Baghdad Bob Gibbs Says One Vote Away From Health Care

When Bob Gibbs spins the news he really spins it. I think what he is really saying in the following clip is they would only need to pass the Senate bill in the House which would be one more vote. I don't think he is saying that they are just one vote shy of being able to actually pass the Senate bill in the House meaning they have 217 and need to twist one more arm to get to 218. They would have been holed up with the likely Congressman all weekend twisting away. Still if his comment leaves the impression they are just inches away from health care all the better as far as he's concerned.

I don't suppose it has ever dawned on him or any of the desperate Democrats still hell bent on health care the continued uncertainty that they might pass this debacle is hurting job growth. Employers need to know what it will cost them to hire new employees. The longer they keep this monster alive the less likely their pivot to jobs has any hope of even looking remotely successful. Keep spinning Bob, it's worked wonders for the administration so far. Why change course now?

Karl Rove On The House Republican Retreat

Much has been made of the President's appearance at the House Republican retreat on Friday. MSNBC changed their lineup Friday night to host a one hour special touting the genius of Obama's success in handing those nasty Republicans their hats and sending back where they belong, in the political wilderness. It was obnoxious. It was also a gross overstatement but we've come to expect nothing less from that network.

It was an amazing moment according to Democrats:

The moment President Obama began his address to Republicans in Baltimore today, I began to receive e-mails from Democrats: Here's an except from one of them: "I don't know whether to laugh or cry that it took a f$$@&$* year for Obama to step into the ring and start throwing some verbal blows... I'm definitely praying at mass on Sunday morning that this Obama doesn't take another 12 month vacation."

This e-mail comes from a very influential Democrat.

Accepting the invitation to speak at the House GOP retreat may turn out to be the smartest decision the White House has made in months. Debating a law professor is kind of foolish: the Republican House Caucus has managed to turn Obama's weakness -- his penchant for nuance -- into a strength. Plenty of Republicans asked good and probing questions, but Mike Pence, among others, found their arguments simply demolished by the president. (By the way: can we stop with the Obama needs a teleprompter jokes?)

I watched most of this event on Friday and saw a defensive thin-skinned Obama pretend he was suddenly all about bipartisanship. As usual, Obama laid a heaping helping of blame on Republicans but was forced to admit the Republicans had ideas , that he'd seen them and considered them. Perhaps it's just me but didn't he just spend an entire year claiming the exact opposite? Maybe this is why most voters don't trust Obama's statements about the economy. Obama has lost the trust of a significant portion of the voting public because he campaigned on being a pragmatic centrist but governed as a left leaning ideologue. It will take more than a day trip to Baltimore to undo that image in the minds of voters. I will let Karl Rove make the rest of the case, Friday was no win for Obama:

"Rush Limbaugh has exceptionally impressive fist pumping skills"

Carolyn asks  "Do Gators Dance"?  Yes, indeed they do and they appear to be in fine company.  Who knew Rush Limbaugh could bust a move?  Politico reports Rush won Judge of the Night for his amazing fist pumping skills displayed for all as he got up and danced alongside Vivica Fox to Lady Gaga's "Poker Face."  Is it me or does that song seem the absolute perfect song choice for Rush to unleash his dancing prowess on the unsuspecting world?

Rush elaborates on his big win, Talent on Loan from God Wins Contest for Miss America Judges:

 Last night's emcee was Dena Blizzard, comedienne from New Jersey.  She involved, off the cuff, us six judges.  She said, "You know, it's time for us to judge the judges.  The judges get to sit here and judge everybody else."  So we're caught up in this, and we have to play along and there was only one thing we had to perform, and that is we all had to stand up on cue and dance -- all six of us -- and then the audience is going to vote as to which one of us was the winner. So I got up and I started dancing and I did the Jersey fist bump because that's what she said she wanted, and I was doing the Jersey fist bump and I went kind of nuts there for 30 seconds. And, lo and behold, if I didn't win it! I won the judge talent show last night, was called up on stage.

Photo Donoghue Photography

See More at RushLimbaugh.com

Miss America Live tweets the news:

GO RUSH

Lady Gaga - New Music - More Music Videos

FMJRA Roundup: Sound and Fury Edition

Let me start by wishing Carolyn at Carol's Closet a very happy birthday. Carolyn linked and commented on my Hillary post writing:

Obama is a one term president. He is way over his head and the shine is gone. I am not a Hillary fan but I will give credit where credit is due. Hillary is intelligent. We are told that Obama is as well but I've yet to see any evidence, tangible or otherwise. Hillary is accomplished. Obama has no record of accomplishing anything. Hillary is at least somewhat centrist. Obama is whatever Rahmbo tells him to be. If Hillary were president she would forgo the mouth flapping and do something.

The tale of the Obama presidency is one "full of sound and fury signifying nothing," and no one called that earlier than HRC.  Unfortunately for Hillary, Obama's lack of accomplishments worked against her as the media and his campaign defined him as a vessel of Hope.  Unfortunately for Obama, he now has a record that proves he is nothing but an empty vessel.

Professor Jacobson uncovers what's behind the sound and fury over the Supreme Court ruling.  Unfortunately there may be a method to the Democrats madness and their attacks on the Citizens United decision and Justices Roberts and Alito.

On signifying nothing, Prof. Douglas declares Obama the Katy Perry of politics.  They certainly do bear a charmed life.

For all the fury over health care from this administration, Pat Austin points out there is no support for the 9/11 health bill from this Democratic administration.

No fury just fun in the clip of Scott Brown's appearance on Jay Leno.   Left Coast Rebel and Another Black Conservative have the video for those, like me, who missed seeing it live.  I bet Obama sees a dagger in that Scott Brown smile.

There are plenty of daggers for the "putrid poser in chief" in Amusing Bunni's live tweet review of the SOTU speech.

Backyard Conservative discovers something purple and  foul behind the desperate attacks against Dr. Arie Friedman, a candidate for the Illinois 10th Congressional District seat.

Bride of Rove had no patience for the poor player strutting and fretting his way through another meaningless speech.  Bride declares "his words are an informational famine," but no one can say the same of hers.

Cynthia Yockey comments on the King of Sound and Fury himself, Chris Matthews and also includes the video of Jon Stewart skewering him for his latest stupidity.

Fishersville Mike comments on the latest cauldron stirring by Democrats who hope to keep the fires burning on their pot of health care trouble.  "Wreck-onciliation" talks are indeed a sign of desperation but dangerous nonetheless.

Pundette has an interesting take on Obama.  Describing him as "indifferent and irresolute" a portrait emerges of  Obama the Underachiever.   Perhaps the strutting and fretting is a result of the fact he has nowhere else to go..

Maggie does an extensive fact check of the SOTU speech in her notebook and notices there was no room on the stage for the genuine heroes of Fort Hood.  There was plenty of room, however, for Obama's many misrepresentations and outright falsehoods in his speech.  Maggie uncovers them all.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, Mako Snark is priceless.  Carol of No Sheeples fame has created a home for her fabulous photoshop work, it's filled with snarky treasures, what fun!

Nice Deb has one of my favorite videos of the week.  Senator Judd Gregg makes mincemeat of the fretting Contessa Brewer on MSNBC.

Obi's Sister posts some advice for the Strutter-in-Chief from a true gentlemen.

Paco  would pay money to see Pelosi pole vault.  He has video of the resulting fail too.

Reaganite Republican comments on the tedious SOTU, complete with cartoons and photos of "Dear Leader"

Congratulations to the Daley Gator for hitting the 200,000 hit milestone.   This is great news for a couple of great guys.

The Other McCain has been covering the Battle of Fitchburg along with DaTechGuy.  Since Obama was shameless enough to pronounce the success of his stimulus earlier today, there is no better time to point what has been included in this disaster.  Our tax dollars are guaranteeing a loan from China in order to fund another Planned Parenthood in DaTechGuy's hometown.  I plan to post on this separately but I can't help but include it here as well.

The Troglopundit points out the people of Indonesia may have discovered the true worth of the "poor player" earlier than most outside the US.  They plan to take down the statue recently erected of him as a boy, ouch.

Apologies to my friend Chris at Wyblog for being late for the rogue Thursday wrap around.    Be sure to read his roundup and his interesting post on spending vetoes his new Governor Christie is making.

 My Voice on the Wings of Change endured the strutting and fretting for a greater good, her talk radio show. This weeks show featured Clifton of Another Black Conservative.  It's a great show.

Hillary's Not a Happy Camper - Update: CNN's Cafferty Says Run Hillary Run

Bret Baier was a guest on the The Steve Malzberg Show (audio here) discussing the SOTU speech, Obama's disrespectful attack on the Supreme Court and the genuine fear among Democrats that the administration appears not to understand the clear need to tack to the right.  Breitbart had the following clip from the radio show where Baier reveals behind the scenes Hillary Clinton is unhappy with her treatment by the administration.  Baier and Malzberg discuss growing evidence the Clintons could be planning another run for the presidency.

Hot Air had an interesting post on the Tavis Smiley interview with Hillary that is mentioned in the radio interview with Baier.  Reports from  the Smiley interview indicate Hillary does not intend to serve as Secretary of State for a second Obama term (heaven forbid there is a second term).   Despite the fact Hillary adamantly denies any intention of running for president, Baier thinks there is more going on than Hillary is willing to admit:

She can say that she's not going to run [for president] all she wants, but I do think that there is something there. There is clearly a discontent in the way that she has been treated as Secretary of State. We get that clearly behind the scenes."

I think having read a good bit of Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime, I have a better sense of Hillary Clinton than I did before reading the book.  Hillary would be more likely to skip the run for president and do things she would truly enjoy but if she really saw an opening for her to win, I wouldn't rule out a run.  Much of that would depend on who the apparent front runner would be for the Republicans because I truly believe she wouldn't primary Obama unless she thought she would win.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the interview here for me was not that she might run against Obama, but that she is clearly discontented serving in this administration.  Take Hillary's feelings and add the growing grumbling among Congressional Democrats the White House doesn't get it and you get a picture of an administration that is starting to come apart at the seams.  Some of the grumbling is mentioned in the full audio link above.   The entire portion where Hillary Clinton is discussed is embedded here.  All in all, there is a lot of food for thought in this segment.  It ought to be fascinating to see how quickly Hillary jumps ship.  Does she go before the midterms or after?  I somehow doubt she is going to do the whole four years.



UPDATE: Breitbart now has video of CNN's Jack Cafferty urging Hillary to run:


I have to laugh at Wolf Blitzer's efforts to make sure Cafferty is not interpreted as supporting Hillary over Obama. We already know Cafferty is a partisan but nice try Wolf.

Pelosi Going to Pole Vault and Parachute her Way to Passing Health Care

H/TGateway Pundit

This was just too bizarre a statement, even from Pelosi, to pass up the opportunity to post it.    The video is a clip from a Fox News report featuring Carl Cameron discussing the Democrats desperate efforts to keep the hope alive they might pass health care this year.  Changes to the bill Pelosi believes she needs to pass the bill in the House while the Senate takes the nuclear reconciliation option would cost an additional $300 billion dollars.  As Allahpundit points out, this would take the cost of the bill over the trillion dollar mark using Democrat math which would mean it really costs over  $2.5 trillion by any realistic mathematical assessment.

Passing a bill with this price tag in this political environment would require greater courage than a pole vaulter or parachutist could muster.  Still, Pelosi and a few others persist with the notion they can make this work, it's either stunningly arrogant or stupid or both.  My inclination is not to believe any more of these reports yet reliable sources insist Democrats intend to proceed down this path.  Hugh Hewitt sums up the arrogance of such a move in his intro to the transcript of his interview with Jon Kyl:

Prior to Massachusetts Obamacare was just a terrible bill with disastrous consequences for the American health care system, especially for seniors.

If passed after Massachusetts, Obamacare would become the single most contemptuous act by a Congress towards voters in American history.

Republicans could make passage of such a bill a nightmare by adding endless amendments Democrats would be forced to vote on in this perilous political year.  Perhaps that is the Democrats purpose here.  Knowing that Republicans would make passage so difficult, Democrats would then blame Republicans for being obstructionists while playing up the amount of time spent on amendments when they could have been working on jobs.   Democrats, of course ignore the message voters want the current bill dropped and prefer Congress to focus on jobs and the economy instead.

Democrats seem desperate to commit political suicide with health care.  Now they are going to parachute and pole vault their way over the hurdles before them.  Good luck with that strategy:

Those Fiscally Responsible Senate Democrats Vote to Raise Debt Limit

Every last one of them, Michelle Malkin has the roll call showing the vote divided on straight party lines 60-40.  Raising the debt limit to $14.3 trillion dollars will take us most of the way through 2010 in allowing the US Treasury to service the spiraling national debt.  Democrats appear to be avoiding taking another vote on the subject before the November midterm elections:

Senate Democrats hope the 60 to 40 party-line vote will enable them to avoid another politically toxic vote on the issue before the November congressional elections.

As Michelle Malkin points out this vote means every American citizen is on the hook for $45,000 each .  Maybe we should cut their credit card in November.

MSNBC Admits Shuster's Tweets "Inapproriate"

Politico reports though the network appears somewhat obsessed with covering the story of James O'Keefe's arrest, David Shuster has indeed crossed a line when he used his twitter account to attack O'Keefe:

Just before leaving for New Orleans to cover the story, Shuster used a Twitter message to tell conservative filmmaker James O’Keefe — one of the four men arrested by the FBI — that he’s “not a journalist,” that he “intended to tap phones” and that he “will go to prison.”

“The comments were inappropriate,” an MSNBC spokesperson told POLITICO Thursday. “We have talked to David about them.”

Inappropriate isn't exactly the word I would use to describe Shuster or his ridiculous attacks on conservatives on Twitter.  When I first opened a twitter account, Shuster called me a wingnut during one his attacks on people opposed to gay marriage.  I pointed out the President was opposed to gay marriage and asked if he was calling the President a "wingnut."    Shuster responded with, "It's an accurate description of the illogical arguments we sometimes hear from the right wing. So, get used to it. "wing nut."

Shuster has since deleted his response to me though I have saved a copy. I have to wonder how many others he has deleted.  Shuster was suspended from MSNBC in 2008 after characterizing Chelsea Clinton's activities while campaigning for her mother as being "pimped out in a weird sort of way."  As the Washington Post article points out, it is a wonder he has any career at all:

In case there was any doubt, using a prostitution metaphor for the daughter of a presidential candidate is not a good career move.

 Despite his history and inappropriate twitter comments, Shuster is reporting on the O'Keefe arrest from New Orleans.  How seriously should we take his reports on this subject?  The answer lies in Shuster's credibility to report the facts without bias.

Anyone believe Shuster doesn't have a horse in the race?

More Lip Reading the SOTU Audience

Left wing bloggers ignored the Supreme Court diss and focused on Senator John McCain mouthing "blame it on Bush" instead.  Here is the lead in to the video at Crooks and Liars:

Obama finally threw some blame for the sorry state of this country at the feet of George Bush and conservatism. Cutting taxes and starting wars doesn't lead us to economic prosperity.

Yeah, how about that, Obama finally threw some blame on Bush.   I thought he would never get around to blaming Bush personally.  Well, that's not entirely true, I did mention in an earlier post we might be hearing something about Obama's inherited problems tonight.  In that same post I mentioned Paul Ryan would have been better off had he mentioned that it is Congress that passes the budget and Democrats have controlled Congress since 2006.  Obama voted for some of the deficit he now claims came to him like a bad gene inherited through some biological twist of fate.

Think Progress also has no problem with Obama's "Blame Bush" rhetoric:

  Stating facts is not blaming Bush. A CAP analysis concludes that 41 percent of the source of increased spending in 2009 is attributable to the financial rescues begun by Bush.

CAP, the Center for American Progress, is a Progressive group, I am sure their analysis is completely unbiased.  The financial rescues begun by Bush were carried out by President Barack Obama, he was under no obligation to continue those policies.  Still he claims to have rescued us from the brink of eternal damnation or something because he bailed out the banks.  Now, how did he bail out those banks, with Monopoly money?  Well maybe they think it was Monopoly money but it was money from those darned financial rescues begun by Bush.

Here is the clip of Senator McCain sharing his "Blame it on Bush" comment with Senator Graham.   He made a similar comment later on Hannity, out loud for all to hear as well:

"What we're hearing tonight is 'BIOB' -- let's call it that from now on. Blame it on Bush. Whatever has gone wrong, let's blame it on Bush. I think the people of Massachusetts last Tuesday pretty well rejected that line of conversation."

Via Memeorandum

Someone Needed to Shout You Lie - Justice Alito Came Through - UPDATED

Justice Alito  to the rescue:

POLITICO's Kasie Hunt, who's in the House chamber, reports that Justice Samuel Alito mouthed the words "not true" when Obama criticized the Supreme Court's campaign finance decision.

Alito's responded to this portion of the speech:

 " Last week, the Supreme Court reversed a century of law to open the floodgates for special interests – including foreign corporations – to spend without limit in our elections," Obama said. "Well I don’t think American elections should be bankrolled by America’s most powerful interests, or worse, by foreign entities. They should be decided by the American people, and that’s why I’m urging Democrats and Republicans to pass a bill that helps to right this wrong."

 Obama's campaign was funded by special interests, let's roll back the clock to October 2008 shall we?



There was a good deal of criticism on twitter for Obama's decision to call out the Supreme Court:

Obama is a former law professor yet he misrepresents the findings of the Supreme Court with the justices right in front of him.  Classy

UPDATE:  Ace of Spades and Hot Air have the video showing Alito mouthing the words.
Via Instapundit Brad Smith @ The Corner "The President's Statement is False."

The Court held that 2 U.S.C. Section 441a, which prohibits all corporate political spending, is unconstitutional. Foreign nationals, specifically defined to include foreign corporations, are prohibiting from making "a contribution or donation of money or ather thing of value, or to make an express or implied promise to make a contribution or donation, in connection with a Federal, State or local election" under 2 U.S.C. Section 441e, which was not at issue in the case. Foreign corporations are also prohibited, under 2 U.S.C. 441e, from making any contribution or donation to any committee of any political party, and they prohibited from making any "expenditure, independent expenditure, or disbursement for an electioneering communication... ."

 More Professor Glenn Reynolds responds to Allahpundit's facetious statement, "“When you hear the president of the United States demagoguing the First Amendment, you sit there and you take it, son.”

No, actually, you don’t, and Alito didn’t. And that will step on Obama’s press tonight and tomorrow, turning his demagoguery into a negative for him. That’s why Presidents usually act Presidential. Not so much because it’s dignified. But because it’s smart. That’s something that Obama, with his limited experience on the national stage, hasn’t figured out yet.

Banner night for the President, huh?  I still think his pontificating about the floodgates of special interests is one of the more hypocritical statements of the night and that is saying something because there were quite a few.

McDonnell's Response to Obama's SOTU Speech

CBS News has the full text of Governor Bob McDonnell's GOP response to the State of the Union address.
Full text of the speech after the jump:

David Shuster is a Douchebag

Allahpundit has a report from Fox News citing sources close to James O'Keefe who claim the young man who exposed widespread corruption at ACORN is not charged with wiretapping.  Andrew Breitbart asks the media to wait for the facts before pronouncing O'Keefe guilty.

The left wing media and bloggers have been positively joyful since hearing the news of O'Keefe's arrest and have been vigilantly watching the right wing bloggers for signs of hypocrisy:

Can someone tell me how long it took Shuster to report on ACORN? It's no secret the media did everything humanly possible to ignore the ACORN scandal.  Truth be told, nearly every blogger has reported the story and issued some statement condemning the use of illegal means.  That is not good enough for the likes of David Shuster who can't wait to condemn the 25 year old, meanwhile FT Hood shooter Nidal Hassan got the benefit of the doubt.  Here is a selection of Shuster's tweets on O'Keefe:

He flat out admits he is enjoying it.  Whatever O'Keefe ends up being proved guilty of remains to be seen, Shuster, however, just proved himself to be a hypocritical douchebag.  Sorry, douchebag was the nicest term I could think of to describe him.

Paul Ryan Reintroduces his Roadmap - Can We Get Him a Truck?

Rep. Paul Ryan reintroduces his Roadmap for America in today's Wall Street Journal.  He highlights the differences between his plan and what is currently offered by Democrats:

The difference between the Road Map and the Democrats' approach could not be more clear. From the enactment of a $1 trillion "stimulus" last February to the current pass-at-all costs government takeover of health care, the Democratic leadership has followed a "progressive" strategy that will take us closer to a tipping point past which most Americans receive more in government benefits than they pay in taxes—a European-style welfare state where double-digit unemployment becomes a way of life.

Americans don't have to settle for this path of decline. There's still time to choose a different future. That is what the Road Map offers. It is based on a fundamentally different vision from the one now prevailing in Washington. It focuses the government on its proper role. It restrains government spending, and hence limits the size of government itself. It rejuvenates the vibrant market economy that made America the envy of the world. And it restores an American character rooted in individual initiative, entrepreneurship and opportunity.

It looks as though  Ryan is taking the lead on offering voters a clear alternative from Republicans much like Newt Gingrich did in 1994.  While Democrats were determined to ram health care through without Republican input, Ryan's health care plan was rebuffed without serious consideration.  Ryan's plan addresses the serious shortfalls looming for entitlements such as Medicare and Medicaid which are bound to force drastic measures to correct the longer they go unaddressed.  

Congressman Ryan discussed his roadmap in an appearance this morning on "Morning Joe."  While Ryan acknowledges inherited budget problems, he failed to mention that it was a Democratic Congress that has passed the budgets since 2006.  These are budgets that then-Senator Barack Obama voted for and approved.  I wish that Ryan had mentioned that point since we will likely hear the word inherited at some point in the SOTU speech tonight.  That criticism aside, Ryan does a nice job presenting his roadmap and stepping forward to fill Gingrich's role.  Shall we call him the "New Newt?"  

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Dems Plan to Take Low Road to Certain Defeat in November

We should have seen this coming after the sorry defeat in Massachusetts.   Democrats blatantly claimed Coakley failed to negatively define Brown early on in the race; they won't make that mistake again.  CNN obtained a secret DSCC memo outlining the strategy for the midterm elections though the contents appear to be entirely predictable:

Given the pressure Republican candidates feel from the extreme right in their party, there is a critical - yet time-sensitive –opportunity for Democratic candidates," a DSCC memo, obtained by CNN, states. "We have a finite window when Republicans candidates will feel susceptible to the extremists in their party. Given the urgent nature of this dynamic, we suggest an aggressive effort to get your opponents on the record."

Specifically, the DSCC wants Democratic candidates to pin down their likely opponents on several hot-button issues, including:

- Do you believe that Barack Obama is a U.S.citizen?

- Do you think the Tenth Amendment bars Congress from issuing regulations like minimum healthcare coverage standards?

- Do you think programs like Social Security and Medicare represent socialism, and should never have been created in the first place?

- Do you think President Obama is a socialist?

- Do you think America should return to a gold standard?

This is straight out of a Chris Matthews MSNBC interview, I hope they didn't pay anyone big money to come up with this.

The NRSC has released its' own set of substantive questions such as "do you believe the $787 billion stimulus worked" and this little gem:

 Do you believe the Obama Administration was correct when they gave the Christmas Day bomber a lawyer and the right to remain silent before our intelligence professionals had the opportunity to question him about other potential attacks on the United States?

 I believe it was either Frank Luntz or another pollster who said this particular issue tested very very high even among Democrats in Massachusetts.  Brown emphasized this point in his victory speech last week and repeated it often on the campaign trail.  It might be more difficult for Democrats who complained for years about Guantanamo Bay to find a balance between their hard left base and main stream America who happen to believe terrorists shouldn't get the same rights as US citizens.  Democrats can squawk all they want about teabaggers and birthers, it isn't likely to fool the Independents who witnessed Democrats with complete control of the government.  They appear to have been unimpressed but a lot of  name calling ought to bring them around.

More John Edwards Revelations

These aren't pretty and there will surely be a few more in Andrew Young's forthcoming tell-all book on the downfall of the Edwards' campaign for the presidency.  I am currently reading Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime, which is chock full of damaging revelations about Edwards, his wife Elizabeth and their nightmare marriage.  Edwards needs another book on the market like he needs another mistress.

Young was a devoted Edwards supporter who went so far as to claim paternity of Rielle Hunter's daughter to shield Edwards from damaging revelations about his affair.

As with Game Change, the author appears to be seeking a bit of pre-release publicity; expect the juicy bits to leak over the next day or so.   The Wall Street Journal has a full review that included this nasty revelation:

Made in USA: Young says Edwards is an Atkins-dieter who hated making appearances at state fairs where “fat rednecks try to shove food down my face. I know I’m the people’s senator, but do I have to hang out with them?” Before a SEIU candidate forum in Las Vegas, Young says Edwards made him cut out a “made in the USA” label from Young’s own suit to sew in place of Edwards’s “made in Italy” label.

Edwards’ hair: “Naturally thick and lustrous, his hair was a fixation with him. He insisted on using just one kind of shampoo — HairTec Thick & Strong Shampoo for Fine, Fragile Hair,” Young writes. He says that for years he or Edwards personally paid for the expensive haircuts rather than publicly list them as campaign expenses. He blamed the gaffe – Edward’s campaign committee picked up the tab for two $400 haircuts — on “new, inexperienced staff.”

A confrontation: Shortly after John Edwards and Hunter returned from a trip to Uganda in 2006, Elizabeth Edwards answered a cell phone call to hear Hunter who “launched into a romantic monologue,” Young writes. According to Young’s account, Elizabeth confronted her husband who “confessed to having had a one-night stand but didn’t say with whom.” He called Hunter in front of his wife to end it, but later called her back to say he didn’t mean it.

 I can't help but wonder why the press doesn't hang their collective heads in shame as each disgusting Edwards revelation comes to the fore.  Their silence surely shows their bias as we can be sure if Edwards was running as a Republican none of this information would have been kept under wraps.

Young also hints that a Hunter/Edwards sex tape currently exists or at least did at one point:

Young describes his alleged discovery of a compromising videotape of Edwards and a naked, pregnant lover, identified by Young as Hunter. “It was like watching a traffic pileup occur in slow motion — it was repelling but also transfixing,” he writes.

Read the rest at The Wall Street Journal.

James O'Keefe Arrested

Note:   Due to a few minor computer issues, this post was intended to go up much earlier
Via Memeorandum
NOLA broke the big news that set the blogosphere on fire today, James O'Keefe arrested along with three others for entering federal property under false pretenses and another more serious charge:

Whoever willfully or maliciously injures or destroys any of the works, property, or material of any radio, telegraph, telephone or cable, line, station, or system, or other means of communication, operated or controlled by the United States, or used or intended to be used for military or civil defense functions of the United States, whether constructed or in process of construction, or willfully or maliciously interferes in any way with the working or use of any such line, or system, or willfully or maliciously obstructs, hinders, or delays the transmission of any communication over any such line, or system, or attempts or conspires to do such an act, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.

 The FBI affadavit outlines the sequence of events leading up to O'Keefe's arrest and appears quite damaging:

O'Keefe became famous when he and Hannah Giles  posed as a pimp and a prostitute in order to report on corruption at ACORN.  Andrew Breitbart, who first released the tapes that uncovered the corruption at ACORN discovered through Giles and O'Keefe's investigative reporting, has issued a statement:

“We have no knowledge about or connection to any alleged acts and events involving James O’Keefe at Senator Mary Landrieu’s office.  We only just learned about the alleged incident this afternoon.  We have no information other than what has been reported publicly by the press.  Accordingly, we simply are not in a position to make any further comment.”

Breitbart was interviewed  by Hugh Hewitt where he revealed O'Keefe has been paid by Breitbart in the past and Breitbart holds  first rights of refusal  for O'Keefe's work.  Breitbart maintains he had no knowledge of O'Keefe's actions in New Orleans and hadn't spoken to him for several weeks.
Michelle Malkin reported immediately and issued the following caution:

But for now, let it be a lesson to aspiring young conservatives interested in investigative journalism:
Know your limits. Know the law. Don’t get carried away. And don’t become what you are targeting.

 Michelle also had this video embedded of an eight minute local news report:

Blanche Balks at Reconciliation

Unless Blanche Lincoln has more up her sleeve, I guess we can assume this is her big announcement:

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) will oppose Dem efforts to move health care legislation through Congress using budget reconciliation, hurting Dems' chances for using the controversial parliamentary maneuver to pass a reform bill.

"I am opposed to and will fight against any attempts to push through changes to the Senate health insurance reform legislation by using budget reconciliation tactics that would allow the Senate to pass a package of changes to our original bill with 51 votes," Lincoln said in a statement on Tuesday. "I have successfully fought for transparency throughout Senate deliberations on health care, and I will continue to do so."

"I will not accept any last-minute efforts to force changes to health insurance reform issues through budget reconciliation, and neither will Arkansans. We have worked too long and too hard on this reform effort - we need to get it right," she said.

I have to have a little chuckle at her claim she successfully fought for transparency, did she do that on CSPAN?   I might have missed that.   Lincoln's vote for the Senate health care bill has her in trouble with her fellow Arkansans, a point not lost on the powers that be in the DSCC who have been rumored to be pressuring her to retire.  Earlier today she announced  she had over $5 million on hand in her campaign coffers.  Lincoln appears to be posturing here hoping to convince her constituents she gets the message while sending a message to Democrats they won't be getting rid of her that easily.

Lincoln's announcement confirms rumors Democrats continue to pursue alternate paths to health care legislation despite a clear message from voters in Massachusetts to put the brakes on.  If Democrats were to attempt reconciliation the bill would either need to be pared down to strictly budgets items such as tax increases or medicaid cuts in order to bypass the need for 60 votes.  This would leave the bill finally passed full of holes that would fail to meet the intended purpose of the legislation.  There is no budgetary effect to a health insurance mandate, for example, which would be challenged endlessly as inappropriate for inclusion in a budgetary procedure.

If Democrats were able to trim down the bill only to its budgetary elements, Lincoln's vote would not be necessary since the procedure requires only 51 votes.  Perhaps she is signaling the abandonment of the reform by other key moderates such as Evan Bayh and Ben Nelson.  Still, voters in their home states are already well aware their Senators voted for the unpopular reform.  Much of this appears to be political theater though we should give some kudos for the transparency of their efforts.  Exit stage right...

Jon Stewart on the TOTUS Visit to Sixth Grade Class Room

  

The White House has been on defense ever since pictures surfaced that appeared to show him speaking to a group of elementary school students with a teleprompter.  While Obama did bring his handy side kick along for the visit to the classroom the picture actually shows him giving a statement to the press.  POTUS went solo when speaking with the 6th graders.

Still, Jon Stewart thinks the presidential podium and the prompters  for a short statement in an elementary school is a bit over the top.  Really, isn't that the truth?  Here is a brief clip of Stewart skewering Obama with a reminder not to get too big for his britches:

Obama Would 'Rather Be Really Good One-Term President'

Well, I don't know about the "good" part but the one-term part seems more and more likely all the time.  Obama's statement comes from an exclusive interview with Diane Sawyer.  In the interview, Obama concedes he has made mistakes particularly on health care:

The president conceded he has made mistakes, at one point saying, "I'd probably say I make a mistake a day, maybe two." One of the biggest, he said, was the confusing way in which the health bill was shaped.

H/T: Memeorandum

But the president insisted "I didn't make a bunch of deals… I am happy to own up to the fact that I have not changed Congress and how it operates the way I would have liked.""I think the healthcare debate as it unfolded legitimately raised concerns not just among my opponents, but also amongst reporters that we just don't know what's going on," and that some "stray cats" got in the bill, he said.

Umm, I am not entirely sure the issue was that he didn't know what was going on... he was in on all those back room deals after all.  Reaganite Republican notes Bill Kristol sees Obama's problems both politically and legislatively are a direct result of his failure to work with Republicans in a bipartisan fashion:

And the pollster had no doubt re. what the administration's biggest mistake on ObamaCare was- "not getting the Republicans in the room". As noted by Bill Kristol on Fox News Sunday, Obama could have actually driven a lot of wedges into the GOP by working with selected factions, leaving them in dissarray... rather, he did the only thing that could have unified Republicans so quickly, ramming partisan legislation through while treating them like children .

Obama plans on papering over his mistakes of the past year in his SOTU address by promising big for the middle class:

Increasing the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit for middle class families making under $85,000 a year from 20% to 35% of qualifying expenses.

 Capping student federal loan payments to 10 percent of the student's income above a basic living allowance.

 Requiring all employers to give workers an option of automatic workplace direct-deposit IRAs.

 Expanding tax credits to match retirement savings by expanding and simplifying the Saver's Credit to match 50 percent of the first $1,000 of contributions by families earning up to $65,000 and providing a partial credit to families earning up to $85,000.

 Expanding support for families balancing work with caring for elderly relatives with a $102.5 million Caregiver Initiative.

 I am not sure imposing new requirements on employers is a great idea with the unemployment rate climbing and jobs foremost on voters' minds.  Increasing child and dependent care tax credits are only beneficial if people actually have jobs to go to.  Nevertheless, there is no better way to silence the plebes than sending baskets of gold to be divided among them.

What's Blanche Lincoln's Big Announcement

Blanche Lincon on twitter:

Stay tuned for an important campaign announcement tomorrow morning.

Is this a retirement announcement?
Arkansas Blog H/T Hot Air

 A well-known Washington insider has been telling Arkies this weekend that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is trying to talk Sen. Blanche Lincoln out of running for re-election.

That would open the door for a Wes Clark candidacy. And U.S. Rep. Mike Ross would be in the race in a heartbeat. Then comes a deluge of candidates in the 4th District. Forget for a moment what a Boozman candidacy does for the House of Dominoes on the Republican side from Senate down.

The Left leaning Swing State Project comments on Boozman:

 Mason-Dixon takes a first look at the Arkansas Senate race (on behalf of the Arkansas News Bureau), and while the results are still pretty ugly, they're not as bad as some other pollsters have seen it -- to the extent that there's actually a path to victory for Lincoln. Not that it's really in her control: she just needs to hope that the GOP manages to nominate one of the seven dwarves populating the GOP field, instead of the somewhat more appealing state Sen. Gilbert Baker (who leads her by 4)... or more ominously, that Rep. John Boozman doesn't decide to get into the race, at which point the game would likely be over. 

NWA online's

 John Boozman will win the U.S. Senate race if he chooses to get in. I believe he’ll get in.

Personally I hope she stays in to face the voters she sold down the pike with her vote on health care but Wesley Clark doesn't have me quaking in my boots regardless.  

58 Democratic Seats in Play Including 12 New Seats - UPDATED

Scroll down for update
Ed Morrissey  noticed the NYT buried some good news  for Republicans in an article highlighting the explosion of new candidates entering the field for Congressional seats in November.  While much of the Times article focuses on the potential obstacles Republicans may face from heated primaries, the interesting news comes from Stewart Rothenberg about half way through the article:

Stuart Rothenberg, a political analyst who follows Congressional races, said a report he will release Monday will count 58 Democratic House seats in play, up from 47 in December. The number of Republican seats in play has held at 14 in that period, he said. And Democrats expect more of their incumbents to retire, which could put additional seats at risk.

Rothenberg list a total of 72 seats in play adding 12 new seats from those considered safe to either favored Democrats or leans Democrat.  Here is a list of the 12 seats:

• WV 1 (Mollohan, D) * Moved from  safe to leans democrat
• AZ 8 (Giffords, D) *
• CO 3 (Salazar, D) *
• CA 11 (McNerney, D) *
• IA 3 (Boswell, D)
• NY 13 (McMahon, D) *
• ND A-L (Pomeroy, D) *
• NJ 3 (Adler, D) *
• PA 4 (Altmire, D) *
• PA 8 (Murphy, D) *
• PA 17 (Holden, D) *
• VA 9 (Boucher, D) *

As mentioned in a previous post, Chris Wysocki at Wyblog noted former Eagles tackle Jon Runyan has already put his hat in the ring for NJ's 3rd Congressional District.  Patrick Murphy (PA 8) is facing a wealth of challengers including a rematch from Mike Fitzpatrick.  Fitzpatrick was quoted in the Times article on the flood of candidates entering the field nationwide after last week's upset in Massachusetts:

“I think it was inspiring and gave voice to a lot of people,” said Mike Fitzpatrick, a former one-term Republican congressman from the Philadelphia suburbs who announced on Saturday that he would try to reclaim his old seat from Representative Patrick J. Murphy, a Democrat.

 Murphy must be feeling some heat, he will be hosting a State of the Union party this Wednesday and will be joined by conference call from Obama campaign manager David Plouffe.   Thomas Jefferson Club blog has the details:

State of the Union Watch Party-Lower Bucks (State of the Union Watch Party)

On January 27th, Organizing for America (OFA) supporters and volunteers across the country will gather together to watch the President’s State of the Union Address.

Join OFA friends, catch up with volunteers from the campaign, and meet new folks at our State of the Union Watch Party!

The party begins at 7:30PM. At 8:15, we’ll be joined, via conference call, by David Plouffe, the Obama for America campaign manager, to help plan for what comes next.

The President’s State of the Union address begins at 9:00PM.
We’ll have some refreshments but feel free to bring a snack or dessert to share.
For more info contact amjordan99@comcast.net

Time:	Wednesday, January 27 from 7:30 PM – 10:30 PM
Host:	Ann Marie Jordan
Location:	Patrick Murphy for Congress (Bristol, PA) 327 Mill Street Bristol, PA 19007

That is the draw? David Plouffe and bring your own snacks or desserts, hardly seems like the antidote to Democratic complacency and real Republican momentum.  Rothenberg acknowledges the Republican momentum and is unwilling to discount the possibility Republicans can pick up enough seats to retake the House though he does his best to downplay the potential as well:

In addition, we can no longer dismiss the possibility of a Republican wave so large that Democrats could lose their House majority. We stress, however, that we currently expect Republicans to fall short of the 40 seats they would need. Scott Brown’s victory in Massachusetts doesn’t mean that every Republican candidate will win in November.

Republicans may not win every election in November but Rothenberg's own list puts enough seats in play with room to spare.

Note:  Thomas Jefferson Club blog notes American's for Prosperity is hosting a State of the Union Party on Wednesday as well.  Jeff McGeary, president and co-founder of The Thomas Jefferson Club is also making a run against Murphy.  You see his website here.  The blog also lists the other fine candidates who were inspired to challenge Murphy when the leading analysts considered the race a lock for Murphy.  I plan to follow the race closely and will provide more information on the fine candidates who stepped forward to serve Bucks County.
UPDATE:  Via Allahpundit
Cook Political Report puts Murphy's seat in Lean's Democratic which clearly puts it in play given his assessment of the enthusiasm gap between Republicans and Democrats:

If this level remains constant, you can count on the Democratic majority in the House being toast this fall.

Also Nate Silver

 Think others are too conservative on projecting GOP gains. We don't have a House model yet, but GOP seems as likely as not to take House.

Surrender Nancy

Daniel Foster at The Corner of NRO online reports Pelosi may have yet another trick up her sleeves for health care; color me shocked.  While many, including me, declared health care DOA after Speaker Pelosi said she didn't have the votes, it appears we may have underestimated the sheer determination of Democrats to commit hara kiri by health care.  Desperate Democrats are working the votes to drum up support for passage of the Senate bill in total in the House with agreements to undo portions House members find distasteful:

Democratic staffers are telling Newsweek that though Pelosi is still “way short” of the 218 votes it would take to pass the Senate bill—with issues such as the Cadillac Tax and Cornhusker Kickback serving as sticking points—that equation could soon change. Democrats are “working the phones furiously to talk up the idea of the Senate promising to retroactively unravel several distasteful components.”

I am pretty sure the voters in Massachusetts hadn't intended to send a man to Washington who campaigned on his being the 41st vote against dishonest efforts to ram health care through at all costs only to sit back and nod in approval once Madame Speaker finds an alternate strategy to ram it through anyway.   Obviously this makes absolutely no difference as Pelosi is arguing this can be done in the House with passage in the Senate requiring 51 votes via reconciliation:

If House Democrats make the good-faith deal, Pelosi is arguing that the Senate promise would be easy to keep. Reconciliation votes require only a 51-vote majority. Or even 50, in which case Vice President Biden could break the tie.

This aide says that leadership considers reconciliation, with the House conditioning its support on promised fixes in the Senate, as the much more strategic route than breaking the package into parts, which isn’t ideal because all of the parts are interlocking. Asked what the timetable would be for that, this aide says weeks, not months.

This would explain the Easter miracle strategy highlighted in my last post.  Foster suggests this is a viable strategy though it ignores the politics.  It also ignores the promise of  Obama and the Democrats they wouldn't attempt the possibility of ramming a bill through before Scott Brown was seated.  Then again, we should all know the value of an Obama promise at this point.

I have absolutely no doubt that Pelosi et al, will examine each and every possibility by which they can put this disastrous bill through against the will of the people.  They have shown utter contempt and disregard for the people they purport to serve every day they have met since Obama took office and then some.  If Pelosi can whip the votes after the clear message sent by voters last week no seat is safe, anyone who votes for her bill should update their resume immediately.

In my own district, Representative Patrick Murphy (D, PA8) has nine, yes nine, Republicans hoping to get the nomination to oppose him.  On Saturday Mike Fitzpatrick announced  he would seek a rematch against the man who won the seat in 2006 when the tide of populist anger turned against Republicans.  Though I have no doubt Murphy would vote exactly as Pelosi told him to, as he has in nearly every other vote since he took office, he would cast this vote with the certain knowledge one of the nine would take his seat after November.  Who would come to save him, Obama?  This is only one district, a relatively safe one for what that is worth, and there are nine qualified opponents waiting to challenge him for it.  Surely those nine smell something in the air even if Murphy and Pelosi can not.

Pelosi and the desperate Democrats should stop to consider the longer they drag this health care debacle out, the greater uncertainty grows.  Uncertainty is killing any potential for job growth.  This is a message sent repeatedly to an administration that chooses to hear only what it wants.  Democrats pursue this path at their peril, which would be fine, if only politics were at issue.  There are families who are hurting, people who are desperate to get back to work, yet Democrats see only their opportunity to pass their hated health care agenda slipping through their fingers.   These are people not worthy to lead this country, November can't come soon enough.

Never Say Die: Health Care Resurrection by Easter via the Miracle of Reconciliation

When jamming it through with 60 votes didn't work out, Democrats consider jamming it through with 50 via Reconciliation.  Were they listening at all this week?  It doesn't seem like it.  Naked Emperor has a composite of Democrats opining on the reconciliation path to universal health care destruction.  Reconciliation will leave Democrats with a bill that is more swiss cheese than anything and invites the argument that voters need to make sure Republicans have 50 votes in the Senate come November so they can undo it.  Is that what they want?  It sure seems like it.

Tough Love from Obamalovin' Media

They carried him to election so who better to tell him he's getting a bit too heavy to carry?  Not in terms of his weight surely, but the additional baggage the shameful loss in Massachusetts adds to the administration destined to turn back the tides and heal the planet.  It's getting too tough to spin so a little tough love was in order.  Frank Rich and Bob Herbert, both do a left wing intervention for their beloved Barack. The message "Snap out of it."

Starting with Herbert, who wonders how loud do the alarm bells have to get:

While the nation was suffering through the worst economy since the Depression, the Democrats wasted a year squabbling like unruly toddlers over health insurance legislation. No one in his or her right mind could have believed that a workable, efficient, cost-effective system could come out of the monstrously ugly plan that finally emerged from the Senate after long months of shady alliances, disgraceful back-room deals, outlandish payoffs and abject capitulation to the insurance companies and giant pharmaceutical outfits.

The public interest? Forget about it.

Herbert's advice, get cracking on jobs, though he doesn't expect much in the way of results:

 The Democrats still hold the presidency and large majorities in both houses of Congress. The idea that they are not spending every waking hour trying to fix the broken economic system and put suffering Americans back to work is beyond pathetic. Deficit reduction is now the mantra in Washington, which means that new large-scale investments in infrastructure and other measures to ease the employment crisis and jump-start the most promising industries of the 21st century are highly unlikely.

What we’ll get instead is rhetoric. It’s cheap, so we can expect a lot of it.

Scorch, of course Herbert has to land a few zingers on the GOP but much of the article is directed at the administration and Congress who don't seem to get it.  Frank Rich takes a gentler approach but points out Obama is no JFK:

 Kennedy didn’t settle for the generic populist rhetoric of Obama’s latest threats to “fight” unspecified bankers some indeterminate day. He instead took the strong action of dressing down U.S. Steel by name. As Richard Reeves writes in his book “President Kennedy,” reporters were left “literally gasping.” The young president called out big steel for threatening “economic recovery and stability” while Americans risked their lives in Southeast Asia. J.F.K. threatened to sic his brother’s Justice Department on corporate records and then held firm as his opponents likened his flex of muscle to the power grabs of Hitler and Mussolini. (Sound familiar?) U.S. Steel capitulated in two days. The Timessoon reported on its front page that Kennedy was at “a high point in popular support.”

Can anyone picture Obama exerting such take-no-prisoners leadership to challenge those who threaten our own economic recovery and stability at a time of deep recession and war? That we can’t is a powerful indicator of why what happened in Massachusetts will not stay in Massachusetts if this White House fails to reboot.

Call me crazy Mr. Rich, but Obama has done a lot of calling out to corporate America.  There has been lots of finger pointing but job creation has been MIA.  Democrats surprisingly enough, float new ideas daily on how they might still pass health care.  The pivots to jobs and the economy  has been nothing more than rhetoric, but as Herbert said, talk's cheap.

Olbermann Apologizes to Jon Stewart

To Scott Brown, not so much. Did he walk back the offensive Dred Scott comparison, no. Looks like Olbermann is just a bit embarrassed for having had one of the cool "truth tellers" make a monkey of him on his show. Still, at least he admits he has been over the top lately which is something I guess.


H/T: Hot Air Headlines

Karl Rove Predicts there Could be A Political Earthquake this Year

Karl Rove discussed with Sean Hannity potential strategies Obama may choose. The obvious sensible choice would be to move to the center and give up on health care but Rove sees Obama opting for the continued pressure for health care while feigning the part of "Mr. Populist." Obama's performance in Ohio earlier is reviewed as well.

Rove often gives the most measured assessments of the prospects for the GOP in the midterms. After Massachusetts, however, Rove declares, "This could be an earthquake this fall." Hannity refers to analysis from Newt Gingrich who suggests if the trend continues as we've seen there could be 150 Democratic seats at risk. Of course Rove goes nowhere near that prediction but clearly he sees a seismic shift in the future.





Rove posted a photo on twitter the other night laying out the most favorable scenario for Democrats in the coming 2010 Senate races:

Left-leaning analyst Nate Silver does a full report on the state of Senate races and finds Democrats with few prospects.  Stock up on the popcorn folks, it's going to be an interesting year.