Franken: Still a little bitch

Thanks Minnesota, you’ve lowered the bar, again: Franken feuds with T. Boone Pickens

According to a source, the wealthy oil and gas magnate and author of “The First Billion Is the Hardest” stepped up to introduce himself to Franken in a room just off the Senate Floor after the lunch ended

Franken, who was seated talking to someone else, did not stand when Pickens said hello. Instead, Franken began to berate him about the billionaire’s financing of the Swift Boat ads in 2004.

According to a source, the confrontation grew heated.

Said Franken spokeswoman Jess McIntosh: “It was a lively conversation.”

Pickens was on the Hill to address the Senate Democratic Policy Committee lunch about his plans to use wind energy to lower the nation’s dependence on oil and gas. But the thought of Pickens being invited to a Democratic event angered some on the Hill and in the liberal blogs.

Pickens’ camp appears unmoved by the drama. “If they have a problem, that’s their problem,” said Pickens spokesman Jay Rosser.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/25667.html#ixzz0MszmsbXD

New bumper stickers for sale.

ObamaCare for Congress

Re-elect No One

Is health bill too complex to grasp?

Olympia Snowe, it seems safe to assume, is following the health care debate a bit more closely than the average American.

So it is saying something that the Maine senator — a key figure in health care negotiations — admits she is stumped by the task of crafting a simple explanation for legislation of mind-numbing complexity.

“If anybody can give me an easy, 30-second solution to this multitrillion-dollar problem, be my guest,” said Snowe, a moderate Republican.

A Democratic lawmaker, Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota, agrees. “The members don’t even understand what’s in it,” he confessed of the legislation. As for his constituents? They are “not exactly sure what this is about, and they’re not really sure whether they like it or not.”

The most far-reaching domestic legislation to move through Capitol Hill in decades has engaged the minds of many of the country’s smartest and most-informed economists and public policy engineers.

via POLITICO.com

A must read: A letter to ‘Skip’ Gates

via The Harvard Crimson – A Colleague’s Concerns (emphasis mine):

Dear Skip,My first thought on hearing of your arrest was for your welfare, so I was relieved to learn that the case against you had been dropped and you were off to join your family on Martha’s Vineyard. From what I can piece together, you must have been exhausted after a long flight, exasperated to have your front door jammed, and then dumbfounded to find yourself suspected of breaking and entering your own home. To that point, you have my sympathy.

But thereafter your case becomes disturbing, and while the president’s unwise comments turned a local episode into a national referendum, it’s the local issue that troubles me. Like you, I live in Cambridge, commonly known as the “People’s Republic of Cambridge” for its left-leaning political correctness. Our congressional district has not sent a Republican to Washington since 1955. Be forewarned, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. will judge you by the color of your skinNot surprisingly, the officers who came to your door—a rainbow of black, Hispanic, and white—were led by a man hand-picked to provide training on the avoidance of bias in policing. To accuse the Cambridge police of racial profiling, as you did, is about as credible as charging Barack Obama with favoring Republicans.

And worthy of an apology to all the officers and their police department, I would add.

The letter is really worth finishing… Read more of this post

Not Fair Taxes

Tax Burden of Top 1% Now Exceeds That of Bottom 95%

Newly released data from the IRS clearly debunks the conventional Beltway rhetoric that the “rich” are not paying their fair share of taxes.

Indeed, the IRS data shows that in 2007—the most recent data available—the top 1 percent of taxpayers paid 40.4 percent of the total income taxes collected by the federal government. This is the highest percentage in modern history. By contrast, the top 1 percent paid 24.8 percent of the income tax burden in 1987, the year following the 1986 tax reform act.

Remarkably, the share of the tax burden borne by the top 1 percent now exceeds the share paid by the bottom 95 percent of taxpayers combined. In 2007, the bottom 95 percent paid 39.4 percent of the income tax burden. This is down from the 58 percent of the total income tax burden they paid twenty years ago.

To put this in perspective, the top 1 percent is comprised of just 1.4 million taxpayers and they pay a larger share of the income tax burden now than the bottom 134 million taxpayers combined.

Some in Washington say the tax system is still not progressive enough. However, the recent IRS data bolsters the findings of an OECD study released last year showing that the U.S.—not France or Sweden—has the most progressive income tax system among OECD nations. We rely more heavily on the top 10 percent of taxpayers than does any nation and our poor people have the lowest tax burden of those in any nation.

We are definitely overdue for some honesty in the debate over the progressivity of the nation’s tax burden before lawmakers enact any new taxes to pay for expanded health care.

Air Obama is going down….

Gateway Pundit: Figures. President’s Own Physician Is Against Obamacare

Air Obama

Straight from the ass’s mouth

Via Hot Air: Barney Frank: Yes, a public plan will lead to a government takeover of health care.

Gates and Obama and Crowley: No apologies at White House beerfest

Because he’s a white cop in America.

Via Hot Air: Disaster strikes beer summit: Biden decides to attend; Update: Obama issues statement; Update: “Toast” photo added; Update: Gates issues statement; Update: Obama played only a small part, says Crowley

Now for a view into the racism inherent in the system let’s take a quick look at how Crowley’s colleagues are being treated by other blacks and minorities for their support of Crowley.

It is telling that you are attacked for being an Uncle Tom when you put circumstance, logic, facts, or anything else in front of your race when things get dicey, your co-workers attacked, and your president foolishly decides to chime in.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – A black sergeant who was at the home of Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. when he was arrested says he’s been maligned as an “Uncle Tom” for supporting the actions of the white arresting officer.Cambridge Sgt. Leon Lashley gave a letter to Sgt. James Crowley to give to President Barack Obama during their so-called beer summit with Gates on Thursday night at the White House.

In the letter, which was also sent to CNN, Lashley says Gates “may have caused grave and potentially irreparable harm to the struggle for racial harmony.”

Lashley says he has become known as a traitor to his heritage by some because he “spoke the truth” about the arrest.

So much for being judged by the content of your character, huh?

Government screws up another program: coming soon health care!

Government Suspends Popular ‘Clunkers’ Program:

“Cash for Clunkers” came to a screeching halt Thursday, after only six days on the road.

In a shocker, the government announced it would suspend the program at midnight because demand was too great.

It may have been the best $1 billion the government has spent so far this year.

Business was humming at Crestmont Toyota/Volkswagen Thursday night as salespeople rushed back to work on news that the government’s “Cash for Clunkers” program was being suspended.

It’s the deal where you get up to $4,500 for your older low mileage beast if you buy a new car with more efficient fuel consumption.

On Thursday night we learned the program was only good until midnight, all because of a backlog of red tape. So the salespeople were trying to get their deals through the government’s Web site.

For the economy it’s good news, but the government’s miscalculation has some a little nervous.

“These are just the deals we have to submit tonight,” Crestmont president Bill Strauss said while holding a stack of papers. He said the dealership has over $100,000 on the table.“If they can’t administer a program like this, I’d be a little concerned about my health insurance,” car salesman Rob Bojaryn said.

The “Clunkers” program was being administered by the National Highway Safety Administration, which has seemed overwhelmed from the get-go. Some in Congress are expected to push for expansion of the $1 billion budget on Friday.

Michael Ramirez

Michael Ramirez

Quote of the Day: Liar-in-Chief edition

I got a delivery for the American people.

I got a delivery for the American people.


“The biggest problems that we’re facing right now have to do with George Bush trying to bring more and more power into the executive branch and not go through Congress at all. And that’s what I intend to reverse when I’m president of the United States.” — Sen. Barack Obama, March 31, 2008

via Eric Cantor’s examination of Obama’s 32 ‘czars’, or dictators as they we originally know under Roosevelt.

Warship honors Marine who died protecting comrades

corporal_jason_dunham.jpg

BATH, Maine AP – The Navy’s newest destroyer bears a name that’s familiar to Marines. The ship that’ll be christened on Saturday at Bath Iron Works bears the name of Cpl. Jason Dunham, a Marine who jumped on a grenade to save his comrades in 2004 in Iraq.

Dunham’s parents, Deb and Dan Dunham, will be at the Maine shipyard along with other Marines who served with him in Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines.

Dunham, who’s from Scio SY’-oh, N.Y., earned the Medal of Honor for his actions on April 14, 2004.

His unit was searching a line of cars for insurgents when he was attacked by one of them. His last words were a warning: “Watch his hand!” Dunham covered the grenade with his Kevlar helmet and his body. Two fellow Marines survived. Dunham died eight days later.

Sen. McCaskill’s Office Holds Town Hall – TEA PARTY BREAKS OUT

These excellent videos come via Gateway Pundit:

Section 8. The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

To borrow money on the credit of the United States;

To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes;

To establish a uniform rule of naturalization, and uniform laws on the subject of bankruptcies throughout the United States;

To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, and fix the standard of weights and measures;

To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the United States;

To establish post offices and post roads;

To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries;

To constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court;

To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high seas, and offenses against the law of nations;

To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water;

To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longer term than two years;

To provide and maintain a navy;

To make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces;

To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions;

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the militia, and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the United States, reserving to the states respectively, the appointment of the officers, and the authority of training the militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

To exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular states, and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the government of the United States, and to exercise like authority over all places purchased by the consent of the legislature of the state in which the same shall be, for the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dockyards, and other needful buildings;–And

To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof.

Of course, we are assuming our Congress cares what is in the Constitution and that they hold their oaths of office as sacred, which is becoming clear is not the case.

“I Won’t Vote For Obama Again”

Via CNN Black Cambridge Cops Back Crowley:

These cops know what the deal is. They know what words mean and they have to deal with the fallout of the President’s idiotic blathering in person whereas Gates and the President are insulated by their ivory towers.

Obama is not about HOPE® for everyone. Obama is not about CHANGE® for everyone. The patterns exist in his choice of friends, his politics, and his agenda. He says he is, but his actions tell a completely opposite story.

Additionally, Gates’ entire raison d’etre depends on the existence of racial divisions. He’s just helping himself out in this situation. He stands to loose a great deal if real racial change and healing were to occur.

Retain your integrity, Mr. Crowley. Skip the “man date” at the White House, it is for show only and not intended to benefit anyone but the President and Gates.

Judge these two men by the content of their character. Then the choice to get a beer with your coworkers over them becomes very clear.

Obama acted “stupidly”

Obama indisputably fanned the flames of racism and rekindled animosity on both sides by assuming or making this all about race. Juan Williams, on Fox News Sunday, did the country an immense service by recounting what exactly occurred: “The president spoke without the facts. You can’t have a ‘teachable moment’ if it’s based on a lie.”As Williams explained, in this case, the neighbor called the police, Gates began to berate the officer (“Do you know who I am?”),  trash-talking about the officer’s mother and pursuing him out of the house. The black and Hispanic officers confirmed Gates’ abusive behavior, and Sergeant Crowley took out the handcuffs and warned Gates before finally having to cuff him. “Is this an instance of a poor black kid being beaten by the cops?” No. And in converting this into a tale of police misconduct (he acted “stupidly” Obama said) and racial injustice, Obama only re-enforced the country’s racial divide. Whites often think blacks scream racism at the drop of a hat; blacks think whites are out to get them. Good work, Mr. President…

It was, to put it mildly, exactly what Obama didn’t need. A polarizing event — confirming the worst fears that he is arrogant, not at all post-racial, and prone to play last-and-loose with the facts — is not what he needed in the midst of the biggest political challenge of his young presidency. The stimulus is working, he is teaching us about race, and now he wants to run your health care. Not an attractive picture.

via Five Reasons Why ‘Gates-Gate’ Matters

[emphasis added]

Way to go, Joe!!!

Dumb and Dumber: Obama and Biden

Dumb and Dumber: Obama and Biden


US Vice President Biden hits nerve in Russia

MOSCOW — An interview U.S. Vice President Joe Biden gave to an American newspaper was front-page news Monday in Moscow, where his characterization of Russia as a weakened nation hit a raw nerve.

Biden said Russia’s economic difficulties are likely to make the Kremlin more willing to cooperate with the United States on a range of national security issues.

“I think we vastly underestimate the hand that we hold,” he said in an interview to The Wall Street Journal published Saturday.

Biden’s comments appeared to catch the Kremlin by surprise, coming less than three weeks after President Barack Obama said on a visit to Moscow that the U.S. wants to see a “strong, peaceful and prosperous Russia.”

“It raises the question: Who is shaping U.S. foreign policy? The president or members of his team, even the most respected ones?” said Kremlin foreign policy adviser Sergei Prikhodko.

Obama picking Biden should have been an indication of just how unprepared he was for the job.

Idiots.

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 179 other followers