Obama-Care to Put America on the Carbon-Neutral Train to Squaresville

Your Mandatory Saturday Afternoon Fun in 2010

If you're a politically-correct American who lives in a carbon-neutral home, rides a bike with matching spandex to work, gets plenty of time in at the gym, and only eats organic shit from Whole Foods, then these new policies aren't going to affect you much. But for the rest of us who aren't total fucking dorks and enjoy having a beer or six once in awhile, the creeping nanny-statism in Obama's health care plan should make libertarians out of all of you.

Many of the same autocratic creeps who brought you anti-smoking campaigns in the 90s to tax the bejeezus out of the nation's working class are back with similar plans for soda, alcohol, and anything else they deem morally unfit. I guess they still haven't learn how to mind their own damn business. From Politico:

Any health care reform plan that Obama signs is almost certain to call for nutrition counseling, obesity screenings and wellness programs at workplaces and community centers. He wants more time in the school day for physical fitness, more nutritious school lunches and more bike paths, walking paths and grocery stores in underserved areas.

The president is filling top posts at Health and Human Services with officials who, in their previous jobs, outlawed trans fats, banned public smoking or required restaurants to provide a calorie count with that slice of banana cream pie.

Even Congress is getting into the act, giving serious consideration to taxing sugary drinks and alcohol to help pay for the overhaul.

The problem has never been that it's wrong to exercise, eat healthy foods, etc. The problem is that it's not supposed to be the job of federal government to regulate the conduct of every citizen's life. Do the people proposing these regulations really think they are so morally superior as to micromanage everyone's affairs? Them and the Religious Right should get a goddamn room.

Obama to Save Economy by Employing Teens to Keep Them Off Your Lawn

Because Children are the Future

You're doing a heckuva job, Obama. Recent unemployment figures show that we are turning into a nation of hobos, and the reasons behind the economic collapse are, I admit, not all the fault of President O. But we could at least demand that he stop blowing smoke up our asses with hokey numbers from his spendulus plan.

Innocent Bystanders has some analysis on how the figures originally predicted by the administration were way too optimistic. See graph below to further your anxiety:
Now, to silence any criticism that maybe this monstrous $787B program was a lousy idea, Obama says that 600,000 jobs are going to be created this summer. Unfortunately, that number factors in teenage gigs working at the DQ and goofing off behind the cash register at the local Goodwill. CNS explains:

The biggest of the youth jobs program is in Cleveland, where 7,000 teens will be employed to work summer jobs through a $6.4 million program funded by stimulus money. About $3 million went to support 2,500 summer teen jobs in Riverside County, Calif., according to the report. Another 200 California teens will get summer jobs as a result of a $465,000 stimulus grant to Yuba County.

The Desert Sun out of Palm Springs has some more specifics on what kind of jobs the stimulus money created: minimum-wage jobs at state-run buildings so teenagers aren't making trouble during their summer break. Not that teenage employment is a bad thing, but using it to factor into the narrative about economic recovery for the American middle class is a bit sheisty.

Obama Names Bill Gates Head of the DoD

Much to the shock of the entire country, Obama has replaced SECDEF Robert Gates with former CEO of Microsoft Bill Gates. Thanks to JammieWearingFool for breaking the video of the speech of this shocking news.

In case you didn't know, William Gates III is the lovable nerd who survived numerous pantsings in high school to drop out of Harvard and start Microsoft. He became one of the most charitable people on the planet as well as one of the richest. Now he will be supervising all the US Armed Forces, the conduct of two counter-insurgency operations, and a controversial budget battle. Of course, Bill Gates would probably do a better job than Robert Gates' predecessor.

Obama Administration Continues to Brow-beat the Media Into Submission

Baghdad Bob and Bob Gibbs, Separated at Birth?

How hard a concept is it to grasp that public officials have a responsibility to answer questions from the media and not manipulate it to their own ends like some Ba'athist mouthpiece? The US Military understands this, most law enforcement institutions understand this, and dare I say congress might even understand this. But the Obama administration, ever in permanent campaign mode, seems obsessed with getting the media to heap praise upon them and not dare criticize The One's decisions. It's not like the White House press corps has been very critical in the first 100 days, but the President is unsatisfied that every front page article doesn't read like a press release.

Fox News recently got shut out of a Q&A session with the White House because they didn't broadcast the damn thing. Robert Gibbs started heckling NBC today when a straight-forward question from Chuck Todd was asked about Obama's sorry attempt at fiscal restraint. And now, Obama is just going straight to the reporters to tell them how to phrase his monstrous budget. From CBS:

In his remarks today, the president sought to change that tenor of that coverage. He mocked the notion that smaller savings are considered "trivial" in Washington and stressed that "these savings, large and small, add up."

And he told journalists directly that they should stress the fact that the cuts are "significant" – a surprisingly direct appeal to reporters concerning which angle they should take in their coverage.

"It is important, though, for all of you, as you're writing up these stories, to recognize that $17 billion taken out of our discretionary, non-defense budget, as well as portions of our defense budget, are significant," he said. "They mean something." (Here's the White House report on the cuts.)

And you thought the term "Banana Republic" was just some right-wing meme, mwahaha.

Penny-Pinching Obama Offers Up a 0.5% Savings To Monstrous Federal Budget

The Prez held a press conference today outlining cutting federal spending on wasteful programs to a tune of $17 Billion. Sure that sounds like a lot of cash, but it ain't much when you're dealing with $3.5T budget. As an analogy, it'd be like if you were $150,000 in the hole to angry Chinese mobsters, living on $1000/week, and decided it was time to cut back on your Saturday morning bagel with cream cheese and lox. From Political Punch:

The president laid out a number of examples of the more than 100 programs that will face cuts or termination, saying that many of them were outdated or ineffective.

The $17 billion in cuts add up to roughly one half of one percent of the $3.55 trillion budget. Still, the president said the savings are significant.

"These savings, large and small, add up. The 121 budget cuts we are announcing today will save taxpayers nearly $17 billion next year alone. That’s a lot of money, even by Washington standards," he said.

The real problem with the budget is that entitlement spending (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid) is out of control, rife with fraud, and will only get worse as the boomers approach geezerdom. In Obama's defense, it's difficult to have the political capital to take on these leviathans, because no politician has the mojo. If Jesus himself came down to become Messiah-in-Chief of America, he probably wouldn't be able to cut back on Social Security without fear of an AARP smear campaign.

When America is reduced to ashes being crushed by its exorbitant debt, remember that Democracy has it's own pitfalls as people tend to vote "What's in it For Me?" instead of any long-term viable strategy for the republic.

Why Do New Yorkers Hate America?

This may be the low-hanging blog-fruit of the day, but with the exception of putting a bunch of barrels on the subway marked "Swine Flu", can you think of anything that would spook New Yorkers more than low flying planes? The White House is suffering some serious embarrassment today after a botched "Highway to the Danger Zone" photo-op involving one of the Air Force Ones in lower Manhattan. From WSJ:

On Monday morning, one of the 747s used to ferry around the president of the U.S. was dispatched to the Statue of Liberty, escorted by fighter jets. Assignment: Get some fresh glamour shots of the plane.

The Air Force said the flight needed to remain confidential. So while New York police knew about it, as did at least one person in the mayor's office, regular New Yorkers remained in the dark.

As a result, to onlookers Monday all across downtown Manhattan -- where the World Trade Center once stood -- the photo shoot looked like a terrorist attack. People watched in horror as a massive aircraft, trailed closely by F-16 fighters, banked and roared low over the city, in a frightening echo of the events of Sept. 11, 2001.

Fearing the worst, thousands of people streamed out of the skyscrapers and into the streets. Some buildings ordered evacuations.

The notification process seemed to have been completely lost in the black hole of bureaucracy, and the Mayor didn't even know about it (let alone your average New Yorker). Hot Air has some video footage of the chaos that ensued.

The President was forced to issue a hasty apology, and because of this numbskullery, the planned Obama as Jesus artwork set to go up in Union Square would probably be best delayed.

My Banana Republic Tis of Thee...

Lousy Presidential candidate/decent guy, Sen. John McCain, said going on a "witch hunt" for people involved in the notorious legal memos regarding enhanced interrogation would turn us into a screwy Banana Republic. From Politico:

“Look, I didn't agree, as you said, with the techniques — and I'd be glad to continue that debate with people. But to criminalize their legal counsel, unless you can prove that they intentionally violated existing laws or ethics, then this is going to turn into a witch hunt,” he said.

McCain compared the potential prosecutions with the actions of “banana republics” that “prosecute people for actions they didn't agree with under previous administrations.”

I tend to take the Shep Smith position on the torture issue personally, but, like when maintenance gets "magically completed" between the hours of 0000-0200 on a Navy ship, sometimes it's best to not know how the CIA conducts business. What would the public have to gain by demanding the release of classified documentation during a time of war? MoveOn.Org's latest ad provides some insight into that question. Prosecuting Darth Cheney of course!

This along with the Obama's administration half-assed attempt at bank nationalization by not allowing TARP recipients to pay back the money, sending law enforcement after political enemies and veterans, and our skyrocketing debt certainly might put us in the running for Banana Republic status.

But we're not even a cool Banana Republic. There's no marching around the jungle with a machete in a tropical climate as part of Generalissimo's hit squad. There's no kickbacks from shady fat dudes in Hawaiian shirts laundering drug money. And there's no gaudy uniforms with big ass hats and made-up medals. All we get is lousy Oboner tributes from the sycophantic media about Obama's "house of rock" and shitty artwork of the El Presidente. This Banana Republic sucks.

Levin: Expect painful defense cuts

To go along with all of my other warnings of cuts in Defense spending (here, here, here and here), TSO sends the latest;


It happens every time the Democrats get control of Congress and the White House. They take money from defense and put it into social patronage programs. They win elections without the military vote, so what can it hurt them? Then when a Republican gets into office and tries to fix defense, they (and the media) scream to High Heaven about their spending. Reagan had to fix Carter's neglect of the military, Bush had to repair the damage done by the Clinton years. Think there were shortages during the Bush years, you just watch - the difference now is that our troops are under fire (despite their best attempts to change the language so it doesn't seem so). What happens when there's no ammunition for training now? What happens when there are no more cruise missiles this time?

And you have to ask yourself why Levin isn't being specific about the cuts. More than likely it's because there'll be some major cuts in personnel expenses. Things like pay, bonuses, recruiting, retention and training. That will place a drag on manpower needs. Lucky for Obama, Jimmy Carter brought back draft registration after Nixon ended it. Then watch the cuts to veterans' benefits. BOFO.

Online Town Hall with Obama Chocked Full of Obama Supporters

To further the cause of transparency, the online Obama town hall isn't necessarily a bad idea, but stocking the room full of Obama supporters has little to do with accountability in Washington and everything to do with the permanent campaign mentality. The Washington Post did some diggin' and has an explanation of why the "randomly selected" 5 asked hardball questions like "Thank you, Mr. President. My name is Sergio Salmeron. I want to find out about health care." From WaPo:

But while the online question portion of the White House town hall was open to any member of the public with an Internet connection, the five fully identified questioners called on randomly by the president in the East Room were anything but a diverse lot. They included: a member of the pro-Obama Service Employees International Union, a member of the Democratic National Committee who campaigned for Obama among Hispanics during the primary; a former Democratic candidate for Virginia state delegate who endorsed Obama last fall in an op-ed in the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star; and a Virginia businessman who was a donor to Obama's campaign in 2008.

This was the same online Town Hall where Obama blew off a question about marijuana legalization. Guess there were no talking points available on that one. It's no wonder that lefties like Bill Maher, Andrew Sullivan, and Paul Krugman are dropping the sycophantic nonsense and beginning to publicly criticize the President. 'Bout time they woke up and smelled the coffee.

Scary Zombie Training Video Released by Obamamaniacs

Following up on the "pledge" that Obama's never-dismantled campaign apparatus was going to be knocking on doors to talk about Toxic Avenger Geithner doing a heckuva job, they've released a training video. Ed Morrissey simply calls it "very, very creepy" as it furthers the bizarre cult-of-personality that Americans seem to have been swindled into. Evidence can be found at the Organizing for America website:

Today it was raining like crazy but several of us still went out and managed to get 212 pledges signed - not bad considering the weather. I was heartened by the strong support President Obama still enjoys locally. We got tee shirts made up for the occasion that have the Obama emblem and "President Obama - We Pledge Our Support" on them.

... Our President told us we have to stay involved if we expect the changes we voted for to happen. The special interests will be active - we have to be twice as active as they are!

Recall the scene in Jesus Camp where religious types blessed a cardboard cutout of former President Bush (in tongues!). At least those weirdos weren't sporting Obama-stickered clipboards and bugging me at the local grocery store to get behind the stimulus package.

The End is Nigh

And it's not even from anything "cool" like nuclear winter or some super-virus, but rather from...an money-bombing Fed? Financial Post explains:

The spillover effect of all this on the rest of the world promises to be dramatically disruptive. The greatest global risk is in monetary and currency policy. Below is a chart that graphically demonstrates the sharp deviation in monetary policy from past norms. Under the chairmanship of Ben Bernanke, the Federal Reserve is in the midst of a giant economic experiment, flooding the world with U.S. dollars, hoping that flood will stimulate economic activity.

The total monetary base, already at astronomical levels, is now expected to take another big hit with the new Fed policy of buying up U.S. longer-term treasury bills in a bid to drive down long-term interest rates.

Weak. "Helicopter" Ben Bernanke probably doesn't even know how to ride a horse.

-Famine

PM Brown's DVDs Didn't Even Work in Region 2

Remember that crappy box O' DVDs that Obama gave to the UK Prime Minister as some form of a "special partnership"...well it turns out the DVDs don't even work across the pond. From The Telegraph (h/t Greyhawk):

Alas, when the PM settled down to begin watching them the other night, he found there was a problem.

The films only worked in DVD players made in North America and the words "wrong region" came up on his screen. Although he mournfully had to put the popcorn away, he is unlikely to jeopardise the special relationship – or "special partnership", as we are now supposed to call it – by registering a complaint.

Also, some punk staffer gave The Telegraph attitude when contacted:

A White House spokesman sniggered when I put the story to him and he was still looking into the matter when my deadline came last night.

It was reported that the Prime Minister was attempting to watch Psycho, but knowing the reliable competence of the new White House, I'm certain it was the ill-fated and atrocious 1998 remake with Vince Vaughn and not the original Hitchcok.

Obama-bots get their marching orders

Your neighbors are about to get a whole lot more irritating;


That last paragraph really bothers me;

We know this fight won't be easy. But important battles never are. Together, we have the opportunity to shape our country's future. We believed in the power of people to win an improbable election victory. And we believe in the power of people to drown out the cynics and entrenched interests in Washington to bring lasting, meaningful change we can all be proud we played a role in.

What fight? The one they're having against common sense? Does this mean they're going to be knocking on my door every few hours? Are they going to hold me in headlock until I say "uncle"? This isn't an election - what can they accomplish? Well, here are their choices for pledging support;

Who do they think they're going to be convincing? Any one who can make any sort of decision? I guess it's just to keep them all in the habit of doing what they're told.

And that "entrenched interests in Washington" line is sounding more like Chavez' "oligarchy" phantoms every time they use it.

Close enough for government work

I've always hated that phrase for all the years I spent in government. It seemed to perpetuate a myth that all government workers were half-assed goof-offs.

Well, welcome to the Executive Office of the President version;


Just Monday, I was getting email from my BFFs telling me to fight for this spending bill, now Obama is hiding in a closet in the Oval Office signing the damn thing in the dark. WTF, over?

I wonder what it's like to be so empty of principles and direction.

Obama's Minions Will Soon Be Annoying You At Your Residence

After the messiah's coronation, you may have noticed that many lefty blogs got thoroughly boring in a hurry. Also, the big name anti-Bush commentators at MSNBC who provide blog fodder have seen their ratings slide faster than Season 5 of Coach in the past month. This has to do with the fact that no one wants to read some crummy repackaged press release from the White House, and the anti-Rush/"conservatives are mean dickheads" argument got stale in about 1997. That's why critical thought and snarky analysis is going completely by the wayside for the liberal community, and just annoying the shit out of your neighbors with Obama slogans is the "new" new media.

Obama's propaganda wing, Organizing For America, has a new video on how to spread the gospel in your community (h/t Politico). You basically go around calling your neighbors and knocking on their doors to get on Team Obama. Because who needs to get their information objectively when you can just get some talking points for every wacky new policy the President is proposing.

Shudddeerrr. How would you like this creep coming by your house during dinner time to explain why the latest omnibus bill chocked full of earmarks was really the result of "Bush's Failed Policies"? Also, that map in the background looks like he's pinpointed where he chopped up hookers and dumped them on the side of the freeway in garbage bags. Of course having to listen to this knucklehead in person, I'd probably asked to be mercy killed too.

That Pretty Much Sums Up The First 100 Days

From Jeffrey Wright

That's not encouraging

Another eye-catching headline from the Associated Press;

While the stock market tumbles, unemployment shoots higher, gas prices are rising again but The One "knows" he did the right thing. See, here let me explain to any Democrat philosophy major who has never had a job or a business or invested in the stock market how those things work (because I have a little experience at all three) - those things do well, or poorly, based on the expectations of future performance. That's why businesses have sales targets and staff economists to project that stuff.

If it looks like business will be bad, businesses will cut labor - the most expensive part of doing business. If investors think that government is making unfriendly gestures towards the economy, they won't invest and the market tumbles - businesses shed more jobs so they can stay in business. If taxpayers think their taxes will rise, they'll stop spending their money to make those balloon payments they expect next year from the IRS.

The economy today is a result of what people with money think the future looks like. The reason the economy did well under Clinton and Bush is because they knew what the future looked like. The market tumbled after 9-11 because it added uncertainty into the market. Uncertainty that lingered for more than a year until it became apparent that Bush was going to keep the country safe.

I listened to Obama today yammer on about how change is good for us. That he's tired of dealing with people who want to do things "the old way", or words to that effect. Um, "the old way" is the reason we're the most prosperous and powerful nation in the history of the world. Maybe the people who want to do the things "the old way" are right. "The new way" doesn't seem to be panning out so well. Change isn't always good - history is littered with spectacular failures that were considered good ideas until they weren't so good anymore. Things like New Coke and dirigibles.

Folks used to criticize Bush because they said he was pig-headed and never admitted when he was wrong. Obama is being a bit pig-headed, too. Jobless rates rising and the stockmarket tumbling while he chants "I know I was right" is not encouraging. Not in the least. I think that'll reflect in Monday's market.

4 More Classy Gift Ideas To England For Obama

Seeing how Obama's big ole Box O' DVDs went over like a lead balloon with the UK Prime Minister, cbullit suggested a "Guy Fawkes commemorative plate" to further smooth our relations with the folks across the pond. Here's some other swell gift ideas Obama's crack diplomacy team could've used to boost our ties with England:


Home Dental Kit: What better way to ridicule negative stereotypes about the Brits than awkwardly suggesting they fix up their teeth.

Germany World Cup Soccer Jersey: Seeing how England doesn't take its soccer very seriously, why not give them a World Cup jersey of one of its biggest rivals.

IRA Figurine: Even though the IRA figurine was banned on eBay, Obama's staff could've dug up this little guy to remind the Prime Minister of the mad cap hilarity that accompanies a long running insurgence.
George Washington Delaware Crossing De-Motivator: It helps diplomatic relations to remind other nations that we kicked their ass 200+ years ago. An suitable alternative would've been "We Saved Your Ass in WW2!" T-shirt, which I'm pretty sure the Brits are fond of hearing from visiting American tourists.

Obama Gives PM Gordon Brown a Crummy Box of DVDs

Maybe They Could've Sweetened the Deal with a Used Copy of Mac and Me

It pretty much goes without say that the Brits have been one of our best allies ever since that whole unpleasant War of 1812 business. World War I, World War II, standing united against communist expansion, fighting side by side against terrorism, and other "minor" mutual understandings to name a few. But Obama's staff neglected to pull out the stops when PM Gordon Brown was in town and gave him what looks like a box of used DVDs from a Virginia flea market. Not exactly the V.I.P. treatment for a Prime Minister. Perhaps Obama should've screened his staff for protocol experience instead of whether or not they ever owned a firearm. From Daily Mail (h/t Flopping Aces):

Perhaps pertinently, given Britain is floundering in an economic slump, the DVD collection was thought to feature the movie of John Steinbeck's Great Depression novel, 'The Grapes Of Wrath'.

The gift also included the Oscar-winning boxing biopic 'Raging Bull' starring Robert Di Nero and Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller Psycho - maybe a comment on the PM's notorious short fuse?

And he will hope that at a General Election the British public do not shun his imploration for another term in office by thinking at the ballot box of the famous line from another of the movies, Casblanca: 'Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.'

Obviously, the Brits, big on the whole pomp and circumstance thing, were bloody-well pissed. Obama is set to meet the Queen of England in the near future. Let's hope that some boneheaded staffer doesn't diarrhea all over the toilet seat in Buckingham Palace further embarrassing America.

Obama's Economic Policies Really Kicking Ass!

Laidoffs in Michigan (the bad kind of laid)

Well, the left has been trying to say that Wall Street hitting the floor faster than a prom dress was not a good indicator of the economy, but what about all those jobs that The Obama promised? The first full month of Obama's America isn't looking to swell either. Dismal news from Reuters:

The U.S. unemployment rate rose to a 25-year high of 8.1 percent in February as employers, buckling under the strain of a severe recession, axed 651,000 jobs, government data showed on Friday.

Adding to the gloom, a combined 161,000 more jobs were lost in January and December than previously believed, the U.S. Labor Department said in its monthly nonfarm payrolls report.

Now, blaming the Prez for all the economic troubles is a bit disingenuous, but continuing to blame Bush & Friends for everything bad with the economy is going to wear very thin among lefty pundits. Obama and the Democrat-controlled Congress have already passed multiple bills to "stimulate" the economy and free up credit, but they probably would've been better off spending $787B Taxpayer dollars on some magic beans. And we aren't even experiencing the hyper-inflationary period since we printed a bunch of funny money and dumped into unprofitable banks. Get ready for a wild ride...Wheee!

Energy Secretary is a Complete Putz

Apparently, qualifying for the Nobel Prize in Physics just ain't what it used to be. If DoE Secretary Steven Chu's recent conversation with the Wall Street Journal is any inkling of his intelligence, he probably rides the short bus around D.C. Here's what he had to say on deals with OPEC (h/t Flopping Aces):

On Wednesday, when approached by reporters after a speech to a group of utility regulators, Mr. Chu declined to offer an opinion on whether OPEC should cut production, saying the issue was "not in my domain." He later told reporters on a conference call that his response to the question reflected "more of my naiveté than anything else."

Mr. Chu said Thursday he feels "like I've been dumped into the deep end of the pool" in confronting questions about oil policy, such as whether the administration would consider delaying scheduled deliveries of oil this spring to the nation's strategic petroleum reserves.

The top guy in charge of energy policy in this country is naive about petroleum. That's inspiring a lot of confidence in his leadership! Jokes on us of course because we elected these people. His excuse for being a bonehead to the press was the following:

"I'm not the administration," Mr. Chu said during a meeting with reporters Thursday. OPEC members are scheduled to meet March 15 to discuss the possibility of production cuts to respond to slumping prices. "I will be speaking and learning more about this in order to figure out what the U.S. position should be and what the president's position is," Mr. Chu said.

If the executive branch isn't "The Administration", I'm not sure who is. Maybe we're waiting on the reincarnation of John Adams in puffy pants to explain OPEC policy to the press pool. Who the hell else would "The Administration" be! That's probably why the WSJ was asking you, Mr. Chu, and not the guy coming over to the house I rent tomorrow to steam clean the carpet. Although, he surely could have come up with a better answer.

Reality really does bite

Obama tried to govern with campaign rhetoric. He spent the last few days taking his public plea to the people to pass his "stimulus" bill. Moments before the vote, he sent his Treasury Secretary out to calm the markets. The bill passed and the markets swooned;

It took moments for the Financial Times to question whether the Obama presidency hasn't already failed;

Has Barack Obama’s presidency already failed? In normal times, this would be a ludicrous question. But these are not normal times. They are times of great danger. Today, the new US administration can disown responsibility for its inheritance; tomorrow, it will own it. Today, it can offer solutions; tomorrow it will have become the problem. Today, it is in control of events; tomorrow, events will take control of it. Doing too little is now far riskier than doing too much.

A juvenile little putz in our own comment section cheered;

Hooray for democracy!

In your face assholes!! We won!!!

Won what? A vote? Just because the president won a vote doesn't mean he's off the hook. The plan has to work and apparently the experts don't think it will work. CBO warned last week that this plan would slow growth over the next ten years, and the campaign-like rhetoric was short on details that the experts need to plan the future of their companies. From the Wall Street Journal;

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner promised forceful action to get credit flowing again in the economy, but the lack of detail in his much-anticipated speech helped drive stocks down nearly 5%, the worst selloff since President Barack Obama assumed office.

From the Washington Times;

President Obama on Tuesday for the first time staked his fledgling presidency on pulling the country from its economic crisis, promising dispirited Floridians that his stimulus plan will produce tangible results such as jobs and tuition credits or he'll be ousted from office in 2012.

Mr. Obama -- who earned a small victory when the Senate passed his $838 billion plan but then was hit with a big drop in the stock market -- was on the campaign trail again, using a town-hall meeting and one of the best weapons in his arsenal: himself.

He'll always draw crowds of acolytes and ass-kissers, even Bill Clinton in his darkest days could do that - but now Obama has to produce, too.

Even the Washington Post finally admitted their messiah wasn't wearing any clothes;

Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner vowed yesterday to bring the "full force" of the U.S. government to battle the financial crisis, assembling an unprecedented coalition of agencies and mustering federal resources on a scale rarely seen except at wartime. But the lack of detail in his plan dismayed lawmakers and investors, triggering a steep sell-off on Wall Street.

The problem is; the average voter who responds to the pretty rhetoric of the campaign isn't the same person trying to map out a future for their business or their investments. The reality is that Obama and his staff have always been sparse on details for the purpose of shagging along voters, as long as he said what they wanted to hear, they supported him. However, the rest of us work, live and plan for our futures in the real world where we need details - but as we saw with the stimulus bill, the more details we hear, the less likely we're going to support Obama's plans for our money.



I mentioned a month ago that the campaign is over and it's time for Obama & Co. to produce results. The president must not have heard me.

Obama: National Catastrophe Looms

Jon Ward at the Washington Times reports that the Obama weekly address is more doom and gloom crisis yammering;

President Obama on Saturday morning warned the nation of a "national catastrophe" if Congress does not move quickly to pass and implement his economic rescue plan, even as he lauded the Senate's movement toward passage of an $827 billion version of the bill.

"Yesterday began with some devastating news with regard to our economic crisis," Mr. Obama said, referring to the Labor Department report Friday showing the loss of nearly 600,000 jobs in January, which moved the national unemployment rate up to 7.6 percent.

If yesterday's news was so "devastating", why did the markets do this;


Apparently, the markets see something that Obama doesn't see. The Democrat President, instead of leading depends on fear;

"If we don't move swiftly to put this plan in motion, our economic crisis could become a national catastrophe. Millions of Americans will lose their jobs, their homes, and their health care. Millions more will have to put their dreams on hold," he said.

Yes, $45 million dollars for fish barriers will solve this problem. A new waterpark in Florida is the longterm solution. Where is the bi-partisanship? Why aren't the Democrats cutting the pork out of the bill to compromise with Republicans to get their votes?

The Washington Post calls it "bipartisanship" when squishy Republicans vote with Democrats. That's not really bipartisanship - when you see the Democrats move closer to the minority party, that's bipartisanship. Convincing Susan Collins to vote with Democrats is like convincing a dog to eat a strip of bacon. It's not a question of "if" she'll eat it, it's a question of whether you'll still have your fingers when she's done eating it.

CNN reports that support for the stimulus has slipped since we began to learn what's in it;

Fifty-one percent of those questioned in a CBS News poll released Thursday evening approved of the stimulus package. That's down 12 points from a poll taken January 11-15, the last time CBS asked the question. Thirty-nine percent opposed the plan, up 15 points from the previous poll, taken before President Barack Obama was inaugurated and before the House of Representatives passed an $819 billion stimulus package, with no Republican support, on January 28.

Funny how that works - the longer the debate goes on, the more Americans find out about the stimulus and the less they like it.

Labor Sec Nom's Husband Can't Pay His Taxes Either

Husband More of an Embarrassment Than Bill Clinton

Hilda Solis, the California union-lobbyist shill, up for nomination in Obama's cabinet seems to be having tax troubles as well. From USA Today:

The husband of President Obama's Labor secretary nominee paid about $6,400 Wednesday to settle tax liens that had been outstanding for as long as 16 years against his business, the Obama administration told USA TODAY this afternoon.

The disclosure came shortly before a scheduled 2 p.m. meeting of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which will vote on Rep. Hilda Solis' nomination as labor secretary. The hearing was postponed; no reason was immediately revealed.

The Solis family is claiming they didn't know about the liens against their business holdings when the media came asking, despite the fact that the liens were mailed to the husband's business address. Somehow I think the axiom of "stand by your man" is going to go under the proverbial bus in the very near future if Solis wishes to continue her political career.

Labor Secretary Nominee May Be Sacrificed

Blatant Union Stoogery From Hilda Solis Might Send Her Under the Bus

Congresswoman Hilda Solis (D-CA) is listed as Treasurer for American Rights at Work. This organization is strongly lobbying for the Employee Free Choice Act, which seeks to have voting on unions at the workplace be a non-secretive affair, thereby leaving the employee open to a lead pipe to the face if he or she doesn't comply. Unions have a right to organize, but should a congresswoman so obviously in the tank for Big Labor be allowed to serve the American people. Weekly Standard say their might be some ethical problems:

A seemingly innocuous letter sent to the Clerk of the House of Representatives last Thursday by President Obama's Secretary of Labor nominee Hilda Solis raises serious and troubling legal questions about her nomination and apparent violation of House ethics rules. Not only was she involved with a private organization that was lobbying her fellow legislators on a bill that she has cosponsored, but she apparently kept her involvement secret and failed to reveal a clear conflict of interest.

Sharp political journalist, Dave Weigel, says that everyone on the Hill already knows about her "extracurricular" activities at a lobbyist group so no one is going to make a big stink, even though Obama pledged to not have any lobbyists in his cabinet. It's comforting to know that DC critters all know about each other's dirty laundry so no one will speak up.

Hot Unicorn Sex

Uh...no witty commentary on my part. The picture speaks for itself. More creepy art at Stop the ACLU.

Daschle Sacrifices Himself For the Greater Good

Tax cheat and crooked politician Tom Daschle, who couldn't figure out how pay his taxes on his Limo & Driver, has just withdrawn as Health and Human Services nominee. His sacrifice into the molten vat of steel which will erase the media scrutiny will help keep the squeaky clean image of the Obama administration. This is the first senior Obama nominee to run into controversy, unless you count:

• Bill Richardson, (withdrawn Commerce Secretary), being investigated by a grand jury for pay-to-play allegations
• Rahm Emanuel (Chief of Staff) being involved with impeached Governor Blagojevich's Senate seat heist
• Tim Geithner (Treasury Secretary) being late on paying his taxes after working for the IMF
• Eric Holder (Attorney General) involved with shady gambling commission in Illinois possibly involving the mob
• William Lynn III (Deputy Defense Secretary) being a top lobbyist for Raytheon depsite the fact that Obama said there would be no lobbyists in his administration

But, after two weeks in office, the Biden and Obama families haven't been involved in any serious sex or money scandals. So good for them!

Daschle Thought Limo and Driver Was Non-Taxable

Daschle Inconvenienced

Those Dems are really the party of the average Joe, lemme tell ya! All of my friends at the country club have the same trouble reporting their limo and driver on the IRS 1040 form. From ABC:

ABC News has learned that the nomination of former Senator Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., to be President Obama's secretary of health and human services has hit a traffic snarl on its way through the Senate Finance Committee.

The controversy deals with a car and driver lent to Daschle by a wealthy Democratic friend -- a chauffeur service the former senator used for years without declaring it on his taxes.

It remains an open question as to whether this is a "speed bump," as a Democratic Senate ally of Daschle put it, or something more damaging.

Why can't Democrats (so inclined to tax the piss out of the rest of us) figure out how to pay their own damn taxes? This follows closely on the heels of Geithner (Obama's Treausry Sec) who couldn't figure out how to pony up his share either. But, Daschle will most likely get confirmed to head the HHS and the media will lose interest in this story faster than the Mystery of Chris Dodd's Mortgage Papers (where are those things anyways?).Tax problems are only for regular Americans, not self-righteous Americans that claim they can renew America.

-Famine

Stimulus Passes House

Not a single Republican voted for this turd. It's your problem, Democrats.

Obama Tries to Go In Thru Window at White House

D'oh!

So The Obama really is human! The president accidentally tried to get into the White House through a window. From NY Daily News:

It looks like President Obama hasn't gotten acquainted to his White House surroundings. On the way back to the Oval Office Tuesday, the President approached a paned window, instead of the actual door -- located a few feet to his right.

We're going to cut him some slack, since he was probably out back for a smoke break. Any smoker can empathize.

Geithner Limits Access for Lobbyists to TARP Funds...Then Hires Ex-Lobbyist as Chief of Staff!

It's Good to Be Connected

Geithner, the recently appointed Treasury Secretary who couldn't figure out TurboTax, has vowed to continue giving the imbeciles on Wall Street that ruined the American economy our taxpayer dollars. However, he has vowed to restrict lobbyist access to what's left of $700B TARP bonanza. From WaPo:

"American taxpayers deserve to know that their money is spent in the most effective way to stabilize the financial system," Geithner said in a statement yesterday. "Today's actions reaffirm our commitment toward that goal."

This sounds like a move in the right direction, since the American public has no clue how the first $350B of TARP funds was spent, and all we here from these greedy banks is that they want more. But Geithner is just putting on a dog-and-pony show, because he just hired a former Goldman Sachs lobbyist to be his Chief of Staff. From USA Today:

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner picked a former Goldman Sachs lobbyist as a top aide Tuesday, the same day he announced rules aimed at reducing the role of lobbyists in agency decisions.

Mark Patterson will serve as Geithner's chief of staff at Treasury, which oversees the government's $700 billion financial bailout program. Goldman Sachs received $10 billion of that money.

So lobbyists might be barred from stealing your tax dollars under this bailout scam, but it's okay for former ones to be the go-to guy in the Treasury department...W-T-F.

It's long been known that DC is a cesspool of sleaze and corruption, but the Obama administration rode into power vowing to change all that and impose restrictions on former lobbyists working for its staff. But, already there's a Raytheon lobbyist at the DoD, this Goldman Sachs shill, and the "global warming" czar was on the board of directors for a carbon-offsets firm in 2008. Obama must think the American public and media are so stupid that they wouldn't notice these "minor details". Unfortunately, it's already too late to make a difference.

One humorous anecdote from the USA Today article:

Dave Wenhold, of the American League of Lobbyists, said lobbyists bring expertise to the job. "Just because you are registered to lobby doesn't mean that you are evil, " he said.

Maybe not "evil" in the Hitler sense, but having a career based on manipulating public funds to your private employers benefit certainly makes you an asshole.

Stimulus Bill a Big Sloppy BBQ

Obama's stimulus package has little to do with making long-term infrastructure investments and everything to do with dishing out money to keep the government afloat for a few more years while we go deeper into debt. Net Right Nation discusses the details of the stimulus to be voted on today:

But, of course, in the final analysis, that does not mean that the $825 billion legislation will be any less wasteful. Because, it will not matter to the American taxpayer whether the bacon was added to the package piecemeal—or if the entire pig was served up upon introduction, as appears to be the case here.

As ALG News reported yesterday in “The Top-Ten Bottom Feeders,” the debt stimulus has plenty of pork: $300 billion to bail out state governments from record deficits, $4.19 billion for “neighborhood stabilization” that’s really a disguised payout to groups like ACORN that are made eligible for said funds, $650 million for digital TV coupons, and $21 million for sod.

According to top Capitol Hill sources close to the process, instead of the typical earmark process—the Christmas tree decoration approach as described by Mr. Obama in the above quotation—pet projects have been inserted as specific sections of the bill itself. In short, why nickel and dime it, when you can just go whole hog?

Sleazy payday-loan type places are already trying to cash in on the Leskonomics that pervades the Democrat party by promising free government grants and loans. How much longer can our country sustain itself by going further into the stink hole? When we as a nation believe that the government should provide everything from free health care to digital TV coupons, we probably won't be able to last very long.

1000 Words

Thanks madtom.

Biden Continues to Depress the Nation with Economic and War News

Authorities Talk With Young Man Who Saw Biden's Face The Nation Appearance

Shortly before he became the Vice President, Joe Biden declared a Carter-esque "War on the Economy" in an attempt to whip up support for the Obama stimulus plan and save America's prosperity. But after only a week on the job, he's already throwing in the towel and saying that the economy is pretty much a goner. From IHT:

As the administration pressed for quick action, Vice President Joseph Biden Jr. offered a bleak assessment of the current situation but predicted that the stimulus package would ultimately pass Congress with support from both parties. Speaking to Bob Schieffer on CBS's "Face the Nation," Biden said of the economy, "It's worse, quite frankly, Bob, then everyone thought it was, and it's getting worse every day."

"There's no good news, and there's no good news on the horizon."

Biden doesn't offer any good news for armed forces serving in Operation Enduring Freedom either. From the same Face the Nation appearance:

"We're about to go in and try to essentially reclaim territory that's been effectively lost. ... All of this means we're going to be engaging the enemy more now."

Asked if this would lead to more losses of U.S. soldiers, Biden said: "I hate to say it, but yes I think there will be. There will be an uptick."

With high approval ratings for Obama, they must feel confident to let gaffe-master Joe out of his cage. If polling falters for Obama, expect Joe to go back in hiding from the media along with Rahm Emanuel.

Embarrassingly Drunk Diane Sawyer Rails on About Obama

Most people get fired when they show up for work this blatantly intoxicated, but in the Oboner media, you can probably use the excuse that you were just "so moved" by the spirit of The One. (h/t Subrookie)

Susan Sarandon Compares Obama to Jesus

At a swanky, celebrity-ridden inaugural ball, The Hill picked up this quote from The One:

Movie star Susan Sarandon compared President Obama to Jesus. Broadway and film actor Alan Cumming thought of him more like Mahatma Gandhi.

“He is a community organizer like Jesus was,” Sarandon said Tuesday night on the bright blue carpet leading into the Creative Coalition’s 2009 Ball at the Harman Center for the Arts in Chinatown. “And now, we’re a community and he can organize us.”

Sarandon said she planned to push hard for veterans’ rights. “That’s going to be my personal b---h,” she said.

What is it with the far left comparing Obama to Jesus? Funny how they like to claim to be dubbed "The Reality Based Community" and we're the weirdos. As for Sarandon making veterans' causes "her bitch", don't count on much from her. Here's what she had to say about notorious emo-traitor/deserter Lt. Watada last year:

If the definition of a hero is one who is distinguished by exceptional courage then Lieutenant Ehren Watada is a hero as he knowingly and freely faces courtmartial and conviction and the likely possibility of imprisonment, hard labor, and harassment. Lieutenant Ehren Watada is a loyal American patriot and a hero, setting a shining example for all Americans and for this I and all Americans should be supportive and in his debt.

Odd, most people just think he's a big pussy. Perhaps this type of mentality amongst America's cultural elite is why Obama skipped out on the Medal of Honor recipients inaugural ball.

-Famine

Leper Messiah Inauguration

My tribute video to commemorate this historic event.. Sorry I couldn't bring the hope and change, because the montage has a bit of a despair quality to it. Cynicism and skepticism aren't dead just yet!

The Real Obama Cheerleaders

Politico has a video clip of a young high school troupe of cheerleaders doing a montage for the President Elect prior to inauguration. No harm, no foul, as anything that keeps young people off my lawn is a good, wholesome activity. But the video fails to mention the real Obama cheerleaders, which has been the media reluctant to criticize The Obama and unashamedly partisan in their "objective" reporting. No wonder they won The Fiskie this year, even beating perennial nuisance Code Pink.

Be The Coolest Guy at Whole Foods With an Obama Tat!

If you thought you just couldn't take seeing another Obama/Biden bumper sticker on the Subaru Outback going 20 MPH below the speed limit in the left lane of the highway, you'll probably not going to want to see this. A DC Tattoo shop is reporting record business by inking up Obama. From NY Daily News (h/t Pirate's Cove):

The crew at Fatty’s Custom Tattooz in Washington, D.C., is gearing up for the new administration with “Obamathon.” Starting Friday and running through Inauguration Day, patrons can get a free Obama ’08 tattoo with the purchase of another tat costing $200 or more. And if a chest piece featuring the First Family isn’t fanatical enough, Fatty’s is also offering an “Obama piercing.”

I have no idea what an "Obama piercing" entails, but it's probably on par with a Prince Albert accompanied with a massive gangrene infection, which summarizes the pain felt by this blogger on 2008 election night. If hard-line Obamatrons wanted to get a horrendous tattoo, they could have at least picked something that delivered on promises. One example would be the Power Glove from 1989 movie The Wizard. Fred Savage never said Americans would be getting free health care, just that Super Mario Brothers 3 would be totally wicked (and it was).

Dear Obama...

...please, save me from your followers. Thanks.


More Obama art presented without irony at CNN.

Historic Inauguration To Be Interrupted With Sham-Wow Commercials

Change We Can Believe In!

JammieWearingFool directs our attention to the Obama team selling off "exclusive rights" to TV networks to broadcast the coming festivities in DC. Despite the fact that this inauguration fit for a Pharaoh is being paid for with taxpayer dollars, the Obama team still finds a way to cash in. From WaPo:

Barack Obama's inaugural organizing committee has struck deals with three television networks to the tune of more than $5 million, giving the networks exclusive access to inaugural events. But the arrangement is prompting questions about the president-elect's efforts to raise money by turning his inauguration into made-for-TV productions.

To pay off this outlandish expense for a public ceremony, ABC is going to have to air commercials:

The ABC program will carry commercial breaks, meaning the network may be able to turn a profit on the event.

So if you were planning an inauguration orgy to celebrate the second-coming of the messiah, plan on interruptions from Billy Mays hocking Orange-Glo cleaner and that Sham-Wow putz spoiling the mood.

-Famine

Organizing for America: Obama's Brownshirts Get $75M Annual Budget

I Want You!...to hassle people that don't support my agenda

With unemployment on the rise, it appears The Obama has a solution to allow legions of young people to pay the bills for their tofu diets, yoga lessons and whatnot. He has enlisted an army of community organizers, pamphleteers, and annoying new media people to "push his agenda", despite the fact that America may not even survive until the 2012 campaign season. Ben Smith of Politco has the scoop:

In a video message to supporters, Obama gives his campaign organization a name -- "Organizing for America" -- and a mission: running a permanent campaign for his legislative and governing agenda.

It's a potentially hugely, uniquely powerful tool, enhancing the muscle of the official who is already the most powerful man in America.

Organizing for America sounds a lot like the standard political apparatus in this country to humiliate the opposition, silence critics in the media, and usher forth a new era of cornball propaganda, but do we have to pay for it? LA Times reports that this boondoggle has a $75M budget of taxpayer money, which is pretty generous since I thought the sheer awesomeness of Obama's "Change" message was enough to transcend mere monetary transactions. Better take those "un-revolutionary" bumper stickers off your car, unless you want a government-funded brick through your windshield.

-Famine