Saturday, January 9, 2010

Dem Backstabbing, Back Room Dealing, and Backing Off Promises

HA! This is kinda funny. The Dems were backstabbing each other all over the place when it came to the 2008 election and the run-up to it. For instance, the Obama campaign kept Joe Biden out of the loop intentionally.

"The relationship between Barack Obama and Joe Biden grew so strained during the 2008 campaign, according to a new book, that the two rarely spoke and aides not only kept Biden off internal conference calls but refused to even tell him they existed."

Hillary supporters in Congress undermined her by channelling support through the endorsements of other Senators and Congressmen/Congresswomen.

"Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and a group of other senators who would back Hillary Clinton’s candidacy encouraged Obama to run for the White House as early as 2006. The concern over Clinton was that she would be a weak Democratic standard-bearer while Obama could energize the party. In late summer 2007, Schumer – using an Obama ally, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), as a back channel – pushed the candidate to “take a two-by-four to Hillary,” as the authors put it."

Gets better...apparently Bill Clinton still hasn't managed to keep it in his pants...

"Members of what the authors call Clinton’s “war room within a war room” became convinced in 2006 that Bill Clinton was having a serious extramarital affair, prompting Hillary Clinton to instruct her aides to be prepared to combat the story."

...and Hillary thought Bill would be a distraction to Obama.

"Following the 2008 campaign, Hillary Clinton was shocked to have been offered the Secretary of State job and decided to reject the offer. She prepared a statement explaining why she would turn the new president down and remain in the Senate. But in an after-midnight call between Clinton and Obama, he persuaded her – only after Clinton expressed concerns about the problems posed by her husband, the former president."

Not to mention, Harry "The Weasel" Reid's revealing choice of words.

"Reid said Obama could fare well nationally as an African-American candidate because he was “light-skinned” and didn’t speak with a “Negro dialect unless he wanted to have one.” Saturday, the majority leader said he had used “poor choice of words” and called Obama to apologize; the White House issued a statement indicating that the president had forgiven Reid."

There are others incidents regarding the Democrats, and some with the Republicans (which really were due to the McCain camp not handling Sarah Palin well, and Palin being caught completely off-guard with the whole process due to their mishandling).

Upcoming General Assembly and Proposed Gun Rights Legislation

Browsing through Richmond Sunlight, and I'm finding some good pro-2nd Amendment legislation.

In the House...
- HB26 would mandate that the Clerk of Court cannot ask a concealed weapon permit applicant for any identification beyond what is required for the application form.
- HB32 would allow the faculty at any university in Virginia to carry a concealed weapon, provided they have a permit.
- HB49 would repeal the one-handgun-per-month rule.
- HB79 would remove public access to applications for concealed weapons permits. This is good, because I really don't want other people snooping through my permit application. I'm a proponent of open government, but this is information about private citizens, not government officials.

There are more, but these stuck out to me as excellent new legislation that promotes our 2nd Amendment rights.

Woman With Condoms in D.C. Can Be Arrested for Prostitution

Apparently so, as police are using anything possible to crack down on prostitution, including if a woman is carrying 3 or more condoms in her purse.

So, if a woman just likes to go out and have one night stands, and is actually trying to be responsible, or just buys a few condoms to take home to have a wild weekend with her man, she can be booked on prostitution charges? What kind of civil liberties are those???

This is why victimless crimes like prostitution shouldn't be crimes at all. It leads to stuff like this! This is a violation of a woman's right to carry something legal like condoms. It also makes women more likely to not carry protection, which can lead to unprotected sex and disease transfer and/or unwanted pregnancies.

I know some of you morally-correct people will say "well, people shouldn't be having so much sex", but that is their choice, and they shouldn't be punished for trying to be responsible about how they go about their choice.

More Moronic Messages from Marsden

Crystal Clear Conservative puts up the latest evidence of Dave Marsden using empty platitudes and basic fearmongering of Republicans (ooooh, scary boogeymen Republicans, oooooh!) to try to appeal to voters in the 37th District special election.

Three problems with Marsden's "case" for election

- Bob McDonnell's campaign proved that people want to hear about solutions, not simply about how evil the other party is (OMG! Repugz are Social Conservativz, they hate teh gayz n women! = Creigh Deed's message in a nutshell).
- If Marsden loses, there is no change in the make up of the State Senate, as this is already held by a Republican (AG-elect Ken Cuccinelli). So the Senate still remains in Dem control by the same margin.
- There is NO mention of why Marsden is a better candidate (other than party name, which means NOTHING in the current political climate) or why Steve Hunt is not a good candidate.

Ouch, Mr. Speaker!

Friday, January 8, 2010

James Carville Just Made Me Throw Up in my Mouth

In reference to the airport scanners, the Ragin' Cajun...ahem...whipped out his thoughts on the issue during today's Tony Kornheiser Show.

"Let me buy a [security] card, then go and measure my penis, and let me get on the airplane".

Ugh. James Carville's penis. Just let the thought of that sink in for a second, then try to hold your lunch down.

Actually, if there was any human being who resembles a penis, it's Carville. See below...



I like Carville and all (even if he and I disagree ideologically), but geez, I don't even think Mary Matalin wants to hear about your penis, James!

Whoa, Google Bomb Madness!

I love browsing through Google's "Hot Trends" to see what exactly people are searching for. Check this out...

#12 - "christianity is bullsh*t" (editing mine)
#18 - "islam will dominate the world"

Somebody is hard at work promoting one religion over another.

I Appreciate Directness and Honesty, But...

...this is (pardon my French) f*cking ridiculous.

Apparently, Del.-elect Patrick Hope supports sending people to jail for not having health insurance, because he believes not having health insurance is like tax evasion. He also likes answering his constituents in the most condescending and jack-@$$ed tone possible.

He hasn't even been sworn in, and Patrick Hope has already earned a spot on the "worst Delegates in the House" list.

Going Left...ABC to Replace Stephanopoulos with Koppel?

ABC wants Ted Koppel to come back to the company and host This Week. No mention of what would happen to George Stephanopoulos. I'm assuming the cover will be his Good Morning America duties.

However, I figure it is because he is too moderate for a lot of the liberal media. He caught a lot of hell during the 2008 primary season for asking tough questions during a debate, and the left has not been fond of him since (conservatives don't like him, either, but there is a level of respect that I feel he has earned from them).

I've always preferred George to most other hosts on the Sunday morning political talk shows, as he tries to maintain an independent sense about him and ask tougher questions. However, if they are going to replace George, could they get Jake Tapper to do it instead?

Open Thread on Security, Terrorism, and Personal Freedoms

I'm a bit torn here, as anyone in my position would be. Allow me to explain...

I'm a BIG proponent of individual rights and civil liberties. Anyone who knows me knows that this is who I am. I also believe in a safe, secure nation. However, I'm confused on trying to strike a balance between the two.

So how does one defend against potential terrorist attacks in a manner that is conducive to safety for all...but does not violate the personal freedoms of American citizens and residents?

If you think you've got an idea, post it below...

Pat Herrity to Run, but For What?

Ben Tribbett says "HERRITY IS IN", but is he referring to the Fairfax County Chairmanship (which he has already expressed interest in running for), or is Herrity going to run against Keith Fimian in a primary to decide who faces Gerry Connolly in this year's midterm Congressional election? I've asked Ben this question, let's see what the answer is...

UPDATE...

Ben posted in the comments section of his post that Herrity is in for a run at Connolly's Congressional seat.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Rasmussen Ruminations

Some interesting recent polls from Rasmussen Reports (the most accurate pollster around, in most opinions)...

- Massachussetts Senate Race: Coakley 50%, Brown 41%. This is very interesting, because one would think that a sitting Dem AG (which Coakley is) in a solidly Blue state would rabidly support a candidate from the same party as "icon" (their preference in terms, not mine), Ted Kennedy. Brown, a sitting state Senator, could make this interesting as the health care reform bill, while still slightly favored in Mass, continues to sour voters. Brown also has a 39-point lead among Independents...the problem is, Republicans/Independents combined are vastly outnumbered by Democrats in this state.

- 59% of those polled support racial profiling for airline security, and 71% believe it is necessary for proper security. Even minorities support racial profiling for airline security at 52%. A majority of Democrats also support this. I'm not sure where I fall on this, as my love for personal civil liberties and support of solid national security come in conflict here. However, this says a lot about how Americans feel we should change our methods of security. A poll also showed that 49% of Americans feel that their fellow countrymen have forgotten the impact of the 9/11 attacks.

- Generic Congressional Ballot...Republicans 44%, Democrats 35%. Also, the number of self-identified Democrats has dropped to it's lowest level in the 7 years Rasmussen has tracked this. The bigger key is that Republican support is not rising as fast as the Dems are losing it...which the GOP needs to pounce on to continue this wave through 2010 and beyond. Otherwise, they're leaving open voters to return to the Donks or go third party (hey, the Libertarians are generally a good choice, too! I'm really starting to feel the need for a 3rd party in this country)

- 55% of national voters say California should go bankrupt instead of receiving a bailout. Only 27% support bailing out the state.

- 52% of Americans disapprove of Obama's performance...39% strongly disapprove. This is compared to 48% approve and 27% strongly approve. Not good, period.

Snowstorm, Interrupted

Looks like the snowstorm that is causing problems all over the country will spare Virginia the worst. Only Highland County is expected to get more than 3 inches. Considering some of the snow that other areas will be receiving (such as the mountainous areas of West Virginia), we are going to be lucky...although I've noticed that people around the Valley were a little skittish due to the last snowstorm.

Transparancy My @$$!

The White House is only allowing C-SPAN 1 hour of coverage of the health care debate that is currently being done behind closed doors in committee. So much for that "most transparent government ever" line we heard in 2006 from Pelosi and company, and echoed in 2008 by Barry from D.C.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Obama Approves Taxing Health Care Plans

This is exactly what he claimed John McCain would do in the 2008 campaign, and promised that he wouldn't do. This is a crock, a sham, and should be the straw that broke the camel's back as far as any "on-the-fence" supporters of the health care bill go.

Barry from D.C. has broken another campaign promise, made another move against the will of the people, and given Americans another reason to realize that electing him was not historic, just a historic mistake.

Not Only Are Dem Incumbents Retiring, Some Are in Real Trouble

The Washington Times reports that beyond the seats of the retiring Chris Dodd and Byron Dorgan, 6 other Senate seats currently held by Dems are going to have major problems holding onto their seats. They are...

- Senate Majority Leader Harry "The Weasel" Reid of Nevada, who is now trailing badly in recent polls.
- Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, who sold out her vote on the health care bill, and cannot break 41 percent in any poll with any of her 4 potential GOP challengers.
- Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, the Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-Democrat now trails Congressman Pat Toomey in the latest Rasmussen polls, and is not highly favored by Pennsylvanians.
- Kristen Gillibrand of New York, who is only ahead of George Pataki by o.2% in the latest RCP poll aggregation.
- Michael Bennet of Colorado is trailing former Lt. Gov. Jane Norton by almost 10 points.
- There is a open race in Ohio where former Congressman Rob Portman leads Ohio Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher by 7 points in the latest polls there.

8 potential Senate pick-ups for the GOP here...they have an opportunity to really close the gap. Let's just hope that Steele and Company don't fumble the ball here.

Another One Bites The Dust

Mason Conservative reports that Sen. Byron Dorgan of South Dakota will not seek reelection this year. I had blogged last week that there have been a lot of potential Dem recruits for various Congressional seats that have declined to run. More work for the Donks as it appears many are treating the party as the Titanic heading towards the iceberg.

01/06/2010 UPDATE

Now it appears that Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut and Colorado Governor Bill Ritter are also retiring and not running for re-election. Both men were in trouble in the polls already. This just furthers a rising tide of red.

Worth Some Worry, But Don't Hit "Panic" Yet

Tertium Quids and Virginia Virtucon have both reported that Sen. Walter Stosch told Goochland Republicans that we "have to have more taxes this year".

While that is a worrisome statement, I wouldn't hit the panic button yet.

See, first of all, the House is solidly Republican again...and fiscally conservative for the most part. They have already declared Gov. Kaine's budget DOA. The Senate is already slightly tilted towards the Dems, who would support such a measure.

Last, but not least, the Governor-elect is a Republican. It's up to him to sign off on new taxes. Being that Bob McDonnell is not nearly as quick to raise taxes as Mark Warner is, I wouldn't start the panic of higher taxes just yet.

Obenshain Says Warner, Webb Owe Virginians an Apology

...and he's RIGHT!

Not only did our esteemed senators vote for a gaudy monstrosity of a health care bill, now Virginia has to pick up the tab for Nebraska, some of Louisiana, and non-profits in Michigan (among other things).

Given that Gov. Kaine's regional taxing authorities were unconstitutional, doesn't that instantly call this bill into review due to the fact that it forces some states to foot the bill for others in a discriminatory fashion? But I digress...

Sen. Obenshain points out where Virginia is on the hook for the sell-outs of other states and their senators, then goes after our own U.S. senators, especially Jim Webb.

"What did our intrepid duo in the U.S. Senate do to stand strong for the rights and interests of Virginians? Absolutely nothing. They fell right in line with Mr. Reid and the rest of the Democrats in the Senate and voted for this abomination. They required little coaxing and no incentives. Jim Webb may have been "born fighting," but he did not hesitate to run up the white flag here."

Oooh, that's gotta hurt.

On a side political note, for Obenshain to get this in the Washington Times and have Real Clear Politics post it on their site as well really does raise his profile. Obenshain for AG in 2013, or maybe even a senate run in 2012? I wouldn't mind it one bit.

(h/t SWAC Girl)

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Podium Endorsement Time!

The Podium endorses Michael McPadden for Congress in Virginia's 5th Congressional District Republican Primary. Mike has shown the kind of liberty-driven principles that are espoused here. This is why, despite a few other good candidates in the GOP primary, this blog's endorsement goes to McPadden.

Michael Steele...Punting on 2nd Down?

It appears so, says Bearing Drift. How lame is that. Basically saying you don't think you can take the House this year. Yes, it's highly unlikely because the gap is too big...but sweet Jesus, you don't go out and say that. What kind of message does that convey?

I swear, the GOP is like the Washington Redskins pre-Mike Shanahan...a lot of potential, a lot of good pieces in place, but the leadership is either ineffective or just flat-out sucks.

Even the States

Legislatures in all 50 states plus U.S. territories passed a combined 40,697 laws in 2009. Laws that includes regulations on smoking, trans fats, seatbelts, tanning beds...just more expansion of the nanny state.

Granted, I prefer to see this on a state level than on a national level (I do think federalism is a good thing)...but really, does government on any level have the right to regulate some of the things that it does? Not in this man's opinion.

(h/t FTL)

More National Security Bungling, Michael Yon Arrested in Seattle

Apparently, if you do not disclose non-security related information (in Yon's case, his personal income) that's enough to be detained and handcuffed. Luckily, Seattle Port Authority officers came by and straightened out the matter.

Yon, if you are unfamiliar with him, is an independent war correspondent who travels in and out of the country quite a bit. Yon's insistance on not disclosing personal information that is not pertinent to national security interests was a good stand for personal rights.

Sympathy?

The Obama family didn't have a vacation free of events, so the media wants us to feel sorry for them.

You know, it is part of the territory. Obama wanted this presidency so bad, to instill his "change", to push this country towards a bigger government and less economic freedom, et cetera..., so to have events happen while you're on vacation while in the midst of a sick economy and two wars should be expected and are part of the job description.

The thing that irks me is that Obama never really stopped his vacation early. He "addressed" the issues in short statements to the press in between his golf games, tennis games, and beach trips with his wife and kids. So, in essence, he did a good job of not letting the real world interfere with his vacation...so, why am I to feel sorry for him again?

Monday, January 4, 2010

Forget Airport Security, Obama Needs to Secure His Current Residence!

There are reports of a 3rd party crasher at November's state dinner. This is getting flat-out ridiculous. Given that we didn't have these problems before at White House state dinners and other functions does not reflect well on Barry from D.C. I have to believe that his administration has to have changed something internally to allow these things to happen. Otherwise, it just doesn't make sense.

BREAKING NEWS: Mike Shanahan Has Arrived in Washington, D.C.

This just came from a Network Now update from the NFL Network. This can mean only one thing, obviously. Mike Shanahan will be the next coach of the Washington Redskins. Apparently, he just got off the plane.

The Redskins fired Jim Zorn earlier today, as expected. Looks like we'll finally have a real GM and a tough coach together at the same time.

4:12 pm UPDATE

Adam Schefter reports on ESPN, Shanahan was flown in on Daniel Snyder's personal plane to Dulles International, and was whisked away in a limosuine to Redskins Park in Ashburn, VA.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

New Hampshire Utilizing the 10th Amendment to Protect the 2nd Amendment

It appears that New Hampshire legislators are pushing a bill through their state legislature that will nullify federal gun laws AND make it a felony for federal agents to deny citizens of New Hampshire their 2nd Amendment rights. The House bill (HB1285) would "exempt firearms, firearm accessories, and ammunition manufactured in New Hampshire from federal law and regulation.”

This falls under "intrastate commerce", which is NOT regulated by the federal government. In addition, the bill lays out the following penalties for those who deny NH residents their rights here...

For state agents: "Any public servant of the State of New Hampshire as defined in RSA 640:2 that enforces or attempts to enforce a act, order, law, statute, rule or regulation of the government of the United States upon a personal firearm, a firearm accessory, or ammunition that is manufactured commercially or privately in New Hampshire and that remains within the State of New Hampshire shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor."

Gets even worse if you are a federal agent of any kind...

"Any official, agent, or employee of the government of the United States, or employee of a corporation providing services to the government of the United States that enforces or attempts to enforce a act, order, law, statute, rule or regulation of the government of the United States upon a personal firearm, a firearm accessory, or ammunition that is manufactured commercially or privately in New Hampshire and that remains within the State of New Hampshire shall be guilty of a class B felony."

This is how you use the constitution to turn back federal encroachment upon the rights of the of the states. Interestingly, this falls in line with the Virginia Resolution of 1798, where James Madison asserted that states have the right to resist unconstitutional acts by the federal government, and are supposed to be the barrier between the encroachments of the federal government and the people of the state.

Simply beautiful!

(h/t Free Talk Live)

2009 NFL Season Kudos

The Podium extends kudos for the NFL Regular Season to...

- Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans, who became only the 6th player in NFL history to run for over 2000 yards in a single season.
- Brett Farve of the Minnesota Vikings, who had one of his best seasons ever and turned 40 years old in 2009.
- Kurt Warner of the Arizona Cardinals, for being awesome and a great role model once again.
- To the San Diego Chargers, Indianapolis Colts, and the New Orleans Saints for ripping off double-digit win streaks this season.

Congrats to all of the NFL playoff teams as well...we'll have predictions up later this week.

Redskins End 2009 Season, Zorn is Already Gone

It was the same as it ever was for this season...they showed flashes of absolute brilliance but couldn't pull it out. The San Diego Chargers pulled it out with a last-minute touchdown to get a 23-20 victory over the Skins in San Diego.

Jason Campbell spent another day getting pounded by an opposing defense due to having no pass protection, but still played well. He finished the game 28-of-42 for 281 yards and 2 touchdowns, as well as an electrifying 84 yard pass to Malcolm Kelly to set up the Skins 2nd touchdown right before halftime.

At halftime, it was reported that Zorn will be fired tomorrow. Mike Shanahan is the leading candidate, and Jerry Gray (assistant defensive coordinator - defensive backs coach) has already been interviewed.

Dems Abandoning Glenn Nye

VB Dems noting that Rep. Glenn Nye has lost his progressive base, at least in their estimation. The customary shots at the tea party activists and Republican candidates can be found as well. Seems like the Dem activists/bloggers/grassroots in Virginia Beach are ready to sit this one out in 2010.

The thing is...Nye was never a "progressive" (such a misnomer for their political stances) in the first place. Nye is too fiscally conservative to be a Democrat that someone as lefty as VB Dems would like. Nye is as far left as Virginia Beach is going to go. Apathetic and discouraging attitudes like these are simply going to encourage the rumors that Nye may jump parties.