot Wednesday, but has announced her intention to seek reelection.

In Ferndale, there are three open seats on the city council, including the mayor's seat which is elected separately for a two-year term. The seats held by Mayor Jeff Farley, Councilman Stuart Titus and Councilman Ken Mierzwa are all available. As of Wednesday, City Clerk Kaytis-Slocum said no applications have been received for the two city council seats, which are for four-year terms. Only one application, from Titus, has been submitted for the mayor's position. (In Ferndale, City Clerk Nancy Kaytis-Slocum said people have until Monday at 4 p.m. to file their papers because the city's office is closed Friday.)

(I)n Rio Dell, the city seats currently filled by Councilman Frank Wilson and Councilman Jack Thompson are up for grabs. As of Wednesday, city officials said only the two incumbents had filed papers to run for office.

(In Trinidad), there are two seats up for election on the Trinidad City Council. The seats are currently held by Councilwoman Julie Fulkerson and Councilman Mike Morgan. The city clerk was unavailable for comment Wednesday, so it's unknown whether the two incumbents or any other candidates have filed election paperwork.

Did you know? A Republican Wrote the 19th Amendment


In 1878, U.S. Senator Aaron Sargent (R-CA) introduced in Congress the proposed 19th Amendment according women the right to vote. Over the next four decades, it was primarily the Democrats who would oppose the measure.

Not until 1919, after the Republican Party won majorities in the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives, did Congress approve what became the 19th Amendment.
◼ LEARN MORE ABOUT US.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Romney is currently leading in every state McCain carried plus: Indiana, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Nevada, North Carolina, and Colorado. If he carries these states, he’ll have 228 electoral votes of the 270 he needs to win.

The Real Poll Numbers - Dick Morris

The media is trying to create a sense of momentum and of inevitability about the Obama candidacy. One benighted Newsweek reporter even speculated about a possible Democratic landslide.
On Friday, I saw the real numbers. These state-by-state polls, taken by an organization I trust (after forty years of polling) show the real story. The tally is based on more than 600 likely voter interviews in each swing state within the past eight days.
The trend line is distinctly pro-Romney. Of the thirteen states studied, he improved or Obama slipped in nine states while the reverse happened in only four. To read the media, one would think that Romney had a terrible month. In fact, the exact reverse is true....

The strong probability is that Romney does, in fact, carry Florida, Ohio, and Virginia and a share of the other states where Obama is below 50% of the vote.

So don’t believe the garbage being put out by the media. The attempt to portray Romney as not catching on and as dropping in the polls is ludicrous. It is, at best, the product of incompetent polling and, at worst, the result of deliberate media bias. But Romney is winning and expanding his lead each week. That’s the real story.

◼ Another take on polls: Stubborn white voters * hk2′s open thread - No Quarter

Obama’s Bad Aim - Dick Morris

California: For the Next Audit—The Air Resources Board

Many in the business community are concerned with the lack of transparency on CARB’s responses to information regarding the use of administrative fees charged to California businesses under AB 32, the landmark greenhouse gases law. - Joel Fox/Fox&Hounds

Considering the demands for audits made by the administration and members of the legislature on the Park Special Funds, such actions can help lead to clearing the air about how much money the government actually has and how it is spent.
We should not stop that advance for transparency of government funds now. The costs associated with AB 32 would dwarf the dollars found unaccounted for in the Special Funds. More importantly, the business community needs to have faith that fees paid for administering the regulations are done fairly and openly.

California’s business environment is sick. Curing it will take strong medicine – not just treating symptoms but curing the originating disease.

Symptoms and Diseases – Real Reform Needed in Sacramento - John Cox/Fox&Hounds

We read constantly the stories – businesses moving out, cities failing, schools threatened with closure, state universities raising tuition and cutting scholarships. Huge deficit spending, out of control pensions, entrenched bureaucracies and red tape – these are all other symptoms of government gone wrong in the Golden State.

The Governor’s answer? Raise taxes. On ‘millionaires’ but also on consumers in the form of increases in sales taxes.

...Raising taxes when the legislature has overspent and wasted vast sums (and continues to spend and waste) is like throwing gasoline on a fire or giving more germs to a sick person. It just doesn’t make sense.

Saying no on Prop. 30 certainly treats the symptom. Other reforms, such as Prop. 32 (limiting special interest money from both corporations and unions) treat part of the disease and are a major step in the right direction.

In future election cycles, we will see other reforms that will make money much less necessary for political campaigns and treat the disease of Sacramento corruption more specifically.

In the meantime, we need to say no on Prop. 30.

Earned media backfire: "Controversial pro-Obama ad hasn't actually run yet"

While the spot has garnered plenty of media attention over the past 24 hours, the commercial apparently has yet to actually run.

The ad, announced yesterday by the pro-Obama super PAC Priorities USA Action, appears to blame Republican challenger Mitt Romney for the cancer death of the wife of a man who was laid off from a steel mill after the company he worked for, GST Steel, was shut down by Bain Capital, the private equity firm co-founded by Romney.

A closer look by CNN poked holes into the ad's timeline.

Why Team Obama Ran with the Dishonest ‘Mitt Killed My Wife!’ Ad - Bryan Preston/PJM

Allahpundit begins his post dissecting the CNN fact-check with a question:
I wonder if Bill Burton and crew knew about this and greenlit the smear anyway or if they didn’t care enough to even find out. Why would they?
In answer, yes, Burton & co likely knew the ad was hokum from the first frame to the last, and green lit it anyway. Why would they, knowing that it’s likely to fall apart in short order? Didn’t they think that even CNN would have to throw a flag at some point?

The Obama campaign has read the economic numbers, and they are aware of the history. Incumbent presidents in the kind of economy that we’re in right now don’t win.

The Obama team ran four years ago selling a product that didn’t exist. They created a hologram dream candidate, multi-racial, capable of great oratorical performances as long as he stuck to the script, with not much of a legislative record that could be used against him, and with a career prior to politics that could be made to sound romantic rather than fringe. He was a teacher! He organized communities! He cared. They marketed this product the way Hollywood might market a movie: “In a world..where a country is divided by race, and by wealth, and by a long and drawn-out war…comes a man…the perfect man…post-racial…post-partisan…promising peace. That man…is Barack Obama.” Cut to smiling, waving young man, flash bulbs pop as the adoring crowd roars, fade to black.

People voted for Obama because they got caught up in the emotions of electing the first black president, the young man who had reportedly taken Harvard by storm, the bright fresh face with no long political career and the baggage that builds up around even the best and most principled political actor. Obama was a mass-marketed president to a country that wanted to feel good, and didn’t want to do its homework on the man who wanted to lead them. He smiled broadly, said nice things, and got handed the keys to the country.

But now, that same team has to sell a very real and very damaged product. They know they can’t sell that product on its own merits. They know that Obama has had too many revealing and unscripted moments, the latest killer line being “You didn’t build that!” His job performance has been poor, and the people who elected him four years ago are skeptical of him now. Four years ago they wanted to feel good. Now, they just want jobs and to know that the future holds the promise of something good.

Team Obama knows that the hollow man from 2008 is a real candidate now, and that he is not a particularly good one. They have seen him up close more than the rest of us have, and they know that he is an ideologue incapable of real leadership. But they have to keep him in power to keep themselves in power....

The Obama campaign has gone from accusing Romney of boyhood bullying to adulthood felony, to being a murderer in all but name. What accusation is left to throw at him? There aren’t many, but rest assured that the Obama campaign and its allies will find one.

◼ UPDATE: Priorities USA tells CNN that ad has yet to air, but will soon be added to its swing state media rotation.
Team Obama denies knowing story of man in its TV ad, call - Reid J. Epstein/Politico

Asked about the Priorities spot on MSNBC Wednesday morning, Robert Gibbs said he doesn’t “know the specifics” while Stephanie Cutter said on CNN: “I don’t know the facts about when Mr. Soptic’s wife got sick or the facts about his health insurance.”

And Jen Psaki told reporters on Air Force One that “we don't' have any knowledge of the story of the family,” according to Yahoo! News.

But Cutter hosted an Obama campaign conference call in May in which Soptic told reporters the very story featured in the Priorities spot.

Both the campaign and the Priorities USA Action said there was no coordination about Soptic’s appearances. In the campaign’s ad, Soptic speaks only about the plant. In the Priorities spot, he tells the personal story he relayed during the Obama campaign conference call.

“We have no idea when Priorities shot their spot,” an Obama campaign official said. “We’re not allowed to coordinate with them – but we can tell you it wasn’t when we shot ours.” (Soptic also appeared, wearing what appears to be an identical shirt, in a May television ad for the Obama campaign.)

Democrats: The Party of Lies - The Other McCain

The hardest thing about this post was the headline. My first idea was, “Godd–n Worthless Motherf–king Democrat Party, Go to Hell,” but that seemed likely to offend the “family values” conservatives. So then I tried, “Will the Last Honest Person Leaving the Democrat Party, Please Turn Out the Lights?” but it was a couple words too long to fit.

HAS THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN FINALLY GONE TOO FAR? - John Hinderaker/Powerline

So the Obama campaign has tried to distance itself from the ad. By lying. At Townhall, ◼ Guy Benson sums up the Obama campaign’s falsehoods... Busted: Team Obama Caught in Blatant Lie About 'Cancer' Ad

The coordinated lie goes down in flames:
But Cutter hosted an Obama campaign conference call in May in which Soptic told reporters the very story featured in the Priorities spot. Both the campaign and the Priorities USA Action said there was no coordination about Soptic’s appearances. In the campaign’s ad, Soptic speaks only about the plant. In the Priorities spot, he tells the personal story he relayed during the Obama campaign conference call. On the May 14 Obama campaign call, Soptic detailed his wife's illness and death.
Here is the audio of Mr. Soptic recounting the horrible details of his wife's death -- which occurred five years after he lost his job at GST and seven years after Mitt Romney left Bain Capital. (He fails to mention that his wife had her own insurance before she left her job, a detail that was also omitted from the -- totally uncoordinated! -- SuperPAC ad). Note the voice at the very end end of the clip...



That was Stephanie Cutter in May, thanking Joe for "sharing his experiences" on a conference call she was running. Yes, the very same Stephanie Cutter who ◼ claimed on national television earlier today that she does not "know the facts about when Mr. Soptic’s wife got sick or the facts about his health insurance." Oh, and the May conference call was orchestrated, organized and executed by the very campaign that now tells voters that they "don't have any knowledge of the story of the [Soptic] family." These people are liars. Even though they've been caught red-handed, totally lying their asses off about this controversy, don't expect any contrition or remorse. In addition to being -- ◼ what's the term again? -- oh yes, dirty liars, they're also unscrupulous, win-at-all-costs ideologues. As they disgrace themselves, they continue to expose their boss to be the utterly ◼ shameless fraud that he is.

UPDATE - A follow-up from the "shameless fraud" file: This whole slander was brought about by Obama's SuperPAC. Obama called SuperPACs ◼ "a threat to our democracy" in 2010, before reversing himself and setting one up for himself. It is now doing his filthy slime-job bidding as his campaign lies about being totally innocent bystanders.

UPDATE II - And another. Guess who was running Bain Capital when Mr. Soptic was laid off? ◼ A major Obama fundraiser.

In Massachusetts: Elizabeth Warren daughter secretly behind effort by Mass to register 500k welfare recipients

it’s about Elizabeth Warren once again rigging the system for her own benefit. - Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion

The news broke today that Massachusetts has taken extraordinary efforts in response to a lawsuit by a former ACORN affiliated, Soros-funded group to register 500,000 welfare recipients to vote (who would have thought there were that many people on welfare considering Mass has only 6.5 million residents).

Republicans cried foul, as this was a transparent attempt to register Warren’s base, while no similar efforts were made to register voters who might be more favorably inclined towards Brown.

Rob Eno of Red Mass Group, however, took the story to an entirely new level by discovering that the group in question is ◼ run by Elizabeth Warren’s daughter:
Elizabeth Warren's daughter Amelia Warren Tyagi is leaving nothing to chance in the 2012 election for her mother. Warren Tyagi, the chair of the George Soros funded Demos Foundation, has bankrolled, through Demos, former members of ACORN in their pursuit to have the Commonwealth's welfare agency perform a voter registration drive. The Boston Herald has the story, although they missed the Warren familial connection.

Abortionist sees aborting ‘ugly black babies’ as a service to the taxpayers, apparently



The doctor says his abortions save taxpayers money, prevent shootings like the one in Colorado, and rid the world of “ugly black babies.” - Timothy P. Carney/Washington Examiner @tpcarney

(The doctor in the video, apparently, is an active political donor, giving almost all his money to Democrats.)

Nancy Pelosi’s greatest “it’s a conspiracy” hits

The lawmaker most prone to imagining shadowy secret cabals influencing our politics is undoubtedly House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. - Sean Higgins/Washington Examiner

SCHIEFFER MOCKS AXELROD: IS COMPLAINING ABOUT GOP AD DOLLARS ‘THE BEST YOU CAN DO?’

David Axelrod, Barack Obama’s top adviser, said yesterday on “Face the Nation” that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is a “threat to our democracy.” Bob Schieffer responds by mocking Axelrod: “This part about foreign money, that appears to be peanuts.” - Breitbart.com

Obama White House told GSA to 'stand-down' on Occupy protesters


Documents obtained by Judicial Watch confirm that somebody in the White House told officials with the General Services Administration (GSA) to "stand down" and not arrest Occupy Portland protestors who may have broken the law last year. - Washington Examiner Watchdog Staff

Former GSA Public Buildings Service Commissioner Robert Peck told a senior Department of Homeland Security official that the federal housekeeping agency had been instructed by the Obama White House to go easy on the Occupy protestors.

In a Nov. 6, 2011, DHS/National Protection and Programs Directorate Chief of Staff Caitlin Durkovich asked GSA's Peck if it was true that his agency had asked Federal Protective Service officials not to take action against the Occupy Portland protestors.

"Yes, that is our position," Peck responded. "It's been vetted with our Administrator and Michael Robertson, our chief of staff, and we have communicated with the WH [White House], which has afforded us the discretion to fashion our approach to Occupy issues...The arrests last week were carried out despite our request that the protesters [sic] be allowed to remain and to camp overnight..."

The Obama White House denied on multiple occasions during the Occupy protests last year that anybody in the Obama administration had given aid or encouragement to the demonstrations, many of which erupted into public and private property destruction, arrests for drug dealing and prostitution and public health violations.

Peck was forced to resign from GSA earlier this year following revelations that agency officials had spent lavishly on a regional conference in Las Vegas.

"We now have a new GSA scandal - one that involves the Obama White House," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. "These documents clearly show that federal agencies colluded with the Obama White House to allow the Occupy Wall Street protestors to violate the law with impunity. These documents tell us that the GSA and DHS can't be relied upon to protect federal workers or property."

Obama Picking Favorites: Occupy Portland - Black & Right (image source)
Confirmed: Obama White House Told Law Enforcement to “Stand Down” and Not Enforce the Law Against Occupy Protestors - Gateway Pundit
What do you do if Occupiers keep breaking the law and making you look bad? - Jim Treacher/Daily Caller

Simple: Just don’t prosecute them!

And yet, if you’re a right-winger who obeys the law and has never hurt anybody, Janet Napolitano still thinks you’re an “extremist.”

Weird. It’s almost like there’s one set of rules for the people who are deemed useful by the Obama administration, and another set of rules for anyone who disagrees with them. But that can’t be it, can it? Somebody would’ve noticed the pattern by now, wouldn’t they?

Nah. They’re definitely not corrupt and rotten to the core. And you won’t say so, if you know what’s good for you.

This ad is so dirty that even the people who made it don’t want to take credit for it.

OBAMA SUPERPAC RELEASES ONE OF THE MOST UGLY, MISLEADING ADS IN CAMPAIGN HISTORY Breitbart/Big Government


The Obama political machine's race to the bottom has dived deep beneath the muck of Harry Reid's lies about Romney's taxes and finally hit bedrock. Today Priorities USA released a new ad that will surely rank among the ugliest and most dishonest in the history of political campaigns. Titled "Understands" the ad features Joe Soptic describing how Mitt Romney is responsible for his wife's death from lung cancer.... If Soptic looks familiar that's because he was one of the narrators of the ads the Obama campaign launched in May....

CNN reviewed the ad this afternoon and found it is “not accurate.” Turns out Soptic’s wife still had her own insurance after he lost his job. She stopped working as a result of an accident...

Bill Burton at Priorities USA is now claiming that he did not intend to connect Romney to the death of Soptic’s wife. This is obviously a lie. Watch the video. There’s no other conclusion you can draw from it. This ad is so dirty that even the people who made it don’t want to take credit for it.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Meet the Real Workers Obama Screwed Over

President Obama's sleazy super-PAC, run by his former White House spokesman Bill Burton, just released an ad accusing GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney of causing the cancer death of a steelworker's wife. - Michelle Malkin/Townhall

It's not just a slanderous and false attack. It's a foolish attempt to camouflage the administration's massive jobs death toll, politicized pension plundering and Big Labor bailout cronyism. And it will backfire big time because the thousands and thousands of true victims of Obama's economic wreckage are speaking up and fighting back....

While Team Obama promotes fables to indict Romney, the incontrovertible stories of the current administration's economic malpractice are finally getting out. In 2010, I first reported on how Obama's UAW bailout threw tens of thousands of nonunion autoworkers under the bus. It's the ongoing horror story of some 20,000 white-collar workers at Delphi, a leading auto parts company spun off from GM a decade ago.

As Washington rushed to nationalize the U.S. auto industry with $80 billion in taxpayer "rescue" funds and avoid contested court termination proceedings, the White House auto team and the Treasury Department schemed with Big Labor bosses to preserve UAW members' costly pension funds by shafting their nonunion counterparts.

Jarrett ignores questions on terminated non-union Delphi pensions [VIDEO] - Matthew Boyle/Daily Caller



Emails: Geithner, Treasury drove cutoff of non-union Delphi workers’ pensions - Matthew Boyle/Daily Caller

Emails obtained by The Daily Caller show that the U.S. Treasury Department, led by Timothy Geithner, was the driving force behind terminating the pensions of 20,000 salaried retirees at the Delphi auto parts manufacturing company.

The move, made in 2009 while the Obama administration implemented its auto bailout plan, appears to have been made solely because those retirees were not members of labor unions.

The internal government emails contradict sworn testimony, in federal court and before Congress, given by several Obama administration figures. They also indicate that the administration misled lawmakers and the courts about the sequence of events surrounding the termination of those non-union pensions, and that administration figures violated federal law.

Rumor of the day: First Romney fundraiser with VP “may” be in Florida on Sunday

Yes, yes, I know — pure speculation, as thin as tissue paper. Get used to it. No less than Karl Rove thinks the pick could come as soon as Friday, so the full force of VP frenzy will soon be upon us. Don’t be surprised if we’re a little more lax in relaying rumors than we usually are in the meantime. - Allahpundit/HotAir

Marco Rubio: "This is a choice between a guy who has no idea what he's doing, and a guy who does"



...here’s Rubio showing off his attack-dog skills earlier today. Excellent stuff, especially in light of The One’s sleazy smear this morning. - Allahpundit/HotAir

"This is not a choice between two bad people. This isn't not a choice between one bad guy and one good guy. This is a choice between a guy that has no idea what he's doing and a guy that does," Marco Rubio said a campaign event for Mitt Romney today. - Real Clear Politics

BREAKING NEWS: CNN Investigates - Obama Super PAC Ad "Not Accurate"



Pro-Obama Super PAC ad ties Romney to cancer death - Doug Powers/Michelle Malkin
Priorities ad ties Mitt Romney to cancer death - Rachel Weiner/Washington Post
CNN: Obama Super PAC Ad "Not Accurate" - The Right Scoop

CNN debunks Bill Burton’s ad smear: Steelworker’s wife still had a job and insurance when he lost his job... Turns out that even though Joe Soptic lost his job in 2001 and lost his insurance, his wife still had her job AND had her insurance. She left her job almost 2 years later due to an injury and that’s when she lost her insurance. Funny, Soptic didn’t mention that in Bill Burton’s attack ad.

Woman in anti-Romney SuperPAC Death Ad actually had insurance - Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion
CNN: Wife of steelworker in new Obama Super PAC ad still had job and health insurance after he lost his - Allahpundit/HotAir

Young Republican Leadership Summit


Saturday, August 11th | Burbank, CA
California Republican Party Fall Convention


Gathering of young adult leaders who care deeply about freedom, liberity, and prosperity! Join us if you are attending the CRP Convention.

*** Agenda ***
3:00 PM - Weekend Warrior Training Session
4:00 PM - Board Meeting & Deployment Presentations
5:00 PM - Guest Speakers & Great Candidates
6:00 PM - Happy Hour & Evening Entertainment

*** Location ***
Marriott Burbank Hotel - Academy 5
2500 North Hollywood Way, Burbank, CA ◼ Directions
(Contact us about special sponsor & donor opportunities)

Support our fall deployment program: ◼ https://rally.org/cyrf/donate

The California Young Republican Federation (CYRF) represents next generation of Republicans and young professionals ages 18 to 40. We empower political engagement through local chapters, professional networks, and official affiliation with the California Republican Party and Young Republican National Federation. For more information and how to join please visit us at: ◼ www.cyrfgop.com
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The California Young Republican Federation is the official statewide organization for young adult Republicans between the ages 18 to 40. We empower a new generation of young voters, causes, and candidates!

NFRW Political Briefing: Legislative News for the Week of August 7, 2012

Unemployment Rate Continues at All Time High

Since President Obama took office, the nation has lost 316,000 jobs and the unemployment rate has increased from 7.8 percent to 8.3 percent. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Accessed 8/4/12)

In July, the unemployment rate increased to 8.3 percent. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Accessed 8/4/12)

The New York Times reported that the "U.S. Economy Slowed to a Tepid 1.5% Rate of Growth." (Shaila Dewan, "U.S. Economy Slowed to a Tepid 1.5 Rate of Growth," The New York Times, 7/27/12)

The Washington Post stated that the "Growth at or Below 2 Percent Isn't Enough to Lower the Unemployment Rate." (The Washington Post, Twitter Feed, 7/27/12).

In addition, The Washington Post, on August 6, announced that the unemployment rate has been over 8 percent for 42 straight months, "a streak unparalleled in American history. No post-World War II president has ever been re-elected with unemployment over 7.2 percent" (Chris Cillizza, Washington Post, August 6, 2012).

President Obama's Economic Policies Fail to Win Over Voters

It appears that voters see the upcoming election as about one thing: Obama's ability or inability to improve the economy. With that in mind, in a July Washington Post-ABC News poll, only 44 percent of those polled approved of how Obama is dealing with the economy while 54 percent disapprove. Specifically, 41 percent strongly disapproved of the job Obama is doing on the economy and 21 percent strongly approved.

Sequestration Legislation Update

Under the past Budget Control Act, the spending authority of many federal departments and agencies will be automatically reduced on January 2, 2013, in order to comply with spending reductions between fiscal years 2013 through 2021 as required by the Budget Control Act.

The across the board funding cuts of certain federal entities, or "sequestration," will be split between defense spending and non-defense accounts. According to analysis by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, the January 2, 2013, full implementation of the defense sequester would have a dramatic negative impact on our nation's ability to defend itself. Secretary Panetta points out that the sequestration's total cut will rise to approximately $1 trillion. Rough estimates show that after ten years of these automatic cuts, the U.S. would have the smallest ground force since 1940, the smallest number of ships since 1915, and the smallest Air Force in the nation's history.

Sequestration is so serious at this point in time that even the Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget argues that Congress should invest time in coming to an agreement to avoid sequestration.

How Obama's Hollywood Backers Have Outsourced Jobs

Jon Karl, of ABC News, pointed out it was another week, another Hollywood fundraiser for President Obama. From George Clooney's house in Los Angeles to Sarah Jessica Parker's townhouse in Manhattan, the Hollywood crowd has been a virtual ATM for the Obama campaign.

All that Hollywood cash, Mr. Karl reports, has helped pay for ads hammering Mitt Romney for maximizing profits by allegedly shipping American jobs overseas during his time at the helm of Bain Capital. But Hollywood knows a thing or two about outsourcing too.

Mr. Karl goes on to state that movie-making is big business and when it comes to maximizing profits, the President's top celebrity supporters have benefited from outsourcing Hollywood-style.

A fresh example begins with the movie "The Dark Knight Rises," starring Morgan Freeman (who recently gave Priorities USA, the Obama SuperPAC, $1 million). There is no more quintessentially American city than Gotham, but where were half of the Gotham scenes shot? In the United Kingdom and China. Going overseas may have meant fewer jobs for American workers, but means tax breaks and fewer union rules for the movie industry.

And then there's Hollywood legend Harvey Weinstein, who was hosting a recent high-dollar fundraiser for President Obama. Mr. Weinstein's long list of movie credits includes many films that although set in the United States, were filmed primarily in foreign countries. Outsourcing, pure and simple. ◼ National Federation of Republican Women (NFRW) President: Rae Lynne Chornenky

Deroy Murdock is right. America needs to remember how Operation Fast & Furious has affected Mexico.

THE HYSTERIA IN MEXICO CAUSED BY FAST & FURIOUS - Mary Chastain/Breitbart's Big Government

Operation Fast & Furious was a scheme the Department of Justice used to sell state of the art assault weapons to straw purchasers who would give them to Mexican drug cartels. These guns are connected to the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry in December 2010 and hundreds of Mexicans. But people aren’t just using these weapons to kill people. They’ve been used in injuries, kidnappings, and attempted homicides....

The Oversight Committee's July 26, 2011 report gives at least 48 separate recoveries involving Fast & Furious weapons. A letter from the DOJ to Chairman Darrell Issa and Senator Charles Grassley on September 9, 2011 gives in depth details on a few of those recoveries....

While America has been damaged by Fast & Furious, it's nothing compared to Mexico. 1,000+ guns are still missing, and until they're found the Mexican drug cartels will continue to use them to wreak havoc on Mexico.