Three Reasons Gingrich Will—and Won't—Fly

Two weeks into the Surge of Newt, it would be fair to summarize the view of mainstream Republicans in the nation's capital this way:

Hey, Newt Gingrich could actually win the nomination!

But he probably won't.

A healthy dose of modesty is called for in all prognostications. We're entering the period of predictable unpredictability in the campaign cycle, the point in the calendar when in years past people such as Bill Clinton were left for dead and people such as Patrick Buchanan looked like serious contenders. Gerald F. Seib - Wall Street Journal

"That's the fear. As he gets more confident and more self-assured, he'll say something really stupid or do something really stupid or we'll find out about something really  stupid or do something really stupid or we'll find out about something really stupid, and that will doom his candidacy and doom the Republican Party." Former Rep. George Nethercutt, R., Washington. 

The rank and file Republicans who have worked with Gingrich in the past now give pause when faced with the reality of Newt and the presidency.

"It's not really personal, but I don't think he has the temperament, intellectual discipline or ego control to be either a successful nominee or president. Basically, Newt can't control himself." Peter King, R. New York.

SS Spendaholic Sailing Into Debt Abyss

I see Andrea True died earlier this month. The late disco diva enjoyed a brief moment of global celebrity in 1976 with her ubiquitous glitterball favorite:

"More, More, More

How do you like it?

How do you like it?

More, More, More

How do you like it?

How do you like it?"

In honor of Andrea's passing, I have asked my congressman to propose the adoption of this song as the U.S. national anthem. True, Miss True wrote the number as an autobiographical reflection on her days as a porn movie actress but, consciously or not, it accurately distills the essence of American governmental philosophy in the ear. - Mark Steyn - Click To Read More...

Fast and Furious Remarks are Holder's OK Corral

"If Attorney General Holder had said these things five months ago when Congress asked him about Operation Fast and Furious, it might have been more believable. At this point, however, it's hard to take at face value a defense that is factually questionable, entirely self-serving and a still incomplete account of what senior Justice Department officials knew about gun-walking." Frederick Hill, a spokesman for Congressman Darrel Issa, commenting on Eric Holder's first detailed remarks to Congress in the Fast and Furious operation run by the Bureau Of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms.

In Fast and Furious, ATF agents allowed suspected smugglers to buy 2,000 firearms, hoping their trail would lead them to the arrest and conviction against top drug traffickers. Many of the guns turned up in crime scenes in Mexico and the U.S., and hundreds remain unaccounted for. Two deaths are directly linked to this operation.

The letter is the first response from Holder who faces criticism from Republican lawmakers who have held hearings and tried to tie the operation to him and other senior officials.

"There is no doubt that Operation Fast and Furious was fundamentally flawed. Regrettably, its effects will be felt for years to come as weapons that should have been interdicted, but were not, continue to show up at crime scenes in this country and Mexico." Mr. Holder continued, "lawmakers should focus on fixing loopholes in our laws that facilitate the staggering flow of guns each year across our border."

Popularity Contests and The State Of The Union

"We're going to see if we've got some straight-shooters in Congress. You say you're the party of tax cuts. Prove you'll fight as hard for tax cuts for working families as for oil companies and most affluent Americans." A combative Obama gearing up for his impromptu Sate of The Union Address

 Mr. Obama told a crowd estimated at 12,000 people, mostly union workers from Detroit," that Congress needed to put people back to work and extend his payroll tax cuts". The president continues on his tact of stepping aside and blaming congress for the county's unemployment problems. How this will ultimately play out is anyone guess, but banking on the breath of his popularity may not be a good ploy for the Democratic party.

The president's popularity, easy going, smart and well spoken, is wearing thin with his base as well as voters on the margins of Mr. Obama's influence. Union voters, once the backbone of his base, have begun to drift away. Among blue collar workers his disapproval reached 56% last month and with women voters his ratings are worse. Some 56% of women voters supported Mr. Obama in the 2008 election, now 43% back his election. Two-thirds of Hispanics voted for Obama in 2008 and now barely a majority of 51% say they will vote for him. Obama voters among whites has dropped from 43% to 31% and his independent base has all but collapsed.

Blaming congress this late in the game may not be the best idea to base a reelection campaign on. If the president can show solid ideas, leadership and drop the divisive rhetoric, his reelection chances might improve but betting the farm on a popularity contest is not a good idea.

How Obamacare killed The Economy

Why did the recovery stall? President Obama recently chalked it up to "bad luck."

Even in more searching discussions of why the economy remains flat, politicians and economists largely ignore the elephant in the room: the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Private-sector job creation stopped improving almost as soon as Congress passed the act.

This recovery has been anything but normal. Usually the economy accelerates after a deep recession. Entrepreneurs find new ways to employ millions of idled workers, and the economy quickly regains lost ground. The boom following the equally painful recession of the early 1980s enabled President Reagan to campaign on "Morning in America."

Not this time. Two years after the recession officially ended, almost a tenth of workers remain unemployed. Both economic growth and job growth remain sluggish. James Sherk - The Tampa Tribune - Click To Read More...

I wish Congress had Mr. Sherk's clarity. DSMW

Who is Guarding the Guards? Can Holder's Own Inspector General Objectively Investigate Him?

John Kullman

Operation Fast and Furious is slowly being investigated by the Executive and Legislative branches of the government. Both President Obama and Attorney General Holder deny any knowledge of the operation before the story broke in the news. The Justice Department‚s Office of Inspector General is conducting an investigation but can it objectively investigate its own boss, Eric Holder?
 
Sen. Chuck Grassley and Rep. Darrell Issa are investigating Fast and Furious for the Legislative branch. On July 4th they held a secret meeting with Ken Melson, acting head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the entity most involved with implementing Fast and Furious.

Click to read more ...

Naming Your Baby And Tracking Your Every Move

According to our always amusing sometimes snarky compatriots over at Gizmodo, the Social Security Administration has just released an app called Baby Name Playroom that just what it names implies; it suggests names that you could give to your newborn. Not only is this creepy on many levels, but we sincerely hope the suggested names are not those of former and current government officials. Recess, P.E. and lunch are hard enough without being named Erskine, Saxby, Newt, Orrin, Barrack, Reince, etc...

But Baby Name Playroom is more than just a name generator. It offers a window into the SSA where you can

Learn how:

- Social Security's services can help you and your family
- To care for your infant
- How to get health insurance
- How to get information about toy and safety recalls

The look is all touchy feely. The iTunes reviews remark at how soft and personal it feels. It is not what you would expect from a government app. Really?

For years our government has faced an uphill battle when trying to further insert itself into some of our lives. What better way to gather information from and about people than to get them to download an app to a device (iPhone) that tracks user activities locations at all times? Seems far fetched, right?

Congress doesn't think so. They are very concerned about what Apple and Google might be doing with this information. Yet with as big as our government is and as out of touch as most of our elected officials are, they probably are unaware that certain government agencies are in the app writing business already. They are up in arms now when they think the private sector is spying on the public... How will they respond when they find out that the government has access to the very same tools? Sedition? Yep. There's an app for that.

How do you get people to give up their freedom? Apparently all you need to do is ask, through the App Store.

House GOP Lets Public Vote On Programs To Cut

WASHINGTON -- Like an inside-the-Beltway version of "American Idol," Republicans in the House of Representatives are taking the federal budget to the people, letting popular online votes determine which taxpayer-funded programs in Washington ought to get the ax.

Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia developed YouCut in the last Congress, but it didn't get too far in the Democratic-controlled House. This year, with the GOP in charge, things are different.

"I just think the program is beautiful. The beauty of it is that the American people are involved. People are coming up to us and saying we're spending millions of dollars on A, B and C. Why are we doing that?" Freshman Repersenative Renee Ellmers of North Carolina. McClatchy Newspapers - Click To Read More...

WHERE DO I EVEN BEGIN?

Kellie Cable

I’m sitting here trying to think of something to write about.  It shouldn’t be a problem.  After all, turn on the TV or radio and listen to what’s going on in the world.  It’s not as if there’s a shortage of trouble.  But that’s just it.  There are so many problems that it’s hard to even know where to begin.  The thought of it is so overwhelming to me that I really just want to crawl on my couch with my dog, eat a bowl of ice cream and stare at the TV and get lost in that wonderful fantasyland. 

Oh, how I long for the days when I didn’t care about deficits, czars, socialist presidents or a congress that’s made itself completely irrelevant.  I wish I could be like the majority of my friends and neighbors who are still asleep and think I’ve lost my mind when I bring these things up in conversation. 

Click to read more ...

Obama Won't Give Up Czars

In a statement issued Friday night, President Obama took issue with some provisions in the budget bill – and in one case simply says he will not abide by it.

Last week the White House and congressional Democrats and Republicans were involved in intense negotiations over not only the size of the budget for the remainder of the FY2011 budget, and spending cuts within that budget, but also several GOP “riders,” or policy provisions attached to the bill.

One rider – Section 2262 -- de-funds certain White House adviser positions – or “czars.” The president in his signing statement declares that he will not abide by it.

In a statement issued Friday night, President Obama took issue with some provisions in the budget bill – and in one case simply says he will not abide by it. Jake Tapper - Political Punch