Jan

27

Rachel Who?

Filed Under Media, Politics | 15 Comments

MSNBC’s “Lean Forward” campaign still has some leaning to do as far as name recognition, as evidenced by this short Jeopardy clip:


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Ouch. I wonder how loud the crickets would have been if they’d have shown a picture of Ed Schultz.

(h/t Breitbart.tv)

Jan

26

Headline Du Jour

Filed Under Politics | 8 Comments

If you’re the type that needs reassurance, there’s this from the LA Times:

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Whew! That’s a load off.

(h/t Cato Institute)

Jan

26

Hannity to Malkin: What’s the Deal with Never Praising Any of the Republican Candidates?

Filed Under Media, Politics | 31 Comments

For some people, the crop of Republican presidential candidates has left their thirst for conservatism as unwhetted as Michael Moore’s appetite at a vegan restaurant. Sean Hannity is becoming concerned that the criticism this leads to might be playing into the hands of Obama when the general election rolls around, and last night he asked my blog partner and columnist extraordinaire Michelle Malkin why she seems to offer more critique than praise of the candidates — one of whom we’ll need to defeat Obama in November.

I liked this exchange because it was cordial yet pointed. Click the pic to see watch the video at The Right Scoop:

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My view on on the primary season is that it’s sort of like boot camp, with the candidates being the recruits and the voters as the drill instructors. Part of the DI’s job is to weed out those who either can’t cut it or won’t be able to withstand the assault when the actual sh*t comes down. Primary season not as much a time for “hey, great job” as it is for kicks in the pants for purposes of course correction. This is training for political battle, not a Miss America contest (well, okay, sometimes it is). Hannity believes we must be supportive because one of these guys has to defeat Obama. I think voters need to be tough and thoroughly vet them… for exactly the same reason. Simply not being Barack Obama won’t be enough to win in November.

Then again, I’m speaking as somebody who isn’t completely sold on any of the final four yet. Your mileage may vary.

Jan

26

If Warren Buffett Paid Higher Taxes Maybe His Secretary Wouldn’t Be Forced to Confine Herself to Only Two Homes

Filed Under Business, Politics | 12 Comments

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Debra Bosanek, Warren Buffett’s longtime “secretary” who is Obama’s newest favorite stage prop in the theater of class warfare, has become the “Joe the Plumber” of the left. She’s used as an example of the put-upon 99% who struggle to make ends meet while people like her boss pay lower tax rates and make off like bandits. The fact that “all of the above” are working together on the same team is the best evidence that some kind of sham is being perpetuated.

The State of the Union speech had some comical optics. There was President Obama, spouting class warfare rhetoric and outlining how the best way to lift the proletariat out of the mud is somehow to raise taxes on the rich, all with the First Lady nodding in agreement while wearing a nearly $2,500 dress. In the First Lady’s box and serving as living proof of the human misery that has been caused by under-taxed billionaires was Buffett’s poor old secretary:

Despite a heavy tax burden, Warren Buffett’s secretary last year was able to purchase a second home in Arizona, a residence complete with a swimming pool and a “professional PGA putting green,” according to real estate records.

Debra Bosanek, 55, and her husband Gerald bought the 2100-square-foot home in Surprise, a city outside Phoenix. The Bosaneks paid $144,000 for the four-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath property (the purchase was financed, in part, by a $115,200 mortgage).

The principal Bosanek residence is in Bellevue, Nebraska, several miles from Buffett’s corporate headquarters in Omaha. The couple’s 2568-square-foot home, built in 2000, also has four bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths. But the modest property, which Sarpy County assessors last year valued at $217,716, offers no outdoor amenities for swimmers or golfers.

Buffett has said that his secretary makes $60,000 a year. The executive assistant (they obviously call her a “secretary” only for the picture it helps paint) for a billionaire? Either her job has been wildly overstated or she’s working for a little less than others in similar positions. And the tax tables would tell a different story if we’re to believe this whole tale as it’s been advertised. Of course, we also have no idea what her husband does or what he might earn, and that could also affect the tax rate if they file jointly. The point is that between these variables and the “income tax” vs. “capital gains tax” differences we’re well beyond an apples & oranges comparison. More like apples & Buicks.

I’ll go with Limbaugh on this and say that the only way the matter can be settled is to see her tax returns. ::crickets::

(h/t Jim Treacher)

Jan

25

At Last: The Ron Paul Action Figure

Filed Under Politics | 36 Comments

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Well it’s about time:

Revolution PAC Saturday unveiled a series of collectible action figures bearing the likeness of presidential candidate Ron Paul. The launch was made in conjunction with the super committee’s webcast of the South Carolina Primary results.

The 12”, talking, limited edition action figures are available in two models – the “Commander-in-Chief” Paul, complete with the U.S. Constitution, and “Super Hero” Paul. All proceeds go toward Revolution PAC’s efforts to secure the Republican nomination for Congressman Paul. Purchase at ronpaulactionfigures.com.

It’ll actually respond to you, too. For example, if you say “Super Hero Paul, there’s a crisis in the Middle East and the people need your help” and pull the string, the action figure will reply “why don’t you just mind your own business and stop with the nation building?”

Jan

25

Green on Green Crime: Energy Efficient Window Melts Prius

Filed Under Environment, Science & Nature | 7 Comments

The potentially destructive paradox of “green” living has reared its ugly, biodegradable head in California.

From KCAL:

A SoCal woman says the energy efficient window installed in a neighbor’s condominium is melting the plastic components on cars parked in her carport.

Heather Patron of Studio City was dealing with a mystery regarding her Toyota Prius.

“The side view mirrors were melting,” says Patron. “Anything that was plastic on the car was melting.”

Toyota told Patron nothing was wrong with the car. After having the mirrors replaced, she noticed the mirrors on the car parked next to hers were also melting.

Patron then observed a powerful beam of light that was reflecting off the window of a next door condominium, casting a concentrated beam over her carport.

CBS2’s Randy Paige placed a thermometer in the pathway of the beam on a partially cloudy day. The temperature registered over 120 degrees in less than five minutes.

I haven’t seen eco-irony that thick since Ed Begley, Jr. nearly choked to death on a Tofu burger at Beverly Soon.

Click the pic to roll tape on the news video:

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Jan

25

The State of the Union Rerun

Filed Under Politics | 14 Comments

Last night on Twitter I asked if the guy who loads Obama’s words into the teleprompter accidentally put one of his previous SOTU speeches. I think that was the case. Here are just a few examples:

Obama 2010: “It’s time for colleges and universities to get serious about cutting their own costs.

Obama 2012: “Colleges and universities have to do their part by working to keep costs down.”
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Obama 2010: “And we should continue the work by fixing our broken immigration system.”

Obama 2011: “I strongly believe that we should take on, once and for all, the issue of illegal immigration.”

Obama 2012: “I believe as strongly as ever that we should take on illegal immigration.”
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Obama 2010: “We face a deficit of trust.”

Obama 2012: “I’ve talked tonight about the deficit of trust . . .”
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Obama 2010: “We can’t wage a perpetual campaign.”

Obama 2012: “We need to end the notion that the two parties must be locked in a perpetual campaign.”

We’ve seen that same show so many times the speech should have been broadcast on Nick at Night.

Video from the Weekly Standard:


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The GOP presidential candidate, whoever that ends up being, should use that in an ad. I can hear it already: “He’s out of ideas, and America is out of time and money.”

Jan

24

Obama: Thanks to Roe v. Wade, Our Daughters Can Pursue Their Dreams

Filed Under Abortion, Politics | 38 Comments

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President Obama spoke yesterday on the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade ruling. It was kind of an “I have a dream” speech, except that to make this “dream” come true, the lives of over a million babies per year in the US have to be terminated:

“As we mark the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we must remember that this Supreme Court decision not only protects a woman’s health and reproductive freedom, but also affirms a broader principle: that government should not intrude on private family matters,” Obama said. “I remain committed to protecting a woman’s right to choose and this fundamental constitutional right.

“While this is a sensitive and often divisive issue — no matter what our views, we must stay united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, support pregnant woman and mothers, reduce the need for abortion, encourage healthy relationships, and promote adoption,” Obama said.

“And as we remember this historic anniversary, we must also continue our efforts to ensure that our daughters have the same rights, freedoms, and opportunities as our sons to fulfill their dreams.”

Hey, what girl doesn’t dream of growing up to get an abortion? Call me crazy, but I’m leery of people in positions of power who believe that the right to extinguish innocent, defenseless lives is an essential element in creating a utopian society.

And Barack Obama saying “government should not intrude on private family matters” is simply hilarious. Government shouldn’t intrude on private family matters — unless it has something to do with their health care, what kind of light bulbs they use or what they eat, drink, drive, smoke, how much they exercise…..

Update: “Study” of the day: Abortion safer than giving birth

Safer for whom?

Jan

24

What a Surprise: Obama Supporter’s Company May Benefit From Keystone Pipeline Rejection

Filed Under Business, Politics | 18 Comments

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Another day, another story about crony capitalism:

Warren Buffett’s Burlington Northern Santa Fe LLC is among U.S. and Canadian railroads that stand to benefit from the Obama administration’s decision to reject TransCanada Corp. (TRP)’s Keystone XL oil pipeline permit.

With modest expansion, railroads can handle all new oil produced in western Canada through 2030, according to an analysis of the Keystone proposal by the U.S. State Department.

“Whatever people bring to us, we’re ready to haul,” Krista York-Wooley, a spokeswoman for Burlington Northern, a unit of Buffett’s Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK/A), said in an interview. If Keystone XL “doesn’t happen, we’re here to haul.”

It’s okay though, because Buffett will no doubt send any extra profit he makes directly to the US Treasury in order to lower the national debt (pause for laughter).

Buffett was so happy about the Keystone denial that he picked up a ukulele and sang “I’ve been working on the railroad”:


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Update: Guess who’s going to sit next to FLOTUS at the State of the Union speech tonight? Not Warren Buffett, but very close.

Jan

23

John Kerry Plays Hockey, Re-Lives Results of 2004 Election

Filed Under Politics, Sports | 48 Comments

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This is what happens if you crash the crease when Teresa’s in goal:

Hockey is a rough sport; just ask Senator John Kerry, D-Mass.

The senator was attending a ceremony for his hometown hockey team, the Boston Bruins, at the White House today when he publicly debuted the remnants of his own hockey injury.

Kerry appeared to have two black eyes and a swollen nose. His senate office said the black and blue was caused by a nose injury during a hockey game the senator participated in recently.

“He’s totally fine,” Kerry spokeswoman Whitney Smith told ABC News, “Very ironically he busted his nose recently playing ice hockey, so the Bruins can certainly relate.”

The good news is that Kerry now thinks he’s a lock for another Purple Heart.

Update: ZIP has a better photo. Thurston looks like he’s been on a three-day caviar & Chataeu Lafite bender.