Romney/RNC almost catches up with Obama/DNC in April.

The New York Times reported this morning that the combined raised total for Romney and the RNC was $40.1 million in April, with Romney having $61.4 million in the bank: in comparison, Obama/the DNC raised $43.6 million. Barack Obama’s own cash on hand for April – it was $104.1 million at the end of March – and we probably won’t be told it until the Sunday deadline, or possibly a little later than that. Though, to be fair, Romney and the RNC haven’t submitted their latest fundraising reports to the FEC, either.

Also: while I give points to the NYT for mentioning that this was a significant jump from Romney’s March haul of $12.6 million, they might have kept comparing apples-to-apples and included the RNC’s March fundraising total ($13.7 million). Or noted that the Democrats’ $43.6 million number for April represents a drop from March’s $53 million. Then again, I suppose that there’s a narrative in place.

The real question, of course, is just how much any of this means. Answer: thanks to the latest round of campaign finance reform, not as much as it would have in 2008. Romney and the RNC having this money is good, because it’ll fund infrastructure, campaign worker payrolls, GOTV efforts, and everything else you need to apply a force multiplier to local/grassroots efforts. And they’ll have the money to get the specific message that they want out. But, thanks to the Citizens United case, groups with an interest in the election have a much larger opportunity to have their voices heard, this cycle. Given that the central message this election will be Are you better off now than you were… heck, last month? you can imagine how much this upsets the Democratic party, despite the fact that nobody’s stopping them from likewise grabbing a microphone and singing out.

One last note: I don’t like lumping Romney and the RNC together like this, because it implies that the relationship between the two is essentially identical to that of Obama to the DNC. Which is false. Romney does not control the RNC the way that Obama owns the DNC; obviously the RNC will be working with the candidate, and naturally the Presidential race is the big one this year. But there are still House and Senate races for the national committee’s consideration. I note this because the DCCC and DSCC have been already told that there’s no DNC money for them*, and they are not happy about it…

Moe Lane (crosspost)

(H/T: @RyanGOP)

*In contrast, the RNC, NRCC, and NRSC have created an interlocking support network for the three national committees, including financial assistance when necessary.

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Morning Briefing for April 30, 2012

RedState Morning Briefing
April 30, 2012Go to www.RedStateMB.com to get
the Morning Briefing every morning at no charge.

We’re about a week out from the Indiana Primary. Richard Mourdock now leads Barack Obama’s favorite Republican, Dick Lugar. But it is close. Surprisingly for so many conservative activists who backed Eric Cantor for his leadership position, the House Republican Leader has decided to engage in this and other races for the more moderate and liberal candidates.

Whodathunk Eric Cantor would become like Mitch McConnell, but he is. And not only that, Eric Cantor has decided to engage in the Indiana Senate race — a Senate race, not a House race. So the cool thing is if you open your checkbook and help Richard Mourdock, you aren’t just dealing a blow to Mitch McConnell, but to Eric Cantor and Barack Obama too. All three of them want Dick Lugar to stick around Washington.

Do what you can to make sure Indiana sends Dick Lugar home. Oh wait . . . Dick doesn’t live in Indiana anymore. That’s why his Board of Elections says he can’t vote in Indiana. Still, get him out of the Senate.

But that’s not all.

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As President of the United States, Barack Obama wants us to know he killed Osama Bin Laden. The SEALs? Pfffffftttt . . . nope. Barack Obama did it. If you don’t believe him, wait till the campaign commercials tell you. Don’t believe them? Well, just in time for the election, Hollywood will provide us with an in-kind contribution of a propaganda film.

True, the President did give the order and he should be commended, as should the SEALs. And it is fair game for him to want to campaign on killing Osama Bin Laden in the same way George H. W. Bush campaigned as a war hero in 1992.

In 1992, Bill Clinton would commend George H. W. Bush on the campaign trail and lament that he just wished President Bush was as successful getting Americans back to work as he had been getting Iraq out of Kuwait.

This morning, my dad called and pointed out that Barack Obama may just be the most successful killer to ever take up residence in the White House — more successful even than the 19th Century vampire slayer who first led the Republican Party into the White House. In fact, consider the serial killing spree Barack Obama has been on.

On Twitter: use has tag #ThingsObamaKilled to play along at home.

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Earlier this week, a two-year old YouTube video surfaced that floated some raw sewage in the Obama Administration’s energy punchbowl. In it, EPA Region 6 Administrator Al Almendariz, speaking to a group of Texas citizens, chuckles while comparing his agency’s environmental enforcement strategy vis-à-vis oil and gas operators to conquering Roman legionnaires’ strategy of random crucifixion. How quaint.

So the Washington politicians did what politicians have done since Roman times: go into damage-control mode and attempt to distance themselves from the offending act. From the Washington Post . . .

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This has been a tough week for conservatives in Washington. Republicans in both houses are caving on the postal bailout, highway bill, appropriations, Ex-Im Bank, Violence Against Women Act, and the student loan bailout. It’s not going to get easier when they come back from recess in May. This is why we need game-changers like Scott Keadle in Congress. Keadle is running in NC-8, the seat currently held by born-again blue dog Larry Kissell.

As I search out conservative candidates throughout the country on behalf of the Madison Project PAC, I’m struck by how few candidates truly grasp the problems at hand within the Republican conference. Sure – they all talk about repealing Obamacare, a balanced budget, and out-of- control spending. But it is some of the aforementioned issues that separate the real supporters of free-markets from those who merely offer a pale-pastel contrast from the Democrats.

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Daily Links – April 27, 2012

Today is April 27th. On this date in 4977 B.C., the universe was created. At least, that’s what 17th century German astronomer Johannes Kepler calculated. So Happy Birthday, Universe! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have anywhere to exist, which is the bulk of what I do. Also on this date, in 1773, British Parliament passed the Tea Act, setting in motion a chain of events that led to the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773. The protest was vastly more successful than subsequent counter-protest, Occupy Crumpets. On this date in 1791, Samuel B. Morse was born. Morse once famously said “…. .-! / — .- -.. . / -.– — ..- /
.-.. — — -.-!” Truly a touching sentiment. And finally, today is National Hairball Awareness Day which may sound gross, but is a lot less so than National Hairball Self-Awareness Day, which was predicted by the Mayans. Consider this an Open Thread.

Republicans prepare contempt citation against Eric Holder | CBS News
“House Republicans investigating the Fast and Furious scandal have gotten the go-ahead by their party leaders to pursue a contempt citation against Attorney General Eric Holder, senior congressional aides told CBS News.”

Jon Stewart Mocks N.C. Democrats | Free Beacon
“Daily Show host Jon Stewart mocked the state of the Democratic Party in North Carolina Thursday, between the trial of former presidential candidate John Edwards and the ongoing sexual harassment scandal in the North Carolina state Democratic Party:”

First Signs of a Real Obama Backlash? | PJ Tatler
“Barack Obama, meanwhile, is oblivious to all this. He keeps on pushing government as the be all end all solution to everything. A new poll out suggests that this attitude is going to catch up with him.”

Top Ten Rejected NPR Headlines | Ace of Spades HQ
NPR asks, “Is Slow Growth Actually Good For The Economy?” Ace serves up a list of ten rejected NPR headlines of equal absurdity.

Today’s Word of the Day comes via Merriam-Webster.
patagium (puh-TAY-jee-um): noun 1. the fold of skin connecting the forelimbs and hind limbs of some tetrapods (as flying squirrels) 2. the fold of skin in front of the main segments of a bird’s wing

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Morning Briefing for April 27, 2012

RedState Morning Briefing

for April 27, 2012

Go to www.RedStateMB.com to get the 

Morning Briefing every morning at no charge.

Yes, yes, we have a new look today.  It’s because I want your undivided attention and figured shaking things up would give it to me after you finished mumbling, “There he goes again.”  

We’ll return to normalcy conservatives, I promise.  Why shake things up today?  To highlight our sister publication.

As I mentioned last week, this month marks an exciting new chapter for our sister publication, Human Events. The nation’s first conservative weekly and Ronald Reagan’s favorite newspaper has a dynamic new look and additional firepower to provide more news and analysis than ever before.

Human Events has expanded its team of reporters and will now feature deeper coverage of the issues most important to you, ranging from the economy to energy and healthcare to national security.

We’re proud to be part of the Human Events family. Be on the lookout this weekend for more exciting details in an email, including powerful video coverage of the new Human Events being commemorated on the floor of the House of Representatives.

And now, the Morning Briefing.

1.  Death of the Moderate . . . Democrat

It is worth noting that on Tuesday several moderate Democrats went down in flames in Pennsylvania, continuing a trend that has escalated since 2008. Liberals do not want moderate Democrats in their caucus.

What is most interesting about it from a conservative perspective, however, is how there has not been a ton of coverage about the death of the blue dogs — more dogs dead in Barack Obama and the left’s war on dogs. Had moderate Republicans been defeated, we would have major stories on pretty much every news network and on the front page of every paper in America.

Routinely we hear that Republicans cannot win in New England, despite Republican successes in New England in 2010. Routinely we hear about the GOP driving moderates out of the party. Big tent cliches surround the stories. Rarely does the ongoing purging of the Democratic Party make such news.  Read the rest of the story . . .

2.  Yet Another Reason Why Today’s Unions Suck: Dues Devour Wage Increases

On the eve of Obama’s NLRB unleashing its new rules giving unions the ability to hold ambush elections—that is, the evisceration of employers’ ability to question or challenge unions in their quest to cherry-pick voting units—more data was just released by the Bureau of National Affairs that calls into question why anyone in their right mind would pay dues to a union today.

In addition to the $369 billion in underfunded union (private-sector) pension plans, the abundant evidence that unions kill companies and destroy jobs, today’s unions are doing such a miserable job at the one thing they’re supposed to do—negotiate contracts—that union members should demand refunds from their union bosses.

According to the April 9th issue of the Bureau of National Affairs Daily Labor Report (subscription required), unions negotiated contracts in 2011 that, in 41% of the contracts, employees received no increase in the contract’s first year.  Read the rest of the story . . . 

3.  The Way Things Are Going, They’re Gonna Crucify Me.

Apologies to John Lennon. Concept by Al Armendariz, Administrator of EPA Region VI. Repair Man Jack posted the video with analysis here.

No apology is necessary, Mr. Armendariz. In a perverse way, your comments reveal the tactics of your agency, and more importantly, the philosophy which motivates Mr. Obama’s entire Administration.

It also speaks of the arrogance of a government that thinks its citizens are its subjects, and whose middle managers find amusement in crushing people’s lives and livelihoods.

One more thing about the Roman analogy — mmm, as I recall, that strategy didn’t work out too well for the Romans. Does Mr. Obama play the fiddle?  Read the rest of the story . . .

4.  Sign Letter for Open Appropriations Process in the House

Every elected Republican came to Washington promising to slash spending and balance the budget.  Yet, when it comes time for the most direct way to enact those spending cuts; namely, the annual appropriations bills, most of them are missing in action.

In an ideal world, Republicans should hold the upper hand in negotiations over spending bills. They enjoy complete control over the House, while Harry Reid only has a tenuous hold on the Senate at just 53 seats.  Unfortunately, as we chronicled extensively here at Red State, House and Senate GOP leaders agreed to jettison the Ryan budget halfway through the process in favor of Harry Reid’s minibus and omnibus bills, which vitiated every worthy goal of that budget.  Read the rest of the story . . .

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Morning Briefing for April 26, 2012

RedState Morning Briefing
April 26, 2012Go to www.RedStateMB.com to get
the Morning Briefing every morning at no charge.

Yesterday on Laura Ingraham’s radio show, she asked Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell about a recent Roll Call article that framed me as one of the loud leaders of conservatives opposed to Mitch McConnell. The Senator from Kentucky responded that he had never heard of me and I did not have an audience.

That sounds a bit like the child, when asked if he ate the cookie, replying that he had not and besides it did not taste good. If he’d never heard of me, how can he comment on my audience? If he states plainly I have no audience, how can he claim to not have heard of me? His remarks also came less than a day after I came out publicly against bronies, the adult male fans of My Little Pony. I hope that’s just a coincidence.

Mitch McConnell’s remark is just another example of him being vastly overrated as both a strategist and tactician. He claims to have advanced the conservative cause, but told Laura he has to be mindful that to govern Republicans must reach out to all Americans. Perhaps that is why in 2010, with the rise of the tea party, Mitch McConnell backed Arlen Specter against Pat Toomey, Charlie Crist against Marco Rubio (McConnell staffers went to Florida to help Crist), Robert Bennett against Mike Lee, and Trey Grayson against Rand Paul.

I grew up thinking Mitch McConnell was a right wing warrior. It turns out he’s just a typical Washingtonian appropriator who has presided over a massive expansion of the welfare state doing not much more than issuing bold platitudes as he cuts deals to expand government spending and along the way made some major tactical and strategic blunders that groups like ACORN were able to thrive.

Let’s review the record.

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An untold story today following Tuesday’s Pennsylvania primaries is what a bad, bad night it was for Planned Parenthood.

In Pennsylvania’s 134th House district, they spent an eye-popping $100,000 on a TV ad campaign trying to sink the candidacy of Republican Ryan Mackenzie by linking him to ultrasound legislation that was before the legislature.

As Politico noted, this was seen as a trial-balloon of sorts.

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Never mind the fact that Obama got yoghurt splashed on him last night – that’s just an ongoing hazard of being a politician running for re-election in this country. The real story here is this: the President went to Colorado to, essentially, lie to a bunch of kids about how they can get themselves out of this mess that they’re in. And it is a mess. 50% of college graduates are unemployed/underemployed; couple that with student loan debt levels that should really be frightening more people and we end up with a situation where millions of kids are getting out of college and staring DOOM right in the face. And while they are adults – and thus, responsible for their own fates – guess what? The people that connived to put them in this mess are adults, too. We expect twenty-somethings in this culture to make poor life choices, sometimes; what we don’t expect is for the generations above them to so ruthlessly take advantage of that.

Anyway: Obama’s answer in Colorado, last night? …Entrepreneurship. That’s what he was telling the kids. Start that restaurant! Develop that smartphone app! Make your own destiny! Get slammed with a tax hike on small businesses in the form of tighter restrictions on payroll tax exemptions!

…Yeah. One of these things is not like the others.

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Daily Links – April 26, 2012

Today is April 26th. On this date in 1514, Copernicus recorded his first observations of Saturn. He concluded that God must have liked it, because “he puteth a ring upon it.” Also on this date, in 1711, David Hume was born in Scotland. His “Idea of a Perfect Commonwealth” essay was a big influence on the drafting of the U.S. Constitution. Also, he could out-consume both Schopenhauer and Hegel. On this date in 1865 Abraham Lincoln’s assassin John Wilkes Booth was killed by Union soldiers at a Virginia farm. His final words, apparently directed at his hands, were “useless, useless.” To this day, historians are unsure why both of Booth’s hands had the same name. And finally, today is National Richter Scale Day, in honor of the birth of seismologist Charles Richter in 1900. Says David Caruso: I guess you could say he really … [puts on sunglasses] shook things up. YEEAAAAAHHHH! Consider this an Open Thread.

Exclusive: Red State Founder Erickson Fires Back At Sen. Mcconnell | Big Journalism
“This was essentially an attack not just on Erickson, but on the new media as a whole. It suggests that those on the internet have no credibility, and that they can be talked down to by their betters in the political bigwig world.”

EPA: Hey, sorry about that whole “crucify” thing | Hot Air
“The EPA has scrambled to contain the damage from the clip highlighted by Morgen Richmond this morning, which went viral yesterday, showing an EPA administrator bragging about crucifixion as a means to impose the EPA’s will on American subjects, er, citizens.”

Meet The Left-Wing ALECs | Free Beacon
“The progressive groups leveling charges that the American Legislative Exchange Conference (ALEC) is ‘shadowy’ and ‘nefarious’ rely on hidden donors and overheated rhetoric to attack ALEC and ignore similar activities by liberal organizations.”

The Assault on Food | John Stossel
“But the scientific question should not overshadow the more fundamental issue. Who should decide what you can eat: you? Or the state?”

Today’s Word of the Day comes via Dictionary.com.
macaronic (mak-uh-ron-ik): adjective 1. composed of or characterized by Latin words mixed with vernacular words or non-Latin words given Latin endings. 2. composed of a mixture of languages. 3. mixed; jumbled.

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Daily Links – April 25, 2012

Today is April 25th. On this date in 1953, Senator Wayne Morse wrapped up the third longest filibuster in Senate history, at 22 hours, 26 minutes. The second longest was Sen. Alfonse D’Amato in 1986 at 23 hours, 30 minutes, and the longest was Sen. Strom Thurmond, at 24 hours, 18 minutes, in 1957. Morse died in 1974. His last words were … transcribed in the form of a three thousand page book. Also on this date, in 1964, Hank Azaria was born in New York. His first words were “Worst. Delivery. Ever.” On this date in 2003, Sinead O’Connor announced she was retiring from music. Her fan was devastated. And finally, today is World Penguin Day. Tuxedo. That’s my joke. Hey, they can’t all be winners. Consider this an Open Thread.

Kimmel Insists: ‘It’s Hard to Make Fun’ of ‘Cool Character’ Obama | Newsbusters
“‘It’s hard to make fun of Obama in general because he’s a cool character,’ ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel, the ‘headliner’ for this Saturday night’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, told Reuters, insisting that ‘outside of his ears, there’s not a whole lot’ to joke about.”

[NSFW Language] SNL alum Lovitz delivers rant on Obama, taxes | Daily Caller
“In an interview with “Clerks” director Kevin Smith, Lovitz, a registered Democrat who voted for Obama in 2008, bashed the president for his class warfare rhetoric and the notion that the wealthy don’t pay their fair share in taxes.”

Charlotte Hotel Owner: Dnc Business Practices ‘Ruthless, Bullying’ | Free Beacon
“The DNC has filed suit against a Charlotte-area hotel owner, who calls the convention’s business practices ‘ruthless’ and ‘bullying,’ WBTV in Charlotte reports:”

New York Times experiment in self-awareness lasts all of two days | Hot Air
“An understatement to be sure, but any acknowledgement of bias from the Times is a rare event, and so this understandably received a lot of coverage by the conservative media. Well fast forward two days later, and observe Times’ editorial page editor Andrew Rosenthal pretty much give Brisbane, and conservatives, the (metaphorical) finger.”

New Moonbat Line of Attack: Rubio Campaigning With Romney is ‘Homoerotic’ | Newsbusters
“Randi Rhodes does what she can to make her presence known in that barren wasteland known as liberal radio. Unfortunately, it usually consists of little more than bloviating inanities.”

Today’s Word of the Day comes via Wordsmith.org.
elan (ay-LAHN): noun A combination of energy, enthusiasm, and style.

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Daily Links – April 5, 2012

Today is April 5th. On this date in 1792, George Washington cast the very first Presidential veto, on a bill that would have increased the number of Representatives in the House from northern states. In a letter urging the veto, Thomas Jefferson wrote that apportionment should based on “arithmetical operation, about which no two men can ever possibly differ.” Man, Congress sure was different back then. Also on this date, in 1621, the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth on her return voyage to England. The journey took so long that, by the time they docked in England, Plymouth Rock had switched formats and become Plymouth Top 40. On this date in 1869, Daniel F. Bakeman, the last surviving veteran of the Revolutionary war, died at age 109. His wife died 6 years earlier at age 105. They were married for 91 years, the longest American marriage on record. Little known fact: the traditional gift for a 90th wedding anniversary is metamucil. And finally, and most importantly, today is First Contact Day. Open Thread? Make it so.

Fmr Biden Adviser: Green Jobs Oversold | Washington Free Beacon
“The thousands of green energy jobs that President Barack Obama has widely touted after pumping billions into green energy firms rely mostly on short-term construction jobs.”

Healthy polar bear count confounds doomsayers | Globe and Mail
“‘The study shows that ‘the bear population is not in crisis as people believed,’ said Drikus Gissing, Nunavut’s director of wildlife management. ‘There is no doom and gloom.’”

Twitter gives the experience of Titanic, in real time | Twitchy
“This real time Titanic voyage recounting is a project of @TheHistoryPress, marking the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.”

Liberal Actor Don Cheadle Slams NBC for Selective Editing of Zimmerman Tape | Newsbusters
“As the Academy Award-winning actor’s Twitter feed shows, he has no use for liberal media outlets distorting the news through selective editing.”

Today’s Word of the Day comes via Merriam-Webster.
cockalorum (kah-kuh-LOR-um): noun 1. a boastful and self-important person 2. boastful talk

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Daily Links – April 10, 2012

Today is April 10th. On this date in 1849, Walter Hunt patented the safety pin. He sold the patent mere hours later for $400. Hunt was a prolific inventor, having received patents for a fountain pen, a sewing machine, and even a pre-Winchester repeating rifle. Coincidentally, it was this date in 1790 that the very first U.S. Patent Office was established. I once invented something too: a chili spaghetti taco. No word from the patent office yet. Also on this date, in 1912, the RMS Titanic set sail on her famous, fateful voyage. If that terrible disaster taught us anything, it’s that Rose will NOT make room for you on her precious debris. And finally, today is International Be Kind To Lawyers Day, for some reason. Activities include not making the joke that if you lined up all the lawyers in the world end to end, 2/3 of them would drown, and synchronized chasing of ambulances. Consider this an Open Thread.

Buffett Rule is Calculated Distraction from Obama’s Failed Leadership | The Foundry
“What do you do when you’re losing a debate? Change the subject. That’s really all you need to know to understand President Obama’s resuscitation of his infamous ‘Buffett Rule’ that would impose a minimum 30 percent effective tax rate on businesses and families earning $1 million.”

Many hybrid-car owners buy once — but not again, Polk study says | LA Times
“While the choice of fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles for sale in the U.S. continues to grow, more buyers than not are deciding against the technology when they go to buy another car.”

Horrific story of the British child bride | Mail Online
“Mrs Shah said she believed she was being dressed for her fifth birthday party on the day of the Islamic ceremony which effectively ended her childhood.”

Totalitarianism marches on | What’s Wrong With The World
“What we can be sure of is that direct regulation of home school content to enforce ‘tolerance’ is a goal of a not-inconsiderable slice of the left-wing intelligentsia and that it will come to the United States as soon as they are able to make it happen.”

Celebs Call For Civil Disobedience Against Rich | Big Hollywood
“So they shot a video extolling the virtues of the Occupy Wall Street movement and detailing plains to train the ’99 percent’ in civil disobedience tactics for 2012 and beyond.”

Today’s Word of the Day comes via Merriam-Webster.
picaresque (pik-uh-RESK): adjective Of or relating to rogues or rascals; also : of, relating to, suggesting, or being a type of fiction dealing with the episodic adventures of a usually roguish protagonist

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Morning Briefing for April 9, 2012

RedState Morning Briefing
April 9, 2012Go to www.RedStateMB.com to get
the Morning Briefing every morning at no charge.

After Friday’s jobs numbers came out (the economy added 120,000 jobs) Labor Secretary Hilda Solis promptly proclaimed: “That’s a noteworthy achievement.”

In fact, for the man who campaigned on the message of “hope” in 2008, the 120,000 jobs added is much fewer (about half) than expected and the edging down of the unemployment to 8.2% is not from job creation but from hopelessness.

There are now 88 million American who are “Not In Labor Force.”

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And anybody who tells you that you can get money out of politics is either deluded, lying, or possibly both. Exhibit A: the upcoming Democratic convention in Charlotte, NC. The Democrats piously declared that of course no dirty, dirty corporate/lobbyist money would be allowed to be spent on putting the convention together. And everybody cheered… only, it’s now 2012 and there’s potentially a looming shortfall in fundraising. And lo! – here are some lobbyist and corporate donors.

Sure, they can’t contribute… under the old rules. But rules are flexible things, are they not? A corporation can’t contribute directly. But it’s all right for their executives to write large personal checks, or contribute the equivalent in goods and/or services, or launder it through a corporate charity. As for lobbyists… well. The DNC likes to see its friends happy – friends being defined as ‘people who bundle together a lot of personal contributions and/or corporate in-kind donations’ – and if VIP access and nice hotel rooms make friends happy, then that warm, happy feeling would be its own reward, yes?

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Blaming natural phenomena on fracking is this year’s fad, reminiscent of the mood ring, the pet rock or Anthropogenic Global Warming.

Item 1. Vice-President of the United States Joe Biden may not know what hydrofracking is, but he does know that it sounds plenty scary.

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Our sister company Regnery Publishing (we’re both owned by Eagle Publishing, Inc.) sent me a new book to read. I am really bad these days about not reading all the books I get in — sometimes up to a dozen a week from various publishers and authors. But this one caught my eye.

Katie Pavlich, Townhall’s News Editor, has a book out entitled Fast And Furious: Barack Obama’s Bloodiest Scandal and Its Shameless Cover-Up.

I think the media has spent more time doctoring 911 calls in the Trayvon Martin matter than focusing on what has happened along the border with Mexico. There has been some coverage and it probably would not have come to light except for CBS News’s initial reporting, but the scandal — and it is a scandal — has mostly flown under the radar.

In fact, the whole war on our Southern border, the kidnappings and killings spilling over into our country, etc. really have not made major, sustained national news.

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Daily Links – April 9, 2012

Today is April 9th. On this date in 1865, Robert E. Lee surrendered the Confederacy to General Ulysses S. Grant in Appomattox, Virginia, ending the Civil War. After the terms were agreed upon, a band struck up a celebratory song, but General Grant famously shushed them, saying “The war is over. The Rebels are our countrymen again.” And since the band was Nickelback, nobody minded. Also on this date, in 1881, Billy The Kid was found guilty of murder after a one-day trial, and was sentenced to death by hanging. He later escaped custody and went on to coach a rag-tag youth hockey team all the way to the championship. On this date in 1991, Georgia voted to secede from the Soviet Union. The economy took a brief hit but eventually came to rely upon their chief export, golden fiddles. And finally, today is National Name Yourself Day, when you pick a different name for the day. Until next time, this is Han McClane “Snake” Reagan McLovin, signing off. Consider this an Open Thread.

Media Matters Dumps M.J. Rosenberg | Washington Free Beacon
“Months of public pressure and outrage from across the pro-Israel spectrum forced Media Matters for America staffer M.J. Rosenberg to tender his resignation Friday from the left-wing media watchdog group.”

Gas Price Hypocrites | The New Editor
Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Rahm Emanuel holding presser in front of gas price sign blaming President Bush for high gas prices that are “burden” on Americans.

Wisconsin recall effort against Gov. Scott Walker now at center stage | WaPo
“But at least for the next two months, the Badger State will be at the epicenter of American politics as voters decide for only the third time in the nation’s history whether to recall a sitting governor.”

Ace, Twitter call out the unbearable whiteness of being Obama’s campaign HQ | Twitchy
Twitter reacts to photos from the Obama campaign headquarters in Chicago.

Today’s Word of the Day comes via Dictionary.com.
cumshaw (KUHM-shaw): noun A present; gratuity; tip.

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Morning Briefing for April 10, 2012

RedState Morning Briefing
April 10, 2012Go to www.RedStateMB.com to get
the Morning Briefing every morning at no charge.

Mike Wallace is dead.

Growing up, I’d spend the summer away from Dubai at my grandparents’ home in Louisiana. Sunday nights were back to back Murder She Wrote and 60 Minutes.

Many conservatives would accuse Mike Wallace and 60 Minutes of a liberal view point and shading stories to match their world view. Growing up, 60 Minutes was, to me, journalism done right. They asked questions and got answers and highlighted problems and, though sometimes falling short of the goal, tried not to put themselves in the story.

I’d like to think that if Mike Wallace were able in his latter days, he’d be kicking the asses of most of the journalists who have dared weigh in on the Trayvon Martin killing for destroying the integrity of a tragic story in the name of agenda journalism.

Just about every single network and journalist who has touched on the Trayvon Martin matter should be deeply and terribly ashamed of themselves. I am disgusted by just how badly the media has botched the handling of a very real tragedy.

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As today’s government-union bosses push higher taxes, establish dues schemes to fund their bloated salaries and union-bought politicians, the evidence has become pretty clear: Government unions have become political, parasitic entities injuring taxpayers and the communities they control (see Central Falls and Providence, RI; Detroit, MI; and the once-great State of California for examples).

In the private sector, however, where taxpayers’ pockets are not in endless supply, the parasitic model of today’s unions, far too often, allows unions drain companies and ends up killing their hosts.

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You have to wonder whether the Online Left finds equivocators like Rep. Jason Altmire (D, PA-04) as insulting as we do (not that progressives have the courage to call their own hypocrites out, of course). Let me set the background: in 2010 Altmire did his level best to look like a mighty pro-life champion, largely because he was running for re-election in a R+6 district (which he ended up winning with only 51% of the vote). Back then it was all about how Altmire absolutely hated taxpayer funding of abortion, and how he’d never support such a thing, and the rest of the spiel that then-Speaker Pelosi graciously allowed him to repeat in order to keep his seat.

But that was 2010. Since then the seats have been redrawn, and now Altmire is facing Murtha crony/replacement Mark Critz in a race for the redrawn PA-12 district that has been called ‘spirited‘ (read: ‘vicious’). So, now that the pandering has to be to Democratic primary voters, how is Altmire pandering?

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Morning Briefing for April 9, 2012

RedState Morning Briefing
April 9, 2012Go to www.RedStateMB.com to get
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After Friday’s jobs numbers came out (the economy added 120,000 jobs) Labor Secretary Hilda Solis promptly proclaimed: “That’s a noteworthy achievement.”

In fact, for the man who campaigned on the message of “hope” in 2008, the 120,000 jobs added is much fewer (about half) than expected and the edging down of the unemployment to 8.2% is not from job creation but from hopelessness.

There are now 88 million American who are “Not In Labor Force.”

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And anybody who tells you that you can get money out of politics is either deluded, lying, or possibly both. Exhibit A: the upcoming Democratic convention in Charlotte, NC. The Democrats piously declared that of course no dirty, dirty corporate/lobbyist money would be allowed to be spent on putting the convention together. And everybody cheered… only, it’s now 2012 and there’s potentially a looming shortfall in fundraising. And lo! – here are some lobbyist and corporate donors.

Sure, they can’t contribute… under the old rules. But rules are flexible things, are they not? A corporation can’t contribute directly. But it’s all right for their executives to write large personal checks, or contribute the equivalent in goods and/or services, or launder it through a corporate charity. As for lobbyists… well. The DNC likes to see its friends happy – friends being defined as ‘people who bundle together a lot of personal contributions and/or corporate in-kind donations’ – and if VIP access and nice hotel rooms make friends happy, then that warm, happy feeling would be its own reward, yes?

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Blaming natural phenomena on fracking is this year’s fad, reminiscent of the mood ring, the pet rock or Anthropogenic Global Warming.

Item 1. Vice-President of the United States Joe Biden may not know what hydrofracking is, but he does know that it sounds plenty scary.

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Our sister company Regnery Publishing (we’re both owned by Eagle Publishing, Inc.) sent me a new book to read. I am really bad these days about not reading all the books I get in — sometimes up to a dozen a week from various publishers and authors. But this one caught my eye.

Katie Pavlich, Townhall’s News Editor, has a book out entitled Fast And Furious: Barack Obama’s Bloodiest Scandal and Its Shameless Cover-Up.

I think the media has spent more time doctoring 911 calls in the Trayvon Martin matter than focusing on what has happened along the border with Mexico. There has been some coverage and it probably would not have come to light except for CBS News’s initial reporting, but the scandal — and it is a scandal — has mostly flown under the radar.

In fact, the whole war on our Southern border, the kidnappings and killings spilling over into our country, etc. really have not made major, sustained national news.

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Morning Briefing for April 5, 2012

RedState Morning Briefing
April 5, 2012Go to www.RedStateMB.com to get
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At last, the long winter of our discontent is over. America’s pastime has returned to its home fields. Last night, the World Champion Cardinals took on the revamped Miami Marlins in the United States opener. Today, the other 28 teams return to work. Although the game has changed to a huge extent since the days when fielders (including catchers) played barehanded and pitchers threw underhanded from 50 feet, and although the game has become almost as international in character as soccer, as fans file into stands today and tomorrow bedecked in their favorite team’s gear, baseball remains an affirmation of the rebirth of spring and of our uniquely American sense of community and competition. And for fans of all 30 teams (except the Astros), it is a day of eternal hope.

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In a story about the White House in damage control mode over the President’s rather stupid remarks on the Supreme Court, Reuters reports the following:

“What he did was make an unremarkable observation about 80 years of Supreme Court history,” Carney told reporters during a White House briefing dominated by the topic.

and

The president, who taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago, qualified the remark a day later by stressing he meant action by the Court on a matter of commerce, a legal distinction that cut little ice with his critics.

and

“

Since the 1930s the Supreme Court has without exception deferred to Congress when it comes to Congress’s authority to pass legislation to regulate matters of national economic importance such as health care, 80 years,” Carney said.

What Reuters did not bother to report is that, in fact, the Supreme Court has ruled unconstitutional a piece of legislation that passed with a bipartisan majority via the commerce clause just 17 years ago.

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What a miserable question to have to ask about Nebraska Attorney General and Republican Senate Candidate Jon Bruning — in effect is he, at best, a creepy pervert and at worst a monster. But before you pick up pitch forks and torches against me for asking the question, you need to understand that this is Jon Bruning’s own tortured logic in the Nebraska Senate Republican Primary.

Jon Bruning, the Attorney General of Nebraska all but accused his primary opponent, Don Stenberg, of being a pedophile. Bruning did so in a Senate primary debate when the debate kept coming back to Jon Bruning still defending Barack Obama’s Attorney General, Eric Holder.

I wish I were making it up, but I am not. Even the Democrats in Nebraska had to jump in and point out that based on Jon Bruning’s “evidence” about Don Stenberg, Jon Bruning is guilty of the same.

I warned each and every one of you that Jon Bruning had a reputation for being a hot head who would meltdown under the pressure of a campaign. As appalling as it is, he has done so. If he’s resorting to suggesting his primary opponent is a pedophile to distract from inconvenient facts about his support of Eric Holder, to what new depths will the man sink in a general election? To what extent will he embarrass the GOP?

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In the wake of President Obama’s moronic and widely-lampooned comments on judicial review yesterday, President Obama offered the following lame (and incorrect) walkback .

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It’s a valid question, I think, given the way that Lawrence O’Donnell viciously and insultingly went after Mormonism last night on that network. Goodness knows that I have my problems with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. And I have no intention of converting to the LDS faith any time soon, or indeed at all. But to say “Mormonism was created by a guy in upstate New York in 1830 when he got caught having sex with the maid and explained to his wife that God told him to do it” in the pursuit of crude partisan purposes is an insult that splatters far beyond its designated target (in this case, Mitt Romney).

I understand that Harry Reid was a boxer, when younger. If the Senator takes this punch without hitting back, then those days are long gone for him, indeed.

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What’s worse than Congress picking winners and losers and distorting the free-market with bailouts, stimulus, and tendentious interventions on behalf of specific industries? Unelected members of the Federal Reserve doing the same through monetary policy.

It is amazing to watch how many Republicans will speak with such conviction against Keynesian fiscal stimulus policies, yet they will fervently promote monetary stimulus policies by the unaccountable Federal Reserve. Their support for near-zero interest rates, quantitative easing, bailouts, and intervention in the housing sector has muddled our message against Obama’s anti-free-market policies. Moreover, in this time of record commodity prices, pro-(monetary) stimulus Republicans preclude us from showing how government intervention on behalf of special interests distorts the markets, depletes savings, and devalues the currency – a winning political argument if there ever was one.

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America is addicted to chocolate. Foreign chocolate.

A majority of us consume chocolate each day. Although the U.S. produces only 6% of the world’s cocoa, we consume more than 20%.

The threat is obvious. It’s time for government to step in and promote alternatives.

Any day, President Obama will be barnstorming the country to tell us, “If we really want chocolate security and chocolate independence, we’ve got to start looking at how we use less cocoa and use sources that we can renew and that we can control, so we are not subject to the whims of what’s happening in other countries.”

Today, we are at the mercy of Africa, which produces over 75% of the world’s cocoa. That’s an unstable source, which means our chocolate dependency undermines national security.

Each of us probably began with that first innocent M&M but now it’s an unsustainable $13-billion a year habit. The average American eats 11 pounds of chocolate per year. We gain weight from chocolate. Pimples get blamed on chocolate.

Fortunately, alternatives exist. With proper federal loans and subsidies these can relieve our cravings and wean us from our addiction to chocolate.

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Daily Links – April 4, 2012

Today is April 4th. On this date, in 1818, Congress adopted a plan that added five more stars to the American Flag, bringing the total to 20. It also permanently reduced the number of stripes to 13, in honor of the original colonies. Fans of the original practice of adding a star and a stripe for each state promptly started a Facebook page to protest and threatened to quit the flag altogether. Also on this date, in 1841, President William Henry Harrison died of pneumonia exactly one month after taking office, making his the shortest Presidency in U.S. history. He was also the first President to die in office, and it was widely believed he took ill following his delivery, in the cold and wet with no jacket, of the longest inaugural address in U.S. history at nearly two hours. Two. Hours. If Obama gave a two hour inaugural address, it would be everyone else who took ill and died. On this date in 1850, the City of Los Angeles was incorporated. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move. (We miss you, Douglas Adams.) And finally, you’ll be happy to know that today is not National Tell A Lie Day. Consider this an Open Thread.

Bret Baier GRILLS Jay Carney | The Right Scoop
“Carney seeks to blame Republicans, but Baier won’t let him get away with it, citing both that Obama’s budget was voted on in the House (and unanimously failed) AND that the Senate won’t even put it up for a vote.”

Analysis: Obama’s Worst Speech Yet | Townhall
“Barack Obama managed to out-do himself by uncorking what very well may have been the most dishonest, demagogic, and bitterly partisan speech of his presidency.”

Hollywood exclusive just for FrackNation supporters | Frack Nation
“We can reveal that our research has discovered that Matt Damon has co-written and is about to star in an anti-fracking Hollywood blockbuster.”

Department Of Propaganda | Washington Free Beacon
“Labor Department Puts Up Leftist Motivational Posters At Taxpayer Expense”

Today’s Word of the Day comes via Dictionary.com.
sylph (silf): 1. A slender, graceful woman or girl. 2. (In folklore) one of a race of supernatural beings supposed to inhabit the air.

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Daily Links – April 5, 2012

Today is April 5th. On this date in 1792, George Washington cast the very first Presidential veto, on a bill that would have increased the number of Representatives in the House from northern states. In a letter urging the veto, Thomas Jefferson wrote that apportionment should based on “arithmetical operation, about which no two men can ever possibly differ.” Man, Congress sure was different back then. Also on this date, in 1621, the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth on her return voyage to England. The journey took so long that, by the time they docked in England, Plymouth Rock had switched formats and become Plymouth Top 40. On this date in 1869, Daniel F. Bakeman, the last surviving veteran of the Revolutionary war, died at age 109. His wife died 6 years earlier at age 105. They were married for 91 years, the longest American marriage on record. Little known fact: the traditional gift for a 90th wedding anniversary is metamucil. And finally, and most importantly, today is First Contact Day. Open Thread? Make it so.

Fmr Biden Adviser: Green Jobs Oversold | Washington Free Beacon
“The thousands of green energy jobs that President Barack Obama has widely touted after pumping billions into green energy firms rely mostly on short-term construction jobs.”

Healthy polar bear count confounds doomsayers | Globe and Mail
“‘The study shows that ‘the bear population is not in crisis as people believed,’ said Drikus Gissing, Nunavut’s director of wildlife management. ‘There is no doom and gloom.’”

Twitter gives the experience of Titanic, in real time | Twitchy
“This real time Titanic voyage recounting is a project of @TheHistoryPress, marking the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.”

Liberal Actor Don Cheadle Slams NBC for Selective Editing of Zimmerman Tape | Newsbusters
“As the Academy Award-winning actor’s Twitter feed shows, he has no use for liberal media outlets distorting the news through selective editing.”

Today’s Word of the Day comes via Merriam-Webster.
cockalorum (kah-kuh-LOR-um): noun 1. a boastful and self-important person 2. boastful talk

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Morning Briefing for April 4, 2012

RedState Morning Briefing
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Barack Obama spoke to the American press yesterday to demagogue Republicans, Paul Ryan’s budget, cite Ronald Reagan as proof that raising taxes is okay, and damn with faint praise American exceptionalism.

The President called Paul Ryan’s budget a “trojan horse.” Given the President’s predilection for forcing all Americans, through regulatory fiat, to adhere to his view of contraception, I suspect that had Paul Ryan preemptively called his budget a ‘trojan condom,” the President of the United States would be campaigning trying to make us all adhere to it.

One thing that really stuck out at me in his speech yesterday was his statement that his very life and career were made possible because of American exceptionalism. He’s right. It’s also what makes his public policy choices so maddening.

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The storm that erupted yesterday when Barack Obama woke up and discovered the Supreme Court of the United States was not only not elected but it could overturn “duly passed” laws, even those passed in the dead of the night by the barest of purchased majorities, has been more than adequately covered on these pages and others by actual lawyers and those who think they are.

I’m pretty sure Obama knows what Marbury v. Madison is, even though yesterday he gave a darned good impression of being a total goober in regards to our Constitution. The simplest explanation is that he knows how the vote went on Friday and is working to change that vote, failing that he is setting the predicate for running against the Supreme Court in November.

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Last year while governors across the Midwest worked to reform broken public union laws, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) slandered them in a speech that could have easily been written by one of the millionaire “leaders” at SEIU, NEA, or AFSCME.

During one of his stemwinders about the wondrous things unions do, Sherrod dropped a reductio ad Hitlerum on Governor Kasich (OH), Governor Walker (WI), and Governor Christie (NJ).

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The Republican-controlled House is currently operating under a moratorium on earmarking. But if several GOP earmarxists have their say, this will change in the near future.

Throughout the past decade, most of the arguments against earmarks have been focused on wasteful spending, corruption, cronyism, and self-ingratiating monuments. Robert Byrd’s monuments and the Bridge to Nowhere became symbols for such bad behavior. To that end, even some conservative advocates of earmarks have lodged a counterargument. They contend that earmarks are only “pocket change,” and that by declining to earmark specific funding bills, we are ceding more power to the Obama administration. In order to preclude any extravagant earmarks and cronyism, they are proposing reforms and limitations to the process that will supposedly put an end to things like the Bridge to Nowhere.

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Daily Links-2 April 2012

Today is April 2. On this date in 1513 Juan Ponce de Leon claimed Florida for Spain. He believed that an island. He called it "La Florida", both for the lushness of foliage, and because it was Easter week or Pascua Florida. Visit Disney World, he decided after a few days it had become "too commercial" and carried out looking for the fountain of youth, which it turned out was really just a night club. Also on this date, in 1917, President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress for a declaration of war against Germany, stating that the world safe for democracy should be created. Wilson once said "we must not only use all the brains that we have, but everything we can lend," and immediately became the first zombie elected mandate. Glass ceiling: broken! And finally today is national peanut butter Jelly & day! If you do not find so exciting, we can to break. No, no, it's not you, it's me. Consider this an Open thread.

Media Matters Lackey admits there is a Liberal Media | The right atmosphere
@ RBPundit he has on a hilarious Exchange with a Media Matters employee on Twitter.

SF protestors occupy vacant inherit building | San Francisco Gate
"Occupy SF activists put the usually moribund movement back in the spotlight Sunday, acquisition of an unoccupied building which is owned by the Archdiocese of San Francisco with plans for the establishment of a" permanent occupation ' "

Video: Boston's Northeastern University Holocaust Remembrance hijack | Jawa report
"Podravska professors and guest lecturers are invited their seen Israelis Nazis compare and denying Jewish peoplehood"

Taxpayers on the hook for anti-soda lobbying campaigns | Hot air
"Members of Congress are turning the heat on the Obama administration for millions of dollars in grant money that was used to attack soda and, in some cases, lobby for handing out higher taxes."

Contemporary Merriam-Webster Word of the day comes through.
toddy (GRAHK): verb to understand deep and intuitive

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Morning Briefing for, 3 April 2012

RedState morning Briefing
For, 3 April 2012Go to www.RedStateMB.com to get
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According to America's top constitutional law Professor turned President of the United States, the Supreme Court overturning "a law that by a large majority of a democratically elected Congress was adopted."

What about the people, acting through the democratic process, to change their own Constitution?

I ask because in California, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled it unconstitutional for the people of California to ban of gay marriage to their Constitution. Most damning, the Ninth Circuit opinion pretty clear says that when judges Act and the people choose to change their Constitution in response, such an amendment is unconstitutional.

Will someone in the media ask the President if, based on its logic on the Supreme Court, he supports the voters in California who wanted to pass Proposition 8?

"No, no," he would try to pull back. "I'm talking about when the Supreme Court is trying to curb rights."

Wherefore, believes President Government-funded health care is a right?

It also supports President the legislatures of the several States voter ID laws by a democratically elected legislature enacting?

But wait ... There are more questions the media must keep if we go the President everyone responsible for their words and not just the Republicans.

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For a guy who graduated from Harvard Law, Barack Obama is not really very well versed on his right or his legal history. Today about the Supreme Court's review of Obamacare, Obama offered this beautiful and completely ahistorical nugget:

"Ultimately, I am convinced that the Supreme Court would not do what will take an unprecedented extraordinary step of a law that was passed by a large majority of a democratically elected Congressoverturning."

Look, I'm not here to debate the finer points of Marbury v. Madison with everyone, but the fact remains that that more than 200 years ago, it's not exactly since the judgment rendered "unprecedented and extraordinary" for the Supreme Court to overturn the laws passed by Congress (regardless of the size of most). In fact, it happens all the time. That's the whole point of the doctrine of judicial review, first announced in Marbury and confirmed without serious challenge since then.

I seriously would like to know, and I hope that the press Obama gets on the record on this – it is President Obama the assertion that the Supreme Court's only role in the revision of the legislation is to double-check the count on the roll-call vote to ensure that a majority in fact voted for the law and to check the President's signature for possible falsification? Because, I mean, if that's what we're going to go back, I'm open to having that discussion, but we want to figure out what to do with several hundred SCOTUS decisions taken a decidedly different view.

Of course, in making these comments expose Obama is once again as a cynical hack that itself is devoid of anything resembling shame. The partial birth abortion In 2003 United States Congressional ban law of 2003 by the significantly greater margins than Obamacare. When the Supreme Court refused to this law, which was adopted by a "democratically elected Congress", pitched then-Senator Obama a hissy fit over the fact that the absolute Supreme Court had argued that the clear will of Congress (and the vast majority of the American people).

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I don't really know what happened between George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin. What I do know is that this story led at least one manslaughter – the murder of self-inflicted media the last shreds of credibility has to. And it's not just conservative blogs that brands-even straight news sources have started noticing the shame with which the media has showered during this whole sad saga. The Washington Post reported Friday that NBC's blatant editing Zimmerman the 911 call will be "reviewed internally," which is as close as you ever screw up an admission of a very serious of a major news organization will get.

The most stunning admission still came from something called a Touré, which apparently is a contributor MSNBC. Touré apparently got tired of being on a TV channel nobody watches so he went on to take last week Piers Morgan to task for the journalistic crime of getting both sides of the story Piers.

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Daily Links – April 1, 2012

Today is April 1st. It is April Fool’s Day. April Fool’s Day was first celebrated by ancient druids. Each year on this date, they would ritually sacrifice the person considered to be the most indigent, gullible, and least productive member of their society. After burning the “fool” alive in a giant “wicker man”, they would perform elaborate rituals, or “pranks”. It evolved over the centuries into the happy holiday we know today. Also on this date, in 1787, the corn dog was invented by accident. The inventor was killed in the accident and for over a hundred years the food was considered “cursed.” And finally, on this date in 1973, Rachel Maddow was born. Well played, history, well played. Consider this an Open Thread.

Exclusive – Palin To Couric: ‘Game On’ | Big Journalism
“When Breitbart News asked for a comment about the fact that she will be competing with Couric, Gov. Palin responded simply: ‘Game on.’”

NBC caught selectively editing Zimmerman 911 tape
“The brass is going to look into the story, but if you expect anything other than a white wash, I’ve got a drawbridge over the Chicago River I’d like to sell you.”

Just reading Obamacare cruel and unusual punishment | Mark Steyn
“It’s not just that the legislators who legislate it don’t know what’s in it, nor that citizens can ever hope to understand it, but that even the nation’s most eminent judges acknowledge that it is beyond individual human comprehension.”

House Votes On Internet ‘Honesty’ Bill | RRL
“The House held a floor vote on legislation designed to compel ‘honest’ practices in internet transactions, and it could affect your web experience.”

Today’s Word of the Day comes via Wiktionary.
cromulent: adjective Fine, acceptable or normal; excellent, realistic, legitimate or authentic

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