Monday, January 16, 2012

Mark Levin's new book Ameritopia is out tomorrow. To mark the occasion, I reprise his epic rant, "Why liberalism is the philosophy of the stupid"

In honor of the release of Mark Levin's new book Ameritopia (click here to order), the following is Levin's legendary rant entitled "Why Liberalism is the philosophy of the stupid":

The reason I say that liberalism is the philosophy of the stupid is because we can look at what's going around in the country today. If, in your own lives, you were pursuing policies that were destroying your own home ownership, that were destroying your own job, that were creating a massive, impossible debt for your family and your children in particular, you'd stop it. You wouldn't keep doing it!

And yet for the liberal, if it's imposed on you -- and they feel that they can be immune from it -- they're for it.

They wouldn't do to themselves and their own family what they're doing to you, and your family, and the whole nation!

Take Barack Obama. Does Barack Obama conduct himself in his own, personal affairs, in his family's affairs, as recklessly as he conducts the affairs of the nation? No. Would he run up the kind of relative personal debt that he's running up for the nation? No way.

Would he do anything that would endanger his position as president? Of course not -- he thinks his agenda will return him to office. He's taking care of his constituent groups...

So they do to us -- and they do to our society -- what they would never do to their own families. They do not live in their own lives as they seek to have the rest of us live. Or as they seek to have our society conduct itself.

An extensive interview of Levin by CNS News -- regarding the genesis and thought process behind the book -- is quite revealing and well worth reading.


The Euro? 404 Error, Not Found

I happened to get a quote on the Greek 1-year bond earlier today and found that its yield had hit an apt figure:

The 1-year yields roughly 404 percent, which is apropos because 404 is the universal web status code for "not found".

And that's what the head of Unicredit Securities said today regarding the future of the Euro. Here are the soundbites, so you don't have to slog through the whole article (all bullet points are verbatim quotes):

• Europe's common currency is virtually dead...
• The Euro's doomed...
• ...when Athens is declared bankrupt, a "10 magnitude" earthquake will shake Europe...
• ...Holders of Greek government bonds will have to write off their entire investment, the southern European nation will stop paying salaries and pensions and automated teller machines in the country will empty 'within minutes'...

Bloomberg also relays an assessment that "the panic escalating this way may sweep across Europe in a self-fulfilling fashion, leading to the breakup of the euro area."

In other words, the exact same spending plans of the Democrat Party -- led by Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid, who have put America in hock so deeply that it simply cannot be bailed out -- are the same plans that are poised to destroy the European financial system.

If we have a prayer of saving this country, if it's not already too late, I urge you to eradicate the Democrat Party at the ballot box in 2012. Obliterate it, at every level of government. It's the only way to be sure.


Larwyn's Linx: If Romney becomes the candidate, Obamacare off the table

Have a news tip or great story? Drop me an email. Bloggers: you can install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget!

Nation

If Romney becomes the candidate, Obamacare is off the table: Lane
Obama's 1-man rule thumbs nose at Founders: Barone
The Government We Deserve: Cold Fury

Levin on Ameritopia: We live in a post-constitutional country: CNS
Reid: Cordray appointment will stand: Politico
AMERITOPIA: Mark Levin Connects the Dots: Wright

Obama Heads to Church – Again: Dossier
Huntsman quits, endorses Romney: AmSpec
Santorum: Romney’s Super PAC lying about me too: Scoop

Economy

California Rail Fail: Captain Brown and the Great White Train: Mead
In New Hampshire, a Real Budget : NRO
Extra NY tax revenue all smoke and furors: Post

How Copyright Industries Con Congress: Cato
Timing the End of Merkel and Sarkozy: Mish
'Sacrilegious': Bodies Piling Up At Cook County Morgue: CBS-Chi

Gunrunner & Energygate

LightSquared, GPS Can't Coexist; Media Avoids Falcone, Obama, Dem Campaign Links: NB

Climate & Energy

ClimateGate II: Email 4766 – Data? Hide It. Forget It: Pirate's Cove
Okay, Say It With Me Again Class, “It’s The Sun Stupid.”: Soylent
Climate change skepticism seeps into science classrooms: LAT

Media

Is Joan Walsh The Most Bigoted Journalist in Media?: BigJourn
Soros-Funded Media Matters For America Purposefully Omits Full Perry Quote: BigJourn
Every Year Boondoggles Pile Up in California: RWN

Newsweek Cover: Obama's New Clothes Thrill Media Elites: Cube
Going Godwin to defend Bain: LI
Alan Simpson, the Next President?: Mellow Jihadi

Before Citing a Poll, Read the Fine Print: 538
The Huffington Post Twitter Account Gets Hacked: Homophobic And Racist Tweets Sent: Mediaite
Newt Is Vindicated, But Nobody Knows It : MRC (1999)

World

Unreal… Obama Administration Warns Israel About Strike on Iran: GWP
Barely News: North Korea's Reported Punishment of Those Not Sufficiently Mourning Kim's Death: NB
10 reasons the U.S. is no longer the land of the free: Turley

Hackers shut down Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, El Al websites: Haaretz
Three Fundamental Mistakes in Dealing with Islam: Greenfield
Libyan militias clash south of Tripoli: 9NewsAU

As Obama Dithers… Canadian PM Harper to Travel to China to Sell Oil: GWP
The Thin Veneer of Civilization: Power Line
Muslim Persecution of Christians: December, 2011: Creeping

Sci-Tech

Your iPhone Was Built, In Part, By 13 Year-Olds Working 16 Hours A Day For 70 Cents An Hour: Insider
High-tech fitness: Out-of-this-world workouts: Fox
Apple reveals who makes its iPhones, iPads, and more: Fox

Cornucopia

Book Review: 'American Sniper': Times
Let’s Drop A “Bomb” on The Red Tails: P&F
This Week in Automotivators, January 9-15 :RWN

Image: New Yorker Magazine, July 21, 2008
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Rick Santorum for President

QOTD: " The federal government's selective application of the Supremacy Clause in immigration related matters appears to be wholly political and sends confusing signals to its citizens and those illegally in the United States. For example, while pursuing aggressive legal action against states such as Alabama, which are attempting to comply with and support existing federal immigration laws, the federal government turns a blind eye to state and local governments adopting policies promoting violations of federal immigration law, including the establishment of sanctuary cities, the issuance of state identification cards, and the provision of in-state tuition for illegal immigrants." --Landmark Legal Foundation, Amicus Curiae Brief (PDF)

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Exclusive Photo: President Obama Explains His 'Recess Appointments'

Credit Biff Spackle for snapping this exclusive photograph of President Obama describing the rationale for his non-recess recess appointments. Our intrepid cub reporter also pointed us to Michael Barone's evisceration of Obama's lawless behavior.

[Obama's] scorn [for the Constitution] has been expressed most recently in his "recess" appointments of members of the National Labor Relations Board and the chairmanship of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The quotation marks are appropriate because when he made the appointments the Senate was not in recess as the Constitution requires.

Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution says that presidential appointments must be confirmed by the Senate unless Congress provides otherwise. But anticipating that the government may need officials when the Senate is available, the section further provides that "The President shall have power to fill up all vacancies that may happen during the recess of the Senate, by granting commissions which shall expire at the end of the next session."

What constitutes a recess? Article I, Section 5 provides "Neither house, during the session of Congress, shall, without the consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days."

The House did not consent to the adjournment of the Senate this year, so there is no recess, and hence no constitutional authority to make recess appointments.

The White House has belatedly trotted out an opinion from the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel (headed by a political appointee) saying that the president was justified in considering the Senate in recess, because the sessions it was holding every three days were just pro forma or, in the words of Obama defenders, "gimmicks."

Factually this is flat wrong. At one of those sessions the Senate passed the payroll tax cut extension, an important piece of legislation. ...Can the president decide that the quality of Senate debate is so poor on any particular day that he may deem it to be in recess? ....Obama defied not only the Constitution, but Dodd-Frank, which explicitly states that the CFPB head can only take legal action after he is confirmed by the Senate. Presumably anyone aggrieved by one of his orders will sue and probably prevail.

...The Framers of the Constitution saw it a different way. When the Senate refuses to confirm a presidential appointee, that person does not take office. When the Senate is not in recess, the president cannot make a recess appointment.

The Framers thought it more important to limit power than for government to act quickly. Obama disagrees.

Barone ain't exactly a right-wing Visigoth, so I'm guessing this serves as a fine little warning shot to the most lawless administration since Warren G. Harding's Teapot Dome crew.


Not a Photoshop: Newsweek's Next Cover Asks Why Obama's Critics Are So Dumb

Pat Dollard alerts us to next week's cover of Newsweek:

I would feel offended, but then I remembered that: (a) last August, Newsweek was sold for the nice round sum of one (1) dollar; and (b) the author of the piece is none other than Andrew "Glutes of Steel" Sullivan, who must have pulled a few of his in-house dicks off the Trig Palin investigation to write this masterpiece.


Hat tip: BadBlue.

"Ballot access" group Americans Elect: a thinly-disguised, Axelrod-ian attempt to have Jon Huntsman run third party?

Depending upon whom you believe, a group called Americans Elect is a nefarious effort to split either the Democrat or the Republican electorate.

Americans Elect, a privately financed group attempting to run a major third-party candidate for the White House, won a spot on California's 2012 ballot Monday, a milestone in its quest to give voters an alternative to President Obama and his Republican challenger.

California is the 12th state to award Americans Elect a ballot line in the 2012 presidential race. The group hopes its ticket will appear on the ballot in all 50 states. To earn its place on the California ballot, Americans Elect submitted the signatures of more than 1 million registered voters...

...So far, the only well-known figure to express interest in the Americans Elect ballot line is former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer, whose run for the Republican presidential nomination has sputtered. Party organizers are hoping a more viable — and preferably wealthy — candidate will emerge, such as New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.

The group has raised a tremendous amount of money -- reportedly, $30 million -- in short order, which begs the question: who is behind Americans Elect?

Americans Elect's chairman is Peter Ackerman, who was right-hand man to junk-bond trader Michael Milken at Drexel Burnham Lambert in the 1980s. That could leave the impression of Wall Street backing at a time when the finance industry is unpopular.

Despite Americans Elect's assertions that the group is not a front for leftists bent on splitting the GOP vote, a commenter at National Journal describes it as a stealth effort to have Jon Huntsman run as an independent.

Peter Ackerman who put in the original seed money (5 million) is also the founder of Rockport Capital and they make investments in green energy. They invested in Solyndra and Evergreen which both went bankrupt after receiving Obama stimulus money.

If they choose Huntsman it will be clear that they were invented to take votes away from the Republicans NOT the Democrats. Huntsman worked for Obama and then out of nowhere decided to run for the presidency.

Its as wrong as you say it is to mess with the elctorate dishonestly no matter who it hurts. But liberals always believe the ends justify the means. Huntsman is Obama's trojan horse.

Is any of this information credible? Turns out it is.

Solyndra Came Close to Landing Navy Deal: "A major investor in Solyndra LLC was instrumental in helping the troubled solar-power firm compete for a potentially lucrative U.S. Navy deal... Solyndra was promoted to the Navy by RockPort Capital, one of the firm's largest investors and board members, which has a seat on a Pentagon panel that helps the government find emerging technologies..."

• "Peter Ackerman is the managing director of Rockport Capital Inc.."

No less a source than the official public relations journal of the Democrat National Committee, which is sometimes referred to by its trade name Politico, revealed in December that Jon Huntsman truly is the preferred third-party candidate of the Left.

Former New Jersey Gov. Christie Todd Whitman, who is leading a group to draft a third-party presidential candidate, is encouraging Jon Huntsman to make an independent bid for the White House...

Earlier this week, the Boston Globe reported that Huntsman wouldn’t rule out the possibility of an independent bid. The Utah Republican said he doesn’t “think” he would do so, but refused to take the idea off the table.

If Jon Huntsman turns out to be Obama's trojan horse candidate, explicitly running to drain votes from the Republican candidate, he will have served as an accomplice to the most malevolent administration in American history.

Should Jon Huntsman run third-party and hand Barack Obama a victory, he will go down in history as the modern Benedict Arnold. The names of Peter Ackerman and Christine Todd Whitman, likewise, will be forever etched in the annals of history as those who helped destroy America.

Because that's what four more years of Barack Obama means: the death of America itself.


Hat tip: Vicki.

Litany of Failure

How many failures will it take before a huge majority of Americans discover what the Soviets, the East Germans, the Cubans, the North Koreans and all others who lived in centrally planned economies found out? That is: that authoritarian, centralized, massive government planning can't work, won't work and hasn't ever worked in all of human history.

2009-02-18 Realtor: President Obama announces 'Making Home Affordable', helping up to 9M avoid foreclosure
2009-02-19 CNN: Experts say Obama's $75 billion foreclosure fix will work
2009-03-06 NLIHC: President Obama Announces Details of Homeownership Protection Plan
2009-03-19 PRLog: President Obama Annonces Program to Help Students Find Summer Internships
2009-04-09 EDTA: President Obama Announces Faster Purchase of 17,600 American Vehicles for Government
2009-05-27 CleanCar: President announces new $467MM alternative energy programs: solar and geothermal
2009-06-30 Philanthropy: President Obama announces $50MM fund to expand innovative social projects
2009-08-05 DOE: President Obama Announces $2.4 Billion in Grants to Accelerate Battery, E.V. Development
2009-10-21 White House: President Obama Announces New Small Business Lending Initiatives
2009-10-21 Bank: President Obama Announces Additional TARP Capital for Community Banks
2009-11-23 Boston: President announces $260MM program highlighting science education

2010-01-06 White House: President Obama Expands “Educate to Innovate” Campaign With $250 Million
2010-01-08 CNN: Obama unveils $2.3 billion for clean energy jobs
2010-01-11 Green: President Obama Unveils New, $2.3B Renewable Energy Funding Program
2010-01-15 HUD: Administration announces $2B in Neighborhood Stabilization Program Grants
2010-01-28 CNN: Obama announces $8 billion investment in high-speed train system
2010-02-19 LVSun: Obama to announce new $1.5B foreclosure rescue program in Las Vegas
2010-03-01 White House: President Obama Commits $3.5 Billion to Reduce Dropout Rate
2010-03-26 Sun-Times: Administration announces enhancements to MHA program to prevent foreclosures
2010-09-16 White House: President Obama to Announce Expansion of $4B 'Educate to Innovate' Campaign
2010-09-26 CBS: President Obama Announces New $50B Jobs Program
2010-09-27 HHS: HHS announces $68M in new grants to help people explore health, long-term care options
2010-10-04 Training: President Obama Announces Launch of Job Training Partnerships
2010-10-15 Florida: Federal government allocates funding to help pay mortgages of homeowners

2011-02-08 White House: White House announces six-year, $53B plan to build national high-speed rail network
2011-02-10 USDA: President Obama Announces Plan for Community-Based Conservation
2011-06-08 NIST: President Obama program will prepare 500,000 Workers for Cutting-Edge Manufacturing Jobs
2011-07-29 NHTSA: President Obama Announces Historic 54.5 mpg Fuel Efficiency Standard
2011-08-09 NLink: President Obama announces $75B Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan (HASP)
2011-08-15 CPost: Obama Visits Navy Yard to Announce Jobs Program for Veterans
2011-08-17 DOE: President Obama Announces $510MM Initiative to Spur Biofuels Industry
2011-09-16 White House: President signs America Invents Act: turns ideas into jobs
2011-09-26 DOL: Obama administration awards nearly $500MM for job training and workforce development
2011-10-24 ABC News: President Obama Announces New Program to Help Struggling Homeowners
2011-10-26 White House: President Obama Announces Steps to Lower Monthly Student Loan Payments
2011-11-10 Head Start: New Regulations Increase Accountability and Boost Quality in Head Start
2011-11-14 Natl. Journal: White House Announces $1 Billion in Health Care Grants to Create Jobs
2011-12-07 DOE: President Obama Announces Nearly $4 Billion in Building Energy Upgrades
2011-12-08 White House: We Can’t Wait: Obama Announces $2B to Support Job-Creating Startups
2011-12-16 ED.gov: We Can't Wait: Nine States Awarded $500MM Race to the Top Grants
2011-12-16 NFWF: Obama Administration Announces New Conservation Jobs Program For Youth
2011-12-18 Bills.com: President Obama announces changes to Home Affordable Refinance Program

2012-01-05 Democrats: President Obama announced the new Summer Jobs+ program; will provide nearly 180,000 employment opportunities

And it's interesting to count how many of these failed, duplicative exercises in central planning were designed to direct taxpayer funds into the coffers of the president's union boss supporters, which -- in turn -- will be deposited directly back into his 2012 reelection campaign accounts.


Larwyn's Linx: Raiding the Treasury to Bribe the Irresponsible

Have a news tip or great story? Drop me an email. Bloggers: you can install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget!

Nation

Raiding the Treasury to Bribe the Irresponsible: BigGovt
White House signals aggressive stance to protect homeowners: Hill
White House supposedly comes out against SOPA: RWN

An Evangelical Vote Of Confidence For Santorum: CBN
Arlen Specter Thinks Hillary Should Replace Obama?: Greenroom
David Axelrod Tries to Re-Wright History: Blumer

Apocalypse Now: Life Imitates Bad Science Fiction: Howling
Why Romney is Weak vs. Obama: AmSpec
Tony Perkins announces evangelical support for Rick Santorum: Hot Air

Economy

The Worst Economic Recovery Since The Great Depression: Forbes
Time to Defund the Rogue NLRB: BG
Industrial Midwest States Challenge Union Power: NPR

Eurozone about to come unglued: Mish
Presenting Mitt Romney's Top Campaign Contributors: ZH
“Not Enough Rich People To Rape And Plunder In California”: Soylent

Gunrunner & Energygate

My Call to Schumer’s Office on PIPA: It’s So Much Worse Than I Thought: Amanda Peyton
Good News! $6.5 Billion In Taxpayers Funds At Risk In “Green” Ventures: RWN
Judge Upholds ATF Gun Rule for SW Border States: ABC

Climate & Energy

White House: Yeah, We Knew About Chevy Volt’s Catching On Fire, But Didn’t Try And Hide The News: WZ
NHTSA: White House had no role in Volt fire disclosures: DetNews
Solyndra Just the Beginning of Obama’s Green Energy Venture Socialism: LoneCon

Media

This is precisely the kind of godbothery social con meddling that makes it impossible...: ProWis
The New York Times Ponders: “Are We Biased Enough?”: RS
Must watch: “Daily Show” destroys liberal columnist over “civility” hypocrisy: Hot Air

Newsweek Slams Liberal Reporter For Ignoring Angry Michelle Obama's 'Grace, Charm, and Intellect': NB
Abraham Lincoln was the one percent!: Troglopundit
With Mr. Steyn on the Road to Armageddon: ConAlley

Debt Limit Made Easy: Angry.net
Lib Media Outrageously Outraged By Dana Loesch’s Defense Of Marines: Nice Deb
New Rock Band, Madison Rising Shows Our Country Finally Heading Into The Right Direction?: Publius

World

Is George Soros Responsible for Ending Ethanol Subsidies and Brazilian Import Tariffs?: Coston's Complaint
Even Politifact Hammers Obama over Israel Lies: Lid
Jihadi Work Accident: Palestinian Terrorist Killed When 'Malfunction' Causes Premature Detonation: WZ

Bolton: Obama taking credit for Bin Laden's killing like Nixon taking credit for moon landing: WZ
Germany Attempts to Silence Criticism of Islam: Creeping
PBS video: Uncovering the world of “bacha bazi”: Creeping (2010)

I Piss On Their Outrage: Zilla
South Korean oil ship explodes; North not suspected: LAT
Brzezinski: How Jimmy Carter and I Started the Mujahideen: Creeping (2009)

Sci-Tech

Google Admits It Scraped The Database Of A Kenyan Startup, Says It Was Huge Mistake: SFgate
How hackers gave Subway a $3 million lesson in point-of-sale security: Ars Technica
Science's "most beautiful theories": Reuters

Cornucopia

Brick Walls: Wolf-Hirschhorn
Conan Peanut Players Present: Tim Tebow's Miraculous Pass: TeamCoco
Obama Responds to Pissgate: Morlock Revolt

Obama Kids Sing for Change - Updated for 2012: Granny Jan
How to Open a Padlock with a Coke Can: It's Tactical
The Incredible True Story of the Collar Bomb Heist: Wired

Image: The Looking Spoon
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Please Help Support Rick Santorum for President

QOTD: "Earlier this week President Obama articulated how he understands the concept of employment, explaining that, in his view of the universe, bureaucratic regulations are a good way to create jobs:

Obama Says ‘EPA regulations create jobs’
“When we put in place new common-sense rules to reduce air pollution, we create new jobs building and installing all sorts of pollution-control technology.”


Yes, seriously, he said that. The President of the United States said it." --Zombie

Saturday, January 14, 2012

New Poster: President Pee-Wee

Maybe President Subprime McDowngrade will use this for his 2012 reelection campaign.

Oh, Melvin, he's so historic.


Just so I get this straight: defecating on a police car is patriotic; peeing on terrorist murderers is... un-American

Leftist logic at its finest.

I, for one, want all of these Marines to autograph a souvenir picture of this event. Compared to the traditional Taliban/Al Qaeda tactic of cutting off the head of a living victim, pissing on the dead bodies of 7th-century throwbacks isn't barbaric. It's historic.


Hat tip: Mark Levin.

Photo Gallery of a Delightful Young Woman Who Has Always Been Proud of Her Country

A right-wing Visigoth extremist has characterized the First Lady using, eh, inartful terms: "Angry Mooch-elle Angry Over “Angry Black Woman” Stereotype."

I don't see it, myself.

She's always been proud of her country, this one.


Top 20 Most Popular Posts of 2011

I'm a little late on the annual blog recap thing. Just to stay consistent with prior years, the following stories were the top 20 in terms of viewership.

1. Things are tough all over: luxury cars abandoned in Dubai -165,249
2. A Baby Boomer's Time Machine -- a Gallery of Forgotten Photos - 77,774
3. Obama's "tough budget cuts" in pictures - 64,943
4. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Love Child? [Photos] - 52,901
5. The Gold Bullion Challenge for @KeithOlbermann: Document a @FoxNews Lie, Win a Krugerrand - 51,474
6. Photos: Anthony Weiner's Self-Proclaimed Girlfriend is a 21-Year Old Coed - 48,837
7. Top 15 Photos From the Wisconsin Hate Rallies You'll Never See in Legacy Media #wiunion #solidaritywi - 26,118
8. Opie and Anthony release Weiner's X-rated wiener photo #weinergate - 24,882
9. The Top 150 Conservative Websites - 22,157
10. Oops: White House, DNC disavow involvement with #WIunion protests but Twitter busts 'em cold - 20,751
11. CEO of Gibson Guitars' Main Competitor is a Huge Democrat Donor - 19,779
12. President Barack Obama's Complete List of Historic Firsts - 18,882
13. Down With Evil Corporations! [Photo] - 16,223
14. Photos of Jared Lee Loughner, Rep. Giffords' Alleged Shooter, and a Possible Online Suicide Note - 15,760
15. Don Rickles Roasts Congress... and Barack Obama - 14,342 (this even made Snopes!)
16. Gas Pump Sticky Note Campaign Makes Its Way to Grocery Stores - 13,543
17. Correlation between a person's mind and his desk - 13,173
18. WTF at WTC? (This was a major screwup on my part) - 12,896
19. Don't Cry For Me, America - 10,360
20. Why women live longer than men: a photo essay - 9,807

And no recap would be complete without a special shout out to 2011's top 20 referrers:

1. michellemalkin.com - 133,491
2. hotair.com - 118,199
3. ace.mu.nu - 93,754
4. linkiest.com - 88,123
5. thegatewaypundit.com - 38,964
6. pjmedia.com - 32,783
7. legalinsurrection.com - 29,230
8. weaselzippers.us - 21,745
9. iowntheworld.com - 19,464
10. jammiewf.com - 16,219
11. punditandpundette.com - 15,711
12. maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com - 14,734
13. proteinwisdom.com - 13,162
14. michellesmirror.com - 11,583
15. theblaze.com - 11,201
16. boortz.com - 10,189
17. blogs.dailymail.com/donsurber - 9,720
18. rightwingnews.com - 9,264
19. memeorandum.com - 8,958
20. curmudgeonlyskeptical.blogspot.com - 8,579

And, of course, a huge thank you to all who read and link! Let's continue to kick progressive ass (metaphorically speaking, of course) in 2012. Especially in November.


Related: The Top 10 Most Popular Posts of 2010

Larwyn's Linx: The Largest (and, Of Late, the Dumbest) Ideological Group

Have a news tip or great story? Drop me an email. Bloggers: you can install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget!

Nation

The Largest (and, Of Late, the Dumbest) Ideological Group: Digest
"Numbers changing" in Iowa results: Santorum may be victor: FAM
Romney is beatable, but only if conservatives toughen up: Telegraph

White House knew before midterms: Solyndra layoffs were coming: Ace
Bloomberg's Law: Steyn
Michelle Obama sees Barack's 'wonderful progress' in jeopardy: IBD

The Leaf-Blower Paradox and the Fallacy of Obamanomics: Zombie
The Improbable Gingrich Scenario: Patterico
Nutter Fumes After 3 Teens Killed In Reprisal Shooting: CBS Phil

Economy

Obama Called Smaller Bush Debt Rise “Unpatriotic”: Dossier
Mercedes apologizes for using mass-murderer Che in ads: WZ
UAW Thugs Appeal Conviction--And Get Stiffer Sentences: Howling

Confusion reigns: did Bain advise W.H. on auto bailout?: Peth
Lethargic Obama: Townhall
2008 Chart Comparison: ZH

Gunrunner & Energygate

Green Energy Sinkhole: Obama’s $6.5 Billion Junk Bond Empire: VS
White House: We Didn't Tell The NHSTA To Keep The Volt Engine Fires Secret. That Just Sort of Happened.: Ace
Another ATF weapons operation comes under scrutiny: LAT

Climate & Energy

Al Gore said North Pole would be ice-free this year. Guess not, eh?: GWP
CBS: Obama admin spent $6.5 billion on risky green-tech ventures: Hot Air
Top 8 Videos of Alaska’s Record Snow: Blaze

Media

New York Times: Hey, Liberals, Do You Think We're Biased Enough? Or Could We Do More?: Ace
A Portrait of the First Lady as an Angry Young Woman: AT
Morbidly Obese, Never-Was Director: Older Whites That Didn't Vote for Obama Are Racist: NB

MSNBC's Alex Wagner Mutters "Jesus" During Santorum Clip: RCP
Team Obama Defends DNC Chief Wasserman Schultz From “Debbie Downer” Ads: WZ
Ringing Finally Ended, but There’s No Button to Stop Shame: NYT

New AFP ad: You want to talk about layoffs? Let’s talk about Solyndra, then: Hot Air
Mark Levin: Count me a staunch supporter of Marines who pissed on Taliban corpses: Scoop
Bill Maher Admits His Audience Are 'Brainwashed Liberals': NB

World

West: “Unless You Have Been Shot At By The Taliban, Shut Your Mouth, War Is Hell”: WZ
Five of the Most Expensive Military Weapons on Earth: Blaze
The European Credit Downgrades Begin: ConCom

IDF Enlists Computer Hackers to Serve in C4I Cyber-Warfare Unit: Blaze
Defiant Ahmadinejad wins backing of four LatAm allies: Breitbart
US, Iranian ships involved in incidents in Strait of Hormuz: Fox

Sci-Tech

Google, what were you thinking?: Mocality
Air Force Drone Controllers Embrace Linux, But Why?: InfoWk
The New Gmail Sucks: Crooked Timber

Cornucopia

This Just In from the Civil War: The Confederate Submarine H.L.Hunley Has Risen Again: Digest
A tribute to Mooch-elle: Knuckle-draggin'
Food for thought for politicians: ALZ

Kevin Love vs. Sumo Wrestler - ESPN Sport Science: ESPN
Ronald Reagan vs. Washington: Mellow Jihadi
Our Run-Away Election Campaign: MOTUS

Image: MLK Memorial, adapted from iOwnTheWorld
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Support a Constitutional Conservative: Rick Santorum for President

QOTD: "In fact, Pew does not claim to have found, as the AP falsely asserts, that “tensions between rich and poor are increasing.” It finds, rather, that “perceptions of class conflict” and “the belief that these disputes are intense” have become more prevalent, especially since 2009.

It isn’t hard to understand why that might be the case. After all, what have Americans seen when they turned on the news over the past few years? In the White House, a president who, for want of political or managerial competence, has nothing to offer but bitter partisanship and ideologically driven class resentment. In public parks around the country, professional protesters and ignorant college kids ranting about their grievances against “the 1%.” ... The perception of “class conflict” has grown because the media have paid the putative conflict so much attention. They have done so in part for ideological reasons–lefty journalists have had a weird preoccupation with “income inequality” for as long as we can remember–but also in part because it’s newsworthy, especially when the president of the United States is trying to foment class war.

It would also be newsworthy if he succeeded–and that is the story the AP is trying to peddle. But Pew’s findings show it is a phony war. If underlying “tensions between rich and poor” were really rising, the survey would have found some evidence of actual hardening of attitudes across socioeconomic lines." --James Taranto (via Instapundit)

Friday, January 13, 2012

Mission Accomplished!

"Under my plan of a cap and trade system, [energy prices] would necessarily skyrocket. Even regardless of what I say about whether coal is good or bad. Because I’m capping greenhouse gases, coal power plants, you know, natural gas, you name it — whatever the plants were, whatever the industry was... [t]hey will pass that money on to consumers." --Barack Obama, 1 November 2008

Mission accomplished.

This graph depicts gas prices since the inauguration of Barack H. Obama.

After years of searching, I've finally discovered a campaign promise that Obama actually followed through with.


Oh, mama - how do I get me one of these?

Because I don't spend quite enough time online.

Lumus, an Israeli company, specialises in what it calls Light-guide Optical Element (LOE) technology... It's latest product is the PD-18-2, which may look to the untrained eye like a cumbersome pair of sunglasses.

But inside the lenses of the glasses, the user can see high-quality full colour images.

...Products like this are already on the market for professional and military use, but where the next-generation PD-18-2 differs is that users can see though the spectacles too, instead of having the images block their vision.

The translucent lenses allow for what the manufacturer calls 'augmented vision', overlaying images or graphics over your usual field of vision.

They are designed for professionals such as pilots, surgeons and soldiers but there are hopes that it can be adapted for the consumer market so people could watch film or TV on the move, or play video games as they walk around.

...the possibility of a move into the consumer market has already brought mixed reactions from technology watchers.

It could be extremely useful as a portable GPS system, but there are concerns that it could be distracting for pedestrians who can often be seen walking round with their heads buried in mobile phones.

What??? This is an awesome innovation!

'Cause when I think of "augmented vision", I can't help but recall those "X-Ray Specs" that were advertised in the comic books of my youth.

Because I'm mature like that.


Hat tip: Drudge Report.

Obama: I demand Congress give me new powers, and in return, I'll cut nearly 1/400th of the debt limit increase I need

Turns out that President Subprime McDowngrade hasn't quite destroyed enough of America's economy. He wants Congress to give him the authority to centralize even more power. And what could possibly go wrong with that?

President Barack Obama will ask Congress on Friday for greater power to shrink the federal government, and his first idea is merging six sprawling trade and commerce agencies whose overlapping programs can be baffling to businesses...

Well that sounds good. How much would the new, combined bureaucracies save?

Jake Tapper noted on Twitter that the proposed savings, $3 billion, is one-four-hundredth of the debt limit increase he just requested from Congress.

It’s also less than half of what Obama tossed away on his supposed green-tech jobs stimulus.

In other words, the President wants new powers over these vast bureaucracies (and guess who will benefit? Hint: starts with the letter U and ends with NIONS).

[Senate Minority Leader] Mitch McConnell laughs at the irony of a President who has spent the last three years expanding government attempting to blame Congress for not reducing it...

Turns out the man who routinely pillories Congress as a "do-nothing" group is now communicating with his partners in the Capitol Building through... the media.

...a spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was quick to respond with little enthusiasm.

“After presiding over one of the largest expansions of government in history, and a year after raising the issue in his last State of the Union, it’s interesting to see the president finally acknowledge that Washington is out of control,” said spokesman Don Stewart.

“And while we first learned of this proposal this morning in the press, we’ll be sure to give it a careful review once the White House provides us with the details of what it is he wants to do.”

I wonder why this move appears so harried, so rushed, so unplanned?

He made a promise to come up with a smart reorganization of the government in his last State of the Union speech. That was nearly a year ago.

Oh. I guess he realized that someone in the media would pull up his last State of the Union address and figure out how many of his myriad promises actually came to pass. Answer: none.

If I could make the decisions for the GOP leadership, I'd grant the president's request... on the condition that the combined agencies' budgets were slashed 20 percent. Failure to achieve those cost-cutting goals in 2012 would result in automatic, mandatory 50 percent budget reductions for those areas.

How's that for cost savings?


Politico hacks: Ron Paul third-party run would kill GOP chances even though most Paul-bots are college-age students who vote Democrat

The last scintilla of credibility possessed by the Democrat public relations journal known as Politiho appears to have been sacrificed at the altar of Ron Paul:

...a Democratic polling firm finds that President Barack Obama's support holds up well if an independent candidate like Michael Bloomberg or Ron Paul were to enter the race...

"Our poll shows that as a third-party candidate, Ron Paul would take 18 percent of the vote in a matchup against Obama and Romney. Almost all of this comes at Romney’s expense. Nearly tied in a head-to-head matchup against the president, Romney’s vote plummets when Paul is added to the ballot, losing 12 points of his vote share.

...While Romney’s support drops off in the face of a third-party challenge, Obama remains strong at 42 percent (12 points ahead of Romney). Thirty-one percent of Romney voters in the two-way matchup defect... [but] only 12 percent of Obama voters defect.

Gee, Politico, the demographics of Ron Paul voters are so hard to research. Finding this WaPo article took me all of, oh, about 12 seconds.

...Paul’s supporters are disproportionately young, independent, non-interventionist, non-Christian and perhaps most telling, dedicated...

• In the Iowa poll, Paul gets more than 50 percent support from the two youngest age groups — 18-29 year olds and 30-44 year olds — but gets less than 12 percent of 45-64 year olds and those 65 and older. In the Post poll, he gets 20 percent among 18-49 year olds, but just 8 percent among those 50 and older. That’s a remarkable age gap.

• The Post poll shows Paul winning 16 percent of independents and only 11 percent of Republicans.

Gosh, Politiho, it's really difficult to detect your true motivation.

Pity your analysis is about as accurate as the rest of the tripe you publish. A Ron Paul run would damage Barack Obama's chances at least as much as the GOP candidate's. And, given the fact that Paul's national security policies are to the left of Dennis Kucinich, he'd definitely capture a large chunk of the moonbat vote.


Related: 10 Fun Facts You May Not Have Known About Ron Paul

Why God sends rain to Mexico but not to the Middle East [Papa B]

Papa B:


It would seem that the political correctness gene skipped Papa B's particular generation.


Larwyn's Linx: Everything Is At Stake, All Right

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Constitutional Crisis

Everything Is At Stake, All Right: DLim
Grassley Not Buying DOJ’s Non-Recess Appointment Apologia: Foundry
DOJ memo argues Obama recess appointments were legal: Hill

Nation

It’s Not Over Until All ‘57 States’ Vote: BigGovt
Obama’s “Razist” Lobbyist Moves Up: Malkin
More Democrats Than Republicans Voted For Ron Paul In NH: Fox

Santorum makes the case against Mitt Romney’s “electability”: Hot Air
Giuliani: "What the Hell Are You Doing, Newt?": Hayward
Santorum Adds Staff, Offices, Money, Endorsements in S.C.: RSM

Obama "didn't want to take pictures with any more soldiers": BuzzFeed
Carney: We're not hiding POTUS' campaign activities...: WZ
Why Obama's Florida Numbers Should Worry Him: RCP

Economy

Union Protesters Growing Desperate in Indiana: Blaze
Obama Chic: Now Selling Campaign Gear for the One Percent: Wizbang
Occupy protesters chant as Obama's 26-car motorcade passes: Marathon

Internal DHS Survey: Obama promoting immigration, not security: WZ
In ‘Right to Work’ Battle, Narrative Trumps Fact on NPR: PJM
Illegally Appointed NLRB Hack Helped Block Reform at Corrupt Union: Foundry

Climate & Energy

Doomsday Clock Moves To 5 Minutes, Partly Due To Climate Change Hoax: Pirate's Cove
Al Gore: If Global Warming isn’t a Campaign Issue, Civilization is at Risk: Malkin
Warmer summers cause colder winters, scientists say: Reuters

Media

Friedman Cheers as Egyptians Are Enslaved: BRubin
Iranian Filmmaker: 'Michael Moore Is the Most Famous Director in Iran': NB
Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe, Scott Brown... and Mitt Romney: Riehl

Romney on Campaign Finance Reform, 2002: Ace
Should we legalize drugs and prostitution like Ron Paul wants?: Wintery Knight
Dems Licking Their Chops Over Romney: Riehl

The Sacred Narrative: Behold, the Sanity of the Center-Left: PJM
Four-Hour PBS Documentary To Explore Bill Clinton, And I'm Sure They'll Cover the Womanizing: Ace
Brangelina swing by White House for chat with Obama: Fox

For Belafonte and Other Progressive Blacks, Reality of the Obama Presidency a Bitter Pill to Swallow: BigGovt
‘Tactical Voters’ went to Romney in New Hampshire: Barone
Paulbots Hack Celebrity Twitter Accounts, Post Ron Paul Endorsements: WZ

World

North Koreans Who Weren’t Sufficiently Hysterical Over Kim Jong-Il’s Death Headed to Labor Camps: JWF
Things Vladimir Putin is not too busy for: ForPol
Taliban Says Peace Talks With Obama Admin “Don’t Signal An End To Jihad”: WZ

The Global War Against Baby Girls: AEI
Obama’s Disastrous Islamist Outreach: Creeping
Children 'dumped in streets by Greek parents who can't afford to look after them any more': Daily Mail

Obama Administration Airbrushes Britain out of Europe: Foundry
State Dept’s #2 diplomat meets with Muslim Brotherhood: Creeping
Another Pyrrhic Victory in Mexico’s Drug War: Cato

Sci-Tech

The Hack on Stratfor: Stratfor
Acura NSX Concept: Insider
How to cut the cord on cable: Insider

Cornucopia

SCOAMF: Then and Now: Ace
Rogue Ringtone Halts a Maestro: WSJ
Speaking of Holding Noses: Sondrakistan

Image: Wolf Files
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Support Rick Santorum for President!

QOTD: "We can endlessly debate whether he is such a devoted ideologue that he’s blind to his policy failures, whether he’s willing to sacrifice the economy and the fiscal integrity of the United States for his perceived higher good of radical redistribution, or whether he really intends to do harm, but these are moot questions anymore. Under any of these possibilities, the fact remains that he is hellbent on accelerating his present course, not reversing it, on dictating, not working within his constitutional constraints, much less building a bipartisan consensus." --David Limbaugh

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Fun Coincidence: Obama's State of the Union Speech Will Mark 1,000 Days Without Democrats Passing a Budget

For three years -- including two years with super-majority control of both houses of Congress -- Democrats have avoided passing a budget. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives passed the Paul Ryan budget within weeks of the GOP taking control in 2011.

President Obama is sure to try to blame Republicans in both chambers for his administration’s failed economic policies. However, on the 1,000th day without a Democrat budget, the President will be forced to explain how anyone else is to blame; it is his party’s Senate leaders who have ignored their basic Congressional responsibility for almost three years...

A short look back on the fiscal recklessness of the last few years shows that if President Obama is upset about budget hostilities in Washington, he has no one to blame but himself. If he is serious about fixing the ailing economy, the President should demand Senate Democrats get back to work:

• 0: Number of Senate votes taken on the massive Democrat spending package crafted last year in place of an actual budget.
• 0: Number of votes the President’s FY 2012 budget received in the Senate.
• 0: Senate Budget Committee budget mark-ups scheduled last year.
• 3: Number of years the deficit has topped $1 Trillion.
• 3: Number of years total government spending has exceeded $3 Trillion.
• 34: number of months unemployment has been above 8 percent, the jobless rate the “stimulus” was supposed to prevent.
• 1.4 million: number of jobs killed by President Obama
• $16.4 Trillion: amount of debt held by the nation after three years of the Obama-Pelosi-Reid spending binge.

When President Obama blames a "do nothing" Congress, perhaps he should lean over and wink at Harry Reid, who has intentionally avoided passage of a budget for three consecutive years, an act of fiscal irresponsibility without parallel in modern American history.