Romney
Votes
% 39% %
Delegates* 7
Paul
Votes 55,455
% 23%
Delegates 3
Huntsman
Votes 40,903
% 17%
Delegates 2
Gingrich
Votes 22,931
% 9%
Delegates 0
Santorum
Votes 22,708
% 9%
Delegates 0
Perry
Votes 1,709
% 1%
Delegates 0
Source: FOX News
NOTE TO SELF: Nobody, but nobody can out-Obama the current occupant of the White House. Yet some of the Republican candidates sound like they are grasping for straws by attacking capitalism and profits, making their rhetoric indistinguishable from the Occupy Wall Street protesters. Rush Limbaugh and other commentators have noticed this anomaly. Here's an excerpt:
...In starting this discussion, they're trying to explain this, dissect what's going on on the Republican side with the attacks on Romney and capitalism and so forth, with language, by the way, that's used by the left. I want to read to you some excerpts of a piece by Jay Nordlinger, who writes a column at National Review called Impromptus. He says, "I was watching a clip of Romney tangling with an Occupy protester last week. Romney was defending corporate profits. I was astounded. I don’t think I had ever seen a candidate do this. When the subject comes up, you’re supposed to denounce corporate profits or say, 'Hey, nice weather we’re having, huh?'"
That gave me great pause. I had to stop and think. He's right, frustratingly so. He's right. No matter who it is, when the subject of profits comes up on our side, they usually duck it and run for the hills, which is maddening. Where are our people taking the occasion to educate people who have been mal-informed, ill-informed, or lied to about capitalism from the first day they stepped into public school? Profits are evil, they are so evil that even people on our side duck the discussion. Jay Nordlinger is reminding himself here that he saw a clip of Romney arguing with an Occupy protester defending corporate profits. How unusual is this? He then goes on to point out that Phil Gramm, the former Senator from Texas, conservative and an economist by trade, "once explained to Bill Buckley why he never talked about free trade on the stump...."
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
Like Attracts Like
A Washington Post article reports that the two-legged rats at the Occupy camp in Washington, DC have caused a population explosion of the four-legged variety.
"[Mohammad] Akhter, who is originally from Pakistan and has worked for the District government for over 20 years, said that the situation in the two parks is reminiscent of refugee camps he has toured overseas in the Middle East and Africa during his public health career. He said he fears disaster could strike during a severe winter storm...."
"[Mohammad] Akhter, who is originally from Pakistan and has worked for the District government for over 20 years, said that the situation in the two parks is reminiscent of refugee camps he has toured overseas in the Middle East and Africa during his public health career. He said he fears disaster could strike during a severe winter storm...."
Saturday, January 7, 2012
My Take on the GOP Presidential Candidates
As the Republican presidential hopefuls prepare for another round of debates, I write a few impressions of the lineup (my opinion and no one else's):
Mitt Romney - He is expected to win next Tuesday's primary, so most of his rivals have concentrated their efforts elsewhere.
Mitt's strategy of holding on to the center with a death-grip does not sit well with many conservatives, who expect him to stake out clear and unequivocal positions without appearing to be a flip-flopper. On the plus side, he is one of the few candidates with a claim to being a turnaround artist, as evidenced by how he saved the Salt Lake Winter Olympics. If he became the Republican nominee, expect the Obama regime to release a flood of anti-Mormon propaganda.
Rick Santorum - Former Sen. Santorum's excellent showing in the Iowa caucuses have propelled him to the forefront of the "I'm not Romney" candidates. In the past few days, he has had a welcome infusion of cash, up to $1 million a day. Even when he was at the rear of the pack, he became the darling of social conservatives and evangelicals, and is expected to capitalize on this fact when he gets to South Carolina.
Ron Paul - Rep. Paul is actually a libertarian running as a Republican. While I like some of his ideas of a minimalist federal government, his isolationism, lack of knowledge of foreign policy and plans to aggressively cut our military strength are frightening.
Newt Gingrich - Give this man some power, and his dark side will come out. Let's face it, the former Speaker of the House has no people skills, and is given to ridiculous hyperbole (he compared being excluded from the Virginia primary ballot to Pearl Harbor!). Democrats are usually quite forgiving of serial philanderers - except when the offender is a Republican.
Rick Perry - Gov. Perry had the chance to build up some momentum when he announced his candidacy, and he blew it. Like former President George W. Bush, he comes from a weak-governor state, and since old habits die hard, may be inclined to compromise with Congress even at times when bold and firm action are called for.
Jon Huntsman - Sometimes Huntsman appears to be a candidate who could easily pass for a Democrat. He has been concentrating his efforts on New Hampshire more than most of the others, and we will know by next week whether or not his efforts have paid off.
Mitt Romney - He is expected to win next Tuesday's primary, so most of his rivals have concentrated their efforts elsewhere.
Mitt's strategy of holding on to the center with a death-grip does not sit well with many conservatives, who expect him to stake out clear and unequivocal positions without appearing to be a flip-flopper. On the plus side, he is one of the few candidates with a claim to being a turnaround artist, as evidenced by how he saved the Salt Lake Winter Olympics. If he became the Republican nominee, expect the Obama regime to release a flood of anti-Mormon propaganda.
Rick Santorum - Former Sen. Santorum's excellent showing in the Iowa caucuses have propelled him to the forefront of the "I'm not Romney" candidates. In the past few days, he has had a welcome infusion of cash, up to $1 million a day. Even when he was at the rear of the pack, he became the darling of social conservatives and evangelicals, and is expected to capitalize on this fact when he gets to South Carolina.
Ron Paul - Rep. Paul is actually a libertarian running as a Republican. While I like some of his ideas of a minimalist federal government, his isolationism, lack of knowledge of foreign policy and plans to aggressively cut our military strength are frightening.
Newt Gingrich - Give this man some power, and his dark side will come out. Let's face it, the former Speaker of the House has no people skills, and is given to ridiculous hyperbole (he compared being excluded from the Virginia primary ballot to Pearl Harbor!). Democrats are usually quite forgiving of serial philanderers - except when the offender is a Republican.
Rick Perry - Gov. Perry had the chance to build up some momentum when he announced his candidacy, and he blew it. Like former President George W. Bush, he comes from a weak-governor state, and since old habits die hard, may be inclined to compromise with Congress even at times when bold and firm action are called for.
Jon Huntsman - Sometimes Huntsman appears to be a candidate who could easily pass for a Democrat. He has been concentrating his efforts on New Hampshire more than most of the others, and we will know by next week whether or not his efforts have paid off.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Obama Guts Defense Budget
According to FOX News, President Obama claims these deep cuts will leave the Department of Defense leaner but still superior, the crickets chirp as inquiring minds ask what comparable sacrifices will be made to entitlement programs.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Romney Barely Squeaks By in Iowa
ABC News reports that former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney won the Iowa caucuses by only 8 votes.
Rick Santorum attracted many evangelical Christians and social conservatives, coming in second. Rep. Ron Paul came in third with 21% of the vote.
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, still bitter over the negative campaigning from the Romney camp that knocked him from the top tier of presidential candidates, finished in fourth place.
Gov. Rick Perry announced his intention to go back to Texas, saying, "I've decided to return to Texas to assess the results of tonight's caucus, determine whether there is a path forward for myself in this race." In other words, he may be dropping out of the competition soon.
UPDATE: Also from ABC News: Rep. Michele Bachmann will not be going to South Carolina, after all. After her poor showing in Iowa, she has decided to drop out of the presidential race.
Rick Santorum attracted many evangelical Christians and social conservatives, coming in second. Rep. Ron Paul came in third with 21% of the vote.
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, still bitter over the negative campaigning from the Romney camp that knocked him from the top tier of presidential candidates, finished in fourth place.
Gov. Rick Perry announced his intention to go back to Texas, saying, "I've decided to return to Texas to assess the results of tonight's caucus, determine whether there is a path forward for myself in this race." In other words, he may be dropping out of the competition soon.
UPDATE: Also from ABC News: Rep. Michele Bachmann will not be going to South Carolina, after all. After her poor showing in Iowa, she has decided to drop out of the presidential race.
Monday, January 2, 2012
A Collective Sigh of Relief for Two Developments
Harry Burkhart, a German national who "hated America" because was upset over the impending deportation of his mother has been arrested for starting over 50 car fires in the Hollywood/San Fernando Valley area, according to FOX News and CNN. There have been no further cases of arson since he was apprehended.
Also on FOX News: Police confirmed that [Benjamin Colton] Barnes, who was wanted for allegedly murdering park ranger Margaret Anderson and wounding 4 others was found face down in the snow. He apparently succumbed to hypothermia.
Also on FOX News: Police confirmed that [Benjamin Colton] Barnes, who was wanted for allegedly murdering park ranger Margaret Anderson and wounding 4 others was found face down in the snow. He apparently succumbed to hypothermia.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Much Ado About Iowa
With only 5 days to go before the Iowa caucuses, Michael Barone at the Wall Street Journal has an assessment that I can basically agree with.
Having the first-in-the-nation vote has been good for the state's economy, with presidential candidates such as Mitt Romney and Ron Paul spending lavish amounts of money on TV ads. But since turnout for the Republican caucus is traditionally low, winning this state is not a good prognosticator of gaining the party's nomination or winning the general election.
For quite some time it appears that Gov. Romney was more interested in New Hampshire, but lately has enjoyed a surge in popular support, while Gingrich's has plummeted (according to some polls, but not others that show an increase in his strength). If anyone deserves an "A" for effort it would be former Sen. Santorum, who was the first to visit all 99 of Iowa's counties. Rep. Ron Paul remains a strong contender, more so than Gov. Rick Perry or Jon Huntsman. Michele Bachmann may be facing a decision point: if she can't make it in Iowa, she probably won't be able to make it anywhere else and may have to withdraw from the race and endorse another candidate.
Having the first-in-the-nation vote has been good for the state's economy, with presidential candidates such as Mitt Romney and Ron Paul spending lavish amounts of money on TV ads. But since turnout for the Republican caucus is traditionally low, winning this state is not a good prognosticator of gaining the party's nomination or winning the general election.
For quite some time it appears that Gov. Romney was more interested in New Hampshire, but lately has enjoyed a surge in popular support, while Gingrich's has plummeted (according to some polls, but not others that show an increase in his strength). If anyone deserves an "A" for effort it would be former Sen. Santorum, who was the first to visit all 99 of Iowa's counties. Rep. Ron Paul remains a strong contender, more so than Gov. Rick Perry or Jon Huntsman. Michele Bachmann may be facing a decision point: if she can't make it in Iowa, she probably won't be able to make it anywhere else and may have to withdraw from the race and endorse another candidate.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Sears/Kmart Closing 100-120 Stores Soon
USA Today is the bearer of bad news. Citing a miserable Christmas shopping season, Sears Holdings Corp. of Hoffman Estates, IL announced that it will close as many as 120 "marginally performing" stores. There is not enough information to calculate how many jobs will be lost.
Nancy Pelosi Checks Into $10,000-a-Day Suite in Hawaii; Occupy Protesters Keep Their Mouths Shut
The Hawaii Reporter reports the news that many in the Big Media would rather suppress:
"Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, who served as Speaker of the House and is now head of the House minority, is once again spending her Christmas at the exotic Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at Historic Ka'upulehu in Kona on the island of Hawaii.
"Pelosi reportedly plans to spend her Christmas Eve at midnight mass in St. Michael's Catholic Church in Kailua-Kona.
"Pelosi spent the last two Christmas holidays in Kona at the same hotel in an elaborate suite that rents for $10,000 a night....
"Pelosi has been escorted by local police during her last two holiday visits to Hawaii Island at a cost of $34,000 to local taxpayers.
"Obama’s trip to the island of Oahu has proved much pricier to state and federal taxpayers.
"In a Hawaii Reporter story published last week, the total cost (based on what is known) for a 17-day round trip vacation to Hawaii for the President and his family and staff and security is an estimated $4,113,038.
"That includes $3,629,622 for separate travel for the president and his family, $151,200 for housing for security, $72,216 for staff to stay in one of Hawaii's most luxurious resorts, the Moana Surfrider in Waikiki, and local police protection and ambulance detail for $260,000."
"Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, who served as Speaker of the House and is now head of the House minority, is once again spending her Christmas at the exotic Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at Historic Ka'upulehu in Kona on the island of Hawaii.
"Pelosi reportedly plans to spend her Christmas Eve at midnight mass in St. Michael's Catholic Church in Kailua-Kona.
"Pelosi spent the last two Christmas holidays in Kona at the same hotel in an elaborate suite that rents for $10,000 a night....
"Pelosi has been escorted by local police during her last two holiday visits to Hawaii Island at a cost of $34,000 to local taxpayers.
"Obama’s trip to the island of Oahu has proved much pricier to state and federal taxpayers.
"In a Hawaii Reporter story published last week, the total cost (based on what is known) for a 17-day round trip vacation to Hawaii for the President and his family and staff and security is an estimated $4,113,038.
"That includes $3,629,622 for separate travel for the president and his family, $151,200 for housing for security, $72,216 for staff to stay in one of Hawaii's most luxurious resorts, the Moana Surfrider in Waikiki, and local police protection and ambulance detail for $260,000."
Monday, December 26, 2011
Moonbats on Parade
At a time when everyone is compiling lists for the year 2011, we can count on Media Research Center to shine the spotlight on the most outrageous examples of reporting, self-indulgence, and propaganda by the Leftmedia. The following quote was listed as #1 under "Twenty-Fourth Annual Awards for the Year’s Worst Reporting":
Paul Krugman
“What happened after 9/11 — and I think even people on the right know this, whether they admit it or not — was deeply shameful. [The] atrocity should have been a unifying event, but instead it became a wedge issue. Fake heroes like Bernie Kerik, Rudy Giuliani, and, yes, George W. Bush raced to cash in on the horror. And then the attack was used to justify an unrelated war the neo-cons wanted to fight, for all the wrong reasons....The memory of 9/11 has been irrevocably poisoned; it has become an occasion for shame. And in its heart, the nation knows it.”
— New York Times columnist Paul Krugman in a September 11 posting to his NYTimes.com blog
Paul Krugman
“What happened after 9/11 — and I think even people on the right know this, whether they admit it or not — was deeply shameful. [The] atrocity should have been a unifying event, but instead it became a wedge issue. Fake heroes like Bernie Kerik, Rudy Giuliani, and, yes, George W. Bush raced to cash in on the horror. And then the attack was used to justify an unrelated war the neo-cons wanted to fight, for all the wrong reasons....The memory of 9/11 has been irrevocably poisoned; it has become an occasion for shame. And in its heart, the nation knows it.”
— New York Times columnist Paul Krugman in a September 11 posting to his NYTimes.com blog
Pearl Harbor Survivor Rejoins Friends on USS Arizona
A Chicago Sun-Times story describes how Frank Cabiness, one of the Marines who survived the destruction of the USS Arizona, had his ashes interred in the ship with full military honors last Friday.
“He said it was because that’s where he belonged. Because he lost all of his friends there and he wanted to be with them,” Jerry Cabiness [son of Frank] said after the service.
“He said it was because that’s where he belonged. Because he lost all of his friends there and he wanted to be with them,” Jerry Cabiness [son of Frank] said after the service.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Counterintuitive Finding on Gift-Giving
Just in time for Christmas, FOX News reports that "...when giving an expensive present, adding on a cheaper stocking stuffer as an extra gift actually diminishes the perceived value of the overall package in the recipient's eyes.
"Say you have the choice of giving your significant other a luxury cashmere sweater, or the sweater and a $10 gift card. Although it may seem that adding the smaller gift and therefore giving them more presents is the way to go, researchers found that giving only the sweater would be the better option.
"That's because the gift recipient is likely to perceive the gift of just the expensive item alone as more generous than the combination of the costly item and the cheaper item, according to the researchers, who conducted several experiments...."
"Say you have the choice of giving your significant other a luxury cashmere sweater, or the sweater and a $10 gift card. Although it may seem that adding the smaller gift and therefore giving them more presents is the way to go, researchers found that giving only the sweater would be the better option.
"That's because the gift recipient is likely to perceive the gift of just the expensive item alone as more generous than the combination of the costly item and the cheaper item, according to the researchers, who conducted several experiments...."
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Out for Himself
MSNBC and other news sources are running the story that billionaire Donald Trump has changed his party affiliation from Republican to unaffiliated to leave open the option of running for President as an independent candidate. It's no secret that he is not satisfied with the current selection of Republican candidates, and doesn't believe that any one of them is electable.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Looks Like Obama Gets to Go to Hawaii, After All
The illustration represents our reaction to Speaker of the House Boehner's decision to accept the Democratic-controlled Senate's payroll tax cut deal.
"In exchange, the Senate will appoint negotiators who will meet with House lawmakers to next hammer out an extension of the tax cut for the rest of 2012.
"The deal still has to clear both chambers, and rank-and-file Republicans already are expressing concern about the terms Boehner outlined. But the agreement was modeled after a solution Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell proposed earlier Thursday.
"McConnell's statement, as well as a very public campaign by the White House to lambaste House Republicans for holding up a deal, had put pressure on Boehner to find a way out of the impasse, and fast. Without a deal, the payroll tax rate is set to rise from 4.2 percent to 6.2 percent on Jan. 1, which would mean about $40 less a paycheck for a family making $50,000."
See FOX News for more details.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Who Would Think of Shipping Fireworks to China?
BBC News has an astonishing story about a China-bound ship that was intercepted in Finland carrying 69 Patriot missiles!
The MS Thor Liberty had docked in the Finnish port of Kotka after leaving Germany last week.
Dock workers became suspicious after finding explosives poorly stored on open pallets, and the missiles were then found in containers marked "fireworks".
The managing director of the ship's owner, Thorco Shipping, expressed surprise. Thomas Mikkelsen told AFP news agency from Denmark that he was unaware of the matter.
Another company official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the ship had been detained in Finland and said the missiles could have been loaded on to the vessel by mistake, AFP adds.
Police did not confirm Finnish media reports that the ship had also been scheduled to stop in South Korea, Reuters news agency reports....
The MS Thor Liberty had docked in the Finnish port of Kotka after leaving Germany last week.
Dock workers became suspicious after finding explosives poorly stored on open pallets, and the missiles were then found in containers marked "fireworks".
The managing director of the ship's owner, Thorco Shipping, expressed surprise. Thomas Mikkelsen told AFP news agency from Denmark that he was unaware of the matter.
Another company official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the ship had been detained in Finland and said the missiles could have been loaded on to the vessel by mistake, AFP adds.
Police did not confirm Finnish media reports that the ship had also been scheduled to stop in South Korea, Reuters news agency reports....
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
A Clear Case of Projection
Warner Todd Huston at Right Wing News reminds us once again of the Left's never-ending efforts to brand the Tea Party movement as agents of political violence. An unsuccessful candidate for city council in Carson, CA, Jules Manson, published a threat to President Obama and his family and attributed it to a "Tea Party darling." After the OWS debacle, we maintain that the leftists among us are the principal advocates of violence and coercion in our society.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Eric Holder Plays Race Card, Is Trumped By Rep. Allen West
An article in HotAir.com illustrates how desperate this Obama crony has become:
Attorney General Eric Holder told The New York Times this weekend that “the more extreme segment” of his Fast and Furious critics are motivated by — you guessed it — racism. But Florida Rep. Allen West will have none of it.
In remarks to The Daily Caller, West interpreted Holder’s shameless rhetorical tactic as a sign of desperation — and called him out for his non-race-related incompetence:
“I think this is absolutely the last card in the deck, and that shows how weak their ground is,” West said in a phone interview. “But, what that means is they want to make white individuals afraid of continuing to put the pressure on Eric Holder because they don’t want to be seen as racist, and that is something that we have got to move beyond....”
Attorney General Eric Holder told The New York Times this weekend that “the more extreme segment” of his Fast and Furious critics are motivated by — you guessed it — racism. But Florida Rep. Allen West will have none of it.
In remarks to The Daily Caller, West interpreted Holder’s shameless rhetorical tactic as a sign of desperation — and called him out for his non-race-related incompetence:
“I think this is absolutely the last card in the deck, and that shows how weak their ground is,” West said in a phone interview. “But, what that means is they want to make white individuals afraid of continuing to put the pressure on Eric Holder because they don’t want to be seen as racist, and that is something that we have got to move beyond....”
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Kim Jong-il Dead at 69
Now that MSNBC/AP has reported on this item, it is now out of the rumor stage. His third son, Kim Jong-un, is next in line to take over North Korea.
Vaclav Havel, Leader of Czech Freedom Movement, Dies
We regret to announce that Vaclav Havel (1936-2011), who risked his life to defy the Soviet Empire, passed away at his weekend home in the northern Czech Republic.
Lech Walesa, former Polish president and the Nobel Peace Prize-winning founder of the country's anti-communist Solidarity movement, called Havel "a great fighter for the freedom of nations and for democracy."
Source of this information is AP/Yahoo News.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Cell Phone Ban Challenged by Insurance Group
CNN Money has an article that seems to support our position that a law or regulation is meaningless unless it can be enforced:
Cell phone bans, such as those recently recommended by the National Transportation Safety Board, have so far proven useless when it comes to actually reducing car crashes, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
The Insurance Institute is a private group financed by auto insurers. The National Transportation Safety Board recently recommended that states adopt strict rules banning all non-driving-related use of hand-held devices such as cell phones - even hands-free - while driving.
Many states already have bans on hand-held cell phone use and on texting while driving. The Insurance Institute has studied crash rates before and after bans were enacted in various states and also compared them to crash rates in nearby states with no such bans.
While the bans have resulted in actual reductions in phone use, they have not resulted in any reduction in crash rates, according to the Institute.
The Institute found similar results from bans on text messaging while driving. In fact, in a strange twist, texting bans actually resulted in more crashes in several states, according to an IIHS study.
The lesson, Insurance Institute spokesman Russ Rader said, may be that cell phones aren't really the problem, drivers are....
Cell phone bans, such as those recently recommended by the National Transportation Safety Board, have so far proven useless when it comes to actually reducing car crashes, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
The Insurance Institute is a private group financed by auto insurers. The National Transportation Safety Board recently recommended that states adopt strict rules banning all non-driving-related use of hand-held devices such as cell phones - even hands-free - while driving.
Many states already have bans on hand-held cell phone use and on texting while driving. The Insurance Institute has studied crash rates before and after bans were enacted in various states and also compared them to crash rates in nearby states with no such bans.
While the bans have resulted in actual reductions in phone use, they have not resulted in any reduction in crash rates, according to the Institute.
The Institute found similar results from bans on text messaging while driving. In fact, in a strange twist, texting bans actually resulted in more crashes in several states, according to an IIHS study.
The lesson, Insurance Institute spokesman Russ Rader said, may be that cell phones aren't really the problem, drivers are....
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