How Much Riboflavin Are You Getting?

Because America is apparently full of illiterate and ignorant housewives who can't decipher a food label, Michelle Obama is here to help you.

Who knew grocery shopping was so filled with drama and tension:

"So there you stood, alone in some aisle in a store, the clock ticking away at the precious little time remaining to complete your weekly grocery shopping, and all you could do was scratch your head, confused and bewildered, and wonder, is there too much sugar in this product? Is 50 percent of the daily allowance of riboflavin a good thing or a bad thing? And how on Earth could this teeny little package contain five whole servings? 

It hard to conceive of such nerve-wracking stress at the ol' Super One Foods.  The clock is ticking!  There is so little time!  Am I getting enough riboflavin?  The decisions!

Of course, now that Obamacare has forced people to work fewer hours there will be more time to decipher those pesky labels because according to Joe Biden, you just don't have to keep that job!  You can stay home with your kids or linger in the grocery store aisles deciphering those oh-so-confusing labels.

Who knew that making the font bigger on the calorie count would solve all my problems!

Honestly, don't these people have something real to do besides continuing to point out how stupid we all are?  How many food labels do you think Michelle Obama reads?  We're supposed to believe she identifies and relates to us?  The little people?

She wears me out.

Live-Blogging Election Night 2012

I'll be live-blogging the results tonight; it'll be more of an open-thread sort of affair.

SCROLL FOR UPDATES

I've purposely avoided projections, predictions, and much poll analysis.  There's enough of that to go around and certainly by many more expert than this little blogger.

Allahpundit has a great post on electoral math you should read before the night gets started.  The bottom line:

If all of the above is too complicated, here’s a much simpler way to understand Romney’s task. Assuming Obama wins Nevada, all he has to do to win the election is take the big four in the Rust Belt and midwest — i.e., Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. That would put him at 271. Romney must win at least one of those four states to have any chance of victory. If he doesn’t, then he’d have to win every other battleground state — Nevada included — or else.

So.  Catch your breath and check back in a bit.

Update:  Oh, look:  Via Professor Jacobson, via PJ Tatler via Politico, a handy poll closing map!

Update 2:  Drudge is trolling.  Do not be alarmed.

I'm not going to pay attention to exit polls or projections.  I'm not going to get freaked out by every rumor.  I'm going to wait for solid results.  

Remain calm.

6:10 (CST):  Indiana flips for Romney, it seems.  Fox is calling to for Romney.  Virginia is still to close.  Kentucky is also in the Romney column.   No real surprises yet.  Mr. SIGIS and I both are on pins and needles.

6:35:  I frankly do not understand why this election is so close.  How in the world...

At any rate, right now FOX has the electoral count at 24 to 3 for Romney.  Romney has picked up West Virginia.  Still waiting on Virginia and Ohio - the big ones.

6:40:  Romney just picked up South Carolina.  Electoral count is now 33 to 3.

6:45:  Twitchy is reporting threats of looting if Obama loses.  Stay calm, America.

Reports on Twitter are that lines in Florida are still extremely long.  It's going to be a long night.

6:50:  I'm hearing on Twitter that many in Virginia are still in line and that they are delaying calling the state until the top of the hour for that reason.

6:55:  Romney picks up Georgia and 16 electoral votes bringing the count to 49  - 3.

I'm watching Fox who reports that 51% of those polled trust Obama over Romney on handling an international crisis.  WTH?  Because he did such a good job with Libya?  #fourdeadAmericans.

7:00:  I'm getting tired of the "too close to call" phrase.  I'm stressing out on Florida right now which I was pretty sure would go to Romney but is still very close.

Fox is however, calling Illinois, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, District of Columbia, Maine, and Connecticut for Obama.

Romney gets Alabama, Oklahoma, and Mississippi.

The count is now Romney 71 and Obama 79.

The map right now:

Meanwhile, Bill O'Reilly is spreading doom and gloom saying Bomber-Jacket-Obama won points for loping around with Chris Christie on Hurricane Sandy relief.  He would have us believe that the American public is so gullible they forgot all about Libya and four dead Americans because Obama made pretty pictures in the media acting concerned in New Jersey.

Are you serious?

For the record, I disagree with everything O'Reilly just said.  Get the hook.

7:10:   Romney gets Tennessee - not a shock.

Virginia is still on hold because they still have long lines in both Democrat and Republican areas.  Rove thinks this is a good sign for Romney based on the counties he's looking at.

I'm still nervous about Florida.  Very close.  And it looks like Connie Mack lost there.  Not a good sign.

7:25:   For comparison's sake, here is the 2008 electoral map:

Still waiting on those all important swing states right now.

Fox is calling Arkansas for Romney (+6 votes).  Current electoral count is now Romney 88, Obama 79.  No surprises yet.  Nerves on edge.

7:35:   Ted Cruz wins Texas!  That's good news.

Democrats win the CT Senate seat.

7:45:   PA Senate goes to Bob Casey (D) over Tom Smith (R).  No Senate takeover for Republicans it seems.  The path to repeal ObamaCare just got a lot more difficult.

Okay, latest calls:

Obama gets Michigan (+16), and New York.

Romney gets Texas (+38), Louisiana, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska (at least four of the five electoral votes, that is).

The map now:

Still waiting on big swing states.

8:05:   It seems that Elizabeth Warren will win in Mass.  That's just astounding.

Still long lines in VA.

I'm watching the FL returns on the Secretary of State page and it's literally back and forth. 

They're still counting.

8:15:  Damn.  Obama gets Pennsylvania.   How in the world could a coal state vote for a President with such a profound war on coal?

Then there is THIS:

8:25:  Fox calls Wisconsin for Obama.  We lost Paul Ryan's own state.

I'm drinking now.

Liz Cheney:  "It feels like deja vu in so many ways."  No kidding.  She's still holding out hope for Romney.

The electoral map is currently tied at 153.

And the first take-back of the night:  Elizabeth Warren may not have won her race just yet.

8:40:   Mourdock loses in the Indiana Senate race.

We're screwed.

Florida is still literally flipping back and forth.  It should not be this close.

It's down to Ohio.  And Florida.  Rove sees Florida in Obama's corner right now by 22,000 votes (yet Gary Johnson has 38,000 votes right now.)  Rove still sees Florida going Romney's way but very, very close.

Reports are that Romney is leading in Virginia.  #holdingmybreath

8:50:   I'm afraid that everyone in Florida who voted for Gary Johnson, knowing he couldn't win, gave this election to Obama.  It's come to this.

Meanwhile, in Virginia, Romney is still looking good, and he is looking steady in Ohio.

And yes, Elizabeth Warren wins the Mass. Senate race after all.  Bah.

8:55:   Obama wins New Hampshire.  Plus four.

"Live free or die."  The irony is not lost on me.

The next batch of state closings are coming up which I am now anticipating with dread.

9:00:  Here we go.

Obama is leading Iowa but too soon to call.  He's also leading Nevada, but still too soon.

Romney wins Utah.  Shocker.  He also wins Montana.  Texas.

Brit Hume:  We are a center-right country.  Of the moderates, a lot of them "are actually liberals."

Looking at the Sec. of State page, Florida is looking like Obama.

Fox calls Missouri Senate for Claire McCaskill - 55% to 39%.  Akin blew that one.

Mike Pence wins as Indiana governor.

Palin is on Fox:  "This is a catastrophic setback for our economy," and cites sequestration, Supreme Court justices that will be appointed, and the debt.

9:15:   Obama gets New Mexico (+5).  Electoral count is tied at 163.  Rove is still positive for Ohio.  Megyn Kelly asked Rove if he's "feeling pessimistic" and Rove spews numbers and statistics, refusing to admit the horror of the electoral map.

Romney has to win Virginia, Florida, and one other state, says Rove, IF Romney wins Ohio.  Meanwhile, Florida voters for Johnson have given America over to Obama.

9:30:  Florida still to close to call.  Ohio leaning Obama.  Virginia leaning Romney.

Peggy Noonan:  "There is a subdued feeling to this if you are a Republican or a Conservative this evening."  Understatement of the night.  "Subdued" isn't exactly what I'm feeling.

After all this money and all this time we end up right where we were with no change at all.

Oh lord and now Fox puts Gibbs on there?  Good lord.

All this and Robert Gibbs, too?  I don't think I can stand it.

9:40:   Colorado is too close to call.  Of course it is.

Romney wins Arizona.

Many on Twitter are questioning the early Wisconsin call.  Romney is still leading there.  Will that one come back?

9:50:   Stacy McCain has updated his headline:

His late update:

UPDATE 10:05 p.m. ET: You’ll excuse my failure to report numbers from Ohio, but if Romney can’t win Florida, Ohio is moot and the numbers aren’t looking too encouraging in Florida right now.
UPDATE 10:25 p.m. ET: Obama wins Wisconisn.

Doomed.

We are waiting on Virginia and Florida.  The panhandle is still not in and it usually goes Republican.

The map now:

They are using the "R" word for Florida.  They have an automatic recount rule there if the vote is within a certain range.

9:50:  Minnesota goes to Obama.  Plus 10.

9:55:  And it gets better.  Susan Estrich is on.  They haven't pulled her out since the last election.  Any minute now they'll make us listen to Obama.  I'm pulling the plug then.

Looks like Romney is going to get North Carolina but they haven't called it yet.    Florida is still looking like Obama.  90% of the votes are in and he leads by 36,000.

Fox now calling North Carolina for Romney (+15).  Fox calls Idaho for Romney, too.  Obama gets the state of Washington and Hawaii.  And BREAKING NEWS:  California to Obama.

The electoral count is now 244 to 193 in Obama's favor.

Doom.

10:00:   Fox calls Missouri for Romney.  Count is now 244 to 203.

Protein Wisdom:

The mainstream press once again bought Obama the election. Which will buy him 4 years of an imperial presidency with nothing to stop him.
End of country.
Time to maybe start a new one, I think.  Because I’ll be goddamned if my family is going to work to pay for other people’s shit; and I most certainly won’t live in a post-Constitutional police state — at least, not without putting up whatever resistance I can.

As Bride of Rove said in the comments, "Who is John Galt?"

10:10:   On a related note, from Instapundit:

READER ZACH WHITE EMAILS: “If Obama is reelected, good hardworking people should give up and go Galt. The tipping point is the 2012 election. Will the makers finally succumb to the takers? It’s pointless to think that if America reelects the most unqualified disastrous president in recent memory, we should stand our ground and continue fighting. it’s a signal that marxist free-lunchism and free birth control for everyone trump economic well-being and prosperity in the minds of the masses. Give up. Go Galt. Protect what few assets you have left, and start to hunker down for the coming storm. 

Read the rest.

10:15:  Fox calls Ohio for Obama.

And we are done.

Florida is now moot.  As is Virginia. 

And so we are done and America as we know it is done.  Make no mistake about that.  Those of us that work and have jobs will now be working to support 50% of the country who does not work and will never be compelled to work.  Free phones, food stamps, and single pay health care will now be the order of the day.  Generational debt, economic stagnation, and a total lapse in national security.

Iran and al Qaeda must certainly be celebrating tonight.

I'm truly scared for my country, my family, and the future. 

This blog is going dark for a while. 

It is over.

Live-Blogging the Ryan/Biden Debate - UPDATED

The VP debate begins in a couple of hours.

While we're waiting, anyone want to explain to me HOW Team Obama can blame the events in Benghazi on Romney/Ryan?

Allapundit:

"...a cornered flack falls back on her most basic impulse in a desperate situation: She blames the other party for making a big deal out of nothing. And by “nothing,” I mean the murder of the U.S. ambassador and three American consulate personnel."

Go here for the video.

You think Libya will come up tonight?

Are we not allowed to ask questions about national security anymore?

Added:  Krauthammer:  "Nobody died in Watergate." 

Wall Street Journal calls the debate for Biden and we're still thirty minutes from the start. 

Ace is lowering expectations; it's a good point.  Getting cocky is always bad. 

7:45:  I'm watching pre-game on CSPAN.  Frank Fahrenkoph is asking people in the audience not to Tweet for 90 minutes.  Fat chance. 

Hey, did you see Paul Ryan's TIME photo shoot? 

8:00:  Here we go.

8:05:   Libya right out of the gate - AND Raddatz calls it a pre-planned assault and a terrorist attack.  Biden vows to "get to the bottom of it" yet pivots to Afghanistan.  She asked about Libya.  First Osama bin Laden reference.  Let's count them!

8:10:  Ryan's first response to the question hammers on the YouTube video blame game.   "Now they're trying to blame the Romney/Ryan ticket for making this an issue!"  He's incredulous.  Biden is squinting.  

Good one:  Ryan points out that we should have spoken out sooner on the Iran Green Revolution as he defends Romney's speaking out on Libya.

"That's a bunch of malarkey," says Biden.    "Be specific," says Raddatz.   

Biden says "These guys bet against America all the time!"  WTH is he talking about?

He falls back to the "bad intelligence" excuse.

8:15:   Ryan is steady, in command of his facts and Biden is over there laughing at Ryan and smirking.  That ought to backfire on Biden.

8:20: "Bibi's been my friend for 39 years!" says Biden.  Condescending.  Biden swears Obama/Biden "will not allow" Iran to get a nuclear weapon; "Iran is more isolated today than they were when we took office!"  Talk about malarkey!

Biden's smirking, eye rolling, and outright laughing at Paul Ryan is bad form.  "Facts matter!"  Biden says.  Well yes, Joe, they do.

Switching to the economy now.

8:25:   Biden opens the economy segment by talking about the mess Bush left.  And there's the 47% comment.  Ryan ought to be on solid ground on this topic.

Biden wants to "level the playing field."  Translate:  socialism.

As Ryan points out the high unemployment rate Biden outright laughs at him. 

Biden says Republicans just need "to get out of the way."  Ryan rebounds with the reminder that they came in with one party control and passed a stimulus.

Biden continues to laugh, smirk and call Paul Ryan his "friend."

Ryan:  "Was it a good idea to borrow all this money from China?"

Ryan:  "Where are the five million green jobs?"

Moving on to Medicare.

8:40:   Ryan:  Obamacare takes $716 billion from Medicare to pay for Obamacare.  Obamacare's board will lead to denied care for current seniors.  Biden:  "Gawd I heard that death panel debate from Sarah Palin."

Biden talks right to the camera now, to seniors:  Do you have more benefits today than you used to?

As Ryan tries to make his case Biden interrupts him then laughs at him.  Ryan needs to get aggressive here.

8:45:   Why does Raddatz keep letting Biden interrupt Ryan and step on his time?  (Rhetorical question).

Biden's strategy seems to be interrupt everything Ryan says so that Ryan can't make a point and Raddatz lets him.  Again, Ryan needs to be more aggressive.

Moving on to taxes.  Biden gets his two minute opening.  Note:  Ryan does not interrupt.

Ryan's turn:  thirty seconds in, Biden shaking his head and smirking.  Ryan is in command of his facts and statistics as he points out the faults of taxing small businesses.  Ryan takes his turn to look into the camera:  "Look out middle class!  The tax bill is coming to YOU!"

Ryan does, however, get through his two minutes without an interruption this time.  Lots of smirking and outright laughing by Biden though.  Obnoxious.

8:50:   Raddatz is doing nothing to reign Biden in and Biden is making an ass out of himself.  As Ryan touts bipartisanship and Jack Kennedy, Biden says, "Oh NOW you're Jack Kennedy!?"

Between Raddatz and Biden, Ryan has a hard time completing a thought; that said, he's doing well just staying on his feet.

Pivoting to defense now.  Raddatz and Biden are now double teaming Ryan.  Ryan points out that a small defense invites weakness.  Biden denies cuts to defense and asserts that sequestration is what the Republicans wanted.  Ryan is getting his sea legs and getting a little more aggressive.

Raddatz cuts Ryan off yet again to move on to Afghanistan.

9:00:  Ooops - another bin Laden reference from Biden.  #DRINK

In case al Qaeda didn't know when we were pulling out of Afghanistan?  2014.  Says Joe.

Thanks Paul Ryan:  We don't want to put our draw down date on our enemies calendar.

Biden:  That's a bizarre statement.

Good grief.

Raddatz:  Do you think the Taliban is taking advantage of this timeline?  Duh!!!

Now Raddatz is schooling Biden on how the military follows orders.  Is Ryan still here?

9:05:   Ryan makes the case that our soldiers in Afghanistan are less safe because they're doing the same mission with less people; Biden says that the Afghans should step up.  Now we're arguing about fighting seasons.  "The calendar works the same every year," says Ryan.

Biden's philosophy:  It's Afghanistan's problem now.

To Syria:  Biden profoundly pronounces Syria "a different country."

9:10:   Bless his heart, Paul Ryan is trying to stay steady on on track but Biden misrepresents everything and interrupts constantly.  I think Ryan isn't aggressive enough or a big enough blow hard to keep up with Joe.  Plus, in general, Americans are tired of our presence in Afghanistan, I think, so Biden is probably winning on this one.  I think Ryan is winning on argument but Biden's personality is overshadowing the facts.

9:15:  Abortion.  And Raddatz notes they are both Catholic.  "Please talk personally about this, if you could," she says.

Ryan is pro-life but not just because of his Catholic faith.  Because of reason and science, too, he says.  "I believe life begins at conception."  Ryan tells a personal story about his first child's ultrasound where she looked like a "bean."  And then saw the heartbeat.

You can hear Biden laughing in the background.

Ryan:  Now the Democratic party supports abortion without restriction and WITH taxpayer funding.

Biden's turn:  "My religion defines who I am."  Biden says he accepts that life begins at conception but refuses to impose his faith on other people.

Ryan says the Romney administration will oppose abortion "with exceptions."

9:25:  Biden reminds us that the next president will get one or two Supreme Court nominations.  Thanks for that reminder.

Raddatz is closing with a question about the negativity and tone of the campaign.  Biden is wandering in the weeds somewhere about Romney/Ryan stepping on the middle class.  Romney has made "slipshod comments" Biden says.  He would know one.

Ryan:  Obama ran on Hope and Change and is now running on blame and defame.  Points to all the broken promises (health care:  You can keep your insurance!)  Ryan points to 21 tax increases in Obamacare, 12 of which hit the middle class.  No credible budget from Obama in four years.  We speeches from this administration, not leadership. 

Biden interrupts, of course, and asks for equal time even though his time came first.

And Raddatz gives it to him.  I'd be interested to see the talk time numbers on this one.

Raddatz attempts to cut Ryan off as he tries to defend himself.  Of course.

Closing:  Ryan point to their five point plan, proven pro growth policies, etc.  Biden gets testy with Raddatz as she tells him he has fifteen seconds.  "He gets 40 and I get 15."  Cry baby.

Biden gets first closing statement. 
Inherited.
47%.
Scranton.
Level the playing field.
Even shot.

Ryan's turn.
Big choice.
Not a real recovery.
Reforms.
Recovery.
Responsibility.

Hmm.  Who won?  I think Ryan held his own and Biden made points, too.  I'd actually call it a draw.  Not the steamrolling that conservatives anticipated at any rate.

Biden was obnoxious and if anything, that could play against him, but I think people just expect that from him by now.  I don't think this debate will change the current Romney momentum.

We get to do this again in less than a week with the next presidential debate coming on Tuesday.
Job creator.

Adam Weinstein Accuses Rick Perry of Playing the "Military Respect Card"

It didn't take long for the Rick Perry attacks to begin.  Less than 24 hours, really.

A quick perusal through Memeorandum shows:

Michelle Goldberg at The Daily Beast is drumming up paranoia about Perry and Bachmann's Christian beliefs:

We have not seen this sort of thing at the highest levels of the Republican Party before. Those of us who wrote about the Christian fundamentalist influence on the Bush administration were alarmed that one of his advisers, Marvin Olasky, was associated with Christian Reconstructionism. It seemed unthinkable, at the time, that an American president was taking advice from even a single person whose ideas were so inimical to democracy. Few of us imagined that someone who actually championed such ideas would have a shot at the White House. It turns out we weren’t paranoid enough. If Bush eroded the separation of church and state, the GOP is now poised to nominate someone who will mount an all-out assault on it. We need to take their beliefs seriously, because they certainly do.

Really, I thought we quit worrying about a president's religious beliefs when America elected a Catholic.

Matthew Yglesias has sifted through Rick Perry's Fed Up to find "The Ten Strangest Ideas" in the book.  He primarily knocks Perry's belief in states' rights, which I don't find strange at all.

Even Karl Rove seems to suggest that Perry isn't electable in the general election.  Does he think Palin is?

Paul Krugman attacks Perry's record of job growth in Texas.  Because Obama's is so much better?

And then via my Twitter feed, here comes Adam Weinstein at Mother Jones supposedly "fact checking" Perry's statement yesterday that suggested the military has little respect for Obama.  Perry said in Waterloo last night:

"One of the reasons that I'm running for president is I want to make sure that every young man and woman who puts on the uniform of the United States respects highly the president of the United States."

He got a lot of applause for that line, by the way.

Weinstein whines:

The obvious implication is that America's roughly 3 million active-duty and reserve soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines don't respect President Barack Obama—whose administration drew down their numbers in Iraq and Afghanistan, revamped the Department of Veterans Affairs, increased Pentagon funding, and oversaw the operation that killed Osama bin Laden. Is Perry for real?

He's for real, Mr. Weinstein.

Weinstein claims that 37% of service members polled by Gallup approved of Obama.  In Weinstein's world, this is apparently a positive approval rating.  It's okay, you see, because at one time George W. Bush "the exact same approval numbers"!  Eureka!

Only 42% in the Gallup poll approved for the 18 to 29 age group.  By the time you get to the 40 to 49 age group, 37% approved and 51% disapproved.  Gallup points out:

Americans who currently serve or previously served in the U.S. military are less likely to approve of the job President Obama is doing than are those who have not served in the military, by about 10 percentage points. This approval gap occurs across age groups.

And of course, the problem with that whole polling of the military thing is that it's racist or something:

(It's also worth noting that, despite major gains by women and minorities in recent years, the military is overwhelmingly white, male, and Protestant, a demographic that never polls well for Obama.)

Weinstein's pitiful excuse that Perry is just beating up on Obama is weak:

But Perry's "respect" jibe isn't about the facts: It's about painting a beleaguered president as effeminate and indecisive.

Poor "beleaguered" and "embattled" Obama.  It's good that he has the media to take up for him.  Maybe he can gain a second wind while hanging out with the millionaires and billlionaires at Martha's Vineyard this month.  Nothing like a nice corporate jet, waygu beef, golfing vacation hob nobbing with the wealthy and getting away from the little people to re-energize yourself.

Weinstein suggests Obama campaign on his national security achievements.  No, I'm not making that up.

By all means, I think he should.  Let's throw Joe Biden in the argument, too, who put the finger on Seal Team Six.

If we're "fact checking" Perry's statement, I think Mr. Weinstein stands corrected and Perry is correct.  There's not a high level of respect for Obama among the military as a rule.

Let's do some unscientific polling here.  Are you military?  Ex-military?  Retired?  What do you think?

Hey Tea Party: Joe Biden Says You're a Terrorist!

I expect this sort of thing from Politico.

I don't expect a whole hell of a LOT from Joe Biden, but coming from the Vice President of the United States, this is just irresponsible.  It's an outrage:

Biden, driven by his Democratic allies’ misgivings about the debt-limit deal, responded: “They have acted like terrorists,” according to several sources in the room.

Biden’s office declined to comment about what the vice president said inside the closed-door session.  Earlier in the day, Biden told Senate Democrats that Republican leaders have “guns to their heads” in trying to negotiate deals.

Let me remind Mr. Biden what the definition of a "terrorist" is:

ter·ror·ist /ˈtɛrərɪst/ Show Spelled[ter-er-ist] 

–noun

1.

a person, usually a member of a group, who uses or advocates terrorism.

2.

a person who terrorizes  or frightens others.

3.

(formerly) a member of a political group in russia aiming at the demoralization of the government by terror. 

Mr. Biden, THIS is terrorism:

And THIS is terrorism:

And THIS is terrorism:

And THIS is terrorism:

And THIS is terrorism:

And THIS is terrorism:

And THIS is terrorism:

This is NOT terrorism:

These people, Mr. Biden, are patriots.  Get used to them.

(H/T:  Memeorandum) 

Update:  Thanks Don Surber for the link!

At a Critical Crossroad

Mitch McConnell nails the bottom line on the Senate floor today.  Via WSJ:

"But after years of discussions and months of negotiations, I have little question that as long as this president is in the Oval Office, a real solution is unattainable," Mr. McConnell said in a Senate floor speech.

He sounds discouraged.   The Republicans are under much pressure not to cave on this - to hold the line.  In truth, it would be difficult to deal with Obama on this issue because he's taken so many different positions.  Victor Davis Hanson points out:

He calls for more taxes, but in December reiterated — after the midterm shellacking — that it was unwise to raise taxes in times of uncertainty. Apparently that was then, this is now; perhaps he calculates that the tea-party angst has peaked.

He deplores threats not to raise the debt ceiling, but as a senator in 2006 voted, replete with lectures on fiscal sobriety, to do just that — even though the debt then was $5 trillion smaller and the economy far stronger.

He talks of “eating our peas” and doing the hard work of getting the budget balanced, but had he his way, budgets for the next four years would have had even greater deficits. Obviously such calls for prudence are a result only of the 2010 elections and do not characterize his own reckless budgets the two years prior.

It's difficult to know which Obama you're dealing with, I suppose.  And Joe Biden is yelling at the Republicans to "get real"? Meanwhile, Tim "Turbo Tax" Geithner ratchets up the fear factor.

Real Clear Politics posts video of Marco Rubio on Hannity last night in which Rubio says:

"Every aspect of life in America today is worse than it was when [President Obama] took over. Unemployment higher. Interest rates. The only thing that has gone down in America over the last two years is the value of your home. This president has mismanaged this economy. He has been incompetent in his management of this economy," Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said on "Hannity."

Talk about speaking the truth!  Rubio nails it once again.  I can't wait until he's ready to move forward on the national stage.  For now, he vows he will not be anyone's running mate this go around.,

McConnell might be on to something in his hopes that Obama is a one-termer.  Hot Air links to this comment in Obama's presser this week in which he seems to promise "massive job-killing tax increases":

“So, when you hear folks saying ‘Well, the president shouldn’t want massive job killing tax increases when the economy is this weak.’ Nobody’s looking to raise taxes right now. We’re talking about potentially 2013 and the out years.”

Is that really what he meant?  Is he that dense to tip his hand in such an amateur fashion?  Well....

Debt ceiling negotiations continue this afternoon at The White House.  Adam Hasner sees this as a critical crossroads:

After months of posturing and failed leadership from President Obama and politicians of both parties, the debate on the debt limit is finally coming to a head.

I honestly believe we have reached a moment in history when the fate of our country is at a crossroads.

Down one road is an uncertain future marked by reckless spending that deepens the debt and deficits that are killing jobs and holding American prosperity hostage. The elites and experts tell us we have no choice but to accept the path of higher taxes and new borrowing. And naturally, they prophesize disaster if we don’t continue down the only path the rest of us know America can’t afford.

Oh to be a fly in the room during those negotiations.

Where's the Outrage?

It's Friday!

The usual Friday sift:  Noonan explains how we all have to be accountants now, regardless of our actual profession.  It's the deluge of new forms, rules, and regulations.  Nothing new, she says, just worse.  We know, Peggy, we know.

Krauthammer takes note of our incompetent Congress, citing their failure to pass, or even offer, a budget, the failure to extend the Bush tax cuts leaving all of America in uncertainty as to their tax rates on January 1, and on top of all that, the buffoon who invited Stephen Colbert to speak to Congress.  Fail.

My reading stack (of articles, not books, this time) is pretty full; there's been some great analysis out there lately and I'm going to get caught up on it this weekend.  My blog mojo is coming back after nearly two weeks of Oktoberfesting.

I'm ready to get back to "hand to hand combat" as Obama said yesterday.  Where's the outrage on THAT one?  When Sarah Palin suggested that the Tea Party not retreat, but reload, CNN accused her of "inciting violence."  Where's the outrage?  You can ignore the Joe Biden comment about "strangling" Republicans because, well, it's Joe Biden, and anyone can take a joke, right?  I mean, he was joking, wasn't he?

CNN accused Palin of "inciting violence" with her "don't retreat, reload" comment, but it's okay now to say if Republicans take the majority in November there will be "hand to hand combat" on Captiol Hill?  Okay.  Double standards in the media - alive and well.

I can see November from here!

More Speculation on an Obama/Clinton Ticket

Fueling longtime speculation about Hillary Clinton's future in the Obama administration, Bob Woodward is hinting now that a job switch is "on the table" between Hillary and VP Joe Biden.

Dig this line from Larry King via Politico:

A lot of people think if the president's a little weak going into 2012, he'll have to do a switch there and run with Hillary Clinton as his running mate,” King said, repeating gossip that’s swirled for several months and appeared from time to time on blogs.

IF?  IF the president's a little weak...???  I'd say he is.  

This one has been tossed about ever since the campaign when she wasn't the selection in the first place;  I'm not sure she actually wanted it then, though.  I'm don't think she had ruled out a second run for President at that time.  I'm not sure she wants it now or has ruled out a presidential run in 2016 (or 2012 for that matter), but I've long thought she has been unhappy in the Secretary of State spot.  She has often contradicted Obama policy and has seemed overshadowed by the aura of Obama - at least initially.  

In fact, I often wondered why she even took the spot and wondered if she had been offered something else in the long term - like VP?   I often wondered about Joe Biden as well; I get the whole power-trip thing, but I never felt like his heart was in being VP either.  He's always seen it as a second-fiddle job.

Nothing in Washington is ever as it seems.

At any rate, Woodward has provided more blog fodder for the left and the right.  Woodward is out there to sell his book and I suppose all this fuels that fire, too.  

Would an Obama/Clinton ticket bring back all those disenchanted Independents?  Would it re-energize the disillusioned Obama base?  Who knows...

...but, it does make for interesting speculation!


(Follow the discussion today at Memeorandum.)

Caption Contest

From The White House Flickr page, how about a caption contest? We could all use some comic relief right about now.

Biden Says No More Major Attacks Are Coming

Here is "Don't Mess With Joe" Biden talking to Larry King about the potential for another massive 9/11 type attack, which he declares "unlikely."

In fact, he explains that the terrorists seem to be going to "smaller" but more "devastatingly frightening" attacks, like the Christmas Day bomber. It's hard to imagine how anything could be "more devastating frightening" than 9/11, but Joe says it's so.

All is well, though. Biden says he's "been impressed" with the efforts this administration has made in building on the last administration in the fight against terror.

That's a relief.

Joe Biden Heads to Upstate New York

UPDATED BELOW!

How nervous must the Democrats be about NY-23 to send Joe Biden to campaign for Owens? And he's bringing country singer John Rich with him.

Via Memeorandum, Biden is heading to upstate New York to make an eleventh hour push for Bill Owens. This is basically a two man race now between Owens and conservative Doug Hoffman. Dede Scozzafava's campaign has collapsed faster than the Chicago Cubs season did this year. With the RNC now welcoming Hoffman to caucus with them once he wins, Scozzafava must be steaming.

Politico reports that the Biden rally will be Monday in Watertown:

The visit by Biden underlines how badly national Democrats want to snatch this seat, Republican-held since before the Civil War, from the GOP. But it also reflects Democrats' 11th-hour efforts to avoid a clean sweep Tuesday of the three mostly closely-watched races. With Republicans almost certainly winning the Virginia gubernatorial contest and the New Jersey governor's race very much up in the air, the upstate New York congressional race may represent the party's best chance for victory.

We can only hope Stacy McCain will stick around up there to cover Biden's visit; maybe some more shoe leather donations would help!

Allahpundit reminds us how "popular" Biden is lately.

Smells like desperation to me!

Update: Add one more reason for Scozzafava to get steamed: Rep. Issa, who supported her previously, is now backing away from her and is overnighting Doug Hoffman a $5,000 check!

(Cross-posted at Not One Red Cent!)

Will There be a Second Stimulus?

Laura Tyson, a member of Obama’s Economic Recovery Advisory board, thinks we should consider another stimulus, this one focusing on infrastructure projects because the Porkulus bill in February was "too small."

This is just her opinion and it is not in accord with what Biden said earlier this week when he said it was "premature to discuss crafting another stimulus because the current measures have yet to fully take effect." Obama also said it's not quite time to consider a second stimulus, but his comments usually have expiration dates. Today, Obama said this to Fox News: "I don't take anything off the table when unemployment is close to 10 percent and a lot of Americans are hurting out there," Both Obama and Biden could conceivably go along with a second stimulus bill in the near future.

As unemployment continues to climb, and it will - even Obama admits this, how long before this administration decides to go along with a second stimulus? As the 2010 elections approach and the economy is still in the tank, will that persuade Congress to go along with a second stimulus?

Derek Thompson at the Atlantic is putting his money on no second stimulus. He says this chart would work against such a proposal:


Thompson also says that with so many irons in the fire now, so to speak, that introducing major new economic legislation would be detrimental to those other projects such as health care, climate change and bank regulation. Colin Powell has already expressed concerns about Obama trying to do too much, and spend too much, at once.

Let's review some of the gems in the February stimulus package:

$300 million for hybrid and electric cars for federal employees
$650 million for abandoned mine sites
$850 million for Amtrak
$200 million for public computer centers at community colleges and libraries
$2 billion for manufacturing advanced batteries for hybrid cars
$198 million to design and furnish the DHS headquarters
$100 million for lead paint hazard reduction
$20 billion for increased food stamps
$2.1 billion for Head Start
$2.5 billion to upgrade low-income housing

The list goes on and on, but very little of this is actually stimulating the economy. Remember, this is the bill nobody read before the voted on it. Members received the bill right before midnight on Thursday and were expected to vote on it on Friday after multiple changes and additions had been made behind closed doors. Is this what we should anticipate with a second stimulus?

Eric Cantor has said that Republicans are prepared to work on a second stimulus as long as this one has tax cuts and help for small businesses. "He said that lawmakers and the White House should redirect some of the money yet to be spent in the first stimulus away from government programs and toward businesses and taxpayers." He would like to see an income tax cut for small businesses and their employees. The Hill reminds us that "the $787 billion bill passed in February steered approximately 60 percent of its funds to government programs and less than 40 percent toward tax cuts."

Even at this early stage it's clear that the stimulus isn't doing what they said it would do. Biden says "we underestimated" the state of the economy. That's reassuring. What this administration should do is work in a truly bi-partisan way to rechannel some of the money allocated in the stimulus, as Cantor suggests, and get this crazed spending under control. The February stimulus was in no way bi-partisan. It was crafted by Pelosi and company behind closed doors in the dark of night with little or no Republican input.

Rasmussen has a new poll out today which indicates that 60% of Americans are opposed to a second stimulus this year while only 27% are in favor. 2010 is coming and many in Congress, of BOTH parties, are in jeopardy of keeping their jobs. People are fed up with out of control spending in Washington and their - our - discontent will be made clear in the voting booth. More spending isn't what is needed - better spending would be a good start though. Redirect what is already allocated and quit printing more money to throw down the drain.


Related Posts:
A Flaming Bag of Poop
Piling on the Pork
Porkulus Projects
Pork in the Stimulus

Read the Stimulus

There was a lot of discussion this morning on the progress of the stimulus plan. On Face The Nation, VP Joe Biden said that "important progress" is being made and that there have already been many compromises made between Democrats and Republicans.

Meanwhile, John McCain says that there need to be "major rewrites" done on the stimulus before he will vote for it. He told Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday this morning, "As it stands now, I would not support it." Contrary to what Biden says, McCain says that as far as he can tell, no Republican proposal has been incorporated into the bill.

Nancy Pelosi spoke to George Stephanopoulos and in response to his question regarding incorporating Republican ideas into the bill, she said, "Well, we will take some. We will judge them by their ability to create jobs, to -- to help turn the economy around, to stabilize the economy, and to see how much they cost. But we’re open to them, and we’ll review them, and it all has to be done right away because our bill has to come to the floor this week."

She also said with regard to increased welfare and unemployment insurance issues, "Food stamps, unemployment insurance, some of the initiatives you just mentioned, what the economists have told us, from right to left, there is more bang for the buck, is the term they use, by investing in food stamps and in unemployment insurance than in any tax cuts."

I'm not an economist by any means, but I don't actually agree with that statement. It's been proven and well documented that tax cuts do far more to stimulate a depressed economy than extension and enhanced social programs which don't do anything to actually move the economy forward.

At any rate, disagreement on this bill is certainly expected and in the end I hope both sides put aside partisan BS for the good of the country.

If you want to look at the stimulus yourself, there is a place you can to that here, and add your comments or suggestions. Get involved!