Archive for October, 2010

Andrew Breitbart

‘Go Watch This Video. It’s Enlightening, It’s Enraging.’: Gov Christie Raves Over O’Keefe ‘Teachers Gone Wild’

by Andrew Breitbart

Well, the left and the mainstream media came to bury James O’Keefe. And I guess they failed. His latest Project Veritas ‘Teachers Gone Wild’ — New Jersey teachers union members exposing their institutional arrogance and lack of seriousness and accountability — is now a huge story in New Jersey politics, according to straight-talking Governor Chris Christie’s own mouth.


Gov. Chris Christie comments on ‘teachers unions gone wild’

This is what I’ve been talking about.  This is another exhibit as to what I’ve been talking about.  The arrogance, the greed, the self-interest, the lack of introspection, the lack of standards.

And it hurts the great teachers just as much as it hurts the kids.

I think that this video makes the distinction better than I ever could.  This is their leadership conference where they’re in a hotel, having this leadership conference, singing songs together about kicking the governor in his tool box.  I wonder what they mean by that?  But I can tell you I sense it would hurt.

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MRC TV

Jerry Brown On His First Gubernatorial Campaign: ‘It’s All a Lie… I Didn’t Have a Plan for California’

by MRC TV

During an interview on the program “CNN Late Edition” in 1992 Jerry Brown (D-CA) admitted that nearly everything he said in his first campaign for governor of California was a lie. Here are Brown’s rather candid remarks:

Interviewer: You said something a moment ago that I have to follow up on and I have to draw you out on. You said you don’t have to lie anymore now that you’re not a politician. What did you lie about when you were governor?

Jerry Brown: It’s all a lie. You’re pretending there’s a plan…

Interviewer: What did you lie about?

Jerry Brown: You run for office and the assumption is “Oh, I know what to do”. You don’t. I didn’t have a plan for California. Clinton doesn’t have a plan. Bush doesn’t have a plan.

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Publius

SEIU Controls ‘Glitchy’ Voter Machines in Clark County, NV

by Publius

UPDATE: Americans for Limited Government have jumped on this issue and are pushing the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Nevada State Attorney General to get to the bottom of it, and now:

It is positively outrageous that in Clark County, Nevada, the SEIU Local 1107, which supports Harry Reid, controls the ballot boxes by contract through their representation of the voting machine technicians.  It is not surprising that Senator Harry Reid’s name was automatically checked off on the ballot when individuals went to vote.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Nevada State Attorney General, and the U.S Marshalls need to act now to ensure that the SEIU does not continue to compromise the integrity of ballots in Nevada, and anywhere else in the country.  The democratic process is too precious to be tampered with and abused.

***

From NetRightDaily.com:

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Did you know that the SEIU represents the voting machine technicians in Clark County (Las Vegas), Nevada? Is it any surprise, as we noted earlier today, that there was a voting glitch in Clark County, Nevada? The glitch caused Harry Reid’s name to be automatically checked on the ballot before voters had indicated who were they were supporting.

According to Joyce Ferrara who was an eyewitness to this strange ballot ordeal, the problem was widespread, “One person that’s a fluke. Two, that’s strange. But several within a five minute period of time — that’s wrong.”

It is particularly troubling that Clark County has put the uber left-wing SEIU Local 1107 in charge of their voting machines.

The agreement between the SEIU and Clark County specifically puts all voting machines under the control of the SEIU. See the collective bargaining agreement:

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Capitol Confidential

Doctors vs. Bureaucrats: Are They Listening?

by Capitol Confidential

When patients, doctors and cancer treatment centers plead with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to continue to allow late-stage breast cancer patients to use life-extending drug Avastin as part of their treatment, it’s time to stand up and take notice.

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This week the National Comprehensive Cancer Network — a group of leading cancer centers — reaffirmed its existing recommendation that the drug be used for women with advanced breast cancer. The group strongly believes that women with breast cancer enjoy a better quality of life while on the drug. But if supporters of ObamaCare have their way, breast cancer patients will be denied insurance coverage for the drug and will be forced to pay out of pocket for its benefits.

BigGovernment.com was the first to alert readers to an ominous proposal working its way through the bowels of the FDA. The proposal would change the objective standard for drug approval to a subjective standard that could take the price of the drug into account.

The new “risk-benefit” ratio but begs the question – benefit to whom — the patient or the government bean counters charged by the president to bend the cost curve?

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Dan  Riehl

Incident Reports Alleged Voter Fraud in Houston, Texas

by Dan Riehl

Big Government has come into possession of the following five incident reports which appear to point to potential voter fraud in Houston, Texas. As readers know, the True the Vote story much in the news, is centered on Texas. Bryan Preston posted an item on alleged Texas Poll Worker misconduct today at Pajamas Media.

As for the pdf documents below, Big Government is reaching out to known experts in the field of voter fraud for a comprehensive evaluation of how the documents should be interpreted.

The documents were provided by our friends at Liberty Institute.

Incident #15 Told Voter How to Vote

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Publius

Nevada: ‘Harry Reid’s Name Was Already Checked’

by Publius

Fox 5 VEGASSome voters in Boulder City complained on Monday that their ballot had been cast before they went to the polls, raising questions about Clark County’s electronic voting machines.

Voter Joyce Ferrara said when they went to vote for Republican Sharron Angle, her Democratic opponent, Sen. Harry Reid’s name was already checked.


Ferrara said she wasn’t alone in her voting experience. She said her husband and several others voting at the same time all had the same thing happen.

“Something’s not right,” Ferrara said. “One person that’s a fluke. Two, that’s strange. But several within a five minute period of time — that’s wrong.” (more…)

Publius

Hickenlooper on Obama: ‘100 Percent Community Activist’

by Publius


John Hickenlooper, the Denver Mayor and Democratic Party candidate for Governor of Colorado said this about Obama in 2006:

Let me say, let me say very quickly that anyone who’s read his 1995 memoir, ‘Dreams from My Father,’ know that he is part-philosopher, part-sociologist, part-historian, but 100 percent community activist. Let me introduce one of the greatest men alive in America, Senator Barack Obama.

Publius

Dem County Clerk Lets Voter Cast Ballot After-Hours, Democrat Legislator Electioneers in Polling Place

by Publius

From Illinois Review:

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A Jersey County resident that went into vote early Friday afternoon October 15th told Illinois Review Tuesday she was uncomfortable the only two adults in the Jersey County Administrative Building polling place were Jersey County Clerk Steve Pohlmann and State Senator Deanna Demuzio, a Democrat incumbent from Carlinville.

“A woman came from behind the counter and introduced herself as Deanna Demuzio, and then left the building,” the voter said. “The only other person there at the time was a man with a child. I found out later it was Steve Pohlmann.” No other staffers or election judges were in the office facilitating early voting.

Pohlmann explained to Illinois Review that his staff had been released at noon that day, but that he had gone into the office for a brief meeting and Senator DeMuzio dropped in to pick up poll watching credentials for next Tuesday’s election. Shortly thereafter, the voter dropped in, and although the office was officially closed, Pohlmann allowed her to vote.

“Anyone of the candidates could have dropped in at any given time, and as county clerk, it’s my duty to serve the people of the county,” Pohlmann, a Democrat elected to the office four years ago, said.

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James O'Keefe

Top Union Official Caught on Tape Discussing Voter Fraud

by James O'Keefe

In Project Veritas’s latest video, Wayne Dibofsky, the associate director of the New Jersey Education Association, candidly tells a story about voter fraud in NJ. We did our due diligence to see if the story is tied to poll results. But unfortunately the Hudson County Clerk’s office’s division of elections only keeps records going back five years, the Daily Caller has reported. So the video is circumstantial evidence against a growing suspicion that many states’ voting fraud is institutionalized and rampant.


Could it be possible in the state of New Jersey that the Teachers Union is in on the voting fix? We’ll leave that up to the faithful viewer to decide.

These days, Americans know that in the backrooms people are taking advantage of their power. And they are fed up with it. We are sunlight. All we’re going to do is continue to expose the truth, and then it’s up to democracy to decide the verdict.  We put our faith in the American people – when they know the facts.

Our latest project is another example of what we do, something many mainstream reporters may never understand. We get people on camera telling truths that they would never admit to the public or self-identified reporters. And when that public is directly affected and, in many cases, paying for it — as is the case with the New Jersey Teachers Union, and previously with ACORN — it is necessary to expose abuse, and to do so it is often necessary to go undercover. Especially now, when the mainstream media has repeatedly shown its willingness to cover up for unaccountable radical organizations and public institutions that live off the taxpayer’s dime. (more…)

SusanAnne Hiller

Two Weeks Later: Democrat Rep. Charlie Wilson Is Still a Wife Beater

by SusanAnne Hiller

large_charlie-wilson-banking

Ohio District 6 are you listening?  No one likes a wife beater–especially someone that plays it off that he doesn’t hit women–but really beats his wife into submission as noted in the court documents:

Charles admits that early in the marriage he kicked and struck Plaintiff and accused her of adultery . Clara shall confirm the beatings, slappings, and kicking at the early stage of her marriage to the point where she was afraid to anger the Defendant and instead yielded to his demands…

He jumped out of his chair and grabbed her about the neck as he slammed her into the refrigerator. He then grabbed her about both arms, shaking her as they both went over to the kitchen counter which Mrs. Wilson struck with enough force to take the breath out of her. She then fell to the floor, hitting the bottom door to the sink. As she lay there stunned, she couldn’t move her head or pick up her arm.“Clara was taken to the East Ohio Regional Hospital by her son. She initially lied to the emergency room physician that she had fallen down stairs. The physician’s observation of a bruise on the back of the right shoulder was inconsistent with a fall down the stairs. He questioned her further and learned of her husband’s assault.”

Charles admits grabbing Plaintiff [his then-wife, Clara] by the arms and shaking her. He admits grabbing her around the neck with one hand. He admits bruising Plaintiff’s arms and neck.

emphasis mine

So, Democrat Congressman Charlie Wilson beat his wife so badly that he sent her to the emergency room.
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Bob McCarty

Phil Hare’s ‘Year of Foolishness’ Revisited

by Bob McCarty

Barely one week before election day, it’s time to review what I like to call the “year of foolishness” lived out loud by U.S. Rep. Phil Hare, a liberal Democrat running for reelection in Illinois’ 17th Congressional District.

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On Dec. 16, 2009, Hare told Chris Matthews’ MSNBC audience he would welcome terrorists from Guantanamo Bay to Thomson, Ill., essentially placing “economic stimulus” for a small Illinois town above proven national security benefits of the secure facility in Cuba.

Almost four months later, he uttered words that would elevate his nationwide visibility for all the wrong reasons: “I don’t worry about the Constitution to be honest.”

On June 3, Hare was told by real veterans that he needed to stop calling himself a veteran and, a day later, news of his threats against a veteran made the news.

Two months later, Hare was passed over for “promotion” when a Sgt. John F. Baker Jr. endorsed his opponent, Bobby Schilling. In response, one of his supporters devalued the Medal of Honor recipient in a letter to the editor of a district newspaper.

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Kyle Olson

I’m Happy to Stand with Juan Williams, A Friend of School Choice

by Kyle Olson

Only at National Public Radio would an honest, human opinion get you fired.  The elites at NPR just couldn’t live with a commoner such as Juan Williams…he might be too low brow for their DC cocktail parties.

Despite my various philosophical disagreements with Juan, I have complete respect for him as an individual.

This past August, Williams was a keynote speaker at a school choice conference attended by hundreds of reform-minded individuals.  While most of the so-called civil rights leaders reside in the hip pocket of the teacher unions, Williams bravely bucks the liberal party line and boldly speaks out for school choice, calling it the civil rights issue of our time.  He’s right, of course.


But I suspect such talk only strengthened the resolve of the radical left to silence his voice.  (The Left has never forgiven Williams for providing commentary to Fox News programming.  In their small-minded view, Williams is a sell-out.)  So last week, when Williams violated PC-standards and made some honest comments about radical Islam on Fox News’ “The O’Reilly Factor,” the left seized the moment.  Suddenly, one of the most tolerant, fair-minded liberal voices in the news media was labeled a bigot, and was sacked from his day job at NPR.

During this episode, Williams has proven himself to be a class-act, a serious journalist who is concerned only about pursuing the truth.

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Of Thee I Sing  1776

Unsustainable At Every Level: Congress Fiddles and We Get Burned

by Of Thee I Sing 1776

The new buzzword in these difficult times for the United States and world economies is “unsustainable.”  Again and again economists and politicians have said that the path on which the U.S. is headed is “unsustainable,” a description with which Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke recently agreed.

printingpress

Our annual budget deficits exceed a trillion dollars, the total published cumulative national debt is $14 trillion and we have tens of trillions of dollars in unfunded obligations under Social Security and Medicare.  To that we can add the off the books bad mortgages of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac of almost $300 billion.  Through June 2010 the U.S. Treasury has injected $144 billion into those entities to maintain a positive net worth.  Economists had long warned that this day was coming but the Democratic left in Congress led by Barney Frank assured us they were good as “gold” (check the price of an ounce of gold and see what you would rather have).

On top of this the value of the U.S. currency has plummeted and the decline of the dollar without some intervention or a fix to the system of exchange rates, we are told by some economists, cannot for too much longer be “sustained” without the dollar being replaced as the international measure of exchange by the euro, or by a basket of currencies.

The effect to our economy of losing this trade advantage would be enormous.  All of that has been endlessly discussed in this election year and the American people seem to have heard and understand that alarm bells are going off all around them.  Even the Federal Reserve, which is supposed to be the adult in an assemblage of fiscal juveniles, is, once again, about to go on another money printing binge in order to fund the purchase by the central bank of the government’s debt.

This strategy, which is not universally embraced, even among the governors of the Fed, is intended to keep the cost of money unrealistically low; the thought being that cheap money will stimulate the economy.  Except that it hasn’t and it sets the country on an uncertain course into uncharted territory with significant risk of unintended consequences. Small wonder finance ministers throughout the developed world are warning that this practice also simply is unsustainable.

Less attention has been given to the plight of the 50 states comprising our union.

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Publius

Tuesday Open Thread: Pelosi Edition

by Publius

Nancy Pelosi, “We really haven’t gotten the credit for what we’ve done.” Discuss. Then, ask yourself…what have you done for liberty today? The elections are in 7 days.

pelosi4

Kyle Olson

Democrats’ Michigan Meltdown

by Kyle Olson

After the dust settles from the next Tuesday’s elections, pay close attention to Michigan. The “Great Lakes State” is about to undergo an extreme makeover from a burned-out “Blue State” to a reborn “Red State.”

Democrats have been the dominant political party since 2002, when then-Attorney General Jennifer Granholm was elected governor, succeeding three-term Republican governor John Engler.   Pundits and party activists began whispering about the possibility of amending the Constitution so she, a Canadian, could run for president.  There was even an “Amend for Jen” movement!

granholmjobstoday

Four years later, she was re-elected in a landslide and Democrats took control of the state House of Representatives.  Granholm was a rising star in the Democratic Party.

The Democrats’ momentum carried over into 2008.   Conditions were so unfavorable for Republicans that John McCain pulled the plug on his Michigan operation five weeks before Election Day.  Republicans took a further drubbing that year and despondency set it.  At the time, being a Republican in Michigan was about as popular as being a Republican in San Francisco.

But given Granholm’s utter economic ineptitude – she can boast of holding the highest unemployment rate in the nation for over 40 months – coupled with the fact that Democrats in Washington majorly overplayed their hand, the state appears to be shaping up completely different this year.  Her job approval has been stuck in the 30s for months and her star has crashed to the ground.  She’s no asset to Democratic candidates.

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Reason TV

Reason.tv: The Big Government Conspiracy-Q and A with Steve Malanga

by Reason TV

Today’s tea party movement germinated from local taxpayer groups focused on issues like school spending and property taxes, according to Steve Malanga, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, and author of the new book, Shakedown: The Continuing Conspiracy Against the American Taxpayer.

Malanga’s work often focuses on how the national grows out of the local. In his last book, The New New Left, he looked at how a coalition of public-sector unions and government-backed social activists came to control the machinery of local governments.

In Shakedown, he shows how this coalition continued its march all the way to the White House. Reason.tv’s June Arunga sat down with Malanga to talk about how this big government coalition has pushed government at all levels to the brink of bankruptcy, and what reforms are needed to combat its vast influence.

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Tom Fitton

More Barney Frank Lies Exposed

by Tom Fitton

If you listen to Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) defend his role in the meltdown of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, he was just as blindsided as the rest of us when the two government sponsored enterprises collapsed, triggering the financial crisis.

Barney Frank

Frank has been peddling this fiction ever since the economy collapsed in September 2008. But as the The Boston Globe notes in a new, devastating article published on October 14, not many people are buying Frank’s lies anymore. And Frank knows it. He’s facing a surprisingly tough reelection fight, so he’s on an apology tour through the media to save his seat. (Judicial Watch does not endorse or oppose candidates for public office.)

Here’s an excerpt from the Globe piece (although I highly recommend you read the article in full):

When US Representative Barney Frank spoke in a packed hearing room on Capitol Hill seven years ago, he did not imagine that his words would eventually haunt a reelection bid.

The issue that day in 2003 was whether mortgage backers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were fiscally strong. Frank declared with his trademark confidence that they were, accusing critics and regulators of exaggerating threats to Fannie’s and Freddie’s financial integrity. And, the Massachusetts Democrat maintained, “even if there were problems, the federal government doesn’t bail them out.”

Now, it’s clear he was wrong on both points…

Here’s the thing. Frank wasn’t wrong. He was lying.

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Ben  Domenech

Can America Learn From Britain’s Budget Cuts?

by Ben Domenech

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Download Podcast | iTunes | Podcast Feed

In today’s edition of Coffee and Markets, Brad Jackson and Ben Domenech are joined by Francis Cianfrocca to discuss what America can learn from the austerity measures and big budget cuts in Europe, as well as discussion on the real unemployment rate and the Juan Williams NPR firing.

We’re brought to you as always by BigGovernment and Stephen Clouse and Associates. You can find our iTunes feed at CoffeeandMarkets.com. If you’d like to email us, you can do so at coffee[at]newledger.com. We hope you enjoy the show.

Related Links:

After Williams’s firing, NPR fears financial backlash
Early Voter ‘Enthusiasm Gap’ Appears Consistent With Polls
Early Voting Numbers in Texas
Hitler’s Nemesis Still Carries a Big Stick: Theodore Bromund
Shocking Video: 60 Minutes Admits Unemployment is Actually 17%, 22% in California
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Dan  Riehl

Barney Frank’s Incompetence, Politics Made Financial Crisis Worse

by Dan Riehl

The document trail below reveals some extremely troubling questions for Representative Barney Frank. Is the GAO report cited below truly the first serious investigation of the mortgage meltdown? Did Congress or the Financial Services committee he chairs have access to mortgage meltdown information from other sources, especially with said GAO report already well on its way to completion?

Why was Barney Frank pushing for his “expanding home ownership bill” in the midst of this looming crisis he already has good reason to suspect was going to get worse? Was he pushing it for purely political purposes prior to the 2008 election, while knowing full well the American housing market was headed for disaster and American taxpayers would be left on the hook as a result of his policies?

While not quite a smoking gun, an examination of the record suggests that while Rep. Barney Frank had good reason to be concerned of a pending meltdown in the housing sector, either out of sheer incompetence, or political maneuvering, he did the exact opposite of what he should have done as a representative of the people of Massachusetts.

Via Mortgage News Daily, on April 24, 2007, problems within the mortgage industry were already coming to light. And it was happening right in front of Barney Frank’s committee.

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Chris Muir

Electile Dysfunction.

by Chris Muir

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