March 26-27, 2008
Mar 26 04:32 Pastor J-Wright, Michelle Obama: Birds of a Feather? Mar 26 09:09 Graphic Disaster? Mar 26 09:34 This Comment Speaks for Itself Mar 26 11:10 Heading For True Compromise? Mar 27 03:02 Can't Have That Happening, Part II Mar 27 08:10 DFL Deficit Plan: Raise Taxes...Eventually Mar 27 09:18 Melendez Admits Democrats Would Raise Taxes By Trillions Mar 27 21:56 Gas Tax Increase Condemnation Mar 27 22:55 Obama Campaign Playing Spy Games...On Hillary
Pastor J-Wright, Michelle Obama: Birds of a Feather?
Prior to the Wisconsin Primary, Michelle Obama said that she was finally proud to be called an American. At the time, it seemed like a peculiar statement at the time. After reading Ed Koch's column about the Obamas , her statement takes on a totally different complexion. Here's the YouTube of Michelle Obama's statement:
Here's one of the key portions of Mayor Koch's column:
It is also disturbing to me that Obama's wife, Michelle, during a speech in Wisconsin last month, said, "For the first time in my adult lifetime, I'm really proud of my country, because it feels like hope is finally making a comeback."As powerful a set of questions as that is, they pale in comparison to this portion of Koch's column:
Strange. This is a woman who has had a good life, with opportunities few whites or blacks have been given. When she entered Princeton and Harvard and later became a partner in a prestigious law firm, didn't she feel proud to be an American? When she and the Senator bought their new home, was there no feeling of accomplishment and pride in being a U.S. citizen? When her husband was elected to the state legislature and subsequently to the United States Senate, didn't she feel proud of her country?
What is it that I and others expected Obama to do? A great leader with conscience and courage would have stood up and faced down anyone who engages in such conduct. I expect a President of the United States to have the strength of character to denounce and disown enemies of America, foreign and domestic, and yes, even his friends and confidants when they get seriously out of line .AMEN TO THAT, MAYOR KOCH!!! I've said many times before that Mayor Koch is an old-fashioned liberal, someone that I have the utmost respect for. He clearly loves America. He isn't afraid to speak out against hate-filled diatribes because he knows, like I do, that hate-filled speech isn't acceptable no matter who's saying it.
I suspect that Mayor Koch's column summed up perfectly what others feel towards Pastor J-Wright. I'm confident that he speaks for many in saying that anyone who wants to be president of the United States must have the good judgment to chastize even his friends if they say anything as disgusting as Pastor J-Wright uttered.
Finally, it's particularly disgusting to think that Pastor J-Wright and his congregation actually think that the US government created AIDS to kill African-Americans. That's the rantings of a lunatic who isn't fit to fill the pulpit of any church anywhere in the United States.
It's time that we kicked these birds of a feather to the political curb. They aren't contributing anything worthwhile to the biggest debates of our time, which is sad considering their collective skills.
Posted Wednesday, March 26, 2008 4:34 AM
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Graphic Disaster?
If you want to know what a Democratic disaster looks like, I'd submit that the story the statistics from this Gallup Poll aren't good news for Democrats. According to this Gallup poll, 28 percent of Hillary's supporters would vote for John McCain if Hillary doesn't get the nomination. Similarly, 19 percent of Obama's supporters would vote for McCain if Obama doesn't get the nomination.
It's also reasonable to think that Democratic turnout would drop significantly if Obama isn't the nominee. There's no way that Hillary can attract young voters to the polls in the same numbers that Obama can. Then again, I suspect that Obama's appeal to young voters has diminished since the start of the Pastor J-Wright scandal. It's always been the case that young voters are idealists, willingly lending their energy to someone with soaring rhetoric.
Lately, Obama's lofty rhetoric has taken a hit because he wasn't willing to challenge Pastor J-Wright after any of his hate-filled sermons. Dick Morris nails it perfectly why this has damaged Obama:
Obama has looked weak handling the Rev. Wright controversy. His labored explanation of why he attacks the sin but loves the sinner comes across as elegant but, at the same time, feeble. Obama's reluctance to trade punches with his opponents makes us wonder if he could trade them with bin Laden or Ahmadinejad. We have no doubt that McCain would gladly come to blows and would represent us well, but about Obama we are not so sure.Obama has looked feeble in dealing with Pastor J-Wright. While it's admirable to not abandon a friend, it isn't admirable to stand up against Pastor J-Wright's basest principles. Friend or not, his statements had to be vociferously challenged.
Four years ago, Democrats talked about how the Bush-Kerry race was Kerry's to lose, that they were going to send President Bush back to Crawford. We all know how that turned out.
Are we looking at another election cycle when Democrats snatch defeat from the jaws of victory? It's too early to tell. What isn't too early to tell is that there's indicators that that's entirely possible.
Posted Wednesday, March 26, 2008 9:10 AM
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This Comment Speaks for Itself
Early this morning, I posted something on the VFF event that was cancelled . This morning, Mark Podzimek, a Iraq war veteran, left a comment to that post. It's a comment that's worth its own post. It's that stirring, forceful and appropriate. Here's Mr. Podzimek's comment:
I am glad to see that someone was covering this. Appearently the local news felt it was not important enough. I am a retired veteran, who has been to Iraq three seperate times for a total of twenty months.First, let's join in thanking Mr. Podzimek and his family for the sacrifices that they've surely made. Secondly, let's thank him for tirelessly working to make Iraq habitable again. That certainly is a man-sized job. We're fortunate to have a military built of the Mark Podzimeks of the world. In fact, we couldn't be more fortunate.
The cancellation of the VFF event by the FLHS was one more in a string of Anti-War censorship activities. This is a painful example of where they would like this country to be heading.
I would like to take a group of these anti-war punks and pansies to Iraq, and show them what our military has done. We could leave out the IED's and sniper fire we have to deal with. The trip would only be a week or so at the most, not the whole year away from the families we love so much. Just to show them the smiles on the faces of the free Iraqi's, the schools and hospitals that we have reconstructed, stocked and opened.
Maybe one of these pansies would like to stand up and fight for their right to free speach they so dearly love.
I can only assume by not allowing the VFF into the FLHS, that all Anti-War propaganda, democratic bumper stickers and any other sign of free speach has been removed from the school.
Identify these punks and bring them out from under the rock where they live.
Thank you for allowing me to voice my opinion in a free and democratic forum!
Comment by Mark Podzimek 26Mar2008
Before we get too far afield, let's also commend him for calling out the weenies who threw a wrench into the VFF event but didn't have the cajones to identify themselves. As I said earlier, they're nothing but a bunch of cowards.
It's time to rally around our troops. They've made the world a far better place in which to live. Finally, I hope that these pansy-ass protesters realize that their right to free speech didn't happen because someone started a peaceful protest but rather that it was won at gunpoint.
Posted Wednesday, March 26, 2008 9:36 AM
Comment 1 by Pops at 26-Mar-08 09:59 AM
God bless you for your service...It is high time we take a stand against the anti everything crowd....accountability is a word left out of their dictionary
Comment 2 by Teaparty at 26-Mar-08 07:07 PM
Saw this in the Forest Lake Times today. Principal Massey gave a lengthy interview:
http://forestlaketimes.com/content/view/721/1/
Heading For True Compromise?
According to this Strib article , the DFL is crying foul because Gov. Pawlenty won't sign off on their government-run health care reform bill. Here's what they're saying:
DFL leaders said that Gov. Tim Pawlenty had abruptly withdrawn his support for the bill because, they were told, it lacked support from Republican House members.I'm not willing to trust Sen. Berglin's characterization at this point. After talking with Gov. Pawlenty several weeks ago, I didn't get the impression that he favored a tax increase mechanism wrapped in a reform label, which is what the DFL's bills are.
"It's very disappointing," said Sen. Linda Berglin, DFL-Minneapolis. "This is exactly the framework we negotiated, and now he's backing out."
Pawlenty spokesman Brian McClung said that Pawlenty, in fact, "never supported this bill," because it expanded health care rolls without offsetting savings. McClung warned that if legislators proceeded, "they know that a veto is among the options."
In fact, a dedicated LFR reader tells me that "Things are a'brewin' on the health care reform front." This dedicated reader also included this caution:
DON'T let the Democrats get away with saying the GOP or Pawlenty walked away from health care reform.According to this reader, true negotiations are now possible because the House GOP Caucus won't give into the DFL's my way or the highway plan. Let's hope that Gov. Pawlenty's veto threat produces real bipartisan negotiations. If it doesn't, then a healthy share of the blame will rest on the DFL's shoulders.
Posted Wednesday, March 26, 2008 11:10 AM
Comment 1 by Lady Lucy at 26-Mar-08 03:28 PM
I NEVER agree with Berglin but word is with the Senate republicans that the Gov brokered this, supported it and had them move it through committees only to back out on them and leave them with bad committee votes..
Can't Have That Happening, Part II
Yesterday, I wrote about the firestorm caused by Forest Lake High School Principal Steve Massey cancelling the Vets for Freedom event. I just found this article in the Forest Lake Times that includes this interview with Principal Massey. First, here's what I wrote about Principal Massey and the anti-war protestors:
Instead of allowing VFF to give a legitimate presentation about military life, Principal Massey instead chose censorship over enlightenment. He chose to be a weenie instead of standing up for free speech. It obviously didn't dawn on Principal Massey that the VFF rally and ensuing protest by anti-war protesters would've provided a great lesson on the First Amendment to his students.Here's Principal Massey's explanation of his decision:
Discussions for the Vets for Freedom visit started more than two weeks ago as the national tour kicked off in California. Massey said his discussions with Hegseth were shaped in the context that the visit had to be about military service and its importance to the country, and not any kind of a debate on the war in Iraq or as a military recruitment tool. That agreement was struck and in place, he said.First off, what's the big deal if there are competing pro-war and anti-war protests? Shouldn't students see that there isn't anything wrong with competing lines of thinking? Frankly, it'd be a great civics lesson.
When news of the visit broke eight days ago, the school began to hear some noise of protest, Massey said. That noise grew louder and Massey's concerns greater when the Vets for Freedom planned a media event in the high school parking lot prior to the visit with students.
"The event became quite public," Massey said. Fearing protests and disruptions to the school day, Massey moved late Monday to call off the event.
"We felt we had structured a teaching tool for our students," he said. But with the publicity starting to grow, Massey said he believed the mere presence of the organization on campus in any fashion would bring anti-war and pro-war protestors to the school.
Massey said public schools must walk a "fine line" and it should not be the school's place to push any form of political agenda.
Massey says he is not second-guessing his decision. If he could relive the past two weeks, however, he said he would have insisted on tighter event planning beyond the 90 minutes the group would be with students. That would include limits on publicity on school grounds.Principal Massey didn't think that there'd be some sparks flying when a pro-military group arrived? Hasn't he paid any attention to liberal anti-war tactics the last five years or so? That's an incredibly naive position to take.
"We weren't looking for all the fanfare coming with the tour," Massey said.
Originally posted Thursday, March 27, 2008, revised 17-Oct 11:26 PM
Comment 1 by Doug at 27-Mar-08 09:20 AM
You did notice that the VFF group planned a media event in the parking lot right? As I understand it, the group rolled a tank onto the school property. Yup, just a small intimate discussion about military experience. And, you were aware that Representative Michele Bachmann was scheduled to be in attendance right?
Pete Hegseth insisted this was NOT a political event but by involving Bachmann and Bob Dettmer, this is exactly what it was. To play innocent and try to pass this off as anything other than a political media event is intellectually dishonest.
This was another photo op for a Representative who has done ZERO public constituent service unless it's under the cover of groups like the VFF.
Comment 2 by Lady Logician at 27-Mar-08 08:28 PM
Gary - given who was leading the charge against VFF do you blame Principal Massey?????
LL
Comment 3 by Gary Gross at 27-Mar-08 09:58 PM
Yes, I do blame him.
DFL Deficit Plan: Raise Taxes...Eventually
The DFL's plan for eliminating the budget deficit is raising taxes...after the next election. Here's how they're planning on doing that:
Just weeks after top legislative Democrats proposed building up the state's savings account, a powerful DFL-controlled House panel approved a budget blueprint that would drain more than $600 million out of rainy day funds.I'd call the DFL's strategy a slow motion tax increase. Here's why: They're draining the rainy day funds now. The slow motion part comes next session. The DFL knows that we'll be facing another deficit next year. With the rainy day funds drained, they'll have additional justification for increasing taxes.
The budget resolution that passed the Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday would empty a $350 million cash flow account and take $273 million from the budget reserve. That's $23 million more than Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty wants to take out of the budget reserve, a position that has drawn criticism from Democrats.
DFL Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller renewed the line of attack just hours before the House panel acted. In a commentary released to the media, he wrote that Pawlenty's plan to spend less money from the reserve would put the state "in a worse position to address the shortfall projected for the next budget."
Technnorati: DFL , Budget Deficit , Tax Increases , Rainy Day Fund , Larry Pogemiller , MNGOP , Tim Pawlenty
Posted Thursday, March 27, 2008 8:10 AM
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Melendez Admits Democrats Would Raise Taxes By Trillions
In this editorial , Minnesota DFL Chairman Brian Melendez inadvertantly admits that Washington Democrats want to implement huge tax increases. Here's how he admitted it:
Sen. Norm Coleman's campaign manager Cullen Sheehan went to great lengths in his March 24 letter to distance his boss from Coleman's record of diligently following the Republican Party line in Washington.First off, I don't know how accurate Mr. Melendez' numbers are but I'll stipulate that the tax increase would be measured in trillions, not billions. By not making the Bush tax cuts permanent, Democrats would be raising people's taxes. That's fact, not speculation.
In just one example, Coleman has consistently supported George W. Bush's redistribution of Minnesotans' tax dollars to the top 1 percent of all earners. That top 1 percent, who earned over $1.1 million a year in 2006, cleared more in tax breaks, $42,000, than the bottom 60 percent of Minnesotans earned in that entire year.
Now Coleman wants to stack the deck even further, by making those giveaways, which have always been scheduled to expire, permanent. And how would Coleman pay for the $4.3 trillion cost (yes, that's "trillion" with a t)? By borrowing even more money, driving our already astronomical national debt even higher, which means that our children and grandchildren will be paying it off for decades.
So I can understand why Sheehan tried to change the subject. After all, if my boss had a record of consistently protecting special interests and sticking the rest of us with the bill, I wouldn't want to talk about it, either.
BRIAN MELENDEZ, MINNEAPOLIS,
CHAIRMAN, MINNESOTA DFL PARTY
Here's why it's a tax increase: Marginal tax rates would return to the Clinton tax rates of the 1990's. The Clinton tax increases didn't send the economy down because the economy was growing. Increasing taxes now would bottom out a sputtering economy. Jobs would be cut, revenues would plummet and the middle class would get hurt the most.
I'm thankful that Mr. Melendez submitted this editorial because he walked right into a slam in his attempt to slam Sen. Coleman. That the Democrats want to 'soak the rich' isn't surprising. That they're trying to base their campaign against Sen. Coleman on that issue is somewhat surprising.
Then again, Mr. Franken isn't the brightest bulb in the chandelier.
Technnorati: Brian Melendez , Al Franken , Tax Increases , DFL , Norm Coleman , Bush Tax Cuts , President Bush , GOP
Posted Thursday, March 27, 2008 9:18 AM
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Gas Tax Increase Condemnation
The St. John's University Student Senate approved the following resolution condemning the Minnesota Legislature for increasing the gas tax:
You can always count on the legislature to put the lobbyists' interests ahead of the students because college students don't have lobbyists who will rattle the politicians' cages. I'm with King on this : Let's hope this movement catches fire on college campuses.Resolution condemning the Minnesota Legislature for raising the gas tax to reprehensible levels.
WHEREAS: The Minnesota Legislature raised the Minnesota tax on gasoline and diesel fuels; and,
WHEREAS: This increase has an enormous financial impact on people with fixed and low income; and,
WHEREAS: Students are a major demographic of people living on limited budgets; and,
WHEREAS: This tax will only affect students negatively when they are traveling within the state for internships and trips home; and,
WHEREAS: This will place an additional, undue burden on families who are scrapping to make tuition payments; and,
WHEREAS: This is a wholly avoidable tax levied against the students of the state; and,
WHEREAS: If the Minnesota Legislature is going to make claims that it will stand in support of its student constituents, it must understand that this tax is contradictory to any such notion; and,
WHEREAS: Saint John's University and the College of Saint Benedict rely on diesel fuel for inter-campus transportation; and,
WHEREAS: This transportation fee is paid for by student dollars,NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED , THAT WE, THE SAINT JOHN'S UNIVERSITY STUDENT SENATE, do hereby condemn the Minnesota Legislature for raising the gas tax to levels so high that student mobility is threatened.
Posted Thursday, March 27, 2008 9:57 PM
Comment 1 by Johnnyb at 28-Mar-08 05:48 AM
What a bunch of whiners. A bunch of healthy young adults bitching about having to actually walk or ride their bikes to where they are going. Boo Hoo!
Dear Students of St. John's, its called a bus, learn how to use it and quit crying.
Obama Campaign Playing Spy Games...On Hillary
Anyone thinking that campaigns don't do opposition research on each other within the same part hasn't read this post on the Primary Colors blog :
Things got a little eerie in Erie today.That's pretty stupid, really. Why didn't Glenzer use a ficticious name? That way, he could've signed in, thereby not raising red flags. What this tells me is that the Obama and Clinton campaigns are still fighting hard for Pennsylvania votes. If Hillary doesn't win by double digits in Pennsylvania, her shot at winning decreases significantly.
At Hillary Clinton's campaign office in West Erie Plaza, a young man who told workers that he came to volunteer for the New York senator turned out to be a Barack Obama volunteer.
According to the Clinton staff in Erie, the young man in question was leery of signing the mandatory sign-in sheet that all volunteers fill out when they come into the office.
But after some time, he agreed, but his sketchy behavior, asking the volunteers if they were "cutting turf" (campaign lingo for literature drops), led them to first search for his name on Google, then Facebook and finally the Federal Election Commission Web site. It turns out, thanks to Google and Facebook, he is an Obama supporter. And the FEC lists him as receiving disbursements from the Obama for America campaign, as standard student campaign cash.
After one quick call to the Obama campaign office in Erie, guess who answered the phone?
"I was just there to check things out," said Sam Glenzer, who oddly used his real name when signing in at the Clinton campaign office.
Glenzer said he had nothing nefarious in mind.
-- Salena Zito
This should be an interesting primary. According to this post by Salena Zito , Pennsylvania is an interesting state from a demographic standpoint:
Pennsylvania is a complex state in a general election, but in a primary election, it is pretty simple. Think of it as Philadelphia and the state's northern tier of counties as the liberal wing of the Democratic Party and the rest of the terrain as a Midwest state with mid-state Democratic voters. If everything was equal, that would highly benefit Clinton, but this is politics, and everything isn't equal.Let's hope that the shine is off Obama. Let's hope that Hillary wins with a solid margin. That'll keep things boiling a little while longer.
The benefit for Obama can be that the bulk of the votes in a Democratic primary race come from that small swath of geography in the east and not the vast hinterlands from here to the Ohio border.
His challenge is to make a huge dent in those northern counties. This is a quirky territory because while it is home to Obama-friendly latte liberals, the area is also filled with staunch Rendell supporters, a big-time Clinton fundraiser and campaigner. To add even more oddness to those counties' voting patterns, they split their ticket between Al Gore and Rick Santorum in 2000.
Posted Thursday, March 27, 2008 10:56 PM
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