Riehl World View

Surprise! It's Been Obama's Tea Party All Along!

Well, how's this for a confounding perspective. Yes, the Tea Party movement did get its start under former President Bush. So, just how did Barack Obama get elected?

The case can be made that he invited America to a Tea Party, ... then failed to show up. Unfortunately for Obama, the people didn't realize he was going to be a no show. So, the Tea Party is taking place without him. Heh! Read the whole thing. Party on, Dudes! ... and Dudettes, of course!

There were promises of transparency and of a new kind of collaborative politics where establishment figures listened to ordinary Americans. We were going to see net spending cuts, tax cuts for nearly all Americans, an end to earmarks, legislation posted online for the public to review before it is signed into law, and a line-by-line review of the federal budget to remove wasteful programs.

These weren't the tea-party platforms I heard discussed in Nashville last weekend. They were the campaign promises of Barack Obama in 2008.

Mr. Obama made those promises because the ideas they represented were popular with average Americans. So popular, it turns out, that average Americans are organizing themselves in pursuit of the kind of good government Mr. Obama promised, but has not delivered. And that, in a nutshell, was the feel of the National Tea Party Convention. The political elites have failed, and citizens are stepping in to pick up the slack.

Iowa Tea Party Group Asserts Its Independent Nature

This, an excerpt below, from the top of Google News links just now.

Also, an item at the WSJ by Glenn Reynolds: What I Saw at the Tea Party Convention.

Johnson, a retired Mason City school teacher and former Republican county chairman, admits that most people associate “Tea Party” with “Republican” — and the fact that Sarah Palin spoke at the group’s national convention recently helped solidify that image.

“But people who know me know I’m not a Republican or Democrat - I’m fiercely independent,” he said.

County GOP Chairman Ron Cline agrees.

“We’re definitely not a Republican organization. Sarah Palin may have spoken at the convention, but she’s not a spokesman for the Tea Party,” he said.

“President Obama was somewhat of a trigger for the movement but our concerns with government and government spending started with George Bush,” he said.

Obama's Bicycle: Historic Artifact?

To be effective, any executive needs to be perceived as strong. That's all the more true of a president. Remember the image at right. It's one of the few times Obama's been seen pedaling forward since he was elected.

Obama, February 1st, this year:

Obama slams opposition to civilian trials for terrorism suspects

President Barack Obama didn’t mince words when he criticized Republican opposition to prosecuting foreign terrorism suspects in U.S. criminal courts rather than in military tribunals, calling it “rank politics.”

“One of the things that we’ve had to try to communicate to the country at large is that, historically, we’ve tried a lot of terrorists in our courts; we have them in our federal prisons; they’ve never escaped,” Obama said in an interview with YouTube.

Today - link via Instapundit.

White House officials sought on Friday to stem mounting criticism of President Barack Obama's handling of terrorism cases, saying they would not rule out using a military court to try accused Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

Aww! Levi Johnston Wants To Be A Flex-Daddy

Probably best if Levi Johnston does remain flexible. He'll be bending over in the azz for cash trade within two years. It's only a half-step down from what he's doing, now. Imagine how purrrfect Andy Sullivan's world will be when Johnston's doing gay porn for food? Andy wants to be the truf to your power, Levi! Bring it on home for daddy, boy!

Bristol Palin, the 19-year-old daughter of the former Republican vice presidential candidate, is seeking $22,750 - $1,750 a month - from her ex-fiance to cover the 13 months since the birth of their son, Tripp.

Johnston has paid $4,400 so far.

Thomas Van Flein, Bristol Palin's attorney, says she and Johnston appear to be making progress toward a fair resolution.

Update: Jennifer Daugherty Had Mental Ability Of 12 to 14-year-old

Update: Someone from PA emailed to say that Jennifer Daugherty's step-father has posted to his Facebook page that the 17 year-old involved will be tried as an adult.

Good Lord. Can they just shoot these sick bastards now and get it over with? More on what I found via the web here. My God.

Stepfather Bobby Murphy, 62, of Mount Pleasant, told The Associated Press that the victim had the mental abilities of a 12 to 14-year-old.

They fed her vegetable oil, spices, detergent, urine and medications, then forced her to write a suicide note, before they stabbed her to death, wrapped her in plastic, put her in a garbage can and dumped her in a school parking lot, police and relatives said Friday.

The head of the 30-year-old had been shaved, and she had been bound with Christmas decorations and clothing; she also was hit with a towel rack, vacuum cleaner hose and a crutch, according to an affidavit.

Six people were charged with criminal homicide, kidnapping and related charges in the death of Daugherty, who was missing since Monday and whose body was found Thursday at Greensburg Salem Middle School, about 30 miles east of Pittsburgh.

Charged were Robert Loren Masters Jr., 36, Ricky Smyrnes, 23, Melvin Knight, 20, Amber Meidinger, 20, all of Greensburg; a 17-year-old girl from Greensburg; and Peggy Darlene Miller, 27, of Mount Pleasant Township. All were being held without bond in the Westmoreland County prison. It was not clear whether they had attorneys.

Never Marry A Cambridge, MA Shrink And Go To A Tea Party Event

TPM uses a low form of journalism by reporting that an obviously disturbed individual also ran across the Tea Party movement. Draw your own conclusions (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).

The Massachusetts man charged this week with stockpiling weapons after saying he feared an imminent "Armageddon" appears to have been active in the Tea Party movement, and saw Sarah Palin, who he said is on a "righteous 'Mission from God,'" as the only figure capable of averting the destruction of society.

I don't know, maybe his being married to a Cambridge, MA shrink was to blame. That's probably enough to drive anyone nuts. Seriously, if you want to use that type of foolish linkage in an attempt to drive people to conclusions, then who the individual spent more of his time with should be even more responsible for his behavior.

Authorities were tipped off by the suspect’s wife, a Cambridge psychiatrist, who told police that she was afraid to go home. She plans to file a restraining order. “He made the following statements to her, ‘Don’t talk to people. Shoot them instead. It’s fine to shoot people in the head, because traitors deserve it,'” continued a prosecutor.

Gambling: Revenue Generator, Or Government Growth Engine?

Stacy McCain looks at another aspect of Troy King's problems in Alabama. Being originally from NJ, I understand the desire for states to implement various forms of revenue generation - including gambling. The problem is, who is paying to make it happen and how honestly is it being sold? Time was when it was going to rescue NJ financially. How's that working out for them? Politicians spend money faster than they can generate it, so it often solves nothing. But it certainly does fuel government growth.

Suspicion that King is in the pocket of the “gambling bosses” is rampant in Alabama, because (a) King is currently running for re-election, and (b) state law permits what are called “PAC-to-PAC transfers,” so that one political action committee can collect money from casino interests, then make donations to another PAC, which then donates it to a candidate.

The PAC-to-PAC process separates the recipient from the contributor in a way that makes transparency impossible, and yet Troy King’s actions are transparent enough, as the Truth on Troy blog explains:

The First Rule Of Tea Party Is ....

Well, obviously, the first rule of Tea Party is not not talking about it. It also seems to have its own web TV channel, now, via PJ-TV.

As with many young movements, I think the only real rule now is, there are no rules - just a growing movement of people concerned about government and even politics - and many of them are for the very first time in their lives. Net net - that's just American democracy, long may it thrive. We'll know where it's going when it arrives.

What the Tea Party movement is all about. And what it's not about

We have been poring over our thousands of photos from the Tea Party Convention, and in so doing, we discovered the following shot among our Sarah Palin files.

“The tea-party movement has made a mark on the politics of the Obama era, and it has historical parallels—less in this country’s founding era than in two great ‘anti’ movements of the last two centuries: the resistance to Thomas Jefferson’s embargo (1807-09) and to Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s plan to pack the Supreme Court (1937).”

Updated: Jennifer Daugherty: WTF?

Update: A memorial Facebook page has been set-up for Jennifer Daugherty.

Update: Latest via the AP. Time to get back to politics. But it always amazed me how much you could often discover via the Internet when I was doing some crime blogging. Sad that so many lives play out out here everyday, mostly ignored, until a tragedy occurs.

GREENSBURG, Pa. (AP) -- The stepfather of a Pennsylvania woman who police say was tortured, beaten and fatally stabbed tells The Associated Press that the victim was "mentally challenged."

Robert "Bobby" Murphy said Friday that 30-year-old Jennifer Daugherty had mentioned the names of some of the suspects as her "friends" in recent months.

Murphy says he was the last family member to see Daugherty alive. That was on Monday, when he took her to a bus stop in Mount Pleasant so she could go to Greensburg.

That's where police have charged six people who they say fed the woman vegetable oil, spices, detergent, urine and medications before she was killed.

Damn. Was able to confirm it via the pictures on Jennifer Daugherty's MySpace page. See last image, it's the one the press is using. Via a Twitter account, Twilightgal - it appears she had some recent issues with a male. But may have met someone else. Her last message - which was Tweeted here on the 26th. Based upon the Tweets, she was involved with males named Bobby and Edward at some point. She claimed Bobby was a new boyfriend. One of the suspects is a Robert Loran Masters. 

Jenny Daugherty this is my time to make a new start for myself, and making some new friends and not being afraid of anything, so this is going to be a good thing for me..

Not sure if this is the right Marinucci, or not. Manstoy.

This looks like it'sAmber Meidinger on MySpace. Tinkerbell??

Hey my name is Amber Im a layed bak female easygoin, i love to talk nd help ppl dat need to talk to me im 8 weeks pregnant nd i got a fience but people seem to get in the way of the relationship but i aint going to let dat put me down i know im a gud women i just wish people would relieze dat but dats all bout me

More here - a press conference at 1 pm.

Update: A previous court appearance involving Smyrnes here:

Ricky V. Smyrnes, 22, of 13299 Ridge Road, North Huntingdon, pleaded guilty to simple assault and harassment. He was sentenced to two to 23 months in jail and was ordered to complete anger management classes.

This is just so mind-blowingly evil. She's pictured here. Another item has the suspect's images. What could possibly motivate someone, let alone a group of people, to do something like this? It's so incredibly sick. It's just evil.

Police have charged six people in the death of a woman whose tortured body was found in a plastic garbage container in a Greensburg school parking lot.

Jennifer DaughertyPolice say Jennifer Daugherty was stabbed repeatedly in a second-floor Greensburg apartment where some of the suspects live. Ms. Daugherty's age and address weren't available; she'd been missing since Monday.

According to police, Ms. Daugherty's hair was shaved and she was bound with Christmas decorations and clothing. Police say she was beaten, her face painted with nail polish and she was fed vegetable oil, spices, detergent, urine and medications.

They say she was also forced to write a suicide note.

Her body was found Thursday at Greensburg Salem Middle School.

Court records show the five adult suspects are: Robert L. Masters Jr., 36, of Greensburg; Ricky V. Smyrnes, 23, of Greensburg; Melvin Knight, 20, of Greensburg; Amber C. Meidinger, 20, of Greensburg; and Peggy D. Miller, age unknown, of Mount Pleasant.

Cambridge Cranks Take On Climate Change

Just too deliciously stupid to ignore. Here's the full 20 page document, assuming one isn't put off by reading what amounts to a look at how progressives masturbate when left without adult supervision.

Going green will not be optional in Cambridge, Mass., if the Cambridge Climate Congress has its way. It will be mandatory.

There will be congestion pricing to reduce car travel. Curbside parking will be eliminated. There will be a carbon tax "of some kind," not to mention taxes on plastic and paper bags. And the Massachusetts city, home of Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will advocate vegetarianism and veganism, complete with "Meatless or Vegan Mondays."

Those are just some of the proposals put forth by the Congress, which was created in May 2009 to respond to the "climate emergency" plaguing Cambridge. Once the Congress settles on its recommendations, they will submitted to the City Council.

"This emergency is created by the growth of local greenhouse gas emissions despite the urgent warnings of climate scientists that substantial reductions are needed in order to reduce the risk of disastrous changes to our climate," the Climate Congress reported in proposals issued on Jan. 23. "This proposal is made in the belief that an effective local response is, if anything, made more urgent by so far inadequate global agreements and federal policies for emissions reductions. It is made in the belief that our City should lead by example."

President ObaMe?

Have American politics degenerated to a point where someone could be elected president on the perceived weight of star power alone? Unfortunately, it's hard to conclude otherwise. But there's at least one thing about putting on a show worth remembering - they never run forever. Also, many of them don't run long at all. This one looks headed to close on the road.

MLK, Obama, Race And Health Care Reform

SusanAnne Hiller suggests that Obama sees himself as carrying on the MLK legacy regarding health care reform as a civil right. While, in a sense, true, I think it's a bit more complex than that.

What the GOP fails to realize is that President Obama is fighting so hard on health care reform because the issue, for him, is finishing the work of Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights movement. Obama has some influential company in this belief.

While true enough, I'm not sure it's entirely accurate. I believe Obama sees himself as a post-racial force. While he's perfectly willing to play the race card for tactical advantage, as he did during his campaign, he also knows it's divisive and can be problematic in passing sweeping legislation. He doesn't cast, or perhaps even see, the issue as one of race. It's more a matter of class structure in Obama's post-racial America. He cuts through that early part of the King legacy to focus on what eventually might have become the underlying core of it had King lived to evolve even more. It's about economics.

As King told journalist David Halberstam, "For years I labored with the idea of reforming the existing institutions of the society, a little change here, a little change there. Now I feel quite differently. I think you've got to have a reconstruction of the entire society, a revolution of values." For King, this recognition was not a source of bitterness but a reason to revise his strategy. If one believed that whites basically desired to do the right thing, then a little moral persuasion was sufficient. But if one believed that whites had to be made to behave in the right way, one had to employ substantially more than moral reasoning.

The first half of the paragraph above is post-racial. The second half isn't. And I'm not sure it's fair, or accurate, to frame Obama with the second half of it without really knowing him. And we don't really need to. For practical purposes, Obama is a socialist, or Marxist, if you prefer. I think it better to take him on on those terms, as opposed to injecting racial motivations into it.

As an aside, one might be able to better understand how, in the context of the early Sixties, some suspected King of having ties to communists. Well, he did, actually. But the full extent of any influence their thinking may have had on him isn't clear. So, is Obama carrying on the King legacy? Yes. But is it about race? I'm less certain of that. But his calls for social justice are, in fact, code for a call to socialism, or wealth transfer by government decree. There's really no disputing that, no matter how much lipstick the Progressives wish to apply to what amounts to a government run pig-out at taxpayer expense.

The FBI, under written directive from Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, began telephone tapping King in the Fall of 1963.[44] Concerned that allegations (of Communists in the SCLC), if made public, would derail the Administration's civil rights initiatives, Kennedy warned King to discontinue the suspect associations, and later felt compelled to issue the written directive authorizing the FBI to wiretap King and other leaders of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.[45] J. Edgar Hoover feared Communists were trying to infiltrate the Civil Rights Movement, but when no such evidence emerged, the bureau used the incidental details caught on tape over the next five years in attempts to force King out of the preeminent leadership position

Update 2: Video - Patrick Kennedy Not Seeking Re-election

Bringing down the curtain on the Kennedy era? h/t Sister Toldjah on Twitter.

He's airing a statement Sunday night? It'll be old news by then.

Rep. Patrick Kennedy has decided not to seek re-election to Congress, saying his life is "taking a new direction."

Kennedy taped a message to be aired on television in Rhode Island on Sunday night. The Associated Press viewed the message ahead of the announcement.

Wow, Patrick Kennedy not running for re-election? Maybe he thinks he'd be the voter's next whipping boy?

WASHINGTON — A Democratic official says Rep. Patrick Kennedy has decided not to seek re-election for his seat representing Rhode Island in the U.S. Congress.

The official spoke to The Associated Press only on the condition that his name not be used because he was not authorized to speak ahead of the official announcement.

The decision by the eight-term congressman comes less than a month after a stunning Republican upset in the race for the Massachusetts Senate seat his late father, Edward Kennedy, held for almost half a century.

Patrick Kennedy has been in and out of treatment for substance abuse since crashing his car outside the U.S Capitol in 2006. Still, he has been comfortably re-elected twice since then, after making mental health care his signature issue in Washington.

CA Assembly Rejects Arnold's Moderate Lt Governor

Why is it that when it comes to bi-partisanship with Democrats, it's only for the other party? They won't even give Schwarzenegger a moderate Republican known for bi-partisanship the nod as an appointee. The state must be in just about complete gridlock. That might not be bad if they weren't heading downhill economically so fast.

The California Assembly on Thursday rejected Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's pick for lieutenant governor, marking another failed attempt at bipartisanship for a Legislature that has become a symbol of dysfunction.

The vote was seen as a test of whether a Legislature that has fallen into public disfavor had any ability to compromise. The reason: Maldonado is a member of the minority party, but he also is among a small group of moderate Republicans who occasionally will work with Democrats to pass budget bills, even those that include tax increases.

Yet even the Assembly's Democratic leaders, Speaker Karen Bass and incoming Speaker John Perez, voted against the nomination, votes that are sure to anger Schwarzenegger. The Assembly speaker is one of the key negotiators on the state budget.

"So much for bipartisanship. Today it died in the state Assembly," said Assemblyman Jim Nielsen, R-Yuba City. "The people are rightly angry at this institution."

NC Agency Seeks Removal Of Pre-1877 US History From High Schools

North Carolina's Department of Public Instruction wants to remove pre-1877 US History from high school classrooms. These people are too insane and have way too much time on their hands. h/t Adam Baldwin on Twitter. Video news report below.

SHELBY, N.C. -- Almost in view of Kings Mountain is Shelby High School in Cleveland County.

But if a proposal by the state Department of Public Instruction is adopted, the importance of the Revolutionary War battle fought there would no longer be taught at Shelby High or any other high school in North Carolina.

The department is proposing that no history prior to 1877 be taught in high schools. Instead, history classes in elementary and middle schools would cover that period.

The proposal would mean that high school level history classes would no longer cover much of the Civil War, the pilgrims, or even the Declaration of Independence. Some of that would, however, be included in some civics classes.

Valentine's Day Eco-Condom Promo: "Wrap with care, save the polar bear!"

Keep on shtuppin' that spotted-owl!

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -- An environmental group plans to distribute 100,000 free condoms across the U.S. beginning on Valentine's Day to call attention to the impact of human overpopulation on endangered species.

The packages have slogans such as "Wrap with care, save the polar bear," and "Wear a condom now, save the spotted owl."

The Center for Biological Diversity in Tucson says it will hand out six different condom packages with original artwork. The endangered species condoms will be distributed in bars, supermarkets, schools, concerts, parties, and other public events.

"Yellow Line" Re-named After Asians Protest

You likee transit system much better, now? Or, as Po-han might say, Main steam stop wow. I always thought it was "men stim stop wow."

Valve, I mean, ... wow!

Atlanta's transit system will rename a train route into the heart of the city's Asian community in response to complaints that calling it the "yellow line" showed a lack of racial sensitivity.

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority issued a statement Thursday afternoon announcing it would change the name of the line to the "gold line."

Yelling "Sit" A Crime In Florida

What a mope. It's only a crime if you're really dumb and, or high. He was yelling "sit" to keep the dog from walking around his car in a cop's effort to establish probable cause for a search. It didn't work. h/t Paul B.

A Gainesville man was charged late Tuesday with interrupting a working police dog by commanding the dog to sit.

According to Blizzard's report, Porter "began stating loud commands to 'sit' and 'sitz,' which interrupted the K9 from his duties. The K9 stopped twice while walking the vehicle and looking in the direction of (Porter) who was giving those commands."

Once Porter had been quieted and the dog resumed working, Blizzard said it alerted on the car to indicate the possible presence of drugs. Blizzard also said that a small plastic bag found under the front passenger seat contained marijuana residue.

O'Keefe Co-defendant Talking To Feds Over Deal

Not surprising. As already known, Robert Flanagan has separate representation and his father is a DA. I imagine he wants his kid off on his own for several reasons. It is funny that the relationship isn't mentioned in news accounts.

NEW ORLEANS -- A lawyer for one of the four conservative activists charged with trying to tamper with Sen. Mary Landrieu's office phones says he has met with federal prosecutors in an effort to resolve the case.

Attorney J. Garrison Jordan wouldn't discuss any details of his meeting Wednesday with prosecutors. Jordan said he was trying to quickly resolve his client's case, but he wouldn't say whether the talks involve a possible plea agreement.

"We're in discussions with the government, trying to resolve this matter as expeditiously as possible in a fair and just manner," Jordan said.

On Thursday, their lawyers agreed to waive a preliminary hearing that had been scheduled for Friday. A date for their next court appearance hasn't been set.

Afghanistan: Soldiers Seal Off Escape Routes As Major Battle Looms

The stage looks set for what's been called the largest battle in Afghanistan since the war began. The Christian Science Monitor explains what's at stake and why they are telegraphing the campaign.

U.S. and Afghan soldiers linked up with Marines on the outskirts of the Taliban stronghold of Marjah on Thursday, sealing off escape routes and setting the stage for what is being described as the biggest offensive of the nine-year war.

Taliban defenders repeatedly fired rockets and mortars at units poised in foxholes along the edge of the town, apparently trying to lure NATO forces into skirmishes before the big attack.

Smoking Outdoors Kills

Well, that sux.

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) -- A woman found dead in her yard at Fairbanks apparently went outside for a smoke and fell in the snow.

Alaska state troopers say 51-year-old Sherri Bouton was unresponsive when she was found Wednesday morning and likely died of exposure.

Temperatures in Fairbanks hit a low of minus-2 degrees Wednesday.

New Labor Rules Will Cost US Jobs

An effort said to increase labor protections for temporary farm workers will add a dollar a man-hour to labor costs and force production offshore, according to critics. Or, they could just stay here and start charging more for food and milk if Leahy gets his way. Add in a little government growth to do inspections of housing locations for temporary workers and it's win win for Obama. Combined with the newly announced crackdown on independent contractors by the IRS - and Obama's anti-business, pro-labor policies are on the march.

"The bottom line is we're going to see a major reduction in utilization of the H2-A program, particularly among smaller growers," said Jason Resnick, general counsel for the Western Growers Association in Irvine, Calif.

"You're going to see more outsourcing and moving of production abroad where workers are more readily available."

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said he's disappointed the new rules exclude the dairy industry from hiring seasonal foreign workers due to the year-round nature of dairy farming. He plans to offer legislation that would allow dairy farmers to participate.

Was Debra Medina Set-up?

I've no tolerance for so-called 9/11 Truthers. But there is something interesting going on here. Debra Medina seemed to really screw up any shot she may have had with a Glenn Beck interview that focused on that issue today.

At the same time, it appears the whole Medina as a truther thing started due to a Perry sockpuppet posting a blog comment claiming Medina was a truther. There's no real defense for her amateurish performance with Beck on the issue - though she does try to defend it.

It's a shame if she simply didn't want to risk losing some support from the fringe quasi-Paul crowd in Texas given that she's at such a disadvantage versus the usual pols. But she failed the test. Politics isn't easy and it ain't bean bag. I can't find anything pre-dating all this suggesting she's a 9/11 truther. But she blew it. Medina might not have many supporters except for elements of the fringe after today.

Perry supporter planted fake pro-Medina comments on our blog

Well, check out some of the other comments from this same IP address:

Dec. 19: Perry has done a great job for veterans. Probably the most pro-veteran governor we have had in the modern era. Perry also IS a veteran, having served for more than half a dozen years.

Dec. 4: Rick Perry is awesome. Texas is the best state in America! WOOT!

Nov. 22: KBH is a liberal RINO. Perry needs to point that out early and often.

Nov. 8: Rick Perry is doing a heck of a job standing up to the liberals and keeping Texas the most prosperous state in the nation.

Cram-downs, Constitutions And A Revolution Over Health Care Reform

I can't even voice the anger felt over the health care cram-down issue when becoming aware of it yesterday. By his own admission, Obama wants to "rebuild" America's economy not as a more or less free market system, but one that is primarily government controlled.

It features chapters devoted to the administration's attempt to "rebuild" the economy through health care legislation, clean-energy initiatives and measures aimed at boosting productivity growth.

Based on some reports, Health care spending is expected to be almost 18% of GDP by 2012. My first thought was, there is not enough civilian security in Washington, DC to hold back the mob that will descend if the Obama/Pelosi/Reid axis tries to force this through. The anger likely to erupt across this country at such a willful abuse of power is not something any responsible official should want to encourage.

It will be historic, potentially dangerous in some ways, and far-reaching in consequence. Hopefully there are still enough responsible elected-adult officials in Washington to back away from such divisive, potentially destructive nonsense. In 2008, Obama said "I won!" In 2010, Scott Brown and the people won. The current congress and administration had better learn to deal with that. Or, the American people will deal with them.

Some follow-up to Instapundit noting an Examiner report indicating a cram-down may be in the works regarding the current health care reform legislation.

I’m not sure how much I believe this report, but if this happens, opponents will be justified in regarding the law as illegitimate.

As DRJ points out at Patterico's blog: h/t Instapundit.

“Did you know that nine states have provisions in their constitutions for recalling elected officials, possibly including the senators and congressmen representing them in Washington?

Conor Friedersdorf's Penis Is Mad At Me: Who Knew?

Evidently I angered young Conor Friedersdorf's penis back in November. Who knew? All I did was link another blogger and give Conor's chain a quick tug. Truthfully, I still wouldn't know it had Conor's post not been emailed to me by a few people, despite Conor's rather sad attempt to place himself on the level of Andrew Sullivan. Now, Andy may be a little crazy, but, please, Conor - don't take yourself so seriously. I hate thinking of you so alone.

This is important because most bloggers aren’t like Andrew Sullivan or even me — that is to say, they don’t have established reputations, large bodies of work to draw on in defending themselves, and a lot of people with relatively big platforms willing to take notice if ever they’re wronged in a particularly egregious way.

If Conor's assertion above were true, how did I miss all those "big platform" bloggers rushing to Conor's defense over what amounted to basically a link out and some laughs for me? And as for this below, as I don't use this blog to criticize bloggers lacking a reasonably equal, if not larger, platform to hit back, I think what Conor is really saying is, he's having problems getting laid and getting a job and he needs someone to blame. Or, could it be Conor doesn't quite have the platform for hitting back he so often claims? Hmm.

Maybe Conor should just blame it on his penis. Next time, someone might come to his defense!

Usually someone targeted by a post like that from an established writer like Mr. Riehl can only look forward to ... a Google page that suddenly includes a frivolous charge of anti-Semitism that will be seen by their next three dates and the employer to whom they just submitted a resume.

... What a stark dearth of integrity. Is there any more cynical kind of race-baiting?

"Stark dearth"? Is that a Star Wars reference? Good heavens! I will never understand people who take themselves too seriously, while being compelled to let everyone know it, as young Conor seems to be.

Save your breath, Conor. Try breath mints, or penis blaming, next time. And stop wasting your breath on me if you're unemployed and having trouble with the ladies. It just isn't something I can relate to. As everyone knows, I'm a much bigger man than that and far more open minded than David Duke in that sense, as well as others.

Henrietta Hughes: Still Seeking Work After Year Of Obama Promises

Heckuva job, Barry! Heckuva job! But still no job for Henrietta.

Henrietta Hughes tugged at the nation’s heartstrings when she stood Feb. 10, 2009, at a town hall gathering in Fort Myers, Fla., and told President Barack Obama about how she and her adult son, Corey, were homeless, living in a vehicle and in need of “our own kitchen and our own bathroom.” Whatever happened to Henrietta Hughes?

Westley Strellis: Progressives Embrace Violent Artist's Attack

Googled around a bit after seeing an item on Wesley Strellis of GA. The DU is for dummies crowd wants him to run for president as "a man of action."

Man walks into Wal-Mart, smashes 29 TVs with bat

They might want to consider reviewing his artwork first. Number 9 is a real hoot: Handful of Death. Number 12, Tragedy at the Wall almost looks predictive.

I think we're looking at a pretty sick pup here, unfortunately. Not that it would matter to the Progressive crowd at Democratic Underground - the real under belly of the progressive movement.

Vid: Patronizing Saint O Now Agnostic After Sermon On No Middle Class Tax Hikes

From a Twitter tip to a NY Daily News item. Instapundit links to Business Week and includes video of a previous Obama pledge in stark contrast to his new-found agnosticism. It seems the altar of big government spending and massive deficits have corrupted our patronizing saint Obama. Oh, woe, oh woe. But should we really be surprised? He has lost his way since all the burning of Bush in the campaign.

"The whole point of it is to make sure that all ideas are on the table," Obama said. "So what I want to do is to be completely agnostic, in terms of solutions."

Obama repeatedly vowed during the 2008 campaign to spare households earning less than $250,000 a year from tax increases.

Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL) To Retire

See link for some other recent retirements. Via NJ's Hotline. If Rubio heads the ticket, I'm not sure this will be an easy pick-up for the Dems - obviously, that also depends on the candidate.

The district is heavily Hispanic, thanks to Miami's large Cuban population. 73% of district residents call themselves Hispanic, while just 16% are white. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) won a narrow 51%-49% victory in the seat.

Obama Even vs Generic GOP Candidate - Romney, Palin Tied

A new poll out via National Journal's Hotline. I termed Romney vs Palin a tie, as the 3 point spread is within the margin of error. As for Obama, it's interesting, certainly. But we're a long way out from 2012. There will be an entirely new political narrative after the fall elections.

A generic GOP candidate would run virtually even with Pres. Obama in a hypothetical WH '12 matchup, according to a new Gallup poll released today.

The poll was conducted from Feb. 1 to Feb. 3, surveying 942 registered voters for a margin of error of +/- 3.2%.

Romney   14
Palin       11
McCain     7
Brown      4
Huckabee 3
Gingrich    3
Paul         2

Roger Ebert: Ultra-Twit, Or Sullivan Underblogger?

Ed Driscoll takes a look at some liberal detritis flowing within the Twitter stream. Andy might want to consider making room for yet another underblogger under that big tent he bills as a one-man blog.

RogerEbert: TeaBagger crowd: polite. The nutjobs who were bussed to Town Halls didn’t get their way paid to Sarah’s $100,000 speech

TeaBagger crowd? Is this what passes for informed commentary? Bashing a group of people with whom you disagree politically by labeling their movement with a degrading pornographic term? Just because the crew at MSNBC thinks it’s a hoot doesn’t mean it’s a great idea. I mean, have you seen MSNBC’s ratings lately?

Alec Baldwin: Did Suicide Threat Lead To 911 Call?

A fairly detailed report regarding Alec Baldwin being treated and released from a hospital this morning after his 14 year-old daughter called 911. Was he simply acting for the benefit of his 14 year-old? That wouldn't be very mature. Usually it's the other way around.

If nothing else, it gave Hiltzik something to do besides represent Glenn Beck. Strange bedfellows and all that.

NEW YORK — Emmy-winning actor Alec Baldwin, a star of NBC's "30 Rock," was examined Thursday at a hospital after his daughter called 911, a law enforcement official said.

After an argument, Baldwin's daughter called 911 at around 12:10 a.m. from his Central Park West apartment and said he had threatened to take pills, according to the official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the person wasn't authorized to speak publicly.

"This was a misunderstanding on one person's part. Alec was quickly released from the hospital; he's completely fine and will be at work today," the actor's spokesman, Matthew Hiltzik, said in a statement.

In 2008, Baldwin blamed a bitter custody battle with ex-wife Kim Basinger in part for the anger and frustration he was feeling when he berated their daughter in a phone message leaked earlier to the media.

Update: For Palin, A Birthday And An Identity Crisis

Update: Via email - more from Marc Ambinder via CBS. Given Ambinder's usual take on things, it isn't half bad. It's half good. Assuming she does intend to run in 2012, her first challenge is still defining herself to the base. While there are certainly those who will follow her anywhere, there are also those who like to question everything and everyone. If one uses a Reagan-like standard, she's still early on in her political development. But, who knows? It isn't as if there are a boat load of political all-stars on the Right just now.

In this scenario, her decision to post on Facebook about "death panels" was a stroke of genius. She'll blow away the primary crowd, and then -- with expectations so low -- she'll pivot and demonstrate to the country that she has a sunny, aspirational vision for the future.

Sound far-fetched? Then again, ask yourself about the political circumstances President Obama found himself in at this point in the 2008 cycle -- that would be 2006. He was riding a wave of base popularity because of his opposition for the Iraq war -- but the establishment saw him as a one-shot pony and others quietly believed that if he were to run, he would split the party in half.

S.E. Cupp is the guest on the People's Power Hour with April-Liesel today. The show notes that it's Sarah Palin's birthday.

Today's show airs LIVE at
10am Hawaii
12n Alaska
1pm Pacific
2pm Mountain
3pm Central
4pm Eastern

Meanwhile, at PJM, Melissa Clouthier discusses the Tea Party movement, touching on Palin's relationship to it, as well. The identity crisis I refer to in the headline has to do with how the base perceives Palin right now. Does she want to be a Limbaugh, Levin, Ingraham or Beck, to name a few? Or, does she want to live in the world of Romney and McConnell et al?

People who talk about a tea party leader have no experience with tea parties. If they did, they’d realize the notion of a tea party leader or someone “hijacking the movement” would be absurd.

 Tea party participants aren’t as recalcitrant and generally grumpy as Ron Paul followers, but they’re close. And while less conspiratorial than the Paul followers, they’re certainly more ticked off.

Jim Geraghty summed it up on Twitter this week: “Trying to direct & control the tea party movement is like trying to unionize the hitmen in Grosse Pointe Blank.”

Her biggest fans might argue, well, Sarah can do both! Perhaps. But I tend to doubt it. At the very least, she's going to lose support and possibly even make enemies she doesn't need and shouldn't want on both sides of the microphone - unless she wants to be a divider within, as opposed to a uniter against the political establishment.

Being controversial in the mainstream media is a plus. Being controversial within the conservative movement, not so much. The time is going to come when Palin has to make up her mind, or risk people misinterpreting her and making judgments based upon what they're seeing, some of which they might not like - and not upon what they might be being told by her, or those aligned with her.

Iran: High Grade Uranium Enrichment Claimed

The claim to have developed a first stock of 20 percent highly-enriched nuclear material would appear to be what Iran had in mind for its big announcement today. More details on that via the NYT's. It's believed they can move to weapons grade uranium "quickly" from this stage.

Also, reports of clashes and arrests, here. The government looks to have made sure pro-government protests were well attended. Some brief amateur video said to be opposition protest footage via the BBC.

TEHRAN — President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran has already produced highly enriched nuclear material in defiance of the West, as his country on Thursday marked the anniversary of its 1979 Islamic revolution.

"The head of the atomic energy organisation said the first stock of 20 percent fuel was produced and delivered to scientists," he said in a speech at Tehran's Azadi (Freedom) Square before a crowd of hundreds of thousands.

However, a restricted document of the International Atomic Energy Agency which monitors Iran's nuclear work revealed on Thursday that the country would produce its first batch of higher enriched uranium "within a few days."

IAEA chief Yukiya Amano wrote in the one-page report that Iran had informed agency inspectors that it had "begun to feed the (LEU) low-enriched uranium into one cascade (of uranium-enriching) centrifuges" at its plant in Natanz.

Iran to produce higher enriched uranium in days: IAEA

China, Russia Reportedly Backing New Sanctions On Iran

The latest regarding anticipated protests in Iran doesn't sound very good.

Haartz is reporting China is likely to go along with the sanctions. According to Ynet, so is Russia, claiming they are more relevant. And it appears they are directed at the Revolutionary Guard.

NEW YORK - Senior United Nations officials told Haaretz that a Security Council resolution tightening the sanctions on Iran has become more likely, and that the resolution is probably going to be approved.

Observers in both New York and Washington estimate that China will think twice about using its veto on a resolution after Russia recently threw its support behind a move against Iran. A veto could expose Beijing as isolated and out of touch with its fellow Security Council members. 

China could also abstain from voting and allow the decision to be made by a simple majority. However, the sources told Haaretz, the United States is still trying to obtain Chinese support for the sanctions.

Why Did Obama Name Dimon And Blankfein?

Why would Obama not mind Dimon and Blankfein getting huge bonuses?

Feb. 10 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama said he doesn’t “begrudge” the $17 million bonus awarded to JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon or the $9 million issued to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. CEO Lloyd Blankfein, noting that some athletes take home more pay.

Well, Dimon has given over $100k just to the DSCC. Plus individual candidate donations, most of which go to Democrats.

And Blankfein gives almost all of his donations to Democrats - $136k to $4k.

Why should Obama care, his party is getting its cut?

#SnOMG: God's Way Of Voting For Sarah Palin?

Alright, I kid. I don't want God voting if he isn't registered and legal. But the #SnOMG hashtag has been funny today. This via the WSJ. At least the Palin's have snowmobiles!

WASHINGTON—All plows can do here is push snow from one spot to another, displacing it into shoulder-high escarpments, walling off parked cars, confounding pedestrians and blocking drivers' lines of sight.

Face It, Politically, We Are On Our Own

I'm not going to jump on anyone over this. But Dick Armey is siding with McCain over Hayworth in Arizona:

…Armey, who was House majority leader from 1995 to 2003, clearly came down on McCain’s side. “There’s nobody who can match McCain’s record on fiscal responsibility,” he said.

DeMint is staying neutral. And Palin basically has to stump for him for his giving her the nod.

"What we're trying to do with the Senate Conservative Fund," DeMint explained, "is to at least give Republicans the option of a mainstream, conservative candidates in primaries."

There is a We the people and there is a political class in America. Never confuse the two, or you will be disappointed. Do what you can do and don't worry about them.

Michelle Obama Sums Up Barack's Tenure Perfectly

Yeah, I'd say this about sums up his term, so far.

The upcoming Valentine's Day:

KING: What do you expect? Roses? Chocolates?

MRS. OBAMA: Oh, I expect the moon the stars and the sun, honey.

KING: What do you usually get?

MRS. OBAMA: I usually get dinner, and a gift of some sort.

Psst - I hear this year's gift is a CD of his speeches! heh!

And socks!

Arab Ambassador Nixes Wedding As Things Get Ugly

This wouldn't happen with an Amish babe. h/t The Jawa Report. via Memeorandum.

Arab ambassador discovers bride is bearded and cross-eyed behind veil

An Arab ambassador has called off his wedding after discovering his wife-to-be who wears a face-covering veil is bearded and cross-eyed.

The envoy had only met the woman a few times, during which she had hidden her face behind a niqab, the Gulf News reported.

After the marriage contract was signed, the ambassador attempted to kiss his bride-to-be. It was only then that he discovered her facial hair and eyes.

The ambassador told an Islamic Sharia court in the United Arab Emirates he was tricked into the marriage as the woman's mother had shown his own mother pictures of her sister instead of his bride-to-be.

Arrest Made In Case Against Former Obama Appointee Zeitln

Heckuva job, Barry. You sure can pick 'em. They haven't even flushed him down the memory hole at the WH site. Anyway, here's the cached version from when Obama nominated him: Jide Zeitlin, Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations for U.N. Management and Reform, with the rank of Ambassador.

Yessir, heckuva job, Barry! Heckuva job! h/t Anita in comments.

The Uttar Pradesh police on Monday made the first arrest in a fraud case against a US telecom infrastructure firm run by American diplomat JDJ Zeitlin.

The police arrested Prem Bajpai, one of the six accused, in Lucknow for his alleged involvement in the Rs 5 crore fraud case.

Zeitlin is the main accused in the matter. He was chairman of a Gurgaon-based company called Independent Mobile Infrastructure Private Ltd.

Additional Superintendent of Police (Trans-Gomti) Paresh Pandey said Zeitlin was nominated for inclusion in US President Barack Obama’s cabinet. He was forced to withdraw his claim after criminal cases lodged in India against him came to be known. The firm allegedly awarded contracts in UP, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Orissa, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Small Business Owners Behind "Miss Me Yet?" Billboard

According to the AP, a group of small business owners are behind this billboard.

The billboard's tagline: "Miss me yet?"

Office manager Beverly Master of Schubert and Hoey (hoy) Outdoor Advertising in Minneapolis says the message was purchased by a group of small business owners and people from the Twin Cities area who want to remain anonymous.

Sadly, Yes: It's Come To This

Via Lefty blog Sadly, No on Obama's banker bonuses remark.

Bring on President Moose Eater!

This is something I’d expect Bush to say. And yes, I mean that as the worst possible insult. Hey Obama: THE TAX PAYERS DIDN’T SPEND HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO BAIL OUT ALEX RODRIGUEZ. This is an important distinction that bears repeating.

If by “free market” you mean “they wrecked the economy, we bailed them out and now they’re back to doing the same old shit.”

Man, f*ck it. I’m now officially on the Palin 2012 bandwagon. Because if this country’s going to crash, I want it to crash hard and fast so we can just start over.

So, um, tell me - who are the rubes, again? Or, are they simply intellectually disabled? ha! ha!

"Miss him, yet?

DSM-V To Remove "Retardation" Reference

Works for me, now I can call liberals retards without actually saying the R word.

Re-categorizing learning disorders, including creation of a single diagnostic category for autism and other socialization disorders, and replacing the controversial term "mental retardation" with "intellectual disability"

Update: Michelle Obama: Obesity Is National Security Threat

Update: More on how they play the national security card for everything but national security. Also, I demand that McCain Blahgette be added to the no fly list immediately. She scares me! What if she exploded in the air??

No really. She actually said that. I think I get it, now. It's why they aren't laughing at Gibbs anymore in the WH press room. They hired people who didn't make the cut at Second City in Chicago to come east and do their PR. What on earth are they thinking? National security is just another political device and nothing more than that. Geesh!

“A recent study put the health care cost of obesity-related diseases at $147 billion a year,” Mrs. Obama said. “This epidemic also impacts the nation’s security, as obesity is now one of the most common disqualifiers for military service.”

John Edwards Proposes To Rielle Hunter

He's not even freaking divorced, yet. What a low-life, needy little weasel. I need my mama. I need my mama. Can you imagine how close this guy was to high office? He never would have had any time for the interns, for heaven's sake! h/t Paul B.

Disgraced former presidential candidate John Edwards has reportedly proposed to his baby mama -- and plans to buy a posh, $3.5 million beachfront home where they can live together.

Edwards popped the question last month at the same time he told his ex-mistress Rielle Hunter that he had issued a statement confirming that he indeed fathered her 2-year-old daughter Frances Quinn, The National Enquirer reported today.

Hunter said "yes" when Edwards asked here to be his bride, the newspaper reported.

Edwards, 56, released the statement on Jan. 21 -- and a week later later his cancer-stricken wife Elizabeth, 60, confirmed the couple had legally separated after 32 years of marriage.

ABC News Releases New 9/11 Photographs

Looks to be mostly aerial views - slideshow at the ABC site.

They have quite a few new images via an FOIA request.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Newly released aerial photos of the Sept. 11, 2001, World Trade Center attack show the towers coming down from a dramatic new angle.

The photos were obtained by ABC News, which filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the National Institute of Standards and Technology last year. The NIST collected the images as part of its investigation into the terrorist attack.

ABC said it was provided 2,779 pictures on nine CDs. Many of the photos, taken from police helicopters, have never been released before.

Twelve of the photos appear on ABC's Web site. One photo shows a close-up of the upper floors of the burning towers. Others show the towers' dramatic collapse in a thick plume of smoke and debris and sweeping views of billowing smoke clouds.

Playgirl Releases Levi Johnston Cover

Via ABC's website.

Medina, Burns, Alabama Tea Parties And A "Political Gadfly"

I've been connecting some dots from my morning reading that might yield some insight into the mood of today's electorate. There is most definitely a gadfly hatch taking place on America's political stream. Who would have thought gadflies liked to drink tea?

Debra Medina continues to gain on Hutchinson in the GOP primary for the Texas governorship.

There was a fascinating read on that race back on January 22. Hutchinson is being portrayed as the ultimate DC insider. And Perry does seem to be the far more conservative of the two. You really should read that previous link for a good take on Bush, as well.

But Medina's rise suggests even the usual insider stuff isn't enough for people to lock into Perry. They're going even further to back Medina. And one source I have suggested that Palin's stumping for Perry was as much an inoculation against the Tea Party movement in a potential run-off with Medina, as it was due to concerns about Hutchinson.

"They see the Rasmussen numbers [that show Perry leading by 10 points],” says Luis Saenz, who managed Perry’s successful 2006 campaign. “[The Bush] people are supposed to be the best. ... I think the message is that the Washington bosses don't matter as much anymore.”

And then there's this from my morning reading. These days, maybe none of the usual bosses matter as much as they once did. 

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Los Angeles County prosecutors are looking into a complaint that the mayor of Carson (Jim Dear) cuts off public speakers at City Council meetings if he doesn't like what they're saying. ... if the mayor is found to have violated the state's open meetings law, Demerjian said his office will write the mayor and ask him to stop of seek a court order.

Dear denied any wrongdoing and said the complaint comes from a political gadfly.

If the "political gadflies" aka we the people decide to be heard this year, we're poised for some fascinating contests up ahead. I'd be surprised if a Tea Party effort bested Perry in a run-off, but after Massachusetts, is any politician safe given the political climate we're in? Maybe not.

By the way, Tim Burns is another Tea Party aligned candidate challenging the GOP's pick to target the seat formerly held by Murtha. His chief claim is that he's not a politician. The gadflies sure are buzzing this year. Last - Stacy McCain has been looking into some Tea Party doings in Alabama, as well. The gadflies don't seem to be ruining the tea party. If anything, they seem to be enjoying it quite a bit!

I'm not a politician and have never been in politics before. But in the fall of 2008, I was reading a government report titled, "Financial Report of the United States Government". In this report, the government clearly states that unless major changes are made, the federal spending on just three programs (Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security), will bankrupt this country. That was before the bailouts, the handouts, and the nearly $800 billion dollar Stimulus Package. Since that time, have we made major changes? Yes, but unfortunately those changes have taken us further in debt and serve to hasten America's financial troubles.

"Deadliest Catch" Captain Phil Harris Dead At 53

A hard life catches up to a hard man. h/t Paul B.

Captain Phil Harris -- star of Discovery Channel's "Deadliest Catch" -- died about an hour ago ... sources tell TMZ.

Harris was hospitalized a few weeks ago after suffering a stroke while unloading crabs. He had been doing better until the sudden turn.

Captain Harris died in a hospital in Alaska. He was 53.