The Lion Sleeps Tonight
Aug 26, 2009 Political
Senator Edward Kennedy died of brain cancer last evening at the age of 77. Kennedy served in the Senate for 47 years and was the champion of liberal causes. His family name helped propel him to national spotlight and his personal failings prevented him from reaching higher political office.
I never cared for Kennedy or his politics but now is not the time to discuss political differences so if you comment I ask that you put aside partisan differences and be respectful. As Michelle Malkin put it:
There is a time and place for political analysis and criticism. Not now.
Yes, there will be a nauseating excess of MSM hagiographies and lionizations — and crass calls to pass the health care takeover to memorialize his death.
That’s no excuse to demonstrate the same lack of restraint in the other direction. Not now.
My friends at Stop the ACLU have a reminder about what mom always said; “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.”
While I respect all opinions, crass comments about his death will be deleted. I don’t expect people to praise him and certainly understand that sentiment. That is why mom’s wise words are here as a reminder.
The thoughts and prayers of the Big Dog family go out to those grieving for Sentaor Kennedy.
UPDATE: Eric at Tygrrrr Express has a very good post up discussing Kennedy. It gives Kennedy props for something he did and I agree with the sentiment.
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Tags: death, Obama, Senate, ted kennedy, vacancy
Obama Urges Senate Democrats To Punch Back Harder
Aug 8, 2009 Political
Barack Obama faces stiff opposition to his signature legislation on Health Care Reform (really government take over). Members of Congress are on their month long August vacation and they are hearing quite a bit from angry voters who are not happy with the health care plan. While the people are angry the only violence I am aware of occurred when union thugs forced participants out of a meeting because they dared to disagree.
Obama gave Senate Democrats a pep talk and told them to punch back harder:
“If you get hit, we will punch back twice as hard,” Messina said, according to an official who attended the meeting.
The hourlong session was the last opportunity for Democratic leaders and the White House to prepare senators for what will be a crucial month in shaping public opinion on health care. With no final legislation to promote, senators have expressed concern about dealing with questions and criticisms about the almost $1 trillion overhaul. The spate of confrontational town hall meetings have raised the stakes. Politico
This is how the Chicago street thug is doing business. More than half of people polled do not want this health care boondoggle but he and Congress know more about this than we do. They are going to keep ramming this until it gets passed no matter what people want.
Hold their feet to the fire. Let them know that you will not vote for them if they vote for this terrible plan. Hold them accountable for their actions and make sure they lose their jobs if they vote for this mess.
It is time to take the country back and if the reactions of people at the meetings are any kind of clue, people are mad as hell and they are not going to take it any more.
In a different story, Obama continues to blame Republicans for the economy:
“I expect to be held responsible,” Obama said. “But I don’t want the folks who created the mess to do a lot of talking. I want them to get out of the way so we can clean up the mess. I don’t mind cleaning up after them, but don’t do a lot of talking.”
Obama accused his GOP critics of having “selective memory” about the economy and said, “When I walked in we had a $1.3 trillion deficit. That was gift-wrapped and waiting for me when I walked into the Oval Office.” Roanoke.com
Obama continues to blame Republicans when Democrats were in control of Congress the last two years of the Bush administration. That is when everything started going to hell in a hand basket. Democrats, led by Barney Frank, were responsible for the housing mess which started the downward spiral.
It is funny that Obama complains he was left a deficit but continues to spend and add to it. He and Joe Biden think the only way to make money when you are bankrupt is to spend more money. If you did that at home (and many of you did which added the the economic problems) how well would it work?
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Tags: chicago thugs, Congress, health care, Obama, punches, Senate
Senate Democrats Tell A Whopper Of A Lie
Jul 31, 2009 Political
Democratic leaders in the Senate told a whopper of a lie today when they blamed the media for imposing a deadline for health care reform. The Democrats stated that the media set a deadline of before the August recess and then claimed that Republicans were at fault for any delays.
Senate Democratic leaders on Thursday blamed Capitol Hill media for setting an August deadline for health reform and Republicans for blocking the bill’s progress.
Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Democratic Conference Vice Chairman Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Conference Secretary Patty Murray (D-Wash.) also acknowledged that critics will “pour it on” during the coming August recess and they plan to respond in kind.
Reid said reporters created a fictitious deadline of a successful vote by the August recess, and downplayed the fact that the chamber won’t meet that mark.
“That is a deadline that you created,” Reid told a group of about 75 reporters. “It’s not like we don’t have a product. Significant progress has been made … The mere fact that this wasn’t done by last Friday or by five o’clock doesn’t mean we’re not going to get a quality product.” [emphasis mine] The Hill
The claim that the media set the deadline is an outright lie. Barack Obama set the deadline for the bill to be passed and he reasserted this fact as recently as a week ago. Obama stated that one needed to set deadlines in DC or nothing got done. This sentiment was iterated by Press Secretary Gibbs.
President Barack Obama continued to insist Tuesday that Congress approve a health care bill before its August recess — a timetable Republicans see as excessive. Washington Times
The administration is kicking off a campaign to push Congress to meet Obama’s deadline of finishing work on drafting a measure before Congress leaves for its August recess. Bloomberg
Still, the virtual deadline underscored Obama’s determination to push initial legislation through both houses of Congress before lawmakers leave the Capitol in August for a vacation. The Spokesman Review
Legislation to overhaul the nation’s health systems is unlikely to make it through the House and Senate before the August target set by President Barack Obama and other Democratic leaders, lawmakers said Sunday. Huffington Post
Barack Obama set the deadline and Congress has failed to meet that deadline. As is often the case with Democrats, they point fingers and blame others for their failures. These people do not want their messiah Obama to be the object of scorn for failing to meet the deadline he established so they are blaming the media.
Additionally, Republicans are being blamed for the delay when this too is an absolute lie. There are not enough Republicans to block any legislation. The Democrats can pass anything they want on a straight party line vote. The truth is that conservative and moderate Democrats are holding up the process. Democrats have admitted as much and stated they will not be able to accomplish health care reform without Republican support which is nothing more than a ploy to assign blame to Republicans during the midterm elections in 2010 while protecting Democrats who hail from more conservative parts of the country.
The Democrats are great at playing the blame game. Obama continues to blame George Bush for the problems of the country when the economy and everything else now belongs to Obama. The problems he is facing are of his own doing. Democrats are responsible for the financial meltdown but continue to point fingers the other way. Democrats have had control of Congress since 2006 and the country has gone to hell in a hand basket and there is a shortage of hand baskets. Under their control things have gone very badly. It should come as no surprise that Democrats are once again assigning blame for their inabilities.
Republicans have opposed this health care monstrosity but their opposition cannot stop the passage of a bill if all Democrats are on board. The Republicans want time to be taken so that things are not rushed through and so that all bills can be read before they are voted upon. The big question from the right is; “What’s the rush?”
It took Obama longer to decide on a dog than he gave for the health care bill to be completed. If Obama can take six or eight months to decide on something as mundane as a dog then certainly we can take at least that long to debate something that will affect the country in such a huge way.
America needs to wake up and replace these non performing liars with people who will do the job, accept responsibility for their actions, and run this country in accordance with the Constitution. When 2011 starts we need to finally be rid of the likes of Harry Reid and his cronies.
We also need a Republican majority in the Senate so that we can stop this run away freight train of uncontrolled spending.
As an aside, the beer summit was held at the White House today. How much did this cost taxpayers (who paid for the plane tickets for the participants and their guests?) and what time did Obama and Biden start drinking those beers? If it was before the end of normal duty hours is it appropriate for them to have been drinking? What would happen to other government employees who drank during the duty day?
UPDATE: Looks like Biden had a non alcoholic beer. That is probably best considering he has reduced brain function already.
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Tags: deadline, health care, lies, Obama, Senate
A Democrat We Can Live With?
Jan 23, 2009 Political
David Paterson of New York has selected Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand of New York’s 20th Congressional District to replace Hillary Clinton in the Senate. Clinton resigned her seat on 21 January to assume duties as Secretary of State.
Gillibrand is a Blue Dog Democrat and her positions are generally conservative. Her Wikipedia (FWIW) entry states:
Gillibrand is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition. She opposes gun control. She supports extending the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts for middle class families; stem cell research; and the Children’s Health and Medicare Protection Act. Gillibrand opposes attempts to partially privatize Social Security. She strongly supported passage of the 2008 Farm Bill. Gillibrand broke with former Governor Eliot Spitzer on the issue of illegal immigration, opposing his plan to issue New York State drivers licenses to illegal immigrants. She supports same-sex marriage.
Not all of these are ideal positions but she is a Democrat. Considering the people who Paterson could have appointed, this is not a bad choice. Some of her negatives include opposition to Social Security privatization and support for gay marriage but she is against gun control (and endorsed by the NRA), in favor of tax cuts, and opposes issuing licenses to illegals.
She also opposed the financial bailout.
Paterson selected her in order to attempt to garner votes from upstate New York in his 2010 election bid (he was appointed so it is not a reelection). Regardless, he has done us a favor. Gillibrand might be the antidote for McCain as she might oppose the things he would favor.
Additionally, the seat she holds in the House is in a heavily Republican area of New York. This provides Republicans the chance to pick up a seat in the House.
Liberals are howling mad about her selection so it must be, at least partly, good for Republicans. Interestingly, the liberals claim she is not qualified because she has only been in the House for a short time. These would be the same people who want Caroline Kennedy who has no political experience and who supported Barack Obama who has very little experience.
We will have to wait and see how she works out but something tells me she will not be pushed around by the likes of Harry Reid.
I hope she provides some sense of balance to the Senate. Conservatives can use another voice.
Source:
New York Post
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Tags: conservative, gillibrand, New York, paterson, Senate
Democrats Not Very Good With Strategy
Jan 3, 2009 Political
The Democrats appear to have shot themselves in the foot. Harry Reid and his gang of liberals have decided that Roland Burris of Illinois will not be seated in the Senate. Governor Rod Blagojevich selected Burris to fill the seat vacated by soon to be President Obama and that has rankled the Senate Dems.
Rod Blagojevich is the governor of Illinois. Yes, he is a slime ball and he tried to sell Obama’s seat to the highest bidder, an effort that was thwarted when investigators arrested him (way too soon). But, he is the governor and it is in his purview to appoint people to fill seats of those who have not completed their terms. He selected someone who, as far as anyone can tell, was not involved in the pay to play scandal. Burris has, as far as I can tell, had a mediocre public service life but seems not to be too tarnished from Illinois politics where nearly all politicians are crooked.
Harry Reid has no right to block Burris from being seated but he has stated he will do so unless Burris is certified by the Illinois Secretary of State. However, Reid has stated that he would seat Al Franken on a provisional basis while awaiting the outcome of the recount and any court challenges. Franken will not be certified by the Minnesota Secretary of State. Why the double standard? Because Burris has been appointed by a tarnished governor, perhaps but it might also be because Democrats are worried that he cannot win reelection and the seat might go to a Republican (the same reason the legislature of Illinois decided not to have a special election).
In any event, the Democrats have put themselves in a bind because Republicans have vowed to filibuster any move to put Franken in a seat without the issue being resolved at the state level. No matter what Harry Reid and the Democrats do regarding Burris they have already given the Republicans an opening that cannot be closed. They set the standard and allowed the Republicans to thwart their attempt to legitimize Franken’s potential theft of the election an effort that would have looked like partisan politics had Reid not opened the door.
I would have thought that people who have been around politics as long as this gang of thugs has would have seen the potential for disaster in blocking Burris. I know they did not worry about 57 white guys keeping the black guy out because Democrats are the party of slavery and discrimination and they are excused each time they display their roots. The Republicans could have never effectively played the race card but they can use Reid’s own words and rules against him. I wonder where the people who comment that the seat must go to a black guy fall on this issue?
No matter what people think about Rod Blagojevich or Roland Burris, the fact remains that his appointment was legal and it should go through without delay. It is a legal appointment and Reid has no Constitutional grounds upon which to deny Burris entry.
Republicans, on the other hand, have a legitimate issue with Franken. The contest has not been decided and it might take months for the recount and court challenges to resolve the issue. Franken will probably end up winning because Democrats are skilled at stealing elections but he should not be seated until the issue is resolved and he is certified.
Sources:
Politico
The Hill
CNN
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Tags: al franken, blago, filibuster, Harry Reid, illinois, roland burris, Senate