Midnight, Linda

Dissection of the Obama campaign has begun in full earnest.  I mostly skip this analytical stuff.  The ones that paint a gloomy GOP picture are worrisome, and the ones that paint a rosy GOP picture tempt you to count chickens before they are hatched, and that’s worrisome, too.

As far as I can tell, the Dems have lurched from one comedic disaster to the next:  War on Women, War on Rich No-Good Ann Romney, War On People Who Tie Dog Kennels To Car Roofs, War on Involuntary Haircuts, War on the Bain Of Our Existence . . . are there any others?

Unfortunately, my opinion is not a good gauge of the public-at-large.  I can never figure out what people are thinking.  And I’ve been real curious about the public-at-large lately, because of emails like this one, with the name “Sarah Jessica Parker” in the “from” box:

“Linda — It’s my honor to invite you to take part in an event I’m hosting at my home with the President and First Lady on June 14th. If you can make a donation of any amount today, you’ll be automatically entered to win two tickets to New York to join us. Just before Election Day in 2008, I went to an Obama campaign office in New York and called some undecided voters. I believed then, as I do now, that if we all chipped in and did our part, we would not only make history, but create meaningful change that so many Americans needed. For me, this election is even more important than 2008. As a woman, a mother, and an entrepreneur, I need to believe our country can be a place where everyone has a fair shot at success. This November’s election will determine whether we get to keep moving forward, or if we’re forced to go back to policies that ask people like my middle-class family in Ohio to carry the burden — while people like me, who don’t need tax breaks, get extra help. . . . I hope you’ll help me welcome President Obama and the First Lady to New York. It should be fabulous. Donate $3 or whatever you can to be automatically entered to win: https://donate.barackobama.com/Night-in-New-York Hope to see you there, Sarah Jessica”

I am terribly curious:  how successful is an email like this?  Does it actually work?  It must, because with just two email subscriptions–Organizing for America, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee–I sure get a lot of emails.  Heck, two more popped up since I started this post–one from Rep. Pelosi and once from VP Biden.

Joe Biden’s subject box is eyebrow-raising:  “Midnight, Linda.”

“This is Barack’s last campaign. If you’re planning to chip in before November, we’d both appreciate if you do so today. Make a donation before the deadline at midnight your time.”

Nancy Pelosi’s missive is less creepy, at least:

“The news reports over the last few days have been all about Republicans’ money being from Karl Rove and the Koch Brothers.  Now, all eyes are on our response. We’re just 1,121 donors away from a record-breaking 100,000 supporters in the month of May standing behind President Obama for a Democratic Majority.  Will you contribute $3 or more before tonight’s midnight FEC deadline to help us reach a new all-time record?  Your donation will be triple-matched . . . “

The Obama campaign is smart, right?  They wouldn’t send so many emails out if it didn’t work, right?

Right?  Lots of speculation abounds on the competency of the Obama campaign.

I poked around for opinions on these emails specifically, but I didn’t find much.  Some fluff piece over at NPR.

In order to more fairly assess these emails, I have just signed up for updates from the Romney campaign and from the National Republican Congressional Committee.  If he starts filling up my inbox with similar spam, I’ll post about it.  No emails yet, but there is this:  Grab A Bite With Mitt contest.

Who started all this contest stuff?  Who decided that turning the presidential election into some sort of lottery ball machine is a good idea?

I understand that a large number of single, small-time donors gives bragging rights:  I’ve got the will of the people behind my campaign.  Back in 2008, the Obama’s loose campaign contribution methods made him look more “small-donor funded” than he really was:

“Although an unusually high percentage (49%) of Obama’s funds came in discrete contributions of $200 or less, only 26% of his money . . . came from donors whose total contributions aggregated to $200 or less.  Obama’s 26% compares to 25% for George W. Bush in 2004, 20% for John Kerry in 2004, 21% for John McCain in 2008, 13% for Hillary Clinton in 2008, and 38% for Howard Dean in 2004.”

So maybe that’s what these emails are all about:  the groundwork for creating the appearance of having real grassroots support, rather than, you know, actually trying to increase grassroots support.

Who, after all, is going to get all fired up for the Obama campaign, thanks to his inbox filling up weekly with gems like this:

“Linda — One thing to know about me is that I don’t really sugarcoat things. Luckily, this offer doesn’t need it. Make a donation of $3 or whatever you can to help President Obama and Democrats facing tough races across the country this year, and be automatically entered for the chance to spend a night on the town with the President and President Clinton in New York City. Don’t worry about travel, airfare, or accommodations for you and whoever you choose to bring with you — we’ve got it covered. The event’s less than two weeks from now. We’re drawing the winner at midnight tonight. https://my.democrats.org/Two-Presidents-and-You And if you win, I promise — you’ll love it. Thanks, and good luck, Debbie Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz”

Ooh, she promises!

Here’s another good one.  I’ve always wanted to host a foreign exchange student, and these folks are sure foreign to me:

“Linda — This summer, hundreds of field organizers and volunteers will join our organization here in Virginia to register voters and talk to our friends and neighbors . . . .  Some of these organizers will be new to the Commonwealth, and a lot of them will come on short notice.  They’ll uproot their lives because they know the stakes in this election, and they know how important it is for us to win Virginia this November.  I know that you do, too, so I’m asking for your help — although not in the usual way.

If you have an extra bedroom or a foldout couch, would you be willing to host a supporter for the summer? . . .

I know this is a big favor to ask, but as someone who has stayed with supporters before, I can tell you that it means a lot to the folks you host, and it will make a real difference as we build our grassroots organization here in Virginia.

If you can, you should sign up today to host an organizer or volunteer. We’ll be in touch soon with the details:  http://va.barackobama.com/Host-an-Organizer-in-Virginia

Thank you, and stay tuned. Ashley Ashley Baia Virginia Field Director Organizing for America”

Do you think they’ll get any takers?  If the campaign were going well, why would they need to ship “grassroots” supporters in from out of state?

So maybe that’s what these emails are all about:  the Obama campaign is getting a bit desperate about fundraising.

Recently, Ran sagely advised that this whole saga with Kimberlin is a sign of the left’s implosion:

“What we’re observing are the ripples at the surface of desperate struggles deep in the cesspool. The “Progressive” wing of the Left are chupped as Hell that the radicals – Obama, Van Jones & Co. cranked the frog pot too fast, too far and blew the lid off.  No patience, no guile these amateurs.  The frogs are hopping mad.”

Perhaps the torrent of goofy, ineffective spam in my inbox is just more ripples, evidence of the struggles deep within the Democratic Party.  What do you think?

I’ll conclude with a must-click.  My post research uncovered one gem of an article:  “Subject Lines of Obama Campaign Emails That Sound Like a Stalker Wrote Them.”

“Midnight, Linda,” could be added to that list.

Crossposted at No One Of Any Import.

 

Wishful Thinking: Steny Hoyer Says Dems Will Take Back The House in 2012

House Minority Whip Hoyer is off his meds again. Rut Roh.

Of course, Stimpy only breathes the rarefied air of deep blue Maryland and Washington, DC. He thinks that the Democrats are so over-the-top popular that they’ll overcome the ass wuppin’ they received in 2010. He also thinks that high gas prices, plummeting home values, and high food prices don’t render consequences or are not noticed by the electorate.

Yeah. I know that it is his job to promote the Democrats’ fantasies, just like that Nancy Pelosi and Debbie-WashMyHair-Schultz.

But this recent presser makes Baghdad Bob seem rational.

Hey Stimpy! Wha’s up wid dis here chart?

Since 2002 a 15% drop in people saying that they have enough money to live comfortably, decidely worse in the last 3 years.

That’s the kind of economic destruction of American households that is certain to guarantee your party’s resurgence back to the majority.

Thanks for the laugh, though.

And since your opinion bears no more weight than mine, I predict that the Republicans will pick up even more seats in the House, the Republicans will also take the Senate and the White House.

And let’s not forget the Department of Labor’s new 85 page regulation on kids growing up on farms. When sissy panted city slickers isolated in work cubes in government think farms dictate that farming and ranching chores are to be PROHIBITED by government fiat, well, you’ve so overreached as to make yourselves objects of derision as well as instructive of the dangers of an all powerful central government.

Just a reminder. Most farm kids know how to handle a pitchfork, even if you’ve never actually seen one.

And then there are your impending losses in the Supreme Court over Obamacare and the big fail on your suit against Arizona which wishes to control the border.

You guys are on such a roll I can see how you’d get cocky.

But hear me know.

We’re going to Slow Jam this election right up your rectal canals. You’re finished. It’d be best for you to save yourselves the embarassment and simply resign at this time. Do you really want to receive the drubbing you’re about to receive?

I’m getting just a little excited about the humiliation you’re about to get.

 

Mark Steyn on Flukemania

The always insightful and hilarious Mark Steyn finally weighs in on the charade surrounding the 30 year old child, Sandra Fluke’s perfectly sensible demand that we pay for her contraception and that a Catholic institution should be forced to violate its religious principles in order to accommodate her. That president Obama and the Democrats gleefully used this useful idiot to advance their big government desires granting the plebes protection for their sexual romps while stealing liberty with the other hand is not really surprising.

Bread and Circus. And Condoms.

Fantastic artwork from iMaksim. Click on the image to embiggen it.

All of us are born with the unalienable right to life, liberty, and a lifetime supply of premium ribbed silky-smooth ultrasensitive spermicidal lubricant condoms. No taxation without rubberization, as the Minutemen said. The shot heard round the world, and all that.

He’ll be filling in for Rush on Monday, so if you don’t want to go read the whole thing, I’m sure a portion of it will be covered then.

Aside from the sheer ridiculousness of the phoney congressional hearing, and aside from the moral implications, and aside from a government imposing tyrannical dictates on the people, the issue Steyn focuses on is whether this debtor nation can afford to do what Obama and the Democrats want to do.

Should we borrow money from China to pay for Sandra Fluke’s rampant promiscuity?

 

Gas Pump Activism

Do you have to take these gas prices in silence? I don’t think so.

All you have to do is download this pdf, print out a few copies and put them, along with a roll of Scotch tape, into your car.

The next time you fill up, instead of watching in horror as the dollar amount on the pump races by as the gallons trickle into your tank, afix one of these to the pump.

Take care to not cover vital information regarding safety, etc. and don’t cover any advertising.

Then drive off with a smile on your face, knowing that when the next person drives up to the pump they’ll either agree with you and be pleased to know that they’re not alone, be better informed by your message or if it’s an Obamabot, you’ll have thrown water on their circuitry and ruined their day.

Here’s the pdf you can download for a better quality image for printing purposes…

ObamaGasPrices

Update: A certain gas station that caters to I-95 traffic in Ashland, VA has been ‘blogged’. I saw a man at the next pump read it thoroughly before filling his tank. He did NOT fly into a rage and tear it down.

It’s on!

Update2: The response to this post has been overwhelming! Welcome Instapundit, Ace of Spades, Weasel Zippers, AR15 and all.

A commenter at Ace recommends that the blue painters tape be used as it is easily removable without leaving traces of Scotch tape. That’s probably a good idea, although I’m not willing to lose the Republic over Scotch tape residue. That’s just me.

As for the artwork, such as it is, feel free to share it with whomever. We need to pin the gas price tail on this Donkey.

Update3: Someone suggested that we create a Spanish version of this. That’s a great idea!
If anyone can do the translation I’d be happy to do it. But no wise guys, please. I want you to know that I know several Spanish words, including cerveza, biblioteca, putana, pendejo and chimichanga, so I’ll catch you if you’re trying to scam me.

Update Again:
Here’s a great rework of the original from botnet.

 

The Gov’t Giveth and the Gov’t Taketh Away

Steve Wynn was lamenting the deteriorating lifestyle of his employees on Cavuto last night. Healthcare costs due to Obamacare, combined with a shrinking dollar are hurting the little people Obama pretends to care about.

Between rising fuel costs, which are the direct result of Obama and the Democrats energy policy, and the rising cost of bare essentials, people are really feeling the squeeze being put on them by their Federal Government.

The Consumer Price Index shows and inflation rate of 182% since 1982 and prices rose 2.1% for the first quarter of 2011. That’s an 8.4% annual rate!

Question is, are people who are hurt by Obamanomics smart enough to recognize cause and effect while they’re in the polling place?

57% Disapprove of Obama’s handling of the economy and his overall numbers are not good for an incumbent.
Note on this poll, this is just a random sample of adults, not likely voters, so I’d take the Presidential electoral polls with a large grain of salt.

I guess that’s why Obama is frantically raising money and campaigning like crazy.

Not that he ever stopped campaigning in the first place. The permanent campaign could hurt him though.

Stop bullsh1tting us and GET TO WORK, you bum!

 

Senate Impeaches Corrupt Federal Judge

Earlier today, the lame duck Senate actually accomplished something worthwhile.  It impeached a bad judge:

The Senate has voted unanimously to convict U.S. District Judge G. Thomas Porteous of Louisiana on the first of four impeachment charges, removing him from the federal bench.

The decision makes Porteous just the eighth federal judge in U.S. history to be impeached and convicted by Congress.

The Senate is still voting on three additional articles of impeachment approved by the House earlier this year.

House prosecutors say the 63-year-old judge had a gambling problem and began accepting cash and other favors from people with business before his court. He also was accused of lying to Congress and filing for bankruptcy under a false name.

Porteous was a Clinton appointee, which  tells us what his next career move is likely to be.  If he follows the path of another impeached Democrat judge, he’ll end up getting elected to Congress, where the next Democrat speaker will try to install him atop the House Intelligence Committee.

That’s exactly what Pelosi attempted with Rep. Alcee Hastings of Florida, who had also been impeached on bribery charges a few years prior.

That’s just one of the many reasons that Pelosi won’t be missed, and why history won’t be kind to her tenure as Speaker of the House.

 

When It Comes To Fiscal Responsibility The Democrats Are The Party of “No”

Former Senators Simpson and Bowles of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform proposed a plan to reduce the deficit through spending cuts and tax increases and the response not only helps us to understand how we got to this point but clearly indicates the steep hill we must overcome if we are to reign in our fiscal irresponsibility.

The co-chairs proposal is  bold and it’s outside of the box. All income-tax deductions would be eliminated while income-tax rates would be reduced to three levels: 8 percent, 14 percent and 23 percent. Currently there are six tax levels ranging from 10 percent to 35 percent. The corporate income-tax rate would be cut to 26 percent from 35 percent.

Overall I think the plan has some merits, we are in a deep hole and climbing out is going to require sacrifice and discomfort. The Social Security recommendations are curious and telling, while I would recommend a different solution, the idea of having to eliminate C.O.L. increases and over time increase the retirement ages, indicates how infirmed this program is.

I view the plan as a balanced mix of spending cuts and tax increases and what struck me most was while the reaction from Democrats was overwhelmingly negative, most Republicans looked at it as a reasonable starting point. Nancy Pelosi looked like she was writhing in pain and said,“This proposal is simply unacceptable, Any final proposal from the Commission should do what is right for our children and grandchildren’s economic security as well as for our nation’s fiscal security, and it must do what is right for our seniors, who are counting on the bedrock promises of Social Security and Medicare. And it must strengthen America’s middle class families — under siege for the last decade, and unable to withstand further encroachment on their economic security.”

Not to be outdone, far left-wing Illinois Representative Jan Schakowsky and panel member stated “This is not a proposal I could support,” panel member. “On Medicare and Social Security in particular, there are proposals that I could not support.”

It wasn’t just Democrat legislators who rejected the proposals, their allies also spoke out.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said the panel chairmen “just told working Americans to ‘drop dead.’” In an e-mailed statement, Trumka said, “The very people who want to slash Social Security and Medicare spent this week clamoring for more unpaid Bush tax cuts for millionaires.”

John Rother, executive vice president for policy at the senior citizens’ group AARP, said his group would oppose the plan because it would be “dramatically lowering benefits over time” in Social Security and Medicare.

Why the disparate reaction? I think the plan hits the liberal democrat right in their sweet spot. They thrive on pandering with entitlements and controlling behavior with the tax code.

I am sure this plan is not perfect and as I learn more about it I may find some elements need to be changed but it is striking that the Republicans of late have been the party of “No” when spending and entitlements were proposed and the Democrats have loudly proclaimed they are the party of “No” when fiscal responsibility is proposed.

 

Daily KOS trying to save Pelosi

Just got this email.  This might be the first time I’ve ever agreed with KOS on anything.  The Democrats SHOULD retain Nancy Pelosi as their Minority Leader.  She should continue to be the face…

…of the Democratic Party.

Democrats suffered serious losses on Tuesday, but no one was hit harder than the corporatist Blue Dogs. Over half their members are gone. Apparently, being the GOP’s best friends on issue after issue wasn’t the political winner they claimed it was. 

(Really?  The only ones that survived voted against Obamacare-saddleburr)

But getting drubbed hasn’t made the Blue Dogs humble. Now, they have Nancy Pelosi in their sights, demanding she step down as Democratic leader in the House. The Blue Dogs want to replace her with one of their own, so they can deliver our entire party to Wall Street.

Don’t let the Blue Dogs take over. Sign the petition letting Nancy Pelosi know she has your support as Democratic leader in the House.

Pelosi will decide whether to run for House Minority Leader within the next week, so she needs to hear from her supporters ASAP. At Daily Kos, we will deliver your signatures to her personally, so she knows you’ve got her back.

Pelosi led Democrats to historic victories in 2006 and 2008. We are confident she can reclaim her gavel in 2012. But to do so, she first has to ward off the Blue Dog threat.

Sign the petition showing your support for Nancy Pelosi. The fight for 2012 begins NOW.

Friggin’ Blue Dogs,
Chris Bowers
Campaign Director, Daily Kos

“Never … murder a man who is committing suicide”- Woodrow Wilson

 

I’m forgetting something…

I’m supposed to do something today but I just can’t remember what it is.

Hmmmm.  What was it?

That’s right!  I have to take out the trash.

Regime Change Starts TODAY!!  

VOTE!!!

 

B-b-b-but it’s his fault … he started it…..

With thanks to the unknown author, whomever he or she may be….

The  Washington  Post babbled again today about Obama inheriting a huge deficit from Bush. Amazingly enough, a lot of people swallow this nonsense.
So once more, a short civics lesson.  

Budgets do not come from the White House. They come from Congress and the party that controlled Congress since January 2007 is the Democratic Party.

Furthermore, the Democrats controlled the budget process for FY 2008 and FY 2009 as well as FY 2010 and FY 2011.

In that first year, they had to contend with George Bush, which caused them to compromise on spending, when Bush somewhat belatedly got tough on spending increases.

For FY 2009 though, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid bypassed George Bush entirely, passing continuing resolutions to keep government running until Barack Obama could take office. At that time, they passed a massive omnibus spending bill to complete the FY 2009 budgets.

And where was Barack Obama during this time? He was a member of that very Congress that passed all of these massive spending bills, and he signed the omnibus bill as President to complete FY 2009.

If the Democrats inherited any deficit, it was the FY 2007 deficit, the last of the Republican budgets. That deficit was the lowest in five years, and the fourth straight decline in deficit spending. After that, Democrats in Congress took control of spending, and that includes Barack Obama, who voted for the budgets.

  If Obama inherited anything, he inherited it from himself.

 

 

In a nutshell,  what Obama is saying is I inherited a deficit that I voted for and then I voted to expand that deficit four-fold since January 20th.