One of the popular liberal responses to the High Speed Train of Embarrassment known as Anthony Weiner that I'm seeing involves pointing fingers at Republicans like Mark Foley or David Vitter who also had scandalous personal escapades.
Well, I'll take your Foley and Vitter and raise you a Barney Frank and Eric Massa. A RedState diarist named Jake Walker who I follow on Twitter (@Jake_W) has nicely donated a large chunk of time detailing the complete and utter failure of Former Speaker of the House (heh, I still love seeing that) and current Democratic Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi to fulfill her promise to "drain the swamp." Yeah...most transparent administration in history, yada yada yada...
Anyway, Walker noticed a tweet from ABC News White House Correspondent Jake Tapper commenting on Pelosi's belated call for Weiner to resign:
Wow. My congratulations to Anthony Weiner for making history! [rolleyes]
Noting that the "Democratic Party does have a habit of circling the wagons around their own" whenever there's a hint of scandal, Walker decided to do some research of all the Democrat scandals during Pelosi's time at the head of her party:
So, to refresh our memories, I have compiled a list of scandals that have occurred within her party under her leadership. Though it’s probably fairer to her than she deserves, I have limited this list to scandals occurring or continuing solely during her term as Democratic House Leader, meaning no Barney Frank prostitution ring or Dan Rostenkowski. Furthermore, this list is limited to House members only during that period, meaning no Chris Dodd. I’m also not including Anthony Weiner because his case is fresh in our memory. I cannot claim that this list is authoritative – these are Democrats we’re talking about after all, meaning there’s always more scandals waiting to be uncovered.
Congressman Allen West, at a recent townhall meeting in Davie, had some harsh words for the Florida Legislature and its failure to pass an E-Verify law during this year's session.
Echoing his previous statements of disappointment in the Legislature's failure to pass this important legislation, West said that they had "missed the boat," and placed blame on both parties, stating:
One side wants to have new class of voters. The other side wants cheap labor for their buddies.
West is absolutely right. That is exactly what happened. The Democrats want open borders because they believe they will get most of the votes from new immigrants, and certain Republicans have ties to agriculture [cough...cough...JD Alexander] or business interests [cough...cough...Haridopolos] that would prefer less-strict enforcement procedures.
Orlando's iconic Lake Eola Fountain, pictured on the official city seal, was damaged by a lightning strike in 2009.
After some wrangling with the insurance company and debates over how the fountain should be repaired and upgraded, the work is finally almost done and should be complete in time for the city's July 4th celebration.
Mike Synan at Fox35 covered the story, including some humorous segments with Mayor Buddy Dyer helping with some of the repair work himself. (Wow, those city budget cuts are rough, huh?)
Javier Manjarres, Editor of The Shark Tank blog, launched a new website yesterday, HISPOLITICA.com, which he describes as "a video-driven news, commentary, and opinion website that is committed to providing original reporting, commentary, and political news from a conservative perspective that communicates the principles of liberty, strong traditional values, and personal responsibility- values that are at the heart of Spanish-speaking communities around the world."
The site definitely takes a conservative viewpoint, including voicing strong opinions against illegal immigration, and decrying the "soft bigotry and ignorance" of Democrat politicians like Senator Harry Reid, who infamously stated during the 2010 elections, "I don't know how anyone of Hispanic heritage could be a Republican."
Rubio begins with some powerful remarks about the unique greatness of America, and the child of working class immigrants would not be able to become a Senator anywhere else or at any other time than during "the American Century." Much of the speech centers around what we must do to ensure we can enjoy the benefits of another American Century.
Rubio also has some cutting words for the United Nations, calling them "only good at two things: number one, condemning Israel, and number two, cashing our checks that we send."
Well said, Senator Rubio. I continue to be extremely proud that I helped elect a great leader to be my Senator.
We'll see if I can do better than our Senate President...although, I guess the bar is set pretty low...as long as Ray doesn't hang up on me, I win! One thing I have in my favor is that, unlike certain well-coiffed politicians, I've rarely had trouble figuring out my opinion or hesitated expressing it. Perhaps I was made for talk radio, heh.
And also thanks to my friend Alan Byrd at Byrd Connections, who is once again organizing support for this contest. If you need any public relations or media assistance, you should chat with him. Good guy, really knows his stuff.
DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz (or as those of us who remember her days in the Florida Legislature know her, "Wasserperson") has taken the offensive and logic-deprived stance that asking voters to show ID is like the "Jim Crow" laws from the early 20th century. Yeah, being asked to show my driver's license is equally as oppressive as segregated schools, poll taxes, and making blacks sit in the back of the bus. Yet another example of "words ceasing to have meanings" when a liberal gets a hold of them.
New York Congressman Anthony Weiner has been getting a lot of attention lately for what has become known as "Weinergate." Here are two of my favorite articles summing up yesterday's press conference, in which Weiner admitted that he had sent the scandalous photo in question, and had engaged in online relationships with other women around the country:
Texas Senate candidate Ted Cruz continues to rack up the endorsements, including Erick Erickson, Mark Levin, Club for Growth PAC and now FreedomWorks PAC.
Here's an interesting analysis of how the 2012 Senate races may breakdown nationwide, and a discussion of some inherent advantages that the GOP may have:
Ari Fleischer, Former White House Press Secretary for George W. Bush, has joined Team Hasner, sending out this tweet yesterday in support of Florida Senate candidate Adam Hasner:
Hasner also added to his list of supporters Former Ohio Secretary of State and co-chair of the group "Pass the Balanced Budget Amendment" Ken Blackwell:
Don't forget to sign up for my free email subscription to this blog, "A Daily Dose of Sunshine." You'll get a maximum of one email a day (any day I write new posts) and I promise not to sell your email addresses.
Mike Haridopolos' campaign strategy has been looking more and more like it's being run by the Titanic's navigation team. After what happened yesterday, it's getting closer to the Hindenburg-crashing-into-Titanic level of disaster.
Haridopolos made an appearance on conservative talk radio host Ray Junior's program, and ran into a pile of trouble when he was asked about Paul Ryan's budget plan. Haridopolos repeatedly refused to answer the question, over and over, making Junior extremely frustrated, to the point where he kicked Haridopolos off the show.
After repeated efforts to get a straight answer out of Haridopolos, the exasperated host finally said "get rid of him." Will voters do the same if Haridopolos keeps it up?
Exactly. I am absolutely flabbergasted that someone who wants to run for the United States Senate refuses to answer a simple question about how he would vote on a significant and current Republican budget proposal. Haridopolos' answer that his vote on the Ryan plan is nothing more than a "hypothetical" is one of the worst waffles I've heard from a politician in a long time.
The Waffle™: The Official Mascot of the Haridopolos 2012 Campaign
Someone needs to get Haridopolos a dictionary so he can look up "hypothetical." (Heck, it comes from a Greek word, "hupothetikos" so you would think he might understand it!) A hypothetical is a situation based on conjecture, a statement or idea thought to be true but unproven. The Ryan plan is no hypothetical. It's a real and specific budget plan that was brought up for a vote this week. It's on the internet! You can read the entire plan, along with summaries and discussion notes yourself.
For the record, note that George LeMieux has also repeatedly ducked the question about whether he would have voted for the Ryan plan.
Only Adam Hasner has had the backbone to step forward and say that he would have voted for the Ryan budget, telling Ken Blackwell at the National Review that he would vote for it "without hesitation," because "the alternatives are rationed care and declining healthcare options, watching Social Security and Medicare slowly go bankrupt, or America faltering under the weight of unsustainable entitlement programs.”
Friends, we have three choices in the 2012 Republican Senate primary: a waffle, Charlie Crist's "maestro," or an actual conservative who has the backbone to give a straight answer to the vital question for any candidate for public office: how will you vote?
UPDATE #2: The damage control efforts have begun. Good luck with that. Note that even in the text of a press release that was presumably written and vetted by his communications staff, he still isn't giving a direct answer.
Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard has been the subject of a lot of speculation about whether he'll stay with the Magic or jump to another team after he becomes a free agent next year.
I'm a big fan of Dwight Howard - not only is he an amazing player, but he's also a great role model for all those kids wearing #12 jerseys. He does a lot of charity work, more than just the bare minimum expected of professional athletes. He has managed to avoid the troubles and scandals that often plague NBA stars and speaks openly and proudly of his Christian faith. In my opinion, Dwight Howard is an asset, not just for the team, but for the entire Orlando community.
To thank his fans for all their support, and to reassure everyone that he would love to stay in town, Howard sent out a message on Twitter, saying "Ok folks. I wanna have a super BBQ tomorrow in Orlando. I need a big place. Where we can play football and have waterguns and eat. And a Dj. [Need] suggestions." Someone helped him make arrangements for Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake and by all accounts, the event was a huge success. Going back and reading Howard's Twitter feed from the past few days, he definitely enjoyed himself and was thrilled to spend the time with his fans.
Dwight Howard with fans at Bill Frederick Park on Monday
In interview after interview, Howard has reiterated how much he loves playing for the Magic and loves Orlando. Remember, he entered the NBA straight out of high school, so Orlando has been his home for his entire career and adult life. Contract negotiations being a vicious game, he would lose his bargaining power if he just came out and agreed to stay forever, but it really looks like the ball is literally in the Magic management's court to make a decent offer for his contract extension. Howard is not looking for an excuse to leave; he's looking to stay.
It sounds like the deciding factor will be if the Magic can build a decent supporting cast around Howard:
I don't care if the Magic have to hold a bake sale, they need to do what they can to get some solid players around Howard. Orlando doesn't want to be the next Cleveland.
Space Shuttle Endeavour safely landed back on earth a little after 2:30 am last night. If you're in Central Florida, you may have heard the double boom-boom of the shuttle breaking the sound barrier on its way home.
STS-134 was the final mission for Endeavour, and while I am thrilled and relieved to see the crew safe back on terra firma, I am also sad to know that this amazing vehicle will never again tour the heavens.
It's appropriate that I started this blog with a discussion of the First Amendment, because I've had to rely on my constitutional right to free speech a few times to defend myself (here, here, and here).
I draw inspiration from the motto of RedState's Erick Erickson to "fight the left and clean up the right." Anyone who thinks that harassing or threatening me will shut me up is sorely mistaken, and the attacks have only furthered my resolve to continue criticizing those who deserve it.
It's hasn't been all fights and challenges. There's been a lot of fun in the past year. Some highlights:
Being invited to be a guest on Flashpoint, local talk radio, conservative podcasts, and other media appearances. In case you haven't noticed, I'm a little (OK, very) opinionated and getting to share my thoughts and debate political topics is always a lot of fun.
Becoming a semi-quasi-almost celebrity on Twitter. I signed up for Twitter in March 2009 as "@rumpfshaker" as a bit of a joke on my last name and this epic song, but didn't really participate in the twitterverse much until about a year ago. Now I'm followed by more than 2,200 people and consistently ranking near the top of the "Top Political Tweeters in Florida" lists that Saint Petersblog publishes each month. Twitter has been a great resource for me too, as I've crowdsourced everything from restaurant recommendations to a frightening (but fortunately quickly resolved) computer virus attack last week.
Getting to meet so many conservative leaders and politicians over the past year, too many to list. There's really no substitute for getting to hear a candidate speak in person, unabridged and uncensored. A few minute clip of a TV interview is not the same, never mind an over-produced 30 second ad. That's why I won't ever endorse a candidate unless I've met him or her in person.
What I've enjoyed most of all is hearing from all of you. It's been fun getting feedback from friends or meeting new people who read the blog or follow me on twitter. I really do appreciate all your support and encouragement, and thank you for your continued interest in my little corner of the internet.
A few semi-interesting statistics about this blog...
Sayfie Review (from the Sayfie Review Twitter Ticker)
Rick Scott for Florida (the original campaign site is down now, but I was listed on the Bloggers for Scott Blogroll)
The Other McCain (Stacy has only linked me a few times, but each time, the Fedora has brought me a huge spike in traffic)
Visitors - Top Countries:
United States (94% of traffic is from the U.S., all other countries are <1%)
Canada
United Kingdom
India
France
Germany
Australia
Israel
Visitors - Top States
Florida (60%)
New York (6%)
District of Columbia (4%)
California
Georgia
Texas
Virginia
Illinois
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Browsers used to access this site:
Internet explorer - 46%
Firefox - 28%
Safari - 9%
Chrome - 8%
Mobile - 4%
Operating Systems:
Windows - 77%
Macintosh - 12%
iPhone - 3%
BlackBerry - 1%
Other Unix - 1%
Linux - 1%
Android - 1%
To all of you who have been there for the entire year, those of you who found me along the way, or those of you who are new readers, THANK YOU. I'm looking forward to sharing the years to come with you.
Florida's Senator and tea party favorite Marco Rubio celebrates his 40th birthday today.
It's been a great year politically for Rubio, from defeating both a Democrat and Democrat-in-disguise Governor Oompa Loompa to getting included on nearly every Republican's wish lists for 2012 presidential or vice-presidential candidates.
Part of the reason for Rubio's ongoing popularity is his willingness to speak directly and confidently on the issues, no matter how difficult.
Case in point: this op-ed written by Rubio for the Miami Herald, on the topic of Medicare reform:
...Rep. Paul Ryan has offered a plan that would make no changes whatsoever for anyone age 55 and older. I support it because, right now, it is the only plan out there that helps save Medicare. Democrats oppose it. Fine. But, if they have a better way to save Medicare, what are they waiting for to show us? What is their plan to save Medicare?
Either show us how Medicare survives without any changes or show us what changes you propose we make. Anyone who supports doing nothing is a supporter of bankrupting Medicare.
Where is the House Democrat plan to save Medicare?
Where is the Senate Democrat plan to save Medicare?
Where is President Obama’s plan to save Medicare?
They have no plan to save it, and they do not plan to offer one. They have decided that winning their next election is more important than saving Medicare for my mother and retirees like her...
Here's a YouTube video of Rubio with further discussion of the need to reform Medicare:
Yesterday morning, I wrote a post declaring that it was unfair and inaccurate to call Tim Pawlenty boring. A few hours later, he proved me right by sending out this tweet:
Awesome. I like the feisty side that Pawlenty has been showing lately.
For far too long, Republicans have indulged a tendency to be polite and not fight back, no matter how outrageous and malicious the Democrats' lies were. Just last week, the DCCC released a web ad with a Paul Ryan look-alike shoving an old lady in a wheelchair off a cliff. The insinuation was that Congressman Ryan's budget plan would end Medicare and kill senior citizens, perhaps echoing former (I love writing that) Congressman Alan Grayson's silly temper tantrum on the House floor that "Republicans want you to Die Quickly!"
So, yes, I definitely like this side of Tim Pawlenty.
Presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty has been getting slammed for being "boring." In my opinion, this is unfair for two reasons.
First of all, flashiness and soaring rhetoric and a deliriously excited media got us Barack Obama. We've had immature comments slandering Cambridge police officers followed by a silly little "beer summit," an endless series of self-aggrandizing speeches, unconstitutional expansions of executive power (ceding control to appointed czars, increased efforts to bypass Congress through regulatory power grabs, violation of the War Powers Act regarding U.S. military action in Libya, etc.), and his recent short-sighted comments that Israel should return to the 1967 borders. In contrast to all of that nonsense, I really like the idea of putting a stable adult in charge, someone who will act out of logic and rational strategy, not emotion and ego.
Second, Pawlenty has been anything but boring this week. After weeks of painfully awkward and embarrassing campaign launches like Newt Gingrich's backstabbing comments about Paul Ryan to Mitt Romney's blindness to the weaknesses of Romneycare, it was refreshing to see Pawlenty come out of the gate looking strong and confident.
Here's the official campaign announcement video. It's a solid message:
These campaign videos are always at least a little schlocky but Pawlenty sounds strong and confident here. I like the message. One of my favorite lines:
I know the American Dream, because I've lived it. And I know for it to be there for the next generation, we're gonna have to do more than give fancy speeches. We've had three years of that, and it's not working.
Pawlenty made his official campaign announcement on Monday in Iowa, where he boldly told the audience that ethanol subsidies needed to be phased out. Ethanol subsidies are a big flippin' deal in corn-field-covered Iowa, so saying something like that to Iowan voters took a giant pair of you-know-whats.
Some people will be upset by what I'm saying.
Conventional wisdom says you can't talk about ethanol in Iowa or Social Security in Florida or financial reform on Wall Street.
But someone has to say it. Someone has to finally stand up and level with the American people. Someone has to lead.
When times get tough, there's always a temptation among politicians to try to turn the American people against one-another. Some try to fan the flames of envy and resentment as a way to deflect attention from their own responsibilities.
But that's not good enough. Our problems demand - and our children deserve - much more from us this time.
I am still making up my mind about the Presidential race, but Pawlenty's earned a place on my short list. What do you think about him?
David Limbaugh's column from Monday makes some excellent points about how Republicans should remember that "the liberal media do not have the best interests of Reagan conservatives in mind" in their coverage of our current and potential 2012 Presidential candidates. A must-read:
Ashley Sewell, who blogs at TX Trendy Chick, invited me on her radio program to discuss my post about Israel. Bethany Shondark was also a guest on the show. I met both Ashley and Bethany at CPAC this year: two awesome and feisty ladies who you should be following on Twitter if you aren't already (@TXTrendyChick and @bethanyshondark)
The Minority Report, a great conservative blog where I sometimes contribute content, recently went through a site redesign. The new website is http://theminorityreport.co/tmr and you can read my latest TMR post here (cross-posted here on this blog earlier this week).
Here's a little perspective on the Democrats' victory in the NY-26 Congressional race (and of course, information you're not getting in the mainstream media). One intriguing element is the presence of a "fake tea party" spoiler candidate (see my posts about the efforts of a fake tea party here in Florida here).
I'm not sure whether this is what the White House meant by "leading from behind," or if the President is just nostalgic for a time when his poll numbers were better, but on a Tuesday visit to London's Westminster Abbey, President Obama signed the guest book with the date "24 May 2008." On the O'Reilly Factor last night, Dennis Miller had a humorous comment: "He signed 2008 but everything he signs leads to inflation. By the time he gets back to D.C., it'll read 2011."
Can you blame Obama for wishing it's 2008, when Michelle was finally proud of her country? Instead it's 2011 & we're proud of Bibi.Wed May 25 06:38:10 via webRachel
esqcapades
Tim Pawlenty made a campaign stop in Tampa earlier this week. From what I hear from friends who attended, it was a great event and he made a very favorable impression.
An ABC News camera caught an interesting conversation between Congressman Paul Ryan and former President Bill Clinton regarding the recent New York special election and the current budget debate in Congress (hat tip: @kesgardner and Legal Insurrection):
President Obama made a very controversial statement in a speech last Thursday: that Israel should return to its pre-1967 borders as part of a peace agreement with the Palestinians.
President Obama is engaging in a dangerous little dance as he attempts to shape world policy while simultaneously pretending the history of that same world didn't happen.
In my opinion, openly suggesting that Israel go back to the 1967 borders is, at best, dangerously naïve, does nothing to advance the goal of obtaining realistic peace for the region, and only emboldens Israel's enemies who would seek to push the borders further and further back until Israel disappeared from the map altogether.
Let's remember why Israel's borders changed in 1967: the Six-Day War.
Israel, at that time not even two decades into its modern existence, was facing increasing aggression from its Arab neighbors. In just six days in early June 1967, the tiny nation successfully defeated Egypt, Jordan, and Syria (along with numerous other allies who were fighting with them). Israel's victory was decisive, shocking the Middle East, and as a result, Israel gained control over an increased territory. Israel officially expanded its borders eastward, and retained control over a larger area that would provide a valuable buffer zone to its residents.
Israel, pre-1967, was less than nine miles wide. To retreat back to the pre-1967 borders would create additional and unnecessary military vulnerabilities, including leaving the entire land area of Israel vulnerable to the Hamas rockets, which have a range of about 10 miles.
Hamas is, plain and simple, a terrorist organization. They do not bother to play semantic games like the Irish Republican Army did with the Sinn Féin political party. Hamas issues their death threats against the people of Israel in their own name, they launch rockets at schoolyards in their own name, they send suicide bombers to shopping centers in their own name.
There is no room for confusion. This is a black-and-white issue. Hamas is a terrorist organization that has declared war on Israel and is actively engaged in violence and bloodshed as I type this post here today.
In the context of this history, Obama's Thursday speech seemed to oversimplify the situation and he was accused of being out of touch with reality. One notable critic was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had a visit with the President the next day. Netanyahu strongly rebuked Obama, saying that the 1967 lines were "indefensible" and did not take into consideration the situation on the ground.
Here's the video of Netanyahu's meeting with Obama. There's a line he says near the end that is especially chilling:
We don't have a lot of margin for error. And...Mr. President, history will not give the Jewish people another chance.
Netanyahu is correct. What Obama is asking is for him to risk the survival of his entire nation, and he's right to take what some are calling a "defiant" tone here.
It is almost unprecedented to expect the victor of a war to return territories won in the conflict, especially when such lands are obtained from an aggressor and viewed as strategically essential territories for future defense.
In the entire history of human civilization on this planet, I'm aware of one country, just one, that was victorious in war and then voluntarily gave up conquered territory: The United States.
After World War II, America not only agreed to allow Germany and Japan to retain their independence, but also supported a significant portion of their rebuilding through the Marshall Plan and related programs.
Note, however, that we didn't call up Hitler in 1943 and try to "negotiate" peace. We fought on land, sea, and air until the German military could take no more. We did not stop fighting until Hitler had committed suicide and the Germans had officially and formally surrendered.
We carpet-bombed German cities - including civilian areas. In this modern age where we send attorneys to the front lines and futilely attempt to fight politically correct wars, it can be difficult to appreciate what this really means. Photographs can only capture a small piece:
Berlin, May 1945 - View of Unter den Linden and the Brandenburg Gate
Film gives a fuller perspective. There's a great movie with Jean Arthur, Marlene Dietrich, and John Lund called A Foreign Affair that takes place in Berlin right after World War II. The opening scenes include several aerial shots taken from airplanes flying over the city, showing a Berlin that had nearly been leveled by Allied bombs.
Here's a clip from the beginning of the movie. Note especially the sections at 1:40 and 3:35.
Likewise, after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, we didn't sit down at a table with Emperor Hirohito and try to draw up a contract for peace. We didn't whine and wish upon a star for them to not bomb us any more. We flew across the Pacific Ocean and bombed them. A lot.
My point is that, regarding this unprecedented and historically unique voluntary grant of territory by a victor after a war, the United States ceded control only after a complete and total defeat and surrender of Germany and Japan's fighting forces, and not a minute before.
Today, Israel is being asked to negotiate with a Palestinian government that has openly and proudly allied itself with Hamas, which, I repeat again for emphasis, is a terrorist organization.
Israel is being asked to retreat to indefensible borders without any real reassurances that the attacks will cease. Worse, Israel is being asked to make this retreat while the violence is still happening.
Israel is being asked to surrender territory that it rightfully won in war, in the hope that it will appease the bloodthirsty killers who deny Israel even has a right to exist.
Appeasement didn't work when Neville Chamberlin tried it with Adolf Hitler. It won't work with Hamas either. The only way to "appease" Hamas would be for the people of Israel to stand at the border and slit their own throats. That's a brutally graphic metaphor, I know, but we're talking about a group that believes bombing school buses full of children is a valid negotiating tactic.
I am thankful that the people of Israel have a leader like Netanyahu who is grounded in reality and fully dedicated to the preservation of their nation. It breaks my heart to say that I fear our President does not share his views.
Peace will come to the Middle East when the Arabs love their children more than they hate us.
- Golda Meir
If Palestine were to lay down their guns tomorrow, there would be no war. If Israel were to lay down theirs, there would be no Israel.
Abel Harding at the Florida Times-Union had an interesting blog post yesterday about the spread of fake Twitter accounts parodying political figures, notably in the Florida Republican Senate primary. IMHO, several of these accounts cross the line from being funny to being ugly and abusive. There's no way to completely prevent someone from creating one of these accounts, so I guess the next best thing is to spread the word and hopefully people become aware the fake accounts are out there, and know not to attribute any of the nonsense to the real candidates.
The St. Petersburg Times and POLITICO are teaming up to cover the 2012 elections. They'll be sharing content in both their respective print and online editions. This new arrangement is partially due to the 2012 Republican Convention being in Tampa.
Gene Simmons from the band KISS had some harsh words for President Obama over the weekend. Simmons, whose real name is Chaim Witz, was born in Israel and let's just say he strongly disagrees with Obama's suggestion that Israel go back to its 1967 borders. Added bonus: he discusses the United Nations as well (Spoiler: he doesn't like them, either). Video of Simmons' interview is included with the article (warning - NSFW language):
Here's Erick Erickson, making a lot of sense, as usual, in a brief post about the current crop of Republican Presidential candidates: "I can live with the field and I hope you can too."
George Soros-funded Media Matters apparently started a campaign to target companies that advertise on the Fox News Channel (keeping with their usual theme of "free speech for me but not for thee"). One thing they didn't count on was a corporation that had a backbone. Travel website Orbitz responded to the call for a boycott from "DropFox.com" with force and confidence. Well done, Orbitz. The boundaries of free speech should not be set by bullies.
Note the red line - that's the debt ceiling. See how every single time it gets raised, our national debt grows to match it? We've created the financial equivalent of a goldfish growing to fit its tank.
Let's keep you in that little bowl, OK, Mr. Fish?
This is why we need to stop raising the flippin' debt ceiling. If the Republicans in Congress vote to raise it one more time to give them time to work out some longer term solutions, I can grudgingly accept that, but they had darn well better play some serious hardball with that vote and wrangle some real and significant spending cuts and reforms from the Democrats.
Jake Tapper
