POLITICO MAFIOSO THE WEEK IN REVIEW for W/E Jan 30th

PICTURE OF THE WEEK:

Another fast paced week in politics. If you missed any articles on Politico Mafioso this week, just click on the links below:

Saturday, January 30, 2010

CONGRATULATIONS TO BRUCE ASH - THE NEW RNC RULES COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN!

JIM WARING FUNDRAISER EVENT - THURS FEB 4TH

OBAMA AND TRIANGULATION By DICK MORRIS

The Obama Contradiction

Courting Disaster By William Warren!

Republican Leaders Comment After Meeting with President Obama

Pelosi stopped one CIA operation. So why not waterboarding? By Marc A. Thiessen

Governor Brewer Awards Stimulus Funds to Arizona School Districts

Friday, January 29, 2010

KURT WARNER RETIRES FROM THE ARIZONA CARDINALS!

The Insanity that is JD Hayworth by Kristofer Lorelli

THE STATE OF THE UNION: A HOLLOW SPEECH By DICK MORRIS & EILEEN MCGANN

Get Real Mr. Obama

A Fact Check of the State of the Union by Adam Bitely

McMorris Rodgers Answers Obama’s Request for Earmark Transparency Website…Five Months Ago

Cong JEFF FLAKE - Thoughts on State of the Union speech

Thursday, January 28, 2010

SEN. JOHN McCAIN ON 'FOX & FRIENDS' THIS MORNING!

SEN. JOHN McCAIN ON THE STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS

Shadegg: Obama Needs to 'Freeze' Washington Spin

Franks: State of the Union Address Marks One Year of Failed Obama Policies

Obama Criticizes Supreme Court During SOTU Address

Harry Reid Yawns During Obama's State of The Union!

Fact Check: How Obama's State of Union Compares With Reality From Fox News.com

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Legal questions linger past J.D. Hayworth's KFYI exit by Dan Nowicki The Arizona Republic

McCain Challenger J.D. Hayworth Is No Conservative Hero By Matt Lewis

An explanation to the nation By Michael Steele

Innovative Text2Chat Program Taking Place during the SOTU

Obamas Debt Dud By Robert Romano

Obama's Deceitful Change of Course

Barack Obama and the Salmon Syndrome

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

RULES ON REPLACING ARIZONA LEGISLATORS WHO RESIGN!

PELOSI AND REID PLOT SECRET PLAN FOR OBAMACARE By DICK MORRIS & EILEEN MCGANN

Weekend at Barrys By Robert Romano

Blame Bush By William Warren!

Obama's White House Nightmare Worsens

Air Force to Hold Public Meetings on Impact of F-35 Program at Luke AFB

RNC Chairman Michael Steele Excited for Hawaii Winter Meeting

BRAD MARSTON - THE NEXT MASS MIRACLE!

Monday, January 25, 2010

Sen. McCain Speaks Out

TOM HORNE RAISES $205,000 SO FAR FOR AG RACE!

Obama's Approval Most Polarized for First-Year President by Jeffrey M. Jones

Capitol South By William Warren!

QUOTE OF THE DAY!!!

Governor Brewer's Public Schedule for the Week Beginning Monday, January 25,

CONGRATULATIONS TO BRUCE ASH - THE NEW RNC RULES COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN!

Bruce Ash, one of Arizona's three representatives to the Republican National Committee, won a unanimous vote to head the Rules Committee. The post gives Ash a powerful platform from which to influence the party's presidential nominating process and key procedures within the national party.

Ash had run for the post before, but he lost a July vote to Florida Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer by a narrow margin. Greer was a close ally of RNC Chairman Michael Steele, who backed Greer's bid to become rules chief.

"It's a great day for Arizona. The Rules Committee is a very important committee (that) determines, obviously, how we run the RNC as well as looking at the rules and reconsidering what the rules changes should be for 2012 at the convention," said Randy Pullen, the
state's Republican Party chairman.

As rules chairman, Ash will hold a critical post as the national party undergoes a self-examination over rules influencing the presidential nominating process. A special RNC panel is examining whether, and how, to alter the calendar so that presidential primaries and caucuses are held beginning in February, while most states are allowed to hold their contests in January.

JIM WARING FUNDRAISER EVENT - THURS FEB 4TH

Please see the attached invitation to a special gathering at our house next Thursday in honor of our good friend, Jim Waring, who is running for the U.S. House of Representatives. Enjoy wine and appetizers while getting to know Jim and learn what he has accomplished as an Arizona State Senator!

I hope you all can make it!

Kelly Hundelt

Realty Executives

m: 602-430-3564

Waring Event

OBAMA AND TRIANGULATION By DICK MORRIS

Published on TheHill.com on January 26, 2010

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Q: How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb?A: None, if it really wants to change.

Any president, at any time, can choose to embody the consensus his nation has reached after it has engaged in a period of extended debate. That process, called triangulation, involves the embrace of the elements advanced by the right and by the left that Americans have found valid, and the rejection of those from which they have turned away.

When our nation encounters a new problem, we welcome vigorous debate and encourage each side to articulate its views and elaborate its solutions.But, after a time, we have heard enough and want resolution, consensus and implementation. If Obama heeds that call, he can, indeed, turn his presidency around. But if he continues to pursue his leftist, socialist agenda and uses a feigned moderation as a guise for his radicalism, we will not be fooled again. We have been down that road with him before.

In healthcare, for example, the debate has left most of us in agreement that insurance companies need to be reined in. They should not be allowed to reject those with pre-existing conditions or to raise rates when their clients become sick. We mostly agree that lifetime caps on benefits are unfair. Since each of us could become sick and run afoul of those rules, we oppose them and ask for their reform. On the other hand, we reject the total revamping of the healthcare industry, the reduction of doctor pay, the cuts in Medicare and the mandatory insurance embedded in the ObamaCare legislation. Were Obama to embrace these solutions, he would be able to pass his bill quickly and would be hailed for it.

But will Obama do it? Will he emulate Clinton and save his presidency by moving to the center?

Certainly not before he has lost his control over Congress. It was not the defeat of healthcare that impelled Clinton's change of course, but his defeat in the elections of 1994. Even then, it took six months to turn the battleship around.

And after he loses Congress? Probably not even then. Clinton was a lifelong moderate who moved to the left when expediency dictated. Obama is a lifelong liberal who pretends to move to the center when he has to.

A committed socialist, one doubts that Obama would sacrifice his cherished transformative goals for incremental policies.

But even if Obama did, it might not save him. There is a basic difference between the circumstances that surround the Obama and Clinton administrations. Clinton faced relatively minor problems while Obama is neck deep in recession, deficit and stagnation. Clinton could reshape his presidency by positioning, posturing and
passing moderate legislation.

But Obama can only succeed by altering outcomes. Americans want jobs, lower unemployment, economic growth, a reduced deficit and an end to the recession. They will not be assuaged or appeased by programs or proposals. They demand results.

The skills of the spin doctor are wasted on his administration. All the photo-ops in the world and all the populist-sounding rhetoric will not do the job.

They may provide a short-term bounce -- as will probably follow the State of the Union speech -- but they will become undone with the next week's jobless numbers.

Just as George W. Bush could not recapture his popularity with new programs for Iraq -- voters demanded a reduction in casualties and then withdrawal -- Obama cannot save his by announcing new ideas. He has to produce.

All the spin in the world will not save Obama.

BREAKING NEWS: The REAL State of the Union

Go to DickMorris.com to read all of Dick's columns!

The Obama Contradiction

The Obama Contradiction
By Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal

Washington is sick and broken-and it can solve all our problems. When you watch a president give a State of the Union Address on television, you're always watching three people: the president at the podium, and the vice president and House speaker on the rise behind him.

As a TV shot it's awkward. The vice president and the speaker have been instructed by media professionals not to let their eyes do what they want to do, which is survey the doings in the chamber. Instead they must stare unwaveringly at the back of the president's head.

This is so that they appear to be fascinated by what he's saying, as if he's so interesting that they can't take their eyes off him. It's also so that you, the viewer, don't become distracted by wondering whom they're looking at in the audience. It's uncomfortable for them, and boring. You, as a member of the TV audience, get to watch the president.

The speaker and the vice president get to think, "Huh, he's getting a little gray in the back." The reason Nancy Pelosi often seems a little dart-eyed in these circumstances is that she's always trying to get a look at the chamber when she thinks the camera isn't on her. Joe Biden seems happy to be the fascinated person with crinkly
eyes and shining teeth.

But for Mrs. Pelosi it's a challenge. This is her chamber, all her people are here, and she wants to be looking at John Boehner's face and Harry Reid's and see who's cheering and who's wearing what. But the three-shot the other night was also the president's problem. It underscored that he gave the first year of his presidency to the Democrats of Congress, that they wrote the costly and unpopular health-care and spending bills.

Read More and Comment:

Courting Disaster By William Warren!

Republican Leaders Comment After Meeting with President Obama

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO!

Pelosi stopped one CIA operation. So why not waterboarding? By Marc A. Thiessen

Friday, January 29, 2010



In mid-2004, then-House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi learned something from a CIA briefing that made her blood boil. Pelosi reportedly "came unglued" at the revelation and had "strong words" with national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, demanding that the CIA abandon its plans. As a result, a top-secret finding that President George W. Bush signed to authorize the CIA's activities was revised. Pelosi succeeded in stopping the agency from moving forward with the controversial operation.


What drove Pelosi to action? Not the CIA's waterboarding of suspected al-Qaeda terrorists. In a 2009 interview, a former senior Bush administration official directed me to a little-noticed item from Time magazine. According to this 2004 report, Pelosi objected to a CIA plan to provide money to moderate political parties in Iraq ahead of scheduled elections, in an effort to counter Iran, which was funneling millions to extremist elements.



"House minority leader Nancy Pelosi 'came unglued' when she learned about what a source described as a plan for 'the CIA to put an operation in place to affect the outcome of the elections,' " Time reported.



"Pelosi had strong words with National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice in a phone call about the issue. . . . A senior U.S. official hinted that, under pressure from the Hill, the Administration scaled back its original plans." (Her role was also reported on this page by David Ignatius in 2007.)


Why is this important? Because on May 14, 2009, Pelosi, now speaker of the House, declared in a Capitol Hill news conference that she had opposed CIA waterboarding but was powerless to stop it. A former senior intelligence official told me in 2009 that he was shocked by Pelosi's claim because, he said, "Speaker Pelosi herself has stopped covert action programs that she has been briefed on by going to the White House.

In that very same time frame [after she learned about waterboarding] Pelosi had gone back to the White House [over] a separate covert action program, expressed strong opposition to it. And the remarkable part to me, the White House backed off the program,
changed one aspect of the program . . . she was particularly opposed
to.

And literally, the finding was pulled back and revised." If Pelosi had truly opposed waterboarding, he said, she had numerous ways to stop it -- but she didn't try.


CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE!



Buy Marc Thiessen's New Book: (Click Below on the Photo of the Book)

Governor Brewer Awards Stimulus Funds to Arizona School Districts

Governor Jan Brewer Awards Stimulus Funds to
Arizona School Districts for Energy Efficiency Projects
Administrative Cost Savings Pushes Dollars to the Classroom

PHOENIX – Governor Jan Brewer today announced that 25 Arizona school districts will receive American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds for energy efficiency projects at schools throughout the state. The funding is part of the $55,447,000 awarded to the Arizona Department of Commerce Energy Office through the State Energy Program (SEP).

“This investment in our schools can have a significant, long-term impact by allowing more money to be
directed at the Arizona classroom rather than on administrative
costs,” said Governor Brewer. “Preserving and streamlining the
essential functions of state government will be critical to Arizona’s job and budget recovery.”

The grants will provide more than $12 million to fund energy efficiency projects for the qualifying school districts, which include lighting and HVAC upgrades. In October 2009, $4.2 million was awarded to 22 school districts for solar energy projects to install photovoltaic systems of up to 30KWdc. The School Facilities Board (SFB) is managing the energy efficiency grants for the state.

“The average payback for these projects is approximately eight years, which means the awards made today will save millions of dollars in energy costs in the coming years,” said Dean Gray, Interim Executive Director of the School Facilities Board. “The money saved can be moved directly into the classroom.”

The School Facilities Board conducted a competitive selection process to award grant funding for 30 percent of the project cost up to $1 million per school district and received 105 applications from 44 school districts. The district will be responsible for 70 percent of the project cost either through performance contracting or any available local funds. The criteria for project selection were life-cycle payback, energy savings measured by unit reduction, energy savings measured by dollar reduction and impact on the school utility budget.

The following school districts were chosen to receive funds: Altar Valley Elementary (20 miles west of Tucson), Balsz Elementary (Phoenix), Chandler Unified, Chinle Unified (Navajo Nation), Chino Valley Unified, Crane Elementary (Yuma), Dysart Unified (Surprise), Florence Unified, Fort Thomas Unified (San Carlos Apache Reservation), Fountain Hills Unified, Ganado Unified (Navajo Nation), Gilbert Unified, Higley Unified (Gilbert), Isaac Elementary (Phoenix), Marana Unified, Mesa Unified, Pinon Unified (Navajo Nation), Queen Creek Unified, Roosevelt Unified (Phoenix), Sahuarita Unified, Sierra Vista Unified, Tanque Verde Unified (Tucson), Toltec Elementary (Eloy), Tucson Unified and Winslow Unified.

“In these days of shrinking budgets, saving energy wherever possible makes great economic sense,” said Jim Arwood, Director of the State Energy Office. “Lowering utility bills at schools by more than $5.6 million a year means a great deal to Arizona taxpayers.”

The State Energy Program ARRA funds allocated to Arizona are being used to fund solar energy and energy efficiency improvements on public buildings throughout the state as well as supplementing utility company incentives for consumers who install renewable energy technologies. As projects are completed, any remaining funds will be used to award additional projects.

For more information, please visit the State of Arizona’s Recovery Act website at www.azrecovery.gov.

KURT WARNER RETIRES FROM THE ARIZONA CARDINALS!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO!

January 29, 2010

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Kurt Warner has called an end to one of the great storybook careers in NFL history.

The 38-year-old quarterback announced his retirement from the game on Friday after a dozen years in a league that at first rejected him, then revered him as he came from nowhere to lead the lowly St. Louis Rams to two Super Bowls, winning the first of them.

"Not much on the drama part of it, as most of you know," Warner said to begin a news conference at the Cardinals' training facility.
“
I'm excited about what lies in front of me. I'm excited about spending more time with my family, and seeing what God's going to do next. ” -- Kurt Warner

Warner said he'd been leaning toward retirement for the last half of this season.

"Obviously, it's been 12 unbelievable years, some of the best years of my life," a composed Warner said. "But I want everybody to know that I'm just as excited about the next 12, that I'm excited about what lies in front of me. I'm excited about spending more time with my family, and seeing what God's going to do next."

Written off as a has-been, he rose again to lead the long-suffering Arizona Cardinals to the Super Bowl a year ago.

Warner walked away with a year left on a two-year, $23 million contract, knowing he still had the skills to play at the highest level.

He had one of the greatest postseason performances ever in Arizona's 51-45 overtime wild card victory over Green Bay on Jan. 10, but sustained a brutal hit in the Cardinals' 45-14
divisional round loss at New Orleans six days later.

Warner leaves the game with a legacy that could land him in the Hall of Fame even though he didn't start his first game until he was 28.

In a comparison with the 14 quarterbacks to make
the Hall of Fame in the last 25 years, Warner has a better career completion percentage, yards per pass attempt and yards per game. Only Dan Marino had more career 300-yard passing games.

In 124 regular-season games, Warner completed 65.5 percent of his passes for 32,344 yards and 208 touchdowns. He and Fran Tarkenton are the only NFL quarterbacks to throw for 100 touchdowns
and 14,000 yards for two teams.

Warner, who grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and played collegiately at Northern Iowa, ranks among the career leaders in a variety of passing statistics.

He was also the fastest player in NFL history to 10,000 yards passing and tied Marino as fastest to reach 30,000.

He has the top three passing performances in Super Bowl history. His 1,156 yards passing in the 2008 playoffs broke the NFL record of 1,063 he set with St. Louis in 1999.

Warner's rise from obscurity seems the stuff of sports fiction.


He played three seasons in the Arena Football League and one in NFL Europe, mixed in with a sting stocking grocery shelves back in Iowa.

Warner made the Rams as a backup in 1998, then was thrust into the starting role in 1999 when Trent Green was injured.

What followed was a masterful and wholly unexpected season, when he led the Rams to a 13-3 regular-season record, then a Super Bowl triumph over Tennessee. He was named the league and Super Bowl MVP.

St. Louis was upset in the first round of the playoffs the following season, but Warner had them back in the big game in 2001, where "The Greatest Show on Turf" lost a squeaker to New England. The season earned him a second NFL MVP award.

But after an injury-plagued 2002 season, he was sacked six times and suffered a concussion in a 2003 season-opening loss to the New York Giants.

He never started for St. Louis again.

He signed a free agent contract with the Giants for 2004, but was replaced by rookie Eli Manning after nine games. Warner came to the Cardinals in 2005 and was an off-and-on starter before replacing the injured Matt Leinart part way through the 2007 season.

Warner had to beat out Leinart the following spring, then led the Cardinals to the NFC West crown and playoff victories over Atlanta, Carolina and Philadelphia before the narrow loss to Pittsburgh in last year's Super Bowl, where he threw for 377 yards.

Off the field, Warner has been just as impressive.

He and his wife operate the First Things First Christian charitable foundation. Last year, he was named the NFL's Man of the Year for his off-field and onfield accomplishments.

Warner's departure leaves Leinart the presumed replacement. The former Heisman Trophy winner has started 17 games for Arizona but only one in the last two years.


The Kurt Warner file
Vitals: 6-foot-2, 214 pounds.
College: Northern Iowa.
Born: June 22, 1971.
Hometown: Burlington, Iowa.

Warner by the numbers
1 - Super Bowl championship (XXXIV) 2 - NFL MVP awards (1999 and 2001) 3 - Super Bowl appearances (XXXIV, XXXVI, XLIII) 4 - Pro Bowl appearances 65.4 - Career completion rate, 2nd-highest in NFL history 129 - Career NFL starts* 239 - Career TD passes*278 - Times sacked in career* 1,156 - Total passing yards in three Super Bowls 36,296 - Career passing yards* * including postseason

NFL career highlights

• Became just the second player ever to start at QB in the Super Bowl for two different teams (Craig Morton, Dallas/Denver).

• In 2008, was honored as the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year for his community service and was also awarded the "Good Guy Award" from the Pro Football Writers Association for the player who most helps the media do its job.

• Led the NFL in completion percentage and average gain per attempt three times each, led the NFL in passer rating and TDs twice and led the league in passing yardage once.

• In his 114th career game (Oct. 18 Seattle), reached 30,000 career passing yards tying Dan Marino as the fastest player in NFL history to reach 30,000 passing yards.

• In week two of the 2009 season in Jacksonville, established an NFL single-game record for completion percentage (92.3) after connecting on 24 of 26 pass attempts.

• In week eight of the 2009 season vs. Carolina, reached 14,000 passing yards with Arizona and became the first QB in NFL history to pass for 14,000 yards with two teams.

• His 26 TD passes in 2009 gave him 100 TD passes as a member of the Cardinals. Combined with his 102 TD passes as a member of the St. Louis Rams, became just the second player in NFL history to throw for at least 100 TDs with two separate teams, joining Fran Tarkenton (N.Y. Giants and Minnesota).

• Has the top three passing totals in Super Bowl history, and is the only QB in Super Bowl history with three 300-yard performances.

Source: Arizona Cardinals

The Insanity that is JD Hayworth by Kristofer Lorelli

January 29, 2010

ICYMI, JD Hayworth is running again John McCain. Hayworth is touting himself as a common sense conservative, but in reality he is a reckless authoritarian, not a conservative. Most observers usually equate authoritarianism with socialist ideology, not the American conservative movement.

An Authoritarian, not a Conservative

Hayworth attempted to circumvent the constitution and the right to free speech by attempting to rescind the press credentials of reporters from the New York Times.

Of course rescinding the credentials of the NYT’s is a common fantasy shared by conservatives, but the difference between Hayworth and actual common sense conservatism, is that reasonable Republicans do not go public with the idea (and legislation), trying to make the dream a reality.

“The New York Times is a guest in the Capitol that, sadly, in my view, has worn out its welcome. This does not prohibit them from watching congressional activities on C-Span, or from the corner across the street, or from calling members of Congress by telephone.”

A Record of Corruption (Jack Abramoff)

From the most damaging scandal to hit the Republican since Watergate, the words ‘Jack Abramoff’ are set to make their way back to the headlines, as we witness the reappearance of JD Hayworth to the national scene.

No other elected official had received more gifts, perks and money from Abramoff, than JD Hayworth.

Refreshing your memory;

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, a research group in Washington that monitors the influence of money in politics, Mr. Hayworth was the largest single Congressional recipient of donations from Mr. Abramoff and his family, his associates, his Indian tribe clients and a gambling cruise ship line that he owned, with more
than $101,000 going to Mr. Hayworth and his political action committee since 1999. Mr. Hayworth was also a frequent guest in sports skyboxes controlled by Mr. Abramoff and his clients, and at Signatures, a Washington restaurant owned by the lobbyist.

Embarrassing Statements and Insults of Foreign Leaders

And let us not forget JD Hayworth’s mature and responsible approach to foreign policy.

Arizona Congressman J.D. Hayworth is warning the Mexican government that if they do not play ball when it comes to establishing a guest worker program to document migrating laborers, there will be financial consequences. - he [Hayworth] may seek to cut foreign aid to the country.

Correct me if I am wrong, but how is it the responsibility of Mexico for the failure of the US government to build a fence along the border, enforce civil law and leave the immigration system in need of reform? I am not sure how constructive it was to go public with a threat of financial sanctions against the Mexican government when we won’t even push for stronger sanctions against nation members of the Axis of evil.

That same year, Hayworth also told then President of Mexico, Vicente Fox, to ’shut up’, in a bizarre rant about a Mexican invasion of the United States;

“What’s disgraceful is President Fox presuming to lecture the United States on how best to protect itself against an invasion — an invasion that has his wholehearted advocacy. . . . He needs to stop his advocacy of an invasion of his countrymen into our nation. What’s shameful is that, as the president of the Republic of Mexico, he does nothing to stem this invasion. He actively endorses it.”

False Accusations Against Chinese Americans

In March of 2002, JD Hayworth’s cultural sensitivity skills were on display during a debate over a House amendment that would have barred legal permanent residents from making political campaign contribution. Instead of making a common sense argument that only citizens of the United States should have the right to participate in elections, Hayworth decided to attack Chinese Americans, by implying that they would assist with establishing of;
“sham corporations operated by the Red Army of China”,
and for providing;“enemies of our state access to our political system.”

The Asian Chamber of Commerce (a pro-business organization that has endorsed Republican candidates) was not impressed with Hayworth’s comments;

“Current laws already prohibit foreign money from flowing into the United States political system,” said Adrienne Pon, Executive Director of ALC. “Rep. Hayworth should apologize for inflammatory remarks that can create a backlash against Chinese Americans.”
Attacking President Bush on 9/11

Many of you may have wondered where the post-September 11th, Michael Moore/Liberal elite “Bush was gone fishing”, and “on vacation” attack lines originated from. In fact, they came from the mouth of then Congressman JD Hayworth.

From an

article published on September 11th, 2001;

Several Republicans said that Representative J. D. Hayworth of Arizona complained that it was hard for Mr. Bush to get his message out if the White House lectern had a ”Gone fishing” sign on it.

Not only was Hayworth’s smear campaign against President
Bush unacceptable, but his timing could not have been worse. To have his statements go public the same morning our nation was attacked was unfortunate for President Bush and the Republican party, and a gift to the looney left and media elite that pushed this theme in the years that followed.

THE STATE OF THE UNION: A HOLLOW SPEECH By DICK MORRIS & EILEEN MCGANN

Published in the New York Post on January 28, 2010


Printer-Friendly Version



When President Bill Clinton faced Congress in 1995, after first losing any hope of health-care reform and then control of Congress, he used his State of the Union speech to declare, "The era of big government is over." President Obama's State of the Union speech Wednesday night only served to remind us that the era of big speeches is over.


As America struggles with a 10 percent unemployment rate, stubbornly refusing to go down even as other economic numbers seem to rise, the public will no longer believe in speeches -- only in results. As Cuba Gooding Jr. says to Tom Cruise in "Jerry Maguire," Americans are saying, "show me the money."


In this sense, the Obama administration is remarkably similar to that of George W. Bush:


There's no hope of overcoming the president's political problems by speeches, spin or posturing.


It'll take results.As long as the body count rose in Iraq, nothing Bush said mattered much. And as long as the "body count" of un- and under-employed workers remains hovering over 20 percent, the American people won't be moved by presidential speeches or even actions. Only results will matter.

Obama's proposals to address the deficit, which is what is prolonging the recession, were ludicrous. None take effect until next year. And, even when they do, they will only trim the deficit by 3 percent.The very notion of a "jobs package" that underpins Obama's
newly announced program is oxymoronic. The president still seems not to have grasped the essential point that borrowing money to spend it to create jobs in fact costs jobs. Or that increasing the deficit de creases the opportunities for businesses and consumers to borrow and cuts the number of jobs.

Ultimately, the fate of the Obama presidency depends on whether he is right or his conservative critics are. If he's correct, more spending will bring down unemployment and put people to work. If he's wrong, the deficit that results from his spending will keep joblessness high.A lot of last night's speech was, in effect, an apology for his own policies. His lamentation of partisanship and division; his appeals for unity -- it all seemed almost to disregard his own record of polarization.

His allusion to the deficit "in which we find ourselves" was disingenuousness -- at best. He has to hope that nobody was reading the newspaper as he proposed a stimulus package costing
nearly $800 billion.

When he seemed at a loss, he lapsed into easy, populist applause lines -- almost a parody of partisanship. His campaign speech, dressed up as a State of the Union, seemed irrelevant to the economic experience of our past year.


Even his forays into patriotism ("I do not accept second place for the United States of America") sounded like a return to his rhetoric of the campaign -- irrelevant to our current situation.


His threat to "send back" to Congress any regulatory reform which does not meet his specifications was reminiscent of Clinton's threat -- as he brandished a pen -- to veto any health-care reform that didn't seem sufficient. The fact is that Congress isn't about to vote to give him the power to seize any corporation that he deems is "too big to fail" and "potentially insolvent."


His threat to veto is irrelevant.


The most attractive of his proposals -- and the one with the greatest potential political payoff -- was his proposal to offer a $10,000-a-year tax credit for college tuition. His accompanying suggestion that student-loan payments be capped at 10 percent of a graduate's income and that the debt be extinguished after 20 years (10 if he or she works in public service) also does him proud.

But even as Obama stumbled in embracing spending as the cure for joblessness, he failed even more in his comments about the War on Terror. Accumulating evidence is leading independents to demand that terror trials be handled by the military, not the civilian,
justice system -- and without Miranda warnings.

Getting intelligence about the next attack has a priority over criminal prosecution in the minds of all Americans . . . except perhaps those of the attorney general and the president.


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Go to DickMorris.com to read all of Dick's columns!

Get Real Mr. Obama

Get Real, Mr. Obama
By Floyd Brown, Expose Obama

The most annoying part of listening to a speech by the narcissist-in-chief is the number of times he refers to himself.

"I've got a very short commute;"

"I can't always visit people directly;"

"I break out;"

"I saw;"

"I knew it would be unpopular;"

"I ran for this office;"

"I had no illusions;"

"I had a whole bunch of political advisors."

The latest State of the Union is no exception. Maybe because his world is so centered on the bubble that surrounds himself, he is incapable of understanding the frustration Americans have about his plans to remake the country.

Clearly, he is not hearing the message to back off. Instead, he is doubling down. Calling with renewed vigor for a litany of unpopular policies, he declared in a condescending tone, "I don't quit."

Obama spent an inane amount of time talking about job creation.

His problem is, he doesn't understand how jobs are created. His left-wing fantasies on how to create jobs have had the opposite impact. For example; his plan to sock banks with new taxes as they struggle to recover.

Read More and Comment:

A Fact Check of the State of the Union by Adam Bitely

Thursday, 28 January 2010

Cato Institute scholars fact check the State of the Union:



CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO!

McMorris Rodgers Answers Obama’s Request for Earmark Transparency Website…Five Months Ago

Database to Track Earmark Requests is Up and Running

Washington, DC

“Tonight, I’m calling on Congress to publish all earmark requests on a single website before there’s a vote so that the American people can see how their money is being spent.” – President Obama, Jan. 27, 2010

In August 2009, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rogers (R-WA) created Sunshine.gop.gov which does exactly what the President calls for.

“As Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference, one of my top priorities is to increase transparency and accountability in government,” said Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers. “That’s why I launched a website which enables citizens to track earmark requests by every member of Congress.”

“I am eager with the Obama Administration to ensure that all citizens have the tools they need to track their tax dollars and determine if those expenditures are worth it.”

Please watch my video announcing the launch of Sunshine.gop.gov. And click here to visit the website.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO!

Cong JEFF FLAKE - Thoughts on State of the Union speech

I wanted to share with you my thoughts on the President’s State of the Union address Wednesday night.

President Obama tried to establish himself as a centrist by promoting a spending freeze (even if it was just on a small portion of so-called discretionary spending), nuclear power plants, and (albeit limited) offshore drilling.

The President also played to his base by promising that he would continue to push the healthcare bill - implying that people still don’t understand it or that he hasn’t done a good enough job of selling it.

He’s wrong to think people don’t understand it. The truth is, the more people learn about the bill, the more they don’t like it. On
earmarks, the President advocated for more transparency.

Specifically, he wants members of Congress to post earmark requests on a central website before the vote.

This, frankly, wouldn’t change much.

The President just signed a bill with more than 9,000 earmarks. Most of them were known before the vote, but it was an up or down vote for all of them, with no ability for members of Congress to challenge each earmark individually. That’s the problem. All said, I was a little surprised the President didn’t pivot more to the center in his speech. With mid-term elections this year, I suspect we’ll see a more tempered approach on some issues, but nonetheless we must be vocal and aggressive in airing our ideas and direction for country. We must be ready to provide voters with a clear choice.

Thanks for your continued support. If you had an opportunity to watch the speech last night, I hope you’ll reply to this email and share your thoughts with me.

Best,

Jeff Flake

SEN. JOHN McCAIN ON 'FOX & FRIENDS' THIS MORNING!

January 28, 2010
McCain Reacts to State of the Union

The senator on Obama's earmark plan




CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO!

SEN. JOHN McCAIN ON THE STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS

Tonight, during his State of the Union speech, President Obama laid out his vision for our nation's future. As you know, the President and I have differing views on the direction we should take the country, and I stand by my conservative values of reduced spending, low taxes, and a strong national defense.

I took a few moments to record a special message for you on the issues facing America and I hope you'll take a moment to watch the video by following this link.

During his first year in office, President Obama and Congressional Democrats have amassed a $12.4 trillion deficit that is growing each day. While the President advocates increased federal spending, I have actively advocated tax cuts, reduced spending and earmark reform to get our economy back on track.

The non-discretionary spending freeze announced by the President is a start, but what he also needs to do is promise to veto bills laden with pork barrel spending and begin creating jobs for the thousands of out-of-work Americans.

We currently face a national unemployment rate of over 10%, and it has only grown during President Obama's time in office. As we have seen, trillion-dollar, big-government stimulus packages are not the answer for creating jobs.

To stimulate our economy for job growth, we need payroll tax cuts, tax incentives for small businesses and an assurance that Democrats will not raise taxes.

As a United States Senator, I fight each and every day for these and other conservative values.

I won't settle for business-as-usual, behind-closed-doors politics. I'm not afraid to stand up and speak out for the majority of Americans who are angry at the current Democratic leadership in Washington.

But, to continue serving in this capacity, I must win reelection this year. You can help my campaign today by following this link to watch the video I've recorded for you and after, make a generous contribution of any amount to my campaign.

The people of Massachusetts confirmed last week what we have been saying for a long time - the American people want a change in Washington and an end to big government solutions to problems like health care.

I was proud to be an early supporter of Senator-elect Scott Brown's campaign. It was a landmark victory and I look forward to working with him to block government-run health care, tax increases and increased federal spending. I'm proud of my record and service to this country and would like nothing more than to continue serving as
a voice for conservative values.

Please take a moment to make a donation to my reelection campaign, so that we have the resources to continue fighting.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

John McCain P.S. I've taken a few moments to record an exclusive message for my online community about the issues laid out in President Obama's State of the Union speech. You can follow this link to watch the video. After watching, I ask that you make a donation of $25, $50, $100, $250 or more to my reelection campaign so that I may continue serving as a voice for conservative values. Thank you.