Reading "Obama Zombies" by Jason Mattera

Page 9: "Joe Klein described Obama as 'the political equivalent of a rainbow--a sudden preternatural event inspiring awe and ecstasy..."

There Goes The First Amendment

If we outlaw A, B, C or D because it is offensive (to whom? to what degree? on what grounds?) we have effectively eliminated the First Amendment.

Are not food items like pork and ham and bacon offensive to some religions? How about Aunt Jemima syrup? Notre Dame Fighting Irish?

Scanning talk radio, it seems that people miss the bigger issues surrounding the Redskin fiasco. Talk seems to focus on Dan Snyder, a Donald Sterling lite. Rich white guy meets good-hearted bureaucrats and just for today evil is defeated.

I did hear that local talk shows in Washington, DC, the Mecca of government meddling, the peasants are revolting. Yes, it is perfectly fine for Big Gov to meddle in the affairs of fly over fools but when they try to change the name of the local football team...That is the very definition of government overreach.

I wish Dan Snyder the best in his fight against the Patent Office thugs.

Michelle Malkin's "Culture of Corruption"

I am trying to read every credible book about Obama ("Dreams From My Father" has been discredited by David Maraniss so I see no point reading it.) I started with Michelle Malkin's "Culture of Corruption." At some point I pulled a Hillary and said "at this point, what difference does it make?"

Malkin's book should have done for politics what "The Jungle" did for meat packing. As far as I can tell, it has had no effect.

 Every day we are blindsided by a Redskin logo nullification or a terrorist swap or a ridiculous claim of lost emails. We as a people have accepted dishonesty as a matter of course. Not ironically, the greediest pigs in America are the ones who squeal loudest about other people's prosperity.

 Remember the infant days of the Obama Administration when it seemed that every appointee had some sort of tax problem? One could say the system worked to catch Tom Daschle and Bill Richardson (after years of malfeasance) but for every Nancy Killefer, a Timothy Geithner took root.

 Geithner, Michelle Robinson Obama, Franklin Raines, The Biden Gang...the list of shady characters grows with every turn of the page. Malkin lays down the truth and the truth is ugly.

 The 2009 version of "Culture of Corruption" served as an encyclopedia of sleaze. My understanding is that Malkin released a 2010 edition to include updates on what would become by far, the most corrupt administration in US history. I don't have the stamina to read both books. Cynicism would destroy me if I made such an effort.

 "Culture of Corruption" is a snapshot of hogs at a trough. It might be one of the best books ever ignored.

Land lags, Cassidy and Gardner run strong

This ad from a political action group called IACE is about as unvarnished as they come. If it's a indicative of things to come the fall elections are going to be especially nasty. It's difficult to gauge the effectiveness of any one ad but something is driving the Colorado senate race into a real shootout. At the beginning of the year the race was not supposed to be competitive and Mark Udall was predicted to coast to a win. Tea Party leaning Cory Gardner cleared the Republican primary field while winning endorsements from his competitors all the while fighting with Tea Party Express. Without a bruising primary Gardner is very competitive. He trails by only 3 points in a poll conducted way back in mid April, the latest public poll.

Guess who was the biggest contributor to Louisiana's Mary Landrieu in her last election? BP. Yep the drilling giant gave nearly $17,000 to Landrieu’s campaign committee during the 2008 election cycle. One doubts if Landrieu will put the bite on BP this cycle but money is the least of her worries. She trails Congressman Bill Cassidy by 6 points in the latest poll released on 6/9.
Looking to Michigan former Secretary of State Mary Lynn Land after a good start has faltered in her attempt to succeed retiring Karl Levin. She is down by 9 but Congressman Gary Peters, her Democratic opponent, is demanding 5 debates. There is an issue that came to light only today that might redound her favor. Peters has collected $8,500 from the National Treasury Employees Union over his career. This union represents the employees of the IRS. It may take someone more savvy than Land to capitalize on it but properly done it could become an expensive albatross.

Mau Mauing Dr. Oz

Hmm. Dr Phil never got called before congress. Senator Claire McCaskill who chairs the Senate subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance was rather critical of Dr. Mehmet Oz and his obsession with green coffee beans. In the doctor's defense one might point out that unlike the nation's other authority on weight loss, Michelle Obama he does not have the power to force people to follow his advice. So his advice is worth what the television audience pays for it? What's the harm?
It seems the FDA has got the problem wrong for years and may damn well bear much of the blame for the current increase in the rate of diabetes. As many schools abandon the Spartan diet inflicted on innocent children by svelte and sweet, Michelle Obama vis a vis the USDA the senator may want to question her bona fides rather than pester a competent and respected cardiologist.
The doctor stressed during the hearing that he has never endorsed specific supplements or received money from the sale of supplements. Nor has he allowed his image to be used in ads for supplements.

It's Not That I Like Rick Perry

Per Hoosierman's "I Like Rick Perry," http://obotomy.blogspot.com/2014/06/i-like-rick-perry.html I don't so much like Rick Perry as I think he is the most electable Republican. Understand, I do not dislike Rick Perry, I just don't like him as much as I like Paul and Cruz. Hoosierman mentioned that Perry is a governor, and a highly successful one at that. A case could be made that Perry deserves the Nobel Prize for Economics. But Perry is also an Air Force pilot and his military service will not go unnoticed by a lot of voters. Also significant, Perry has previously run for president. He did poorly in 2012 but a presidential campaign is unlike anything else. He should be better prepared this time around and he will be less likely to suffer through an embarrassing "what's the name of that agency I want to eliminate?" and he is less likely to let a pesky Mitt Romney get under his skin. Retail politics might come a little bit easier this time around. If there are skeletons in Perry's closet, they probably would have surfaced by now. That is the problem with getting behind a Herman Cain or anyone who has never been held under the microscope. Their entire campaign can get sidetracked by spurious allegations that have not been put to rest. Perry is a known quantity. While we are on the subject, I strongly believe a politician should hold at least one elected office prior to running for the presidency. For one thing, he should be able to prove that he can run a campaign and get elected. Second, he should also face the challenges that can only come from holding public office. I hate to agree with Ann Coulter but Ben Carson and Donald Trump and John Bolton and David Petraeus for that matter, should not be considered for the White House until they pay their dues. If I was an oddsmaker, I would install Perry as the 2016 favorite.

New climate paper predicts 1 degree temperature drop by 2020

Many of us knew intuitively that the sun was the driver of global warming. Increases of 100 parts per million of CO2 in the atmosphere seem almost trivial in historical context. Adding to the skepticism was the revelation that historically increases in CO2 levels have lagged behind temperature increases. The latest jolt to the carbon is killing us argument is a new paper published in Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics The paper has a more dire but opposite prediction than the IPCC models. It predicts a 1 degree centigrade drop in global temperatures by 2020. Fortunately the authors have the restraint to confine themselves to the occurrence of a temperature drop without the melodrama the left associates with temperature increases.
Of course the greens and the rent seekers who promote global warming hysteria have made some outlandish shot term forecast too so it will be interesting to see the argument resolved in our lifetimes. It will happen during the next president's term. The prediction is based on a discovered correlation between the length of solar cycles and global temperatures. More.

I like Rick Perry

As much as many of us admire Senators Rand Paul and Ted Cruz their winning the GOP nomination is problematic to say the least. With the help of a presidential father George W. Bush was able to win the nomination on his first try. All other modern day Republicans including Ronald Reagan needed at least one trial run. There is also the experience factor. In the wake of the disaster that is Obama Republican primary voters will be justifiably wary of turning over the presidency to another first term senator.
Governors can make a more compelling case for their nominations by virtue of having governed. They are the administrators who have faced recalcitrant bureaucracies, budget deficits, Mediterranean fruit flies, natural disasters, bridge lane closures and in some extreme case prison time. Their responses to these problems frequently decide the outcome of their aspirations to higher office.
If Republican primary voters would vote solely on the strength of a candidate's resume Rick Perry would be the only choice. If Rick Perry could focus solely on his resume he might be able to convince the voters to do the same. How does Politifact rate this statement, "Over the last 10 years, Texas created 33 percent of the net new jobs nationwide?" It rates it as true.
A third of all jobs in the country were created in Perry's state on his watch. That is an awesome fact! Yes, but he had the Permian Basin and the Eagle Ford Shale formations. He also had hurricanes, in migration both legal and illegal which create problem that can snarl growth and the drilling moratorium following the BP oil spill. My point is he has been an outstanding governor who has resisted the impulse to try to run economy but has contented himself to be a laissez faire custodian.
But will he be a credible candidate in the general election? You mean as compared to Romney or McCain? For my money he is the pick of the litter. If he stay on message he cannot be beat. After 14 years as a governor of a border state he probably knows more about the practical side of immigration enforcement and border security than the entire US Senate. His experience in immigration policy and energy policy are assets no other candidate can match.
When he's called upon he can excite the base like few others, save Paul and Cruz. Here he brought down the house at CPAC.
 




Leave your gun at home, Rick. The voters already know how you feel about the second amendment. The same with abortion and same sex marriage. Don't compare homosexuals to alcoholics and alcoholic to homosexual. Your long suit is creating jobs and that will be more than enough for most voters. People want to hear about their children's future not free condoms that you don't approve of or open carry that you do. Make the argument about jobs and no one in either party can touch you.