Tag Archives: Obama

To PAYGO or to NO-PAYGO?

Bryan Pick makes a great point on why the GOP should accept Obama’s limited Paygo

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Political Slogan Bad Timing

After working very hard and soliciting thousands of ideas for a slogan to attack and bring more attention to Rush Limbaugh, the DNC has settled on, “Americans didn’t vote for a Rush to failure”. This slogan seems like especially bad … Continue reading

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Have National Politics Urbanized?

For those of us not living in the concentrated sprawl of the coastal and Midwestern metropoli, it is often extremely perplexing how urban Democratic mayors in places like Chicago and Philadelphia can compile lengthy and embarrassing records of incompetent and … Continue reading

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What passes for moral clarity

Creating a human embryo for the purpose of experimentation and destruction = Good. Creating a  human embryo for the purpose of creating a born human person = Bad. How does it work that way? Also, some argue that Obama’s statements … Continue reading

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Abrogation of the Soul

Somewhat tortuously, the State Department has congratulated the victory of Hugo Chavez’s referendum to revoke term limits on his rule as a victory for participatory democracy, while faintly recommending a new respect for multiparty pluralism. Consider for a moment if … Continue reading

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Mr Bad Example

Isn’t there an energy crisis or something that we all have to worry about? Guess, we can just call him “Mr Bad Example,” and be done with it. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/29/us/politics/29whitehouse.html?_r=2&ref=politics?xid=rss-page The capital flew into a bit of a tizzy when, on … Continue reading

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Is Today “Historic?”

In one sense, today is an historic day. We’ve now sworn in our 44th President, in yet another peaceful transition of the leadership of our government. But it seems to me that the only other way to see this day … Continue reading

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Abuse and Confession

While I’m certainly not in disagreement that maintaining a ban on torture techniques in military interrogations should be an objective of the incoming Obama administration, Joe Klein’s pitch for it in his latest column takes us somewhere far beyond the … Continue reading

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The Rise of Decline

You know you’re in an American recession when British observers start reflecting on the inevitability of American decline, and volunteering their allegedly privileged perspective gained from the fall of the British Empire (Mark Steyn, as always, excepted). So it is … Continue reading

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Questioning Obama on Blagojevich

Hypothetically imagining he had the power to subpoena the president-elect, Michael Isikoff identifies the top five questions the public requires answers to relative to Mr. Obama’s knowledge of, or involvement with, Governor Blagojevich’s criminal misconduct.

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Jumping Ship

The naval nerds at Information Dissemination are unimpressed with Juan Garcia, Obama’s pick for Navy Secretary. They had been hoping for some substantial change in policy and strategic direction, and consider the relatively obscure Mr. Garcia a vote for the … Continue reading

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A Leftblogger Veto

After the John Brennan experience, Obama is having trouble finding qualified intelligence experts who are ideologically acceptable to liberal bloggers. Pleased to see we have our security priorities in the right place.

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Bend [Over] Don’t Break

McQ on Obama’s health care “reforms”: “One of our commenters here says since it is inevitable we should try to influence its implementation instead of fighting it. Reminds me a bit about some discredited advice concerning rape.”

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Into the Memory Hole?

Hmm. It seems that media reports filed on November 5th explicitly stating that Obama met with Governor Blagojevich to discuss his Senate replacement, are suddenly disappearing from the web.

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Leader of the Opposition

Whilst most elected Republicans are still preoccupied in pledging to work with (or for) the Obama administration, Sarah Palin isn’t having any of it. This is significant criticism, because it is vitally important that a Republican leader emerges who can … Continue reading

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Is it the Means or the End that Matters?

Michele Catalano writing at Pajamas Media yesterday, defending Obama’s call for (at one point) mandatory community service,  gets it completely wrong. To backtrack a little bit for those who haven’t been paying attention the last week or so, at President … Continue reading

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Post Election Polling?

I’m signed up to recieve emails for Zogby Polls so I too noticed the strange questions a reader at Clayton Cramer’s blog did. If you knew Barack Obama supported a plan to place a 75% excise tax on the sale … Continue reading

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The Joys of the Recession Vacation

Don’t complain to me if there aren’t any new posts on ASHC. I’m sitting on a beach in Miami and thus completely out of the necessary frame of mind to bitch about Obama and triumph of statism. Now, these other … Continue reading

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Introducing the New Ruling Elite

The New Republic offers a fine if brief overview of the 30 most consequential individuals for the Obama administration. Which reminds me that TNR itself just got a lot more consequential too.

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Blaming Obama for the Market

Ben Armbruster at ThinkProgress is upset Fred Barnes and Dick Morris are blaming Obama for the post-election declines in the stock market. Armbruster’s case is a little defensive and misjudged (he cites the New York Times’ opinion, as if that … Continue reading

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Change.gov?

Apparently we’re assigning the .gov domain extension used by federal agencies to campaign slogans now. Although, there is a certain literalism to this one I suppose.

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An Immunity to Ecstasy

So we had an election. For those in the new opposition the outcome was variously enviable, troubling, or contemptible. For the victors it was…what else, an occasion for gathering an enormous outdoor rally at an urban theatrical stage to chant. … Continue reading

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1948 After All

Interesting: [W]e are on pace for the worst reaction to an election since Truman won in 1948.  Interestingly, the only times the DJIA has ever declined by more than 1% [are] the day after a presidential election when the Democratic Party won complete control. (Bespoke)

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Our President

Yes, Obama has made history and been elected president. I didn’t vote for him nor support him, but I have supported every US president in my lifetime and President Obama will be no different. I am going to disagree with … Continue reading

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Cocktail Politics, Rio Rancho Office Space and Truman Republicans

It occurs to me that the sequence of cocktails is the best political indicator I know of on election night. In 2004 I was attending a Democratic election party and early on everyone was drinking wine and martinis in stemware, … Continue reading

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Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtains

Alan Reynolds at Cato asks “How’s Obama Going to Raise $4.3 Trillion?” Altogether, Mr. Obama is promising at least $4.3 trillion of increased spending and reduced tax revenue from 2009 to 2018 — roughly an extra $430 billion a year … Continue reading

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Is Income Tax Becoming Too Progressive?

Fewer and fewer people are paying income tax and even less will be with either candidates tax plan. I don’t think this would be such a problem if we didn’t have such high spending, growing entitlements, and if so many … Continue reading

Posted in Chris' Page, Domestic Politics, Economics, Election 2008, taxes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Socialism, Polls, Matt Drudge

You’ve probably heard that John McCain has denounced Barack Obama’s ‘spread the wealth’ formulation for tax policy as socialism. It’s an inflammatory but not unjustified charge, as a good definition for socialism is the equitable distribution of wealth to the … Continue reading

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Not Sure if You’ve Voted?

I’ve been seeing this amusing banner ad for Obama popping up all over the web. Given the behavior of some of ACORN’s representatives, it might not be an illegitimate question.

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Buy Ear Protection

The collision of Mr. Obama’s ambitions with the architecture of reality is going to be a thunderous thing to hear. Be prepared.

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Joe the Plumber is Evil

I’m experiencing a little déjà vu over the invective that’s starting to pour out of the left against “Joe the Plumber.” It has a decidedly reminiscent over-reactive, hysterical feel to it of the anti-Palin crusade. Here’s a typical example of … Continue reading

Posted in Domestic Politics, Election 2008 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

The Folly of Heroes

What a day for indignity. Just when I’d stopped shaking my head at the image of Paul Krugman accepting the Nobel Prize, I read two of my most cherished heroes offering rather embarrassing endorsements for bad things. Christopher Hitchens, always … Continue reading

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Dems Turn to Outside Groups

Senior Democrats gave a conference call briefing to their top outside donors last week. Things are pretty grim according to them. Obama had once signaled that he didn’t want support from 527 type PACs, but with his support eroding rapidly … Continue reading

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McCain and the Electoral College

For two weeks, as John McCain’s national polls first rose above Obama and then solidified there, Democrats protested that the popular vote was irrelevant. Look to the state polls said they, in a sensible but amusingly opportunistic argument for the … Continue reading

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The Palin Democrats

Tim Reid travels to Mount Clemens, Macomb County Michigan, to talk to white working class female voters. Macomb County should be core Democratic blue country, but it was here that Stanley Greenberg first identified the “Reagan Democrats” of the 1980s, … Continue reading

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Mark Penn on the Press & Palin

Boy, this was an awfully interesting exchange. Democratic strategist Mark Penn, absurdly invited by Brian Goldsmith to argue the press has been soft on Sarah Palin, instead slams the media for counterproductively biased and vindictive coverage:

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The Error of Inexperience

According to a new Associated Press poll 46% of the public thinks Barack Obama is too inexperienced for the presidency, and only 36% say the same of Governor Palin. So much for that line of attack. In contrast with both, … Continue reading

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Déjà Vu Obama

Obama’s “new” tactic to regain the initiative in the election is to portray McCain as out of touch with ordinary Americans. Hmm. Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t this the old tactic? Patrician wife, seven houses, price of milk, … Continue reading

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Democrats Need to Relax

Panic grips the Hill, with Democrats planning to distance themselves from Obama and/or abandon criticism of McCain. Geez. Snap out of it guys. You have the most compelling presidential candidate you’ve had since perhaps John F. Kennedy. Almost every conditional … Continue reading

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On Bad Ideas

Seth Weinberger picks up Foreign Policy’s “10 Worst Policy Ideas” for Obama and McCain and adds some commentary. What’s immediately striking to me is how few objections FP offers to McCain’s foreign policy proposals. A peculiar thing, if you’re familiar … Continue reading

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Failure of Empathy

It was early and he’s modified his views somewhat (and somewhat not), but young state senator Barack Obama couldn’t have been more mistaken about the causes and conditions of the 9/11 attacks.

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Obama’s Energy Plan for Sale

Not so encouraging.

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Obama’s Plan: Does This Work?

According to the Associated Press, a sequence of interviews with Democratic leaders has revealed this to be the political plan being recommended to the Obama campaign: 1. Tie the Republican to an unpopular President Bush. 2. Let no charge go … Continue reading

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Outer Dark

(photo: Brian Long) Dr. Andre Lalonde, executive vice president of the Canadian Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, is concerned that Sarah Palin’s decision to have Trig, may lead to a reduction of abortions in Canada through positive example. This is … Continue reading

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Obama and the Fate of Criticism

“Tattered Hope” by Nathan Rupert Jason at postpolitical and I often get into testy email arguments about Barack Obama’s alleged “arrogance.” He is quite Greek in the sense that he thinks hubris is the fatal flaw at the heart of … Continue reading

Posted in Domestic Politics, Election 2008, Lee's Page | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Moderates for Palin

Some thoughts on why Barack Obama’s effort to portray Sarah Palin as “Pat Robertson with ovaries” (as Andrew Romano inelegantly puts it), isn’t working out so well.

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New Left Tarnish

Ah, “community agitator.” I remember those. Berkeley, SDS, that sort of thing. Dissenting, QuakerDave shows the mostly good side (no Tom Hayden). All said for and against, it’s still a damned strange thing to put on your resume.

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Sarah Palin’s Google Bounce, Part II

Last week I noticed that Sarah Palin had exceeded Joe Biden slightly in Google returns. Understandably, that has now become an avalanche (Biden: 5.6 million | Palin: 22.4 million). Although it plainly doesn’t exceed John McCain or Barack Obama’s returns … Continue reading

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Diluting Obama’s Financial Advantage

Democratic consultant Doug Schoen: “Their 50-state strategy is insanity. If they don’t use their financial advantage where they need it most, and put every thing there and blow it out, they are at deep risk of losing.”

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Jason Linkins is a Crazier Guy

Jason Linkins takes exception to my reading his Huffington Post editorial about the silly ‘lipstick’ controversy as a suicide fantasy. He protests in his defense that he didn’t want to shoot himself, he wanted to shoot other people. Wonderful. How … Continue reading

Posted in Around the Web, Election 2008, MikeR's Page, Religion and theology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments