FRIDAY,  SEPTEMBER 18,  2009

IS THIS SERIOUS? - AT 8:57 P.M. ET:  Michelle Obama has stepped into the health-care debate.  After Obama supporters claimed this week that racism fueled much of the opposition, Michelle plays the gender card:

Sept. 18 (Bloomberg) -- First lady Michelle Obama sought support for the administration’s health-care plans from family advocacy groups and health-care professionals, saying the treatment of women under the current system is “unacceptable.”

As President Barack Obama campaigns to generate backing from voters for his health-care overhaul proposal, the first lady joined the effort today with a more focused pitch.

Michelle Obama said women are being “crushed by the current structure of our health care” because they often are responsible for taking care of family illnesses, arranging checkups and monitoring follow-up care.

COMMENT:  Pretty demeaning to women, I think.  You know, this administration would be wise to stop dividing the nation by groups.  Simply address the issues.

Michelle Obama's comments nudge her closer to her early campaign days, when she said that her husband's campaign made her proud of the United States...for the first time.

September 18, 2009   Permalink

HEY, WE'RE RECOVERING - AT 5:30 P.M. ET:  Remember, the economy is in recovery.  Don't let facts confuse you:

WASHINGTON (AP) - Forty-two states lost jobs last month, up from 29 in July, with the biggest net payroll cuts coming in Texas, Michigan, Georgia and Ohio.

The Labor Department also reported Friday that 27 states saw their unemployment rates increase in August, and 14 states and Washington D.C., reported unemployment rates of 10 percent or above.

The report shows jobs remain scarce even as most analysts believe the economy is pulling out of the worst recession since the 1930s. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said earlier this week that the recovery isn't likely to be rapid enough to reduce unemployment for some time.

The jobless rate nationwide is expected to peak above 10 percent next year, from its current 9.7 percent.

COMMENT:  A jobless recovery.  A Democratic politician's nightmare.  How can the Dems - "the party of the people" - go to the voters next year with a 10 percent unemployment rate, and claim recovery?   They can't. 

But the Republicans must have a stated economic policy of their own.  And they must have attractive candidates to present that policy.  Republicans should carry around photos of President Dewey to remind them of what happens when the complete job isn't done.

September 18, 2009   Permalink

AS WE APPEASE IRAN AND RUSSIA - AT 5:19 P.M. ET:  The terror scare we had here in New York earlier this week apparently was real.  From Fox:

The man under FBI investigation for alleged ties to a New York subway terror plot has admitted he has ties to Al Qaeda and is in negotiations to plead guilty to a terror charge, a source familiar with the investigation told FOX News.

The source said 24-year-old Najibullah Zazi, who until now had protested that he had no connection to Al Qaeda, changed his story Friday. Zazi reportedly told officials that he had received explosives training and may plead guilty as part of a deal to cooperate with the government.

An attorney for Zazi issued the following statement on Friday: "The FBI has asked to speak to my client's father, Mr. Mohammed Zazi, and we are cooperating fully with the FBI's request."

COMMENT:  A terror charge?  Is that what the story said?  Haven't the Fox reporters gotten the word that "terror" is no longer permitted?  He should be pleading guilty to a "manmade disaster" charge.  There is no such thing as terror.  That's a cultural construct invented by those who are insensitive to oppression and alternative lifestyles.

On a more serious note, this may have been a close one.  Law enforcement teams have apparently found a great deal of equipment consistent with bomb-making, at several locations in New York.

But with the Obama outreach policies, we're perfectly safe.

September 18,  2009   Permalink

OBSERVATION:  Have you noticed that only four groups have benefited from Obama's foreign policy?  They are Russians, North Koreans, Latin American reds, and Iranian mullahs.  Think about it.

NEW HAMPSHIRE TURNAROUND? - AT 9:58 A.M. ET:  We often like to examine individual states here because we have a federal system in America.  States count. 

Democrats have been gloating in recent years over the fact that New Hampshire, once a symbol of Republicanism, has been trending Democratic, in part because of immigration from Massachusetts.  But that trend may be weakening.  Consider this from Rasmussen:

Republican Kelly Ayotte leads Democrat Paul Hodes by eight points in an early look at New Hampshire’s 2010 race for the U.S. Senate.

The first Rasmussen Reports survey of the race to fill the seat being vacated by retiring GOP Senator Judd Gregg shows Ayotte ahead 46% to 38%.

And...

Voters in New Hampshire are closely divided over the health care reform plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats: 47% favor it, while 50% are opposed. But the antis feel more strongly, with 42% strongly opposed versus 30% who are strongly in favor of the legislation.

COMMENT:  So, New Hampshire is competitive, and it's up to the national GOP to give its soldiers in the state all the support they need.  Dems were expecting a Senate turnover, but that can clearly be prevented.

September 18, 2009   Permalink  

THE GANG OF 75 - AT 9:42 A.M. ET:  The great Michael Barone analyzes the 345-75 vote in the House yesterday to defund ACORN.  It was extraordinary.  Even a majority of Democrats, 172-75, voted against the corrupt leftist group.  All Republicans voted against it.  Democrats clearly wanted to get off the Titanic before the movie was made.  From the Washington Examiner:

This would not have occurred but for http://biggovernment.com/ the Big Government videos of ACORN employees encouraging tax evasion and prostitution. "Mainstream media" studiously ignored this big, big story, because it put Obama's political allies in ACORN in a bad light--such an egregious bit of biased coverage that it aroused derision and contempt from Jon Stewart on The Daily Show. But "mainstream media" couldn't cover up this scandal, as much as it wanted to.

And...

The 75 districts represented by members who voted against defunding ACORN delivered an average majority of 72%-26% for Barack Obama. Only two of those districts, represented by West Virginia Democrats Alan Mollohan and Nick Joe Rahall, voted for John McCain. By my count, 29 of those districts are represented by members of the Congressional Black Caucus and 7 districts by members of the Hispanic Caucus. The 11 districts of those not voting averaged 54%-45% for Obama and the 2 districts of those voting present averaged 77%-23% for Obama. By my calculation, that means the average vote in the districts of the 345 members who voted to defund ACORN was about 50%-48% for McCain. As indicated by members' votes, mainstream America was clearly repulsed by the facts that "mainstream media" tried to conceal.

COMMENT:  Bulls-eye for Barone.  That's the kind of analysis you won't get in some of the trendier mainstream papers.  But it tells the story of who still insists on supporting ACORN.  As we indicated here yesterday, almost all the 75 come from safe districts.  Their constituents probably have no problem with funding the group.

September 18,  2009   Permalink

QUOTE OF THE DAY - AT 8:38 A.M. ET:  From Seth Cropsey, in the Weekly Standard, on Obama's abandonment of the East European missile shield:

The likely harm that results from this decision goes far beyond Europe. The U.S. has security commitments to Israel, Japan, and South Korea for example. How are leaders in those and other countries likely to regard the Obama administration's failure to honor American security commitments? Does President Obama understand that the United States' interest in keeping its word transcends his own political interest in continuing to distance himself from his predecessor?

The Obama administration has decided to dishonor a security commitment made to one of the United States' most reliable and dependable democratic allies, and to placate an increasingly authoritarian corrupt state that helped Iran build its nuclear power plant at Bushehr and supplies Iran with significant military equipment such as air-defense missiles. The decision is a sign of weakness, a confirmation that this administration does not see value in defending against ballistic missiles, and a wholesale invitation to aggressive behavior, not just from Russia.

COMMENT:  That is very well said.  We will be inundated with all kinds of excuses and justifications for Obama's decision to pull the promised missile shield from our allies, Poland the Czech Republic.  We will be told that the Joint Chiefs favored the decision.

But the issue isn't military, or scientific, it's political.  Militarily, there may be some short-term justification for putting the emphasis elsewhere, but there can be no long-term justification for canceling a system designed to counter the long-range missiles Iran will eventually have.  And, scientifically, the missile defense system has been consistently improved.  It may never be perfect, but neither has any defense system known to man. 

It's the politics that damage us.  We made a commitment to allies.  We broke the commitment.  Both those allies have helped us in Iraq and Afghanistan.  They will not help us in the future.

And who will trust us? 

September 18, 2009   Permalink

LATEST FROM OUR NEW NEGOTIATING PARTNER - AT 8:19 A.M. ET:  From London's Telegraph:

Clashes have erupted in Tehran between security forces and reformists, as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told an anti-Israel rally the Holocaust was a "lie."

At least 10 arrests were made as fighting broke out in central Tehran between pro-Ahmadinejad supporters and backers of the opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi.

A witness claimed: "Security forces just arrested over 10 people. They are pushing protesters and beating them."

Khamenei, had warned the opposition against turning anti-Israel rallies into street protests against the clerical establishment.

Defeated presidential candidates said they would attend the rally.

COMMENT:  Nothing to see here, folks.  Nothing to see.  Just some more beatings and Holocaust denial.  Let's not exaggerate things.  As soon as Obama sits down with these people, all will be okay.

September 18, 2009   Permalink

TODAY SAN FRANCISCO, TOMORROW THE WORLD - AT 8:03 A.M. ET:  What is it about San Francisco, home of Nancy Pelosi?  This mayor, Gavin Newsom, may well be California's next governor.  Consider his latest thinking: 

Calling soda the new tobacco, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom will introduce legislation this fall that would charge a fee to retailers that sell sugary beverages.

Newsom would need voter approval to tax individual cans of soda and sugary juice, but only needs approval from the Board of Supervisors to levy a fee on retailers. His legislation would charge grocery stores like Safeway and big-box stores, but would not affect restaurants that serve sodas.

Newsom wouldn't say how much the stores would have to pay or how the city would spend the fees. When he first floated the idea in 2007, he said the money would go to his Shape Up San Francisco exercise program and for media campaigns to discourage soda drinking.

The mayor said the city attorney's office has warned him the city would probably be sued over the matter, but he said it is worth the risk to try to curb a leading cause of obesity and diabetes.

COMMENT:  Be prepared, in the next few years, for a long list of foods to be banned or taxed, based on some trendy "research." 

Now, obviously we want children to have healthy diets.  But why do I think this won't do it?

September 18,  2009   Permalink

THURSDAY,  SEPTEMBER 17,  2009

TREATING OUR FRIENDS LIKE ENEMIES - AT 11:35 P.M. ET:  An example of the "success" of Mr. Obama's foreign policy, from The Politico:

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed today that he declined last night to take a call from the U.S. informing him of the decision to scrap planned missile-defense bases in his country.

Two U.S.-based sources close to the Polish government said Thursday that Tusk also rejected a call from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — on the grounds that, as the head of the government, he should speak to the president.

"Hillary called — and the reason he turned it down was because of protocol," said a source.

Questions about the exchanges surfaced in the Polish press after Obama reached the Czech prime minister late last night to warn of the policy change, but did not speak to the Pole until this morning. And the static offers a glimpse at the distress beneath the diplomatic facade being offered by Eastern European leaders.

COMMENT:  We have no doubt that any leader of North Korea, Iran, Venezuela or Russia would be glad to take Hillary's call.  After all, the news would probably be good.

The sound you hear is either the laughter in the foreign ministries of our enemies, or the gasping in the foreign ministries of our friends. 

September 17, 2009   Permalink

DISMAY OVER MISSILES - AT 10:25 P.M. ET:  I've been monitoring the news programs.  The Republicans are doing an excellent job so far of denouncing President Obama's reckless decision to cancel the missile shield that President Bush had promised to Poland and the Czech Republic.

Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona has been especially strong, pointing out that, no matter how this is spun by the White House, it will be seen internationally as a complete capitulation to the Soviet Union.  This decision will be observed and studied in Iran, in North Korea, in Venezuela.

The administration is trying to argue that the missile shield was designed to counter long-range Iranian missiles, but that it's short-range missiles that pose the immediate danger.  Kyl points out how absurd the argument is.  True, the Iranians aren't quite there on long-range hardware, but they will be there in not many years.  It's time to prepare, not to cancel preparations.  We can counter both threats, if we're serious.  With this administration, that's a big "if."

This should be seen as a major issue, a symbol of Obama's weakness, and his lack of understanding of what weakness leads to.  If Republicans present the issue correctly, don't let it drop, and appeal to American concern over national security, the issue can be seriously effective.

September 17, 2009   Permalink

TERROR ALERT FOR INDIA - AT 8:56 P.M. ET:  While the Obama administration does its best to appease our enemies, and to do it with high style, there's a real world out there.

Israel's National Security Council has issued a terror alert for India, which was struck last year in the despicable attacks in Mumbai: 

The Counter-Terrorism Bureau at the National Security Council issued a severe terror warning for India on Thursday.

A Pakistani terror organization affiliated with al-Qaida and responsible for the attacks in Mumbai last year is planning to carry out a string of attacks throughout the Indian subcontinent, it warned.

The warning said that while all westerners in India are in peril of being targeted, Israelis and places where Israelis usually congregate in large numbers are in more serious danger.

The bureau asked all Israelis in India to steer clear of places where Western tourists are found in large numbers.

And...

The bureau rated the threat as "imminent and concrete," and emphasized the Jammu and Kashmir regions in India's North.

COMMENT:  While Israelis were understandably emphasized in the Israeli report, the warning applies to all Westerners, and that would especially include Americans.  So if you know anyone traveling to India, make sure they're aware of this. 

Here in New York we're keenly aware of anti-terror raids going on in the city.  I was in Grand Central Terminal last night, and the police and military patrols were clearly heavier than normal.

There is reality, and then there is Washington.

September 17, 2009   Permalink

ANOTHER POLL SLIP FOR OBAMA - AT 7:44 A.M. ET:  Rasmussen's daily tracker shows still further slippage for the president among likely voters.  Virtually the entire bounce he received after his speech to Congress has now dribbled away.

The president's overall approval has dropped to 47%, as against 52% disapproval. 

In Ras's presidential approval index, measuring the gap between those who strongly approve and those who strongly disapprove, the president comes out at minus eight, 32% to 40%. 

By the way, you'll often see strong approval numbers for Democrats hovering at about 30%.  That is their base, and it doesn't go much below that.  Or at least it normally hasn't.

But a 40% strong disapproval of a president is something for the White House to worry about, clearly.

September 17, 2009   Permalink

NOTHING WILL GROW FROM THIS LITTLE ACORN - AT 6:22 P.M. ET:  The House has followed the Senate in acting against ACORN.  From AP:

WASHINGTON -- The House has voted to deny all federal funding for ACORN, the community organizing group that has been caught up in several scandals.

The House action came several days after the Senate took a similar vote to block the Housing and Urban Development Department from giving grants to ACORN.

Republicans, long critics of the liberal-leaning group that advocates for the poor, led the effort to cut off all federal funds.

California Republican Darrell Issa, who sponsored the measure in the House, says the "scandal surrounding the criminal activities of ACORN have called into question their role in all aspects of government."

The vote, on a provision attached to a student aid bill, was 345-75. All 75 no votes were Democrats.

COMMENT:  I want (and will get) a list of the 75 Dems who voted with ACORN.  I'll bet that all or almost all come from safe districts.  They probably have, essentially, lifetime jobs. 

But we are making progress on ACORN - thanks to independent filmmakers, no thanks to the mainstream media.

There's a lesson in this.  It was taught to us by Ronald Reagan, who showed us how you speak above the mainstream media, directly to the American people.  Our side may be learning it.

September 17, 2009   Permalink

THIS SAYS IT - AT 2:16 P.M. ET:  This headline in London's Telegraph says it all:

Russian delight as Obama abandons missile shield

Another proud day for America in the age of Obama.

September 17, 2009   Permalink

BULLETIN - AT 1:58 P.M. ET:   We don't run many bulletins here, but this is worthy.  On the very day we announce that we're not going to build missile defense systems in Poland and the Czech Republic, the Associated Press reveals a secret paper that makes our decision look absurd and reckless, which it is:

VIENNA (AP) - Experts at the world's top atomic watchdog are in agreement that Tehran has the ability to make a nuclear bomb and is on the way to developing a missile system able to carry an atomic warhead, according to a secret report seen by The Associated Press.

The document drafted by senior officials at the International Atomic Energy Agency is the clearest indication yet that the agency's leaders share Washington's views on Iran's weapon-making capabilities.

It appears to be the so-called "secret annex" on Iran's nuclear program that Washington says is being withheld by the IAEA's chief.

The document says Iran has "sufficient information" to build a bomb. It says Iran is likely to "overcome problems" on developing a delivery system.

COMMENT:  That's as close to definitive as it gets.  But The One will solve the crisis.  He will talk to the Iranians.  He will make nice comments about their culture.  He will apologize for the United States.

And the nuclear threat will go away, as the oceans start to recede and Americans start to live forever under the miracle cures of Obamacare.

Yuch.

September 17, 2009   Permalink

CONNECTICUT WOES FOR OBAMA - AT 9:13 A.M. ET:  Poll results from Connecticut, a Democratic state not exactly known for racism, pretty much disproves the nutty idea that opposition to Obama is based on race.  From Real Clear Politics, citing the latest Quinnipiac poll:

President Obama's job approval rating in Connecticut stands at 57%, while 36% disapprove. While still healthy, this is another net 10-point decline from last month's rating (63-32) which was at the time his lowest approval rating to date.

Since his inauguration, Obama has lost 12 points in job approval in Connecticut, decreasing from 69 to 57, while his disapproval rating in the Nutmeg State has doubled from 18 to 36 percent.

And once again we see, even in a true blue state like Connecticut, that President Obama is more popular than his policies. On his handling of health care, only 47% approve while 45% disapprove. While some Dems may disapprove that Obama isn't pushing harder for liberal policies, the main source of the difference between Obama's overall job approval and his approval on health care comes from Independents.

Independents give Obama a 56% job rating overall, but when it comes to health care their approval drops to 43% while disapproval rises to 49%.

Overall, 47% of voters in Connecticut support Obama's health care plan while 42% oppose.

COMMENT:  If this is what's happening in wine-and-Brie Connecticut, we can only imagine what's happening in the heartland.

The desperate attempt to portray Obama's opponents as racists is unbecoming, and will simply anger the American people.  There is a suggestion in the "racist" charge that people don't have a right to disagree with the president.  If Americans get that message, Mr. Obama will be a one-termer.

September 17, 2009   Permalink

OUR EMBARRASSMENT - AT 8:48 A.M. ET:  Do you remember the good old days, when Americans prided themselves at often taking principled stands internationally, while chiding the Europeans for their appeasement and commercial interests?  Ah yes, I remember it well.

But what a difference an election makes.  From the Christian Science Monitor:

PARIS - Europe's strong advocacy for more sanctions on Iran – led by France, Germany, and Britain – will now wait for the Oct. 1 talks between Washington and Tehran to play out, analysts here say.

Europe's leaders have talked an increasingly tough line on Iran sanctions, including cutting off imports of oil and gasoline, should Iran not satisfy nuclear demands by the United Nations (UN) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) by the end of September. That deadline is now trumped by the Oct. 1 talks.

And...

"The EU has so far been able to agree to sanctions stronger than the UN asked for," says Bruno Tertrais of the Foundation for Strategic Research in Paris. "The consensus position on Iran is fairly hawkish."

But here's the shame:

How long the unity will last among European Union members, given that some of them have large commercial interests at stake, is unclear, he says. But he also adds that "If the EU is divided, it is also because of the lack of a clear US policy."

COMMENT:  I'm afraid our policy gets more clear by the day.  Appeasement.  Extensive talks about talks, leading to endless talks.

It's now widely believed in many circles that we've given up on stopping Iranian nukes, just as we've given up missile defense systems for Eastern Europe. 

Why is it that our enemies seem to have gotten stronger since Obama took office?  Just asking.

September 17, 2009   Permalink

CARTER? NEVER HEARD OF HIM - AT 8:32 A.M. ET:  It isn't just the White House that's distancing itself from Jimmah Carter's peanut-sized comments about race.  There's a rush for the exits, as the Politico reports:

Jimmy Carter is 84 years old and three decades removed from the White House, but he still has the power to make Democrats run.

Away from him, that is.

From the White House to Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Democrats raced to distance themselves from the former president’s claim that racism was behind Rep. Joe Wilson’s “You lie” outburst and other attacks on President Barack Obama.

“Listen, he’s the former president, and he’s entitled to his point of view,” said Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). “I personally believe President Obama and his administration are focused on the issues, and I agree with that.”

“I don’t see this as a racial issue,” added Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.). “There are a lot of people upset about how we on the Democratic side can engage like we have been, and there’s a lot of anger out there. So, I don’t see it as a racial issue.”

And...

Congressional Democrats have no interest in starting a racial argument that could turn off swing district voters whose support the party will need if it plans on keeping its grip on Congress in 2010.

COMMENT:  I'd say it's time for Carter to go on one of his 'round-the-world trips, but he probably does less harm by staying home and making foolish and mean-spirited statements. 

The man was president.  How did this happen?

September 17, 2009   Permalink

THE DISGRACE - AT 7:57 A.M. ET:  Readers Douglas Nelson and Joseph J. Gallick alert us to articles reporting that President Obama has decided to cancel the missile shield that President Bush pledged to Poland and the Czech Republic.

At first I thought this was a rumor, or prediction, but it's now been confirmed, as AP reports:

PRAGUE – President Barack Obama has decided to scrap plans for a U.S. missile defense shield in the Czech Republic and Poland that had deeply angered Russia, the Czech prime minister confirmed Thursday.

NATO's new chief hailed the move as "a positive step" and a Russian analyst said Obama's decision will increase the chances that Russia will cooperate more closely with the United States in the dispute over Iran's nuclear program.

Premier Jan Fischer told reporters that Obama phoned him overnight to say that "his government is pulling out of plans to build a missile defense radar on Czech territory."

"The same happened with Poland. Poland was informed in the same way about this intention," Fischer said.

The eloquent Niles Gardiner comments in Britain's Telegraph:

This is bad news for all who care about the US commitment to the transatlantic alliance and the defence of Europe as well as the United States. It represents the appalling appeasement of Russian aggression and a willingness to sacrifice American allies on the altar of political expediency. A deal with the Russians to cancel missile defence installations sends a clear message that even Washington can be intimidated by the Russian bear.

What signal does this send to Ukraine, Georgia and a host of other former Soviet satellites who look to America and NATO for protection from their powerful neighbour? The impending cancellation of Third Site is a shameful abandonment of America’s friends in eastern and central Europe, and a slap in the face for those who actually believed a key agreement with Washington was worth the paper it was written on.

COMMENT:  Gardiner gets it right.  This is a dark day. We're also letting slip our "deadline" on Iran, and have shown little interest in Iran's democracy movement.  We've capitulated to North Korea's demand for one-on-one talks with Washington.  And we're appeasing Chavez and Castro, while harassing the new, constitutionally formed government of Honduras. 

Great to be an ally of the United States, isn't it?

September 17, 2009   Permalink