November 1-2, 2012
Nov 01 03:09 Jim Graves can't be trusted Nov 01 05:07 Breathing new life into Benghazi cover-up story Nov 01 06:44 Nolan continues to play games with miners Nov 02 02:11 Dayton's Dissembling Nov 02 03:43 Pi-Press takes DFL to woodshed on Photo ID Nov 02 13:18 Santorum endorses Byberg Nov 02 17:08 President Obama's schtick wearing thin
Prior Months: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct
Prior Years: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Jim Graves can't be trusted
Jim Graves says he's a new type of Democrat. Let's remember that he was the guest of honor at a fundraiser hosted by Barney Frank . Likewise, Graves didn't sound like a new Democrat in this video:
When Melissa Harris-Perry asks him about GOP extremism, listen to what Graves says:
Let me ask you this question. We're trying to figure out if the extremes that are often represented by the woman that you are running against, whether or not that is ultimately going to bring down the republican party in the short term or if not in the short term, --
No question about it. Michele Bachmann epitomizes everything that's wrong on the women's issues. She has engaged in a war on women. She would like to take women back 50 years, go back to a male dominant society, control women's reproductive rights, control everything about women. Definitely it's a war on women and it will definitely be a very important issue in this election.
HARRIS-PERRY: It's interesting to hear you say that because clearly Michele Bachmann is a woman. So you have sort of a complicated thing going on here where you're saying she herself is a woman and mother and yet her positions are positions that don't lead to sort of greater equality, fairness for women in general, who would be your constituents if you won.
GRAVES: You look at the her voting record, she votes against reproductive rights, she votes against even women to have access to birth control. This is a woman that would like to take that entire half of our society back 50 years and go back to a male dominant society. This is really why I came out of my comfort zone. I'm a strong believer in freedom and equality for everybody. And when you see...she's endorsed Akin. She is on the wrong side of this issue right across the board. No question about about that.
It's apparent that Mr. Graves is a one trick pony. Actually, that isn't true. He's a totally unreliable one trick pony.
It's apparent that Mr. Graves will say and do whatever Nancy Pelosi tells him to do if he gets that far. Michele, on the other hand, has stood up against the GOP when they got things wrong.
The bottom line is this: Jim Graves sounds like a new Democrat when nobody's paying attention. Otherwise, he's just another DFL chanting points machine.
Tags: Jim Graves , Barney Frank , Nancy Pelosi , Progressives , DFL , Michele Bachmann , TEA Party Caucus , Conservatism , GOP , Election 2012
Posted Thursday, November 1, 2012 3:09 AM
Comment 1 by Tom Butz at 01-Nov-12 07:03 AM
equal pay has been the law of the land for a long time. The recent law Obama passed on equal pay opens up the right to take legal action against an employer for equal pay issues in such a way that there could be a case made that it will reduce employment due to huge legal exposure. Summing up women's progress as abortion and birth control is such a demeaning low level foolish hot button approach to this issue. It is hard to believe that dems believe they can get traction on these issues when taking such a primitive approach.
Breathing new life into Benghazi cover-up story
This San Diego Union-Tribune editorial just might breath new life into the investigation surrounding this administration's cover-up of the Benghazi scandal:
Until last week, the White House had taken a moderate hit over the fact that for two weeks after it happened, officials had fostered the impression that the four Americans were killed Sept. 11 in a spontaneous protest triggered by a blasphemous anti-Islam video posted on YouTube, not by a coordinated terrorist attack on the 11th anniversary of 9/11. But administration officials pushed back by saying the 'fog of war' had left them uncertain about events, and that when White House press secretary Jay Carney and U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice had cited the video, they were only repeating the best available information they had. The president's repeated comments conveyed the impression that he wasn't aware of the attacks as they were unfolding, saying only that the next day, he ordered increased security for embassies in the area.
Just by writing this paragraph into their editorial, the San Diego Union-Tribune became the first major city newspaper to call this administration out for their shifting stories about the terrorists' attack. This paragraph will help get Californians' attention:
What did President Barack Obama know and when did he know it? Why has the Obama administration kept changing its story about how Ambassador Chris Stevens, security officials Tyrone Woods of Imperial Beach and Glen Doherty of Encinitas, and information officer Sean Smith, who grew up in San Diego, died on Sept. 11 in Benghazi, Libya? Why won't the mainstream media treat the incontrovertible evidence of the White House's dishonesty and incompetence like the ugly scandal it obviously is?
Without great reporting by CBS's Sharyl Attkisson and Lara Logan and FNC's Catherine Herridge and Jennifer Griffin, this would've been a nonstory. These ladies' thirst for the truth is giving this administration plenty of heartburn. Now that the San Diego Union-Tribune has joined in highlighting this scandal, President Obama better hope another shoe doesn't drop .
Tags: President Obama , Cover-Up , Benghazi , Terrorist Attacks , Sharyl Attkisson , Lara Logan , CBS , Catherine Herridge , Jennifer Griffin , Fox News Channel , San Diego Union Tribune , National Security , Election 2012
Posted Thursday, November 1, 2012 5:07 AM
No comments.
Nolan continues to play games with miners
There's no doubt that Rick Nolan's Mining Institute helped him win the DFL primary. Similarly, there's no question that Nolan's Mining Institute is hurting him in the general election :
'While he gives a wink and a nod to Twin Cities-based environmentalists, former congressman Nolan is silent on solutions. Currently, the EPA threatens the vitality of Minnesota, the Eighth district, its workers, and their families. Instead, Nolan thinks research is the answer. Without doubt, Nolan's staunch support for imminent job-killing regulations could not be further out of step with this district, and presents an unmistakable danger to Minnesota's taconite jobs and future well-paying jobs like PolyMet,' said Cravaack.
Simply put, Nolan's attempt to pacify miners isn't flying with miners. The Mining Institute appeared virtually overnight after Jeff Anderson, rightly, said his opponents were too wedded to environmental activists.
I wrote here about the fight between Nolan and Anderson. Here's what Jeff Anderson told the Pioneer Press:
'While I support the idea of doing more research into evolving mining technologies, the people seeking jobs in this district cannot feed their families with studies,' Anderson said. 'They need jobs. They need good, livable-wages jobs.'
Anderson is right. Range families can't "feed their families with studies.' They "need good, liveable-wages jobs." Here's something else Anderson said in the Pi-Press article:
In a hastily called news conference to counter Nolan's, Anderson said he would support the Republican-sponsored House legislation and that he supports incumbent Republican Rep. Chip Cravaack's amendment that would extend the new rules to projects already in the works, such as the proposed PolyMet copper mine near Hoyt Lakes.
Chip Cravaack's efforts to improve the lives of miners is cited in the Mesabi Daily News' endorsement, which I wrote about here :
No longer do 8th District residents have to get patted on their heads and hear 'things are being done behind the scenes' on these issues, which was Oberstar's style. We are all now a party to the debate and discussion, and that is most welcome indeed. And it also helps keep pressure, in a very supportive way, for nonferrous projects, which have been stymied by too much political indifference to government regulatory intransigence that has harbored preservationist groups and individuals at the cost of jobs on the Iron Range, revenues for the state and the mining of strategic metals for the nation.
Chip's efforts didn't just catch the attention of the MDN. Chip's efforts caught the Duluth News Tribune's attention, too. it's important to note what the DNT said about Nolan in their endorsement editorial:
During the primary election, Nolan's DFL opponent, Jeff Anderson, rightly blasted the proposal as wasteful government spending that would create no immediate mining jobs. Nolan defended it, calling its quarter-billion-dollar price tag 'chump change' in Washington, the sort of money that 'falls off the table during meetings' there. He may be right, but isn't that sort of thinking a big part of the problem in Washington?
Apparently, the Eighth District's newspapers are tired of the DFL's gamesmanship.
Tags: Rick Nolan , Mining Institute , Pork , DFL , Chip Cravaack , Duluth News Tribune , Mesabi Daily News , Mining , Endorsements , GOP , Election 2012
Posted Thursday, November 1, 2012 6:44 AM
No comments.
Dayton's Dissembling
Gov. Dayton hates Photo ID. That's why he vetoed the bill during the 2011 regular session. Thursday, Gov. Dayton wrote this op-ed opposing the Photo ID amendment:
Suppose I had gone to the Minnesota Legislature last year and said, "I have a complicated new program that could massively disrupt voting procedures throughout our entire state. I haven't yet figured out the details, and I have no idea of what it will cost. Maybe $100 million, or so. I have no evidence that it's needed, but I know it is. Just trust me and approve it."
The shouts of "NO!" would be heard everywhere, and properly so. That's not the way we do things in Minnesota. We don't spend a huge amount of money on an undefined program trying to fix a problem that we don't know even exists.
That, however, is what the majority in the Legislature wants us to do, by approving its misnamed "voter ID" constitutional amendment. It's a wolf in sheep's clothing, and it could cause serious damage to legal voting throughout Minnesota.
It's shameful when Minnesota's governor lies while fearmongering like this. Gov. Dayton should be ashamed of himself.
First, Gov. Dayton didn't hesitate in using a strawman argument in his argument against the Photo ID constitutional amendment. The legislature didn't tell him that they had "a complicated new program"; they didn't tell him that this "complicated new program" might "massively disrupt voting procedures throughout" Minnesoa, either.
What Photo ID proponents told him is that they wanted to implement a system that's been tested in several states without a hitch.
Second, Photo ID proponents didn't say that there isn't evidence of voter fraud. They said that voter fraud exists. They cited studies that proved it exists. We've seen video proof that lots of people know how to vote in more than one state .
Third, Photo ID's proponents in the legislature didn't say Photo ID was expensive. They definitely didn't say it might cost $100,000,000. That's just dishonest fearmongering of the worst kind.
In short, Gov. Dayton's op-ed is intellectually dishonest.
This paragraph just needs a little modification:
Please send this amendment back to legislators. Tell them to work together cooperatively and produce bipartisan legislation that is in the best interests of all Minnesotans. That is legislation I will sign.
Minnesotans, vote out the DFL legislators who didn't listen to their constituents on this issue. There is bipartisan support for Photo ID amongst the people. DFL senators and representatives ignored the will of their constituents. They voted in lockstep against the bill that put the constitutional amendment on the ballot.
While voting out the DFL legislators who didn't listen to their constituents on Photo ID, these voters should also vote yes on the Photo ID constitutional amendment.
Tags: Mark Dayton , Fearmongering , Voter Fraud , Chanting Points , Partisanship , DFL , Constitutional Amendment , Photo ID , Election Integrity , Vote Yes on Photo ID , Election 2012
Posted Friday, November 2, 2012 2:11 AM
Comment 1 by eric z at 02-Nov-12 04:19 PM
Wednesday cannot come soon enough. The mail is an hour to hour and a half late.
Pi-Press takes DFL to woodshed on Photo ID
This editorial by the Pioneer Press's editorial board took the DFL spinmeisters to the woodshed. Their editorial wasn't filled with platitudes. It was filled with thoughtful arguments and verified statistics. Here's one example of the Pi-Press's logic:
Opponents of the Voter ID amendment raise any number of objections, none more frequent than this sound bite: "It's a solution in search of a problem." Clever, but perhaps too clever. Because of the nature of the process, it's very difficult to assess the current size of the problem, much less how large it might become.
Remember, in Minnesota anybody can simply show up at the polls and vote, whether they have previously registered or not. They "register" on the spot with as little documentation as an old ID and an invoice with an address on it. In 2008, roughly 500,000 people (!) showed up and voted after registering on the spot. That number of same-day registrants represents nearly 20 percent of the votes cast. No one knows how many of these votes may have been ineligible. A recent video from the state of Virginia records the son of a politician explaining how to cast votes by using fake documents such as water bills.
This isn't advocating for the elimination of EDR (Election Day Registration). I'm just advocating for tightening up the process so that it's verifiably reliable throughout Minnesota. It's apparent that a problem exists, which the Pi-Press gets into here:
Without an ID, there is no way to verify even the most elementary things such as citizenship. Post-election, more than 6,000 of the addresses given by these same-day-registrant voters came back as undeliverable in a routine postal check. Even if the legwork was done to determine which if any of those votes were ineligible, the votes themselves could not be un-counted.
There's no way this can be attributed to sloppiness on the person using EDR or to data entry mistakes. That's 12 'mistakes' per 1,000 new EDR registrations. I'm betting the error rate on new registrations done before the deadline isn't anything close to this rate.
After all, why would people registering on Election Day make more mistakes? Certainly, the people should learn their address before voting. Why would data entry operators be more prone to making mistakes on Election Day registrations? Keyboards didn't suddenly get changed right before entering the EDRs.
This argument is especially effective in a fight against DFL activists:
The other objections to the amendment are less central. Opponents say it will be expensive. To which the supporters note that the opponents are always eager to spend unless and until it comes time to tighten up the voting process. Not to mention that if the state is so backward that it cannot efficiently administer something as ordinary and universal as Photo ID verification, it's high time it upped its game.
I wrote here that Gov. Dayton complained about this program costing "maybe $100 million." That figure isn't anything that people testified to under oath during a hearing. It's fiction. It's being used to frighten seniors and college students into voting against the bill.
How many college students don't drink alcoholic beverages? How many college students don't drive? How many college students don't buy Sudafed? How many students stay in the midwest rather than fly to Florida for spring break? There can't be many that fit into all of those categories. The point is that each of those situations require showing a photo ID.
That isn't the final clincher on the subject. Let's assume there's a major population of people that don't drink, don't smoke, don't use Sudafed, don't fly to spring break and don't drive. Are we then supposed to assume that this population of people can't get a photo ID? Simply put, this argument is flimsy at best.
Finally, there's this red herring argument:
It may be worth remembering, in the fog of the debate, that generally speaking those who oppose the amendment would still oppose it even if it cost the state nothing and exempted absentee ballots. The arguments brought to bear by the opponents are simply tools, incidentals, used to defeat an amendment that they fundamentally oppose in all its forms. Plain and simple, they are against using Photo ID in the election process. Opponents are not saying that they are for it as implemented by some other state, just not as it has been drawn up in this particular amendment. They are against the very concept, regardless of the particulars.
This is fact. Democrats have opposed Photo ID in every state where it's been implemented.
The tactics don't vary. The statistics are routinely rejected by judges that require proof of wrongdoing. To this day, no political party has found a person who could testify that they couldn't get photographic identification.
In Minnesota, the DFL has tried everything in their deception bag of tricks to derail the Photo ID constitutional amendment. Tuesday, the people will pass the photo ID constitutional amendment. After that, the DFL and their allies will file lawsuits to thwart the will of the people.
When the DFL and their allies file those lawsuits, I'll be waiting to write about how the DFL isn't interested in doing the will of the people. Then I'll remind people that the DFL is perfectly willing to ignore the will of the people before the next election.
Tags: Constitutional Amendments , Election Day Registration , Seniors , Students , Minorities , Fearmongering , Mark Dayton , Lawsuits , ACLU-MN , Common Cause MN , League of Women Voters-MN , DFL , Voter Fraud , Election 2012
Posted Friday, November 2, 2012 3:43 AM
Comment 1 by Robert Hunter at 02-Nov-12 09:06 AM
First, the Pi-Press said than "an invoice with an address on it" along with an old ID was all that was needed to register. The "invoice" had to be a current utilitiy bill.
Second, the PiPress said that the DFL would not accept any voter ID proposal. Mr. Ritchie and others proposed a compromise using computers with the Drivers license database on it as well as taking pictures of new registrants with out drivers licenses. So much for the argument that the DFL would not accept picture IDs.
Comment 2 by J. Ewing at 02-Nov-12 09:43 AM
Sorry, Robert, but what the DFL proposed was not a "Voter ID" bill in any real sense of the words. What they proposed was a sham that they CALLED Voter ID so that they could prevent really Voter ID and continue to cheat in elections.
This "cost" argument intrigues me. A little simple math: SOS Ritchie says 200,000 people don't have current ID. The DFL has settled on a "cost" of $30 million. The State issues drivers' licenses for $15 each. That's THREE million dollars, not 30, and the poll workers that have to look at them are already being paid. I have just proven that the DFL is lying.
Oh, and by the way, when Ritchie says those 200,000 people do not HAVE an ID? He is being deceptive, because he wants you to think they cannot GET one before the next election. We KNOW that's a lie, he just doesn't tell it outright. Meet the new DFL- D**n Flagrant Liars.
Comment 3 by Qhad Q at 02-Nov-12 01:26 PM
How hard is it to create a fake current utility bill on a computer that looks just like a real utility bill? Not hard at all so voter fraud can be pretty easy. I believe we should do away with same day registration all together. If you can't find time to register 30 days before an election, voting must not be that important to you or you planned to commit voter fraud. Also Mr. Hunter, try and not be so petty about the wording the Pi Press used. Liberals make mistakes even if no one in the media points them out to you.
Comment 4 by walter hanson at 03-Nov-12 03:10 PM
Gary:
In all of those things you were listing college students don't do add open a bank account or apply for a job.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Santorum endorses Byberg
Moments ago, I received an email telling me that Sen. Rick Santorum endorsed Lee Byberg in his race against 11-term Congressman Collin Peterson:
"Lee Byberg is a passionate conservative and Patriot Voices looks forward to supporting his race for Congress. He is a committed fighter for life at every stage, supports free enterprise, will repeal ObamaCare, and believes we must change our burdensome tax structure."
I'm asking readers of this blog that have time or treasure to consider helping Lee Byberg defeat Collin Peterson. I haven't seen any polls of the district but I know people in CD-7 aren't thrilled with a number of Collin Peterson's votes.
To those readers of LFR living in CD-7, keep working hard. Expend as much energy on this great cause as is physically possible. Eliminating Oberstar in 2010 was a great victory for conservatives. Defeating Peterson in 2012 would definitely be a highlight for conservatives, whether they're in Minnesota or across the nation.
Tags: Endorsements , Lee Byberg , Rick Santorum , Chip Cravaack , Conservatism , MNGOP , Collin Peterson , Jim Oberstar , Washington, DC , DFL , Election 2012
Posted Friday, November 2, 2012 1:18 PM
Comment 1 by eric z at 02-Nov-12 04:17 PM
Wow.
Comment 2 by MplsSteve at 04-Nov-12 06:37 PM
Gary, what's your take on the Peterson-Byberg race?
I haven't seen any polling nor have I heard anything anectodally.
I think Byberg will perform over his 2010 numbers - but I'm not sure he'll beat Peterson.
Having said that, I'd be more than happy to be proven wrong!
President Obama's schtick wearing thin
It's hard to believe that people are buying President Obama's schtick anymore. This afternoon, President Obama campaigned in Springfield, OH. Here's video of President Obama's speech:
Here's the part of the speech where he started losing credibility:
PRESIDENT OBAMA: In 2008, we were in the middle of 2 wars and the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression. Today, our businesses have created almost 5 and a half million new jobs and, this morning, we found out that companies created more jobs than they've created in the last 8 months. The American auto industry is back on top. Home values and housing starts are on the rise. We're less dependent on foreign oil than we've been in the last 20 years. Because of the service and sacrifices of our brave men and women in uniform, the war in Iraq is over, the war in Afghanistan is ending and al-Qa'ida is decimated.
It's difficult, if not impossible, to get inspired by someone who's that willing to tell whoppers.
Al-Qa'ida isn't decimated. Anyone that says that should talk with Tyrone Woods' dad or read one of Christopher Stevens' cables urging President Obama or Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to send reinforcements to protect the people working at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi:
The August 15 cable, marked 'secret,' was sent by the Benghazi mission and outlined both the threats and the insufficiencies to U.S. security in Libya. The mission called for an 'emergency meeting' to discuss the rapidly eroding situation on the ground:
RSO (Regional Security Officer) expressed concerns with the ability to defend Post in the event of a coordinated attack due to limited manpower, security measures, weapons capabilities, host nation support, and the overall size of the compound.
That warning doesn't sound like al-Qa'ida is decimated. That's before talking about AQIM, al-Qa'ida rebuilding its training bases in Anbar Province in western Iraq or al-Qa'ida in Yemen and Mali taking hold.
How can we trust someone who didn't let our "brave men and women in the military" do their jobs during the terrorist attacks on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi or who won't tell us the truth about al-Qa'ida's resurgence in North Africa and in the Middle East?
Trust and respect, once they're lost, take time to rebuild. In this instance, I don't think that's possible.
Tags: Commander-In-Chief , President Obama , Military , Al-Qa'ida , AQIM , Anbar Province , Yemen , Christopher Stevens , Ty Woods , Great Recession , Economy , Democrats , Election 2012
Posted Friday, November 2, 2012 5:08 PM
Comment 1 by J. Ewing at 03-Nov-12 09:47 AM
I still worry about what will happen when this megalomaniac's grand delusions come crashing down around his ears? Even if he is removed for mental incapacity before Jan. 20th, as required by the Constitution, we get Joe Biden, who is already 'round the proverbial bend.
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 03-Nov-12 03:05 PM
That means we get John Boehner for a month. Just teasing.
