Video clip of the day

Via Hot Air:

Emily's List, a pro-choice outfit has come out with a video which is in response to Sarah Palin's call to America's "Mama Grizzlies". As you will see, the video makes a radical departure from some progressive-sponsored videos of recent vintage.



Can it be? 85 seconds and nary a curse word in sight? Now just what in the sam hill is going on around here?

We'll give them credit, though? Unlike their recent predecessors, we welcome the break from puerile juvenile-ness.

But to the video itself: We're not quite sure what is meant by Sarah Palin and the MGs (hey.... Sarah and the MGs?... it's ours. Don't even think about it, 'yatch) "wouldn't have health care". What does that even mean? Does Palin want to do away with hospitals and doctors visits or something? If they mean that Sarah and the MGs want to do away with ObamaCare then just come out and say it. Of course, that would be drifting into the popular sentiment of the nation, currently, so obfuscation is the safe and correct way to proceed forward.

And how about "do away with... unemployment benefits?" As we recall, Republican "obstructionism" with this latest round of benny extensions was specific to having Congress abide by the "pay-go" rule (pay as you go... don't pass a law that can't be paid for... don't borrow even more money than we already have to pay for anything... you get the point) before passing the extensions. The Democrats in order to pass the bill, instead, chose to cut... food stamps. Does it get any better than that?

And by golly, we couldn't get through a minute and a half without a culture war broadside: "... protect our right to hibernate with whoever we choose."

We'd like to take a moment to remind Emily's MGs who it is that is leading the pack among Republicans who like to blaze. In case they hadn't noticed, this particular Alaskan has got a pretty well-defined libertarian stripe running down her back and murky allegorical charges won't stand up to scrutiny. What Sarah and the MGs know and what the rest of the nation is coming around to is that being family values-oriented and not being a social-conservative fire-brand does not an oxymoronic state of being make.

Now the rest of society may think that's fine and that's their prerogative, but if I ever catch you doin' that, son, I'm going to kick yer ass.

Like, who hasn't heard that or sentiment to that effect, before?

So, all in all, not a bad effort by Em's List if for nothing else than not having to slap the NSFWoH content label on this post.


Addendum #1: Capt. Ed, from the link at the top of the page, wonders how Emily and her MGs will feel about Medicare possibly not reimbursing for the cancer drug, Avastin, because of an FDA decision to scotch approval based possibly upon "cost effectiveness"? Obama... wouldn't have health care?

Lordy

Sarah sez

One in a series that takes a look at some of the wacky, zany and madcap things said by Sarah Palin.





This is a mash-up of Palin expounding on our "sacred documents expanding" in the cause of expanding freedom and then moving onto the economy where she comes out for "grantng the federal government the right to hire in high unemployment areas... to rebuild crumbling schools." Then she doubles down on that by calling for a federal jobs program to "prevent bridges from collapsing" and for "a return of the WPA" (to wild applause). She wraps up her stemwinder by stating that "If the private sector can't or won't (hire people) then it's time for the federal government to step in." (more wild applause).



Except, of course, it's not Sarah Palin with a call for a continuance and even an increasing of failed statist and Keynesian policies but rather it's luminaries such as Reps. John Conyers and Jan Schakowsky and Sarah sez regular, Nancy Pelosi.






These people are absolutely obsessed with bridges... always with the collapsing bridges! And with Schakowsky's call for a return of the WPA to the obvious delight of the crowd, we are reminded once again of the liberal-Left's glee in recalling the worst economic stretch of the country's history as somehow the good ol' days. They love themselves some Great Depression, now don't they?





And for a bonus round of Sarah sez:





We'd probably look a little (a lot?) foolish if cameras followed us around 24/7 but we suppose it's expecting a bit too much to ask for some balance in the gotcha wars.


H/T: The Blaze and Hot Air

Sarah sez

One in a series that takes a look at some of the zany and madcap things said by Sarah Palin.




Sarah Palin came out against Republican-proposed budget cuts to the National Institute of Health because, as you may not be aware, government agencies have the "biblical power to cure".
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Woops. That wasn't Sarah Palin but rather that glittering jewel of collossal ignorance, Nancy Pelosi who shows up rather consistently in our Sarah Sez features.

As ridiculous as Pelosi sounds to reasonable people, one can understand where a pro-abortion Catholic who scoffed at the notion of the constitutionality of the individual mandate of ObamaCare, might come up with something like that.

Sarah sez

One in a series that takes a look at some of the zany and madcap things said by Sarah Palin.

"We have to pay for unemployment insurance, we don't have to pay for tax cuts for the rich," Sarah Palin said. "Tax cuts do not create jobs. They haven't throughout the Bush administration. Unemployment insurance creates jobs and does not add to the deficit."



"Extending unemployment insurance benefits is not only a critical form of economic security for American families, but also a key source of fiscal stimulus that has the potential to ease pressure on the labor market by stimulating economic growth," the report said.

Of course, Sarah Palin didn't say these things but rather the first paragraph fell from the lips of that glittering jewel of colossal ignorance, Nancy Pelosi and the second paragraph was from something called the Joint Economic Committee of the United States Congress which despite its bipartisan-sounding name is chaired by two New York Democrats, Carolyn B. Maloney and Chuckie Schumer.


Sarah Palin could string together a quantity of gaffes that would stretch from her back yard to Russia and still not come close to uttering anything as clueless and demonstrating such an astounding misunderstanding of basic economics as Pelosi, Maloney and Schumer displayed just there.

Not so random thought of the day

First, some set-up:

When Sarah Palin showed up in Pella, IA to attend a screening of her own documentary, “The Undefeated,” she hadn’t seen all the footage beforehand. So when the film opened with people calling her “slutty,“ ”scary,“ and a ”bit**,” she was a little taken aback.

“This is the first that I’ve seen much of that. It kind of takes you back,” she told The Hollywood Reporter (THR). “It makes you want to reach out to some of these folks and say, What’s your problem? And what was the problem? And what is the problem?”

THR describes the graphic opening:

The movie begins with Sen. John McCain introducing his running mate, then quickly cuts to the Hollywood sign, and the music turns ominous. A TV news anchor says, “Hollywood has a new favorite pastime: taking aim at Sarah Palin.”

Then the celebrity montage begins: Damon likens Palin to a “really bad Disney movie” and says she’s “really scary” and Letterman calls her ”slutty,” and the discourse descends in to the filthy from there. Maher calls her a “dumb twat” on his TV show, Madonna screams “Sarah [Fu**ing] Palin” while on stage, and comedians use graphic, severely bleeped language to describe how Palin gave birth to a “retard.” One entertainer after another calls Palin a “slut” or a “[bit**]” or describes the intensity with which they “hate her.”

Is it just us or is there more than a tad of misogyny thrown into the mix with the criticisms of conservative women like Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachmann - a degree of visceral and crude debasement in the attacks that is absent in the same for pols like Paul Ryan, Chris Christie and John Huntsman? Oh, wait... scratch that last, everybody loves John Huntsman.

Or maybe we're just overreacting, wanting to protect the fairer and weaker sex. After all, as white Republican males, we know chivalry when we see it. We're the experts.

And equally important, as white Republican males, we know misogyny when we see it. Again, we're the experts.

Sarah sez

One in a series that takes a look at some of the zany and madcap things said by Sarah Palin.

So, I'm in favour of "all-of-the-above" approach to energy security. But "all-of-the-above" means including "conventional" resources! That means, the kind we actually use to reliably fuel our economy. That means crude oil, for example. And our natural gas, our coal, nuclear power.

Unfortunately, some have stymied resource development - like responsible domestic oil drilling. As a result, hundreds of thousands of well-paying jobs won't be created in the U.S. until we change course; it means Americans get hit with huge gas prices at the pump unless we change course; it means we're continuing to transfer hundreds of billions of U.S. dollars to foreign regimes to purchase energy from them - regimes that don't have our best interests at heart.

And I'm not just talking about gasoline here. Remember that 'petroleum products' are all around you! Look at your everyday surroundings - the foodstuffs; the agriculture products grown with fertilizer; the plastics all around you; medical supplies; the transportation of all these products. It's not just gas that increases as the price of crude increases: Everything is affected. Basic commodities.

So as government locks up land & we lose good jobs in the 'Conventional Resource' arena, you may hear that "green jobs" will be the saviour! But look around the world & try telling that to the thousands of English & Scottish workers who've lost jobs as a result of government investments in "green energy" projects. A recent UK study shows that for every "green job" created, nearly four jobs were lost elsewhere in the economy due to lack of affordable energy! Same story in Spain - investment in "green jobs" brought massive debt, skyrocketing energy costs & 20% unemployment.

This push for 'green' at the expense of 'conventional, reliable' sources is not a credible energy policy or economic policy. It's "Social Engineering" by Central Government Planners. And it leads to nothing but more debt & more job loss. And taxpayers will be stuck subsidizing the failure and paying more for energy.

Usually, our Sarah sez segments are a goof as we feature quotes from true bona fide nitwits like Nancy Pelosi and Joey "Choo-choo" Biden but we're sure that you, dear readers, caught on pretty quickly that there was a coherency and sensibility to what was being said and therefore it could not have possibly been said by one of the usual suspects.

Alas, read more of Sarah Palin's speech in India over the weekend, here.

Sarah sez

One in a series that takes a look at some the wild, zany and madcap things said by Sarah Palin.




Here's Palin on unemployment benefits and job creation:

"It is one of the most direct ways to infuse money directly into the economy because people who are unemployed and obviously aren't running a paycheck are going to spend the money that they get. They're not going to save it, they're going to spend it. And with unemployment insurance, that way, the money goes directly back into the economy, dollar for dollar virtually."

"Every place that, that money is spent has added business and that creates growth and income for businesses that leads them to decisions about jobs, more hiring. So, there are few other ways that can directly put money into the economy than applying unemployment insurance,..."

Palin added later that unemployment benefits were one of a...

"variety of things to grow the economy and create jobs."

Actually, that wasn't Sarah Palin but rather the White House Press Secretary, Jay Carney.

And that testament to economic cluelessness was preceded by this exchange between Carney and a Wall St. Journal reporter:

"I understand why extending unemployment insurance provides relief to people who need it, but how does that create jobs," Wall Street Journal's Laura Meckler asked Jay Carney Wednesday's WH briefing.

Carney responded: "Oh, uh, it is by, uh, I would expect a reporter from the Wall Street Journal would know this as part of the entrance exam."

"There are few other ways that can directly put money into the economy than applying unemployment insurance," Carney said.

(italics, ours)


Whoa, dude... easy with the zingers, someone might get hurt.

So, not only does Carney prove himself an economic ignoramous, he employs snark to get that point across. Nice work on the two-fer.

If Carney's logic sounds familiar, it should as Nancy Pelosi, a Sarah sez regular said: "Unemployment insurance creates jobs and does not add to the deficit."

So, if what Pelosi and Carney are saying is correct, why not just extend unemployment benefits indefinitely? And instead of the benefits being at a certain amount why not double, triple... quadruple that amount as Carney says they are a 1 to 1 multiplier so we can just benefit our way to economic prosperity. And the sooner more people become unemployed then obviously the quicker this all can happen.


With people who hold these views on the economy at the levers of power in D.C., why should our slide back into a double-dip be so unexpected?

A little cheese cake, anyone? (UPDATED)

For those of you out there screaming about a double-standard regarding the leggy lady to the left, just relax and thank god for small favors.

Now, as blatantly sexist as the picture is what is equally puzzling to us is the title and the subtitle. We weren’t aware that the down-the-line conservative views that we generally share with Ms. Palin were a “problem”. And, no, we are not going to bother reading the article to determine the actual context of the “problem” as it relates to Palin’s conservatism because, guaranteed, the cover and not the article inside is the take-away message.

It is the conservatism embodied in the attractive former governor of Alaska that is on trial here. Were Palin a Olympia Snowe-like moderate Republican or a Democrat, this Newsweek feature doesn’t exist.

And please note the continuation of the “bad news for the Republicans and the country” meme that sets up Newsweek as some type of common sense, I-have-Republican-friends “America first” moderates. Phony, phony, phony.

As if the three-quarters of a trillion dollar political payback package, the firing of a CEO of an auto manufacturer, the nationalization of 2 of the 3 auto manufacturers, the desired nationalization of the healthcare industry and an economically-ruinous climate bill all represent the embodiment of raging centrism.

We run an highly opinionated blog here and we cannot for the life of us ever imagine running a post with a picture of President Obama dressed in Muslim garb (as he was depicted by several tabloids during the campaign) with the title of that post, “How do you solve a problem like President Obama?” It would be absurd and, of course, racist but mostly it would be just plain lazy which aside from outright lying, is probably the greatest sin in writing.

At the end of the day, all this shows is the desperate ends Jon Meacham and Evan Thomas will go to save their floundering rag.

H/T: Harrison

(UPDATE #1):
Unreal.

With two wars ongoing, one of which the Commander-in-Chief is engaged in full-tilt dither, unemployment surging past 10%, mountains and mountains of debt, the specter of a double-dip recession looming because of a disastrous set of responses executed in the wake of the Bush-fueled recession and what is the priority for the hacks at Oragainzing for America, the perpetual campaign organ of the Obama White House?

Raising money to go after a private citizen.

Organizing for America, the DNC's campaign arm set up to support President Obama's agenda, has a familiar target today: Sarah Palin.

Mitch Stewart, OFA's director, told supporters in an email just now they need help to raise "$500,000 in the next week to push back against Sarah Palin and her special interest allies."

His argument is that Palin's "lies" about health care are "widely covered by the media, then constantly echoed by right-wing attack groups and others who are trying to defeat reform." He uses her death panels meme as an example.

And while noting that the Associated Press has assigned 11 fact checkers to Sarah Palin's new book while assigning a grand total of zero to Obama, Biden and McCain's campaign season books, KT likens Big Media's psycho-sexual obsession with Sarah Palin to the pretty cheerleader who shunned their creepy advances back in high school. If this has never been a problem for you, then we suggest click on over and read about it here.

Sarah, Sarah, Sarah.... (UPDATED!)

Our first post back from Vegas. More on Vegas later. At first blush, we like the pick. We like the pick, right now, for no other reason than a) the timing of the pick and b) the fact that the Democrats appear to have been caught off-guard. Also, its bold, daring and risky with a potential to back-fire big time or… pay off huge dividends down the road in November… what’s not to like?

No sooner does the press start assessing the historical significance of Obama’s acceptance speech, when without warning, they are forced to re-tool to deal with the selection of Palin. By Friday at noon, no one was talking about the Democratic convention or Suit’s speech. Brilliantly timed.

As for the Democrats, what is it exactly that you do with a wife and mother of five (one of whom is about to go off to Iraq and the youngest of which suffers from Down’s syndrome) who has a far more impressive resume’ as a veep choice than does your own candidate for President and who rose to her lot in life not on the coattails of her husband?

The “experience” criticism only serves to boomerang right back around upside Suit’s head and…. Alaska? Three words… Dela-freaking-ware… They’re at a loss and a perfect indication of this fumbling around took place on Friday evening as we were driving out to Vegas and listening to some lefty radio. The two co-hosts playing back Palin’s acceptance speech from Dayton and who almost wanted to make fun of her voice as she was clearly a tad nervous/excited but thought better of it, were reduced to making fun of the crowd for chanting “U-S-A… U-S-A…”. There are precious few things you can always count on in life and we’re glad the left never disappoints.

Its obvious this pick has energized the G.O.P. and has given some much-needed juice to this week’s convention in Minneapolis where we suspect it will be “get-to-know-Sarah-Palin” week. We certainly look forward to it.

P.S. We’re still trying to put it together but our friend “Mark” from NYC will be in town for the convention and will be submitting regular correspondences from the same. Mark wisely eschewed access to the floor of the convention and will instead be providing his take on the proceedings from “the street”, hotel lobby bars and the Party parties. Wise choice, Mark.

P.P.S. Big ups to Mitt Romney, the Conventional Wisdom-Veep pick, who offered immediate congratulations to Palin upon her selection and who is out on the trail campaigning for the ticket. Romney would’ve been the safe (and perfectly acceptable) pick so his graciousness, warmth and humility in the face of this pass-over, speaks volumes about the man.

UPDATE #1: The Red State Boys breakin' things down as only they know how to do.

Quickies

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A round-up of articles, news items, columns and blog posts that caught our eye this past week.

Quote of the week:

Government cannot make the slow run fast; they can only force the fast to run slower. That’s how government creates equality, how it levels the playing field.

Barry at Word Warrior of SoCal has a great roundup of tax-payer subsidized green technology failures... plus a Milton Friedman reference. Who can pass up Milton Friedman?








Smack of the week: Sarah Palin on Bill Maher, Barack Hussein Obama and "dirty money".

“I don’t know how anyone can sit in the audience of a commentator like Bill Maher and chuckle and laugh and think that’s entertaining. I think it’s disgusting. And this dirty money that he has now provided Barack Obama’s campaign – I don’t know how Barack Obama can sleep at night if he really thinks about Sasha and Mahlia and the treatment of some women today, how he can accept that dirty money. Granted Barack Obama has never been seen in the conventional, traditional way of one we who describe a man of valor, so it shouldn’t surprise us that Barack Obama would accept that dirty money.”

(italics, ours)

That is what is known in Placentia, California as lacking core values and principles.

Look, Palin may be spot on with respect to her assessment of the President's character but she has bought into the distraction. Instead of talking about violations of conscience and religious beliefs, we are talking about locker room language, what differs between a "private" and "public" person and gotcha politics. The advocates for religious liberty and limited government have been derailed. Time to get back on track, gang.





One man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter?

The Treasury Department’s counterterrorism arm is investigating speaking fees paid to a long-time Democratic Party leader who is among the most vocal advocates of an Iranian opposition group designated as a terrorist group by the State Department.

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell told The Washington Times that Treasury investigators last week subpoenaed records related to payments he has accepted in exchange for public speaking engagements.

Mr. Rendell is among a bipartisan group of prominent former officials - including Cabinet-level Republicans - who have accepted payment in exchange for speeches calling for the removal of the Mujahideen-e Khalq (MEK) from the State Department’s list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations.

The MEK, also known as the People’s Mujahedin of Iran, has long called for the overthrow of the Islamic theocracy in Tehran. The group, which engaged in terror attacks on Iranian government targets in the 1980s, has been on the terrorist list since 1997, when President Bill Clinton put it there in an attempt to improve relations with Iran.

Mr. Rendell and others argue the MEK should be removed from the list because it has not engaged in violence in more than two decades and shares a common enemy with the United States.

Here's an idea: if the concept of freedom for the Iranian people is so important to Rendell and other D.C. pols, perhaps they can take up the cause pro bono. We suppose that maybe freedom really isn't free after all.







Fair and balanced:

MSNBC host Al Sharpton held a rally today, reenacting the famed civil rights march from Selma to Birmingham. "[I]nstead of protesting Jim Crow segregation and police brutality, he's opposing voter ID laws, right-to-work laws, and the Alabama illegal immigration bill," the Washington Examiner reported. It was a political rally, with Sharpton preaching the platform of the Democratic party.

And in fact the political rally was broadcast on cable television. Sharpton's speech was aired on MSNBC, Sharpton's employer.

That the network employs an unapologetic race huckster like Sharpton, speaks volumes.






Good news: San Diego mayoral candidate Carl DeMaio receives the GOP endorsement. Here's what DeMaio had to say about who he perceives as his toughest opponent:

I don’t see this as a race of me against these three other candidates. My campaign is the same campaign I have waged since becoming a taxpayer watchdog years ago: to clean up the mess at city hall.

My real opponents are the government employee unions and powerful downtown interests that benefit from the cozy system at City Hall at the taxpayers’ expense. They know I will end their taxpayer-funded gravy train, and that’s why they are doing everything they can to defeat our grassroots campaign.

And here's B-Daddy (linked above) on the matter:

This also speaks to my long time complaint here in San Diego, that our political choices have been between government that favors big business or government that favors big labor. We need government that favors the taxpayers and average citizens, whether or not that favors particular businesses. An even playing field will ultimately make our city a better place to live.

Frankly, we're a little surprised the endorsement (at 71%, even) went to DeMaio. Our bet would've been on Nathan Fletcher, the more establishment of the two. Our guess: current Mayor Jerry Sanders' willingness to champion public employee pension reform tipped the scales to DeMaio. We welcome other theories.






When you lose the New York Times...

Conveniently tucked away in the Saturday Op-ed section:

President Obama, who came to office promising transparency and adherence to the rule of law, has become the first president to claim the legal authority to order an American citizen killed without judicial involvement, real oversight or public accountability.

That, regrettably, was the most lasting impression from a major address on national security delivered last week by Attorney General Eric Holder Jr.

There were parts of the speech worth celebrating — starting with Mr. Holder’s powerful discussion of why trying most terrorists in civilian courts is best for punishing them and safeguarding America. But we are deeply concerned about his rejection of oversight and accountability when it comes to killing American citizens who are suspected of plotting terrorist acts.

A president has the right to order lethal force against conventional enemies during conventional war, or against unconventional enemies in unconventional wars. But when it comes to American citizens, there must be compelling evidence that the threat the citizen poses is imminent and that capturing the citizen is not a realistic option.

Giving credit where credit is due, kudos to the NY Times for finally acknowledging this constitutional inconsistency. Now, how about some of the same treatment from the rest of Obamabot Nation? We won't be holding our breath.






W.C. Varones on the student loan debt scam:

The third point, student loans as welfare, is new to me, but not surprising. Making "student loans" that prop up consumer spending but will never be paid back is just a way to do more stimulus spending without it showing up in the deficit. That debt will be forgiven by taxpayers decades from now, when the miscreants in power today have retired to a private life of luxury.

Allow us to add a fourth point: Student loan debt can be used conveniently as a class warfare/political issue as this President has done with the assistance of his lackies in the Obama's Whining Squatters set.







Folks, meet Karen Bass, freshman congresswoman from L.A.'s Westside so you know that it would totally be in form for her to state the following:

“The environment is much more important than jobs”.

Leslie at Temple of Mut has more on the background and agenda of yet another Team O economic illiterate.





And finally, Sarah Bond of Lipstick Underground regarding the Kony 2012 video:

At the end of the day I really only have one genuine criticism of the video and campaign: it glosses over the fact that is is going to take military action and violence to find and capture Joseph Kony. Most of the early supporters of Invisible Children and and Kony 2012 are peace-nicks. Do they realize that to ‘arrest’ Kony, someone is going to have to shoot their way through his human shield of child soldiers? If we’re going to insert ourselves into someone else’s problem for the greater good, let’s try to be honest about the cost.

Oh, and finally Pt. II: Sarah gets quoted in a front page San Diego Union-Tribune article on rising gas prices.

Sarah Bond and her husband bought their home in Valley Center, about one hour from downtown San Diego, so their two young children could grow up close enough to nature yet not too far from their favorite destinations. But with gas prices soaring, they just don’t get out as much.

“It’s no more going to the beach, no more taking drives to the mountains. It’s school and groceries and what we could do at home,” Bond said. “We might as well live in Oklahoma for what it’s costing us.”

Bond, co-founder of the SoCal Tax Revolt Coalition, said she’s frustrated with lawmakers and the president for not making energy more accessible, “not exploiting our natural resources in the clean, environmentally sound way that only Americans can do,” she said.

Atta way, Sarah!


And from the other side of the aisle:

Hugh Moore, treasurer­ for the Green Party of San Diego County, said he hates that people have to pay more for gas because oil companies are raking in more profits, “but the truth is we should be paying considerably more for every gallon of gas.”

The intellectual inconsistency is stunning. The guy necessarily wants high gas prices but doesn't want the gas companies to profit from it. Sorry, Hugh, can't have it both ways. And since he does indeed want higher gas prices, why doesn't he have the courage of his convictions and actively champion the cause instead of displaying his false sympathy for his fellow citizens at the pump.

No wonder the Green Party never gains any real electoral traction outside of agitation and litigation.



OK, gang, that's it for today. See you all tomorrow.



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Sarah sez

One in a series that takes a look at some of the zany, wacky and madcap things said by the ex-governor of Alaska.




It's fourth of July weekend and you all know what that means, right? But merely celebrating our nation's independence isn't enough for this year. Governor Palin is thinking big picture and thinking that we should also be celebrating the new federal health care law.

Here she is from this past weekend:

Next week when we celebrate Independence Day we'll also be observing health independence.

This week marks one year since the Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act, it captures the spriit of our founders, the spirit they wrote in the Declaration of Independence: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The Affordable Care Act offers just that-a healthier life, liberty to pursue a person's happiness, to be free of constraint, to be job-locked because they're policy-locked-so if you wanted to be a cameraman, a writer, if you want to be self-employed, if you start a business, if you want to change jobs, whatever it is you want to do, you are free, you have the liberty to do so.

So we've had Social Security, Medicare, and now health independence, and that's something our members will take home to celebrate over this Independence Day.

Of course, that wasn't Sarah Palin rather that Sarah sez stalwart and glittering jewel of colossal ignorance, House minority leader, Nancy Pelosi.

We know what you're thinking: Independence Day is precisely the day to celebrate a greater dependence upon the federal government. After all, that is exactly what George and the boys fought for well over 200 hundred years ago, right?

And that claiming mandatory compliance to a law is indicative of greater independence suggests just how warped and Orwellian letting your mind stew in statist/collectivist rot can get.

But so nice of Pelosi to not single out ObamaCare but to also mention Social Security and Medicare, two more completely unsustainable entitlement programs that are breaking this nation, as reasons to fire up the sparklers this coming 4th (if your local ordinances still allow you to do so). Somehow we think her "members" that voted for this coming train wreck will be hearing something different than a celebratory cheer from their constituents during the summer break.




And in other totally related news, Team O has delayed requiring compliance with ObamaCare for businesses over 50 employees by one year. That's right, gang, Team O rolled over for the moneyed interest of #BigBusiness.

The Obama administration will not penalize businesses that do not provide health insurance in 2014, the Treasury Department announced Tuesday.

Instead, it will delay enforcement of a major Affordable Care Act requirement that all employers with more than 50 employees provide coverage to their workers until 2015.

The administration said it would postpone the provision after hearing significant concerns from employers about the challenges of implementing it.

The administration also would like to avoid another mid-term disaster like they experienced back in 2010 owing in large part to voter dissatisfaction with the very same law. ObamaCare: the Democratic Party problem that just doesn't go away.

Now employing the logic we heard back in 2009-2010 as reason to pass ObamaCare now!, this one year delay granted by Team O will cost this country 40,000 lives.


While the Obama administration has granted a one year reprieve to big businesses while they try to figure out this byzantine law, there's one group of people who won't be spared their fate:

http://t.co/jVYL4Rcynh Hi, young voters. Big business let off #ObamaCare hook for one year. You, however, are still on it. Enjoy.

— Dean R. Riehm (@deanriehm) July 3, 2013

That's all, folks. Everybody enjoy a fun and safe Fourth!

Sarah sez

One in a semi-regular series that takes a look at some of the zany and madcap things said by Sarah Palin.


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Again, with respect to the sovreignty of this country, has Christine O'Donnell or Sharron Angle said anything as remotely ridiculous and tone deaf as this?


Addendum #1: As if on cue...

Sarah Palin, at a rally, makes a crack alluding to the Boston Tea Party occurring in 1773 and the the left goes completely bonkers wondering what the hell happened in 1773.

W.C. Varones has the details, here.

We swear it. She does this on purpose. She makes a completely factual statement that, prima facie, sounds a little off-kilter then sits back as hilarity ensues as the left makes complete asses of themselves.

Sarah sez

One in an occasional series highlighting some of the zany and madcap things to be said by Sarah Palin:

“They ask me all the time, ‘What is your favorite this? What is your favorite that? What is your favorite that?’ And one time, ‘What is your favorite word?’ And I said, ‘My favorite word? That is really easy. My favorite word is the Word, is the Word. And that is everything. It says it all for us. And you know the biblical reference, you know the Gospel reference of the Word.”

“And that Word," Pelosi said, "is, we have to give voice to what that means in terms of public policy that would be in keeping with the values of the Word. The Word. Isn’t it a beautiful word when you think of it? It just covers everything. The Word.

“Fill it in with anything you want. But, of course, we know it means: ‘The Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us.’ And that’s the great mystery of our faith. He will come again. He will come again. So, we have to make sure we’re prepared to answer in this life, or otherwise, as to how we have measured up.”

Dude.

We always knew Palin to be a religious zealot but this just proves the nation was right (and fortunate!) to elect Obama/Biden as this nation's laws are far too valuable to be exposed to the influence of someone who holds such radical and out-of-the-mainstream views regarding separation of church and state.

And furthermore, what's that...? That wasn't Sarah Palin but rather Nancy Pelosi? Oh. OK, well never mind then.

Sarah sez

One in a series that takes a look at some of the zany and madcap things said by the former governor of Alaska.



Palin is asked on CNBC whether or not she thinks it's right for the NLRB to be able to shut down private employers. In this sort of economy, that should be a pretty easy answer, right?

Palin: "Yes"

Wait, what?

In this instance, it is the National Labor Relations Board pressuring Boeing into shutting down one of its plants in South Carolina because it would be a open shop/non-union work place.

And actually, that was not Sarah Palin who said that but rather a Sarah sez regular, that grandmotherly nit-wit, House minority leader, Nancy Pelosi.







In setting up the question, the CNBC hostess, Maria Bartiromo, does a very good job of covering why it is businesses are freaked out and not hiring and letting capital set on the sidelines because of the regulatory uncertainty that has become the hallmark of this administration.

And it makes no difference that Pelosi qualified her remarks by saying that the Boeing plant should remain open if it went union. Why should that matter? They're jobs, right?

Good lord. You would think an administration that is absolutely floundering in persistent unemployment and stagnant economic growth would throw Boeing a party for this plant down there in South Carolina but, no... they let partisan politics and a union-centric agenda trump job growth. And if you don't think that is the case, consider also that Boeing was not shuttering a union plant in Washington state and relocating it to South Carolina... The WA plant was going to remain open as the SC plant was an entirely new plant.

Boeing wouldn't be transferring jobs to South Carolina, they would've been creating jobs, something that the government can't do.

Of course, simple economic principles like this are lost on glittering jewels of colossal ignorance like Pelosi and apparently the administration's political appointees as well, who, by their very actions, do not believe that some types of jobs are worth creating and instead be better served sacrificing those jobs on the altars of statism and cronyism.

Please remember this next time you hear anyone associated with this administration whine about how Republicans or tea partiers are obstructing job creation and/or are rooting for economic failure.

Quickies (the crosshairs edition)

A round-up of articles, columns, news items and blog posts that caught our eye this past week.


Alternate paranthetical: The week that the professional liberal-Left media industrial complex augered-in in a fiery ball of hypocrisy, wild and baseless speculation and abject unprofessionalism.


The President made a fine speech at the memorial service/pep rally in Tucson this past Wednesday, striking the appropriate tone by backhanding the liberal-Left for their unhinged and appalling accusations against conservatives, Sarah Palin and the tea party.

And even now when everybody... everybody knows this guy had no political affiliations to speak of, we have not yet heard any apologies, corrections or walking back of the truly divisive and politically incendiary language from any of the same people making them though we feel no need to attempt a more civil tone as that is something we have possessed all along. So forgive us for thinking then that many of the President's supporters and cheerleaders have quite a bit to answer for and have willfully destroyed any credibility they may have thought they had by their words and actions this past week.


And with respect to the Tucson rally, Tammy Bruce tweeted:

"I went to a Massacre Rally and all I got was a lousy t-shirt."

James Taranto points out that not all massacres are created equally:

After the horrific shooting spree, the editorial board of New York Times offered a voice of reasoned circumspection: "In the aftermath of this unforgivable attack, it will be important to avoid drawing prejudicial conclusions . . .," the paper counseled.

Here's how the sentence continued: ". . . from the fact that Major Hasan is an American Muslim whose parents came from the Middle East."

The Tucson Safeway massacre prompted exactly the opposite reaction. What was once known as the paper of record egged on its readers to draw invidious conclusions that are not only prejudicial but contrary to fact. In doing so, the Times has crossed a moral line.

Allahpundit breaks down the media's predictable disdain for Palin's video/speech as compared to that of the President's.

Seriously, how dare she inject herself into this national tragedy by attempting to defend herself against all the crap we were making up about her out of the thin blue air. The nerve.





You know, since Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated JFK and since he was also a Marine, maybe the Marines should dial it back a notch.




Charles Krauthammer on the obvious Loughner/tea party/Sarah Palin links:

Furthermore, the available evidence dates Loughner’s fixation on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords back to at least 2007, when he attended a townhall of hers and felt slighted by her response. In 2007, no one had heard of Sarah Palin. Glenn Beck was still toiling on Headline News. There was no Tea Party or health-care reform. The only climate of hate was the pervasive post-Iraq campaign of vilification of George W. Bush, nicely captured by a New Republic editor who began an article thus: “I hate President George W. Bush. There, I said it.”

The always civil and thoughtful David Harsanyi of the Denver Post sees right through the non-sense and calls B.S.

We can argue about those things, I know. We can cobble together stupid remarks by radio talk show hosts or union activists or congresspeople and smear half the country. We can play tit-for-tat with Tea Party banners and anti-war bumper stickers and dig up some figurative rhetoric that sounds over the top retroactively and blow it out of proportion.

But this impending conversation about civility and our climate of hate is not only a useless one, it also is meant to discourage dissent. It is a rigged talk, because not only do we — by any standard and context available — reside in a highly civil and peaceful political system, violence is almost non-existent. The Tea Party didn't pick up pitchforks and storm the White House; they knocked off Republicans in primaries.

Now, we may want to have a conversation about our policies regarding the mentally ill or the need for more gun control (though I may disagree with the outcome) because, after all, they are relevant to the horrible events of the past week. But conservatives should be wary of any national dialogue about civility or any beer summit about the specter of political violence.

It is nothing more than a setup.

Yep. Roughly translated we believe Harsanyi is telling liberals they can take their "civility" and "conversation" and shove it in their ear.




B-Daddy is worried about a potential double-dip recession brought on, in part, by a housing market that has never been allowed to properly deflate and state economies that are an absolute mess.



Uh-oh. Tucson shooting victim not sticking with the liberal-Left's media narrative. W.C. Varones has the details, here.



The Scratching Post: Meat: good. Fur: bad. Why?

Sarah sez

One in a series that takes a look at some of the zany and madcap things said by Sarah Palin.





Palin was asked to respond to criticisms that she was out-of-touch with the American public. She responded:

"I don't pump gas now but I remember what it was like pumping gas."

One wonders if she also had beers with that demographic.*






Alas, that wasn't Sarah Palin but our very own hard-working President.







There are just certain things people should steer clear of making reference to lest they appear as fools. In general: Nazi references made by anybody. Rape references from men. Pop culture references made by pols and most certainly, "clearing brush"-type references by effete, never-worked-a-single-damn-day-in-their-lives backbenchers who find themselves in the Oval Office with nary a clue but to hit the rewind button on the policies of their predecessor.





* Yes, it was indeed an incident involving another high-profile figure flashing his every-man cred that got this whole thing started.

Sarah sez

.

One in a series that takes a look at some of the wild, zany and madcap things said by the former Governor of Alaska.




Alternate headline: Hey, She Was Just Off by One


Sarah Palin was on Fox News Sunday where she proved her firm grasp of the Bill of Rights and which amendments contained which rights.

"We avow the First Amendment," she added. "We stand with that and say that people have a right to have a gun to protect themselves in their homes and their jobs, where, and that they -- and the workplace and that they, for recreation and hunting and the rest. So we're not questioning their right to do that."

Gotcha... Wasn't Palin at all rather that glittering jewel of colossal ignorance and frequent Sarah sez participant Nancy Pelosi former Speaker of the House (two heartbeats away from the Presidency) and current House minority leader.


Since she didn't bother correcting herself, we're left to assume this wan't some verbal gaffe. So, having said that, would it be too much for our elected officials, particularly the ones at the federal level, to have at least the flimsiest hold on the amendments that guarantee our freedom? Sadly, it probably would.

And for you gun owners and/or defenders of the right to own, Pelosi's contention that she is all for private gun ownership can be believed with full confidence because she herself is down with the 1st, 2nd, or whatever amendment. We can feel the commitment, Nance. Thanks.

.

Sarah sez

An occasional look at some of the zany and madcap things said by Sarah Palin.

"There is no question there is a concerted effort to make this a political issue by some. And I join those who have called for looking into how is this opposition to the mosque is being funded,"

Of course, Sarah Palin didn't say that but rather the free speech-affirming quote above was uttered by Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.

Speaker Pelosi, allow us to give an assist in pursuit of this matter. The extent by which we have criticized the construction of the mosque has been "funded", if you will, by Google who runs the Blogger site at which Beers with Demo resides. Perhaps, you are familiar with their work as the Silicon Valley company from up in your neck of the woods are big-time Democratic Party donors.

Their address and contact info is as follows:

1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View, CA 94043
Phone: (650) 253-0000
Fax: (650) 253-0001

And, if not necessarily "funded" in the sense of the word you're meaning but perhaps "supported" or "protected by" or even perhaps, "inspired by", please see also, the 1st amendment, the principles of which you are certainly not familiar as your quote indicates.

If there is any other assistance we can lend, please let us know - you now know where to find us.

Sincerely,
Beers with Demo

Sarah sez

One in a series that takes a look at some of the zany and madcap things said by Sarah Palin.




Here's Palin on the state of the economy and and why the unemployment numbers aren't turning around:

There are some structural issues with our economy where a lot of businesses have learned to become a lot more efficient with fewer workers. You see it when you go to the bank and you use an ATM - you don't go to a bank teller or you go to the airport and you're using a kiosk instead of checking in at the gate.

What's that, you say? That wasn't Sarah Palin but rather the President on the Today show?

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

Knock us over with a feather. But then again, maybe not. The man has done absolutely nothing to dissuade us from thinking that perhaps he really does believe techological innovation is a cause for unemployment.

If it wasn't for that damn automobile, for instance, perhaps half of all of us could be gainfully employed in the buggy whip sector for the carriages and the other half as farmers for the hay for the horsies.

The more he talks about the economy, the more it's painfully obvious he doesn't have a clue about the economy.



9.1%, champ. 9.1%

Sarah sez

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One in a series that takes a look at some of the wild, zany and madcap things said by the former governor of Alaska.





Unless you've been living under a rock you're probable aware that the ObamaCare online exchanges by which you purchase health insurance are experience some, er... glitches. And by glitches, we mean there are signs coming from the administration that maybe a delay of the individual mandate may not be such a bad idea after all. That which Ted Cruz could not accomplish may be done so through government bureaucratic incompetence.


Not before, though, Team O allows for a "tech surge", the best and brightest, you know, the best and brightest who should've been on the job from the get-go to get a crack at fixing all that is wrong with the exchanges.



tech, schmeck... is how we read Palin's reaction to this:

"Just fix it, so we can go forward," she added. "Fix the technology, and let's not get too bogged down in what happens if they're not able to fix it."

You can see the video of her remarks, here...






... and lo and behold that's not Sarah Palin, rather Sarah sez favorite that glittering jewel of colossal ignorance, House minority leader, Nancy Pelosi.



Well, Nancy, hate to break it too you but getting bogged down is exactly what's happening now because the damn exchanges don't work. The exchanges are the portals for the entire damn thing so if there' no fix it, there's effectively no ObamaCare.



Bonus points for her idiocy in claiming to know something about the tech business because she lives in California. It's like she can see Silicon Valley from her backyard.



Double bonus points for prattling on about how freedom means not being "chained to a policy." Got it, Nancy, because nothing says freedom like being required by law to sign up for a federal government program.



We scarcely believe we've heard nearly a minute and half of anything so vapid, insipid and ass-backwards.


The woman, if nothing else, is a credit to her profession so she's got that going for her.