The De Blasio Fiasco----A Dramatic Undertaking

From the Politico article: De Blasio’s nightmare

New York’s mayor has lost the police — and maybe much more than that.

By Maggie Haberman and Glenn Thrush

"Bill de Blasio, like his progressive political idol Barack Obama, is finding out that you can’t do the New Politics if you don’t pay attention to the old politics. 

In Obama’s case, it was a failure to recognize the threat posed to him by Republicans who didn’t buy into his calls for a post-partisan partnership with Congress. For New York’s ambitious liberal mayor, it was an inability to keep long-simmering tensions with the city’s traditionally powerful police department from boiling over in the last few days. 

Just over a year after sailing into office with 72 percent of the vote on a message of transformational change, de Blasio found his mayoralty subsumed by a torrent of anger, unleashed by the murder of two police officers in Brooklyn Saturday by a troubled gunman who said he was killing “pigs” to avenge the deaths of two men by cops in Staten Island and Ferguson, Missouri. By Monday, de Blasio was lashing out at the press corps that covers him, trying to paper over public divisions with his own police commissioner and coping with what friends described as the emotional blow of facing public rejection by many in the nation’s biggest police force. “He’s pretty badly shaken” by the murders, one told us......." (Read complete article here)

The Gotham City Blues:  The Only Place in America where the flare for political melodramatics transitions into a “Nightmare”---An Exposition of Old School Democrats vs. the 21st Century Liberalism Run Amuck. 

Nightmare indeed.  The only other place this story would be fitting would be if it took place in, you guessed it, Hollywood.  But New York has always shoved tinsel-town to the sidelines when it comes to the real dramatics of a scandalous affair of this magnitude.  All the “players” are here, as only Haberman and Thrush can thrust onto the stage, or into the ring as it may---Obama, de Blasio, Bratton, Sharpton, (and the company of their “spokespersons”), blossoming unlike any Gotham City saga seen in decades, with the twisting plots of a transitional city where the old school Democrats with their indignant pride is overtaken by the new-age faction that inserted Mr. Obama into power.  And then, of course, there’s the “voracious media”, who find themselves conflicted on how not to consume their heroes of political liberalism, yet yearning to get into the boxing ring and throw a few punches of their own.

But let’s digress for a short moment.  As implied in this story, it was more likely that it was Mr. de Blasio who has turned his back on his once loyal forces of the NYPD long before these current dramas came to a head.  The display at the Brooklyn hospital was merely a well-deserved reciprocation.  The NYPD, along with their union reps won’t stand by and get steam-rolled/smeared by the hostilities of the Mayor’s boys who don’t have their backs.  Mr. Obama can count his blessings that our Military isn’t similarly unionized with the ability to speak out against their feckless leader who has also turned his back on them time and again over his tenure, leaving them twisting in the wind.  But, that’s another story altogether.

What seems to be indignantly washed over in this “political drama“, (and the actors participating), is the stone cold fact that two innocent New York Police Officers were assassinated in broad daylight by a madman for the whole world to see.  Just as “oddly”, the liberal media glaringly omits in their stories that both of these men who swore to protect and serve, were a representation of the very minorities who have taken control of the electorate, yet to their brothers in arms, they were all the same---men in Blue, the only color that matters---something Mr. de Blasio and his cohorts better get behind before they’re eaten alive by their own fawning media.  Finally, speaking of the MEDIA, they have also played a huge part in this.  From the first day in Ferguson, to New York City and beyond, the Jeff Zucker’s of CNN, and the blowhards at MSNBC have done everything in their sick “journalistic” power to foment racism, while driving their own personal agenda of dividing a nation, pitting one class of people against another, along with destroying what little faith our minorities had in those same community residents that put on their uniforms to protect and serve.  They too, should be held accountable, (in part), for the deaths of our fallen heroes, for it was the media who played the video OVER AND OVER AGAIN, of the crowd of protesters demanding dead cops.  Once again, the media had a choice to portray the majority of protesters who were legally asking for justice, yet the “sensational news”---”What do we want, dead cops“---sold far more viewership, ie, ad dollars than “plain old responsible reporting”.  Throw in the far left online social media, (along with the text-savvy sycophants), and the recipe for more deaths is waiting.  Oh, you bet this is a NIGHTMARE, and a sleeping giant is about to awake.  

But, The Big Apple had better watch out, some one in Hollywood is writing the screenplay for this impending nightmare, where unemployed actors are plenty hungry to get in on this political drama.  It’s been far too long since they’ve had “a glove to fit” or a Rodney King beating to feed their artistic passions.  Of course, no one saw any of this coming, except Mr. Obama, who’s always been behind the scenes as the King of Division---par for "his" course. 

The GOP Power-Play---How Boehner and Company Plan on Dealing with the Tea Party

In a Breitbart post dated December 12th, 2014, Rush Limbaugh surmises that the legislation in the Cromnibus that eases campaign finance rules was inserted to basically help John Boehner neuter the Tea Party Conservatives: 

"Limbaugh continued "This is how corporate America is going to defeat the Tea Party. By allowing limitless donations from that crowd under the rubric that its campaign finance and money is speech and freedom of speech and 1st Amendment, the theory is that Main Street, Tea Party people can't come close to competing with corporate money and so it is a Republican Establishment ploy that kind of dovetails nicely with Obama siccing the IRS on the Tea Party to basically eliminate them as a viable threat by relaxing a regulation in Dodd-Frank that pretty much permits corporations to spend any kind of money they want on politics."  LINK

It would certainly make sense that Boehner would do anything to neuter the Tea Party, since they've been a political thorn in is side for/since what, when ever they started making waves?  2009?  If this is truly the case, (that the establishment beltway Republicans, (EBR's) will exist in their own separate world---and fund themselves exclusively apart from Tea Party Conservatives, (TPC's), then so be it.  

When I wrote my post at COTR about the funding bill finally passing, it was under the mindset that given the current position of Republicans, (only controlling the House), my first thought was (with more power coming in Jan), give "the people"---and the fuckin' media---the impression that Republicans "can govern" under regular order and pass legislation.  

Most of us should know that for months before this bill came to a head, that both the Senate and House committees got together and agreed to put a funding bill together that 1) would eventually pass, and 2) had enough “goodies” added in for both parties to again insure enough of both sides would eventually commit to its passage.  It’s a bit ironic that in the end, it was Nancy Pelosi that almost threw the huge monkey wrench into their plans, not a simi-powerless Tea Party.

This is where it would be understood why so many of the TPC’s saw those in the EBR’s as nothing but status quo Democrats when it came to restricting federal spending---justifiably so.  Just the sight/realization of Boehner and Obama working together in the end to gather the last votes to pass this thing had to leave a bitter taste in many of the mouths of conservatives.  As a side note, it was also a bit ironic to see Steny Hoyer going against his minority leader’s wishes.  (It’s my guess that there might be a power-play in the works and Hoyer might have been playing his small part in this whole thing).

Again, my first concern, (while perhaps misguided), was that both the Democrats and the media didn’t have another repeated narrative to run with that Republicans shut down the government and spoiled Christmas.  As it did turn out, the previous “shutdown” had no real impact on Republicans last November.  But my first thought was for this incoming power to leave the impression that the days of gridlock in Congress was over in the eyes of the voting public.  That said, I do understand the frustrations of the TPC’s who are asking “what the fuck did we win!” [in the last election] ???  

As for Rush’s “money thing”, more corporate money and resources to the EBR’s to neuter the TPC’s, this ploy “could” also backfire IF the TPC’s find a way to solicit this new money without sacrificing their principles.  Again, if “this is the game”, what’s to stop the TPC’s from sitting down at the table and get a hand dealt to them? Their attitude, going forward should be two can play this game. 

It has to be understood by the EBR’s that they will need the TPC’s block of voting to hopefully win the WH in 2016, and maintain the Senate.  If Boehner and company, the EBR’s choose to completely annihilate and eliminate their competition within their own party, you can almost bet the farm that those 4-6 million Republican voters will stay home AGAIN, and we’ll have a repeat of 2012.

I guess my point is, MONEY isn’t going to solve everything for the EBR’s.  

They still have to “fight” the ideology---a battle they might not win without paying a price they can not afford. 

Finally! A Spending Resolution----Decided by Legislators and Passed by Legislators

Late last night, (December 11th, 2014), the House of Representatives, (with the help of Obama Democrats), passed a spending bill that will fund the federal government through September.  Make no mistake, no one on the far left or the far right was happy with the outcome, BUT, to the pleasure of an electorate that had become sick of watching their representatives live in gridlock and do nothing, (or worse, bring the federal government to a grinding halt---again), our Congress finally accomplished "something", despite the winners and losers.

Bottom line:  Democrats received the message loud and clear from an American public who were sick and tired of not seeing the legislative branch of their government doing anything.  After the 2010 shellacking, it was Harry Reid's Senate that refused to bring ANY House-passed legislation to the floor---even for debate.  The liberal media’s false narrative that it was the “obstructionist House” that prevented legislation from reaching Mr. Obama’s desk began to fall on deaf ears, as over 300 House bills hit Harry Reid’s desk only to collect dust.  Yes, of the 300 bills, Republicans sent the ObamaCare repeal over 50 times, but of the remaining 150 bills, much of it was either passed on a voice vote or had bi-partisan support.  Many will say that Harry Reid gambled---for two long years---by bringing little legislation passed by the House because he knew many moderate Democrats in the Senate would pass legislation destined for Obama’s desk, (that did not fit the radical liberal agenda), and would have to be vetoed by Obama, or worse, signed by the President as common sense bi-partisan legislation.  The far left wing of the liberal Democratic Party would have none of that---including the Pelosi-led liberals in the House and Harry’s obstructionism.

The results/ramifications brought about the 2014 Shellacking 2.0, in which the Democratic Party suffered losses not seen in over 100 years, as the country reminded the far left liberals they were not ready to become a socialist big-government society run by the fat cats in D.C.  As ObamaCare continued to unfold as the largest federal constrainment over the masses, (requiring over 50 unlawful waivers for unions and special interest and failing to meet the promises made to pass the unsupported legislation---specifically, “you can keep your doctor and your plan”), the massive disastrous roll-out was the least of the problems Democrats would incur.  The working middle class had been shafted again as they saw the price of this dream fall squarely on their shoulders.  Very few saw the $2,500.00 average family savings Mr. Obama promised.  They did however see the monstrous deductibles---3-7 THOUSAND DOLLARS---that would eat up any savings the legislation promised.

Fast forward to last night: After both the Senate and House committees working tirelessly for months to produce bi-partisan legislation both parties could live with, (and more importantly, prove to the American public that they could work towards passing legislation), the last of the radical left, specifically HOUSE MINORITY LEADER NANCY PELOSI and her cohorts* raised their ugly heads one last time and almost succeeded in obstructing the will of the people.  Mz. Pelosi has realized she will never retain that gavel she once coveted and abused.  Her phony complaints about two provisions in the bill---again, negotiated and approved by both parties---was her curtain call.  For a party that had added over six trillion dollars to the national debt, (primarily to satisfy a myriad of special interest, including no-bid federal contracts to the unions and corporate entities that would make the OWS crowd blush), the ever shrinking middle class said enough is enough.

The Tea Party Patriots did not like this bill because it did not realistically restrain any of the run-away federal government spending.  Their constituents sent them to Congress to rein in spending, and begin to put an end to big-government policies eating away at the individual liberties afforded to the people.  This wing of the Republican party has every right to feel betrayed by the status quo beltway Republicans that many conservatives consider just another big-spending Democrat.  Given they only had one wing of the legislative branch, (until January), their power was limited.  But, they do have the pulse of a nation tiring of an over-bearing central government.  Make no mistake, John Boehner will hear from both these Representatives and the people who sent them to Congress.  For those of you who think the Tea Party is dead, think again.

On the other side of the political spectrum, the ever-shrinking far left liberals cried that their entitlement programs did not keep up with inflation in this bill.  They wanted far more than they got, yet the moderate Democrats, (who care to keep their jobs), understood what 2014 meant---which was to move the party back toward the center or continue to get eaten alive.  BTW, the faux anger over the derivatives revision is about as phony as the UVA rape allegations and the media’s false narrative that Brown had his hands up during his assault on a police officer---THEY DIDN’T HAPPEN.  The fact that both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are currently approving loans like chewing gum---AGAIN---requiring only a 3% down payment is a recipe for madness and a sure repeat of the 2008 recession if it continues unchecked.  Make no mistake, the banking industry will line the pockets of any legislator who looks the other way.  And there appears to be plenty of takers.

Finally, the LIBERAL MEDIA is completely besides themselves because their greatest wish---ANOTHER GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN---did not happen.  Their obsession and quest to drive the racial narrative has faded into the “not the news anymore” albeit the late-to-the-party idiots in the Republic of Berkeley---the heart of Pelosi country.  The war on women narrative has also died a deserved death, along with the income inequality garbage, when the people have realized it is the far left liberals that helped to facilitate their socialist plot of income redistribution---that ended up hitting the middle class squarely in the face.  To the liberal media’s demise, their liberal progressive agenda is fading faster than a Fast and Furious, Benghazi, or an IRS investigation.  As the nation moves further to the center, they will become as relevant and extinct as an ovulating dinosaur in search of its companion---there will be no consummation.  

So there you have it.  The far right is not happy and the far left has become literally irrelevant in providing realistic legislation the people of this nation will accept, yet a spending bill passed.  Mr. Obama has become moot as the new Congress takes the reins in January.  Delightfully stuck in the middle is our liberal media, twisting in the winds of time, desperately searching for divisive story than might revive their placid desires to foment a tumultuous outcome---counter-productive to a nation hungering for sanity and a common sense of purpose.  My only hope is that they are the biggest losers as a nation passes them by.  Or, even better, purges the pathetic excuse for what they call journalism in both contemporary and social media.

Note: Much of this post is the opinion of the author, and the author reserves the right to revise and extend all material written here.  Serious corrections will be noted in the form of an update, if necessary. Any and all constructive comments are welcome, but I will delete any comments that are found to be offensive or threatening to the reader.  Spamming, personal attacks, or any comment found libelous will not be tolerated.  

"THIS.......IS CNN"

Sunday November 30th---In the CNN is still at it category, a (Ferguson) Baptist minister is on talking about the “injustice” delivered on Michael Brown, and how he’s looking forward to having Eric Holder as a guest in his church to see how the Federal investigation is going forward.  As has been the case since the shooting, CNN has gone out of their way to convict officer Wilson in the press, despite the overwhelming evidence and a grand jury decision that would not indict Wilson. CNN did a similar style of convicting George Zimmerman in a trail where Zimmerman was acquitted.

In both cases, CNN has despicably and callously ignored the facts while producing their own personal narratives and agenda, parading “witnesses”, (who provided false testimony in their interviews), onto their “news programs” and refused to challenge any of them---on the facts presented---leaving their viewers with the perception that the innocent should be guilty.

Despite a current poll that shows 78% of Americans thought the Ferguson Grand Jury made the right decision, CNN has been relentless in claiming an opposite view.

CNN is owned by the Turner Broadcasting System, a division of Time-Warner and is managed by Jeff Zucker, the current president of CNN Worldwide.

It is clear that CNN is an agenda-driven news station that is driving their credibility ratings into the gutter, where the standards of professional journalism take a back seat to Zucker’s style of providing factual news to its customers---they have no shame in their deliberate attempts to obfuscate the truth.  Sadly, there is no medium or entity, (other than the general public), that can judge or admonish a news outlet when they are blatantly spreading fabrications to accomplish their personal agendas.

“This…….is CNN”.

The Name Game---Why Does Our President Refuse to Identify Our Enemy?

Mr. President: For the Love of God, and this Nation, please stop the rhetoric, and call our current enemies who and what they are---RADICAL ISLAMIST TERRORIST.

Why is it that President Obama can’t/won’t identify our enemies CORRECTLY, by calling them what and who they are---RADICAL ISLAMIST TERRORIST???  If President Obama's purpose is to not sound offensive to a particular sector of the Muslim community, the time for "sensitivity" is over.

The responsibility of a doctor who suspects his patient has cancer is to 1) identify and locate the cancer, 2) isolate it, and 3) cut it out, kill it, and remove it from the patient’s body.  The sooner these procedures are done, the better chance the patient has for survival.  The patient should expect, no demand, that the doctor works aggressively, and in a timely manner to assure the cancer does not spread to the point where there is no hope for recovery.

Mr. President, by your own choosing, you are not identifying our enemies/cancer.  Call this faction what it is, and who they are---ISLAMIST TERRORIST.  There is no possible way to eradicate this enemy/cancer if we do not specifically identify them, isolate them, and finally, cut them out of the body of humanity.  No civilized society can endure or tolerate a cancer so brutally barbarous as ISIS, an Islamist Terrorist Organization, who have stated their mission with absolute certainty---to exact genocide on all humans who do not adhere to their prophet Allah, and submit in whole to the teachings of Islam, forsaking all other Gods. 

While you, (Mr. President), and the liberal media won’t report the whole truth---ISIS is exterminating Christians by the thousands---the entire world is waiting for action against these Islamist Terrorist, a cancer that must be eradicated from this planet.  And they MUST be identified for what they are, NOW, not when you get around to building a coalition of the willing, (who might be too sensitive to the reality that a certain sector of Radical Muslims are evil and must be eliminated).  

Drop the Rhetoric and the Dithering!  Act now.  The entire world is watching and impatiently waiting for leadership---from you Mr. President---to properly identify our enemies, and destroy them.  Period.

Note: The author of this post reserves the right to revise and extend any and all portions of this post---it's my blog.  If any corrections, links, or wording needs attention or change, I will note the changes in an update. 

~ Rov

Managing a Crisis.......One Hole at a Time

A "multi-tasking" President Obama, teeing it up a Martha's Vineyards as ISIS continues its genocide of Iraqi Christians, Putin and Russia contemplate their next move, and America's southern borders in complete chaos. 

How To Lose Three Wars----Without Ever Starting One

Just think: Barack Obama may very well go down in American history as the first President to lose three American wars---all after they were victories.

With many accolades under Ronald Reagan’s policies, we won the cold war against Russia, (formally the Soviet Union) and their tyrannical communist regime---all without firing a shot.

The war in Iraq was over in two weeks and Saddam and his thugs were defeated militarily, but it took a few more years and the blood of our heroes to finally secure the peace, and drive out outside interest, including al Qaeda.

In Afghanistan, George W. Bush kept his promise that those who attacked us on 9/11, (and any parties that protected them), would pay dearly.  Both al Qaeda and the Taliban were driven out of the country, along with Osama Bin Laden taking up cave-dwelling.

Both Iraq and Afghanistan required a surge of our military to finally claim a strategic and demographic military victory over these two nations.  Credit to Barack Obama for the one in Afghanistan and finally locating Bin Laden in the Pakistani suburbs and disposing of the vermin.

But, this is where Barack Obama’s experience in foreign policy and leadership comes to a pathetically sad ending.

Without insisting on leaving a status force in Iraq, Obama misjudged, (in his hurry to score political points), the level of strength in the Iraqi forces to maintain stability in the nation---a fatal mistake that may very well prove over 4000 of our finest might have died in vain.  Even with the warnings that a power-vacuum was occurring from Syria all the way through northern Iraq, Obama did nothing.  Politically, he had little choice, since a war-weary America would never allow “real forces” to re-deploy to the region.  Today, ISIS forces are on the city limits of Bagdad, and the entire nation is about to fall into total chaos.  The ISIS Jihadist have even declared in a fatwa that all women between the ages of 14 and 46 undergo Female Genital Mutilation in the town of Mosul: 

Isis orders all women and girls in Mosul to undergo FGM
UN says 'fatwa' issued by militant group in and around Iraqi city could affect 4 million
The militant group Islamic State (Isis) has ordered all girls and women in and around Iraq's northern city of Mosul to undergo female genital mutilation, the United Nations says.
The "fatwa" issued by the Sunni Muslim fighters would potentially affect 4 million women and girls, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Iraq, Jacqueline Badcock, told reporters in Geneva by videolink from Irbil.

The UN Human Rights Council is too busy siding with the Palestinians over the Israel’s rights to protect their citizenry. 

And I doubt there will be an official statement from this organization before these barbaric brutalization begins in Iraq.  And, of course when Obama abandons Afghanistan with no status force agreement, the Taliban will march right back in and demand a similar fatwa for those low-life women who thought they might finally enter a 21st century society.

So, there you have it.  Vlady Putin is strutting his bare chest with an expansion tour/re-taking his lost territory, while rebuilding a former Soviet Union.  Iraq is about to become a full-fledged terrorist haven.  And Afghanistan will only be an “Obama executive order” away from becoming the same.

Three wars……and they’re all lost because of Barack Obama.

The Joke of Immigration Reform is on All of Us

The most recent Gallup polling shows the American Public is concerned and well aware of the immigration debacle on our southern borders:

One in Six Say Immigration Most Important U.S. Problem

          Immigration concerns surged in July, while economic mentions ebbed

This is not the first time that immigration has spiked in the public's consciousness. Most recently, Gallup found the issue increasing to 10% in 2010, at a time when a new immigration law in Arizona was making news. And prior to that, it increased twice in 2006 to 15% or higher, amid congressional debate over immigration reform.

Signaling that public mentions of immigration today could be stemming more from concern about illegal immigration than from support for immigration reform, mentions of the issue are significantly higher among Republicans (23%) than Democrats (11%). Gallup polling earlier this year showed Republicans with a preference for focusing on sealing the border, while Democrats prioritized addressing the status of illegal immigrants already here.  (link)  (emphasis mine)

Translation:  The Democrats agenda is not to stem the tide of illegal immigration, but to continue their primary objective of providing a path to citizenship of an entire class of people who are wholly or in a large part dependent on government services.  Big business, (and specifically the National Chamber of Commerce), have hardly gone out of their way to hide the fact that they are in dire need of millions who are willing to accept low wage jobs, as long as their remaining source of income is subsidized by government benefits.

It’s a win-win situation for Democrats and Big Business.  One’s looking only for a voter who’s totally dependent on government servitude and will thereby vote to maintain their status quo.  The other is depending on a cheap labor pool who, (as long as the government supplies the balance of their incomes), will not seek higher wages or benefits which would take a bite out of their bottom line profits.

In most businesses, (both small and large), labor is still a major expense that can be controlled/manipulated as opposed to uncontrolled expenses, such as rent, utilities, and, for the most part taxes on profits.  Both state and federal governments understand the concept of a higher gross income = a larger amount of taxable income that is collected by these governments.

The Democratic Party*, in collaboration with Big Business, (and a wink and a nod by our government), would prefer that the average voter not know or even understand their private little enterprise that keeps/maintains an entire class of people dependent on a system---designed and perfected to guarantee both money and votes flow into the Democratic coffers.

* The Democratic Party is not exclusively invested in this unjust system.  There are also Republicans who are and do participate in this travesty that feeds on this current immigration system like parasites, feeding on this potential cash cow.  However, the pre-planned and well rehearsed rhetoric by the Democratic Party who, (under the guise and deception of a “compassionate” party looking out for the downtrodden and disadvantaged immigrant), point directly to the Republican Party as the threat to this long perverse system no one in government seriously chooses to address.  Herein lies the conundrum.

Instead, they, (both parties), will continue to play the political games that might advance their own personal statures in this pathetic hierarchy of power and control.  Until the American Public calls these politicians on the carpet, and demands this “profitable system” be changed, there will be little progress in the immigration debate.  But remember, there are powerful interest in play here.  They have no intention of relenting their heavily invested interest.  And the big money feeding these parasites trumps all who would seek a change in this cycle.  Can these “American Politicians”, (or the businesses that are in complete collaboration with these politicians), claim they are not just a more sophisticated entity of the Mexican Mules transporting and enslaving immigrants for profit?  I doubt it.

(photo credit---Courtesy of Congressman Henry Cuellar)

Editor's note:  While there are numerous suppositions and accusations throughout this post, I fully intend to add names, provide quotes and documentation to corroborate this story.  All writing here is exclusively the opinion of the author and no one else.  All edits, revisions, and additions to this post will be distinctly identified at the discretion of the author.

Update: It should be noted that the mainstream media appears to be complicit in only reporting, (or not reporting), stories that does no damage to the Democratic Party, President Obama, or the special interest.

Jeffery Dickens at Newsbusters chronicles the media's blatant omissions:

The Border Crisis Stories the Networks Aren't Telling You About

Obama's Iraq

U.S. Watches As Iraq Speeds Toward Disaster

Fighters for the al Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) took Mosul today, giving the militant group control of Iraq’s second largest city and setting the country on a path toward chaos.ISIS militants already control Fallujah, a city that American Marines took in 2004 in what was the bloodiest battle of the Iraq War. Now, with both Mosul and Fallujah under their control, nearly half of Iraq is in the grips of a group that is a formal affiliate of a terrorist group.

 Equally troubling are the circumstances under which the city fell. Iraqi security personnel simply abandoned their posts, according to reports.This is problematic for a host of reasons. First, it shows that the American-trained Iraqi military is not adequate. Second, Iraqi soldiers left their weapons behind – giving ISIS a huge cache of equipment.

But the most disturbing aspect of the desertion is what Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki proposed to replace the missing troops. In an address to the nation Tuesday, he called on Iraqi citizens to take up arms against ISIS in an attempt to retake the city.

“We will not allow for the remainder of the ... province and the city to fall," he said, adding that he would arm them. “This requires all efforts, both civilian and official, to confront this ferocious attack that harms all Iraqis, from a deteriorating security situation to a humanitarian crisis.”  More at the  LINK

And the comments at this post are a scathing indictment on Barack Obama:

Lee 2 hours ago 0 72
Iraq is being over run by terrorists, Iran is getting the bomb, we've traded the five most dangerous terrorists in Gitmo for a known deserter and possible collaborator, illegals are getting free unhindered taxi rides into the country courtesy of the border patrol instead of being stopped, illegal executive orders have replaced legislation and the Constitution, illegal rules put in place by the EPA will shut down the coal industry and millions more jobs, energy rates "will necessarily skyrocket", any new jobs are almost all low paying part time service jobs, obamacare is a disaster even tho he keeps "delaying" the worst effects, 17+ trillion in debt, illegal felons being released by the tens of thousands. Welcome to obama's America

Nan 1 hour ago 0 19 

This is what happens when you go into a war that your leader does not want to win but would rather have a "political settlement." This is what happens when you have a leader that is a community organizer rather than a leader and commander in chief. Thank you Barack Hussein. Your political settlements in Iraq are not working out are they? Your political settlement in Afghanistan will end the same way. All those dead and wounded Americans for your settlements? 

david 51 minutes ago 0 7
Of all the foreign policy blunders, missteps, goofs, etc. this is the most sickening. The loss of American lives was tragic, but worthwhile if it spread democracy in the region and kept the terrorists on the defensive. But to see the lives thrown away in the process of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory is heartbreaking. Knowing that it was avoidable is even more sickening. Knowing that it is happening because our president at best, is incompetent and doesn't care, or at worst, wanted it to happen, is discouraging beyond words.

Moniker 37 minutes ago 0 2
When Obama visited Afghanistan two weeks ago, he did NOT pre-announce his actions. That would have been stupid.

However, Barry was VERY willing to announce our departure from Iraq and Afghanistan. Basically, he gave hope to insurgents. He was telling them, "Just hold on a bit longer and you'll win."

That was a betrayal to all of the locals who supported the USA. Al-Qa'eda et all could go to them and say, "See, your friends are leaving and we'll be here forever. You might as well support us now." The end result was MORE American casualties because of the loss of support from locals.

Never tell the enemy when you'll arrive or when you'll leave. Barry learned only half of that lesson.

Note: every one of these comments have positive "thumbs up" approval---including the 72 from the first post.

OUCH!

Update: Much more here from our friend Ed Morrissey:

Al-Qaeda rebels take Tikrit, force 500,000 to flee Mosul

POSTED AT 1:31 PM ON JUNE 11, 2014 BY ED MORRISSEY

The Potential Republican Tsunami

Larry Sabato wrote an article in Politico on Wednesday asking the question: "How Big a Wave---Will we see a GOP ripple....or a Tsunami?"

"Last week, Republican primary voters passed their first Senate test, producing a North Carolina nominee, Thom Tillis, who is merely imperfect, not catastrophic.

          After the disasters of recent years, national Republicans will happily take it.

The North Carolina result did nothing to change the expectation among most observers that the Republicans have a 50-50 or better shot at taking the Senate majority. It might even have enhanced those odds. The conventional wisdom is reasonable: We know that the president is unpopular, the president’s party typically performs poorly in midterms and the Democrats are overextended on this year’s Senate map. One of the ways the Republicans could hurt their chances is by running bad candidates in some of these races. Tillis might turn out to be that kind of candidate, but he was clearly the most credible nominee in the primary field.
So where is the Senate right now? Hypothetically, there’s still a wide range of potential outcomes – and all the likeliest ones involve at least some kind of Republican wave, perhaps delivering the magic six-seat gain that would dethrone Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid."

Sabato provides charts and graphs, and breaks down the contended Senate races coming up in November, as Harry Reid's control appears to be in jeopardy.  Here's what your's truly posted in comments at the site:

"It could be said that the far-left big government social experiment is all but over.  Look for many of the Democratic Senate candidates to "attempt" to campaign as moderates, or even "conservative-leaning".  They'll preach fiscal responsibility, respect for laws, (both morally and constitutionally), tax reform---instead of raising taxes on an over-burdened middle class---and finally, they'll talk about protecting individual rights vs. the big-government intrusions, (dictates from the ruling class in Washington DC).  Some Democrats might even stake their claims that our 1st & 2nd amendment rights are in serious jeopardy and need to be protected.  You might even hear a few speeches about how the powers of the federal government are constitutionally limited, and all other powers are specifically RESERVED to the states, and the people! (read the 10th amendment). 

Oh, wait!  Aren't these the principle tenants of the Tea Party?

Bottom line?  Most of these Senate Democrats will run, no, sprint to the center and do their best to not sound totally hypocritical to their sworn liberal ideologies of the Obama-style form of government.  And despite all the phony narratives from the White House and the liberal media, ObamaCare is NOT suddenly a popular program because 8 million people have signed up to this FEDERAL MANDATE.  The state exchanges are falling apart to the tune of millions of wasted tax-payer dollars, and will have to transition to the federal site.  Premiums are predicted, (by the same insurance companies that backed this train wreck) to go through the roof long before November, and the federal government will have to ask the people to pick up the tab in higher taxes to provide subsidies---guaranteed to the insurance companies!

How big will the wave be for Republicans?  Current polling shows a potential tidal wave of discontent with the people, (and a huge contingent of independents---the swing voters that make the difference), who have had enough of this big government social experiment and the power-brokers in Washington with their one-size fits all mentality.

Democrats know their “Titanic” form of government is sinking, and there’s not enough life-boats to save them all.  And the far-left liberal progressives can only re-arrange the deck chairs at this point, since moving to the middle of the ship is pointless."

~ Rovin 

Billionaire Tom Steyer Makes His Money the Old Fashioned Way---Investing in Fossil Fuels

John Hinderaker at Powerline explains how billionaire Tom Steyer operates his hypocritical campaign against fossil fuel production while reaping millions in overseas coal investments. Steyer has pledged $100 million to Democrats, (and their environmental lobbies) who oppose Keystone and all other fossil fuel production.  Ironically, or strategically, Steyer is playing both (profit-making) ends, against each other with “questionable motives”: 

THE EPIC HYPOCRISY OF TOM STEYER
“Billionaire hedge fund operator and “green” energy magnate Tom Steyer has pledged $100 million in the 2014 election cycle to help Democratic candidates who oppose the Keystone pipeline and who favor “green” energy over fossil fuels. Steyer claims to be a man of principle who has no financial interest in the causes he supports, but acts only for the public good. That is a ridiculous claim: Steyer is the ultimate rent-seeker who depends on government connections to produce subsidies and mandates that make his “green” energy investments profitable. He also is, or was until recently, a major investor in Kinder Morgan, which is building a competitor to the Keystone pipeline. Go here, here, here, here, here and here for more information about how Steyer uses his political donations and consequent connections to enhance his already vast fortune………

Hypocrisy is not in short supply in the political world, but Tom Steyer is in a class by himself. Now that he is enriching himself through “green” cronyism, coal is evil. Sure: like all hydrocarbons, it competes with the solar energy boondoggles on which he is making millions, with the aid of the Obama administration. But where was Steyer’s alleged social conscience when he was one of the world’s biggest investors in coal? And how substantial are his current holdings in coal projects? Is Steyer financing his anti-fossil fuel campaign on profits from past or, perhaps, ongoing investments in Asian and Australian coal? Inquiring minds want to know! Tom Steyer appears to have elevated political hypocrisy to an entirely new level.”  (read Hinderaker's entire post here)

Of course, obtaining federal subsidies, (most likely tax-free income investments), to promote green energy programs, (that are a few decades away from becoming feasibly practical or self-sustaining---not relying on Federal tax-payer dollars), has Mr. Steyer in an enviable position, and it’s all perfectly legal.  Investing massive campaign dollars against any and all fossil fuel production leads to driving those production prices higher, which, in the end, the cost is picked up by the consumer.  It’s a win-win for Farallon and Kinder Morgan, (corporations Steyer was or is heavily invested in).

In Mr. Steyer’s case, his company/conglomerates don’t have to take their coal industry profits and expend them.  Instead, the tax-payer funded subsidies roll into one account and go out another in the form of get this---campaign donations that are/can be written off by donating to a IRC 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that supplies non-biased information and opinions to their intended voters:  

“How can an organization express that opinion?  IRC 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations are legally prohibited from directly or indirectly campaigning for or against any candidate for political office.  This includes financial campaign contributions and verbal or written statements made on behalf of the organization.  If an organization does so, it puts its tax-exempt status at risk.  That said, there are certain things that tax-exempt organizations can legally do that most people would consider “political.” For example, organizations can hold events or publish documents to educate voters (provided that the materials show no sign of bias).  Voter drives or registration efforts, as long as they are conducted in a bipartisan manner, are not prohibited.”  (LINK)

Of course, all of Mr. Steyer's motives are to educate the masses, and no one should suspect any ulterior motives, such as maintaining his personal wealth.  That would be considered capitalistic and an insult to the liberal progressives who are emotionally invested in saving the planet.  Perhaps this is another case where the ends justify the means........hypocritically speaking, of course.

Billionaire Tom Steyer---making money the old fashioned way.

House of Representatives Reject Obama's Budget 413-2

Eerily similar to the Senate's rejection of the President's Budget in 2011, and again in 2012, the House rejected Mr. Obama's blueprint for the 2015 Budget by a whopping 413-2:

Two brave Democrats voted for President Obama’s budget on Wednesday, preventing another unanimous defeat for their party leader.

The rest of the chamber, however, had other plans, sending Mr. Obama’s plan to a devastating 413-2 defeat as most Democrats joined Republicans in rejecting the fiscal year 2015 blueprint.

To keep this post "honest and transparent", (like everything else that comes out of the White House), the Democrats claim this wasn't Obama's bill:

House Republicans staged the vote to be able to argue that Mr. Obama’s plans are unpopular on both sides of the aisle, though Democrats said it was a useless vote and said the plan — which Republicans wrote to reflect the president’s budget — wasn’t actually Mr. Obama’s own plan. 

Yet Guy Benson at Town Hall says the GOP simply put Obama's Budget into legislative language, where the Democrats are crying foul, but the synopsis of Obama's plan was obvious:

The White House and House Democrats can claim that the GOP's version of Obama's budget wasn't an "accurate reflection" of the original document, but it essentially lifted Obama's entire vision and dropped it into legislative language. In reality, all but two Democrats -- one of whom was this guy -- chose not to attach themselves to the president's plan, which calls for the following:

 President Obama's 2015 Budget Proposal:
(1) Never balances. Ever.
(2) Increases spending, ballooning the national debt by $8.3 trillion over the budget window -- $1 trillion beyond than the unsustainable current trajectory. Under Obama's plan, the red ink on the above chart would be steeper, sooner.
(3) Raises taxes by an additional $1.8 trillion (and again, never balances).
(4) Makes no attempt at reforming the gathering tidal wave of unfunded promises that Obama has admitted in the past are driving a long-term debt crisis.  (you can go to this link for further explanations to Benson's interpretation of Obama's Budget)

 But wait!  Maybe this really isn't Obama's Budget?

Senate confirmation hearings on the president’s choice to succeed Sebelius as Health and Human Services secretary, budget director Sylvia Mathews Burwell, will give Republicans days of media exposure for their criticism of a program that remains unpopular.

So, once again, our dear leader can claim "plausible deniability" that he's responsible for another multi-trillion budget busting bill.  But there's that pesky health care legislation rearing up is ugly head......again.....that the CBO says will cost 2.5 million jobs, as estimates of the real cost of this train wreck keep eating into our national budget.  But that's another story, (or, as the Liberal pundits put it---another "settled science"). Stand by for the denial accusations.

~ Rov

Latest "Expanded" Search for Flight 370 by Media Experts and Authorities---(CNN Sarcasm)

Malaysian Official says he's picked up a "ping".

Seriously, CNN takes "wall to wall coverage" to a whole new world.

What's the Left to Do: After Mocking Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney

First of all, the liberal media has yet to call Putin's aggression into Crimea an invasion, yet, as Newsbuster's points out, the MSM had no hesitation when Nixon ordered U.S. troops into Cambodia.  It was a bit shocking when the Washington Post Editorial Board proclaimed Obama's foreign policy "was based on fantasy".

Of course, no one else knew this was coming, right?

PALIN MOCKED IN 2008 FOR WARNING PUTIN MAY INVADE UKRAINE IF OBAMA ELECTED

And Sarah's response from her facebook page:

"Yes, I could see this one from Alaska. I'm usually not one to Told-Ya-So, but I did, despite my accurate prediction being derided as “an extremely far-fetched scenario” by the “high-brow” Foreign Policy magazine. Here’s what this “stupid” “insipid woman” predicted back in 2008: "After the Russian Army invaded the nation of Georgia, Senator Obama's reaction was one of indecision and moral equivalence, the kind of response that would only encourage Russia's Putin to invade Ukraine next."

And, Mitt Romney was clueless too, right?

Now it’s Mitt Romney’s turn to take a bow for having “clear eyes” on Russia’s future threat potential. 

Fox News’ Bret Baier opened a segment of his show Friday night by flashing back to an October 2012 presidential debate where President Obama ridiculed Republican presidential nominee Romney about his concern over Russia’s “geo-political” threat.
“You said Russia. Not Al Qaida. You said Russia,” Obama said regarding biggest threats. “The 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back because…the cold war’s been over for 20 years.” 

Romney offered a powerful retort: “Russia, I indicated, is a geopolitical foe…and I said in the same paragraph I said and Iran is the greatest national security threat we face. Russia does continue to battle us in the U.N. time and time again. I have clear eyes on this. I’m not going to wear rose-colored glasses when it comes to Russia or Mr. Putin…”

 And we do remember Chris Matthews saying, “I don’t know what decade this guy’s living.”

And, remember this quote from now Sect. of State John Kerry?

"He's even blurted out the preposterous notion that Russia is our'number one geopolitical foe.' Folks: Sarah Palin said she could see Russia from Alaska; Mitt Romney talks like he's only seen Russia by watching Rocky IV.” ....."

One has to wonder if this was the flexibility Barack Obama was seeking?

And, of course, Russia's hearing nothing with the hollow threats from the U.S.

And, what about that 3 AM call?  What's Hillary going to do about this?

The freedom not to work?

Yesterday on van Susteren’s show, Elise Viebeck repeated the specious liberal argument: since all safety net programs disincentivize work, it's not a surprise that and shouldn't count as a defect of Robertobamacare that it disincentivizes work.  She did not offer the corollary that it gave people a “choice,” but that argument is just as bad.

Like most liberal arguments, these trade on distortion and a shallow understanding of context. 

(1) Would anyone take liberals seriously if they said long term unemployment benefits are a good thing...because they give people the option not to work?  Because they gave people a choice?

(2) Never before have we trumpted the work disincentives as a good thing in safety net programs.  Indeed the welfare reform -- that this White House has gutted -- was precisely put in place in the mid-90s to remove such disincentives while still providing a safety net.  Yet this administration sees disincentivizing work and choosing not to work as its version of the American dream.

(3) When Medicaid, food stamps, and others were put in place, we did not have 1 in 5 people on food stamps, we did not have 91 million Americans not working, the labor participation rate was not precipitously dropping as it hadn't in decades, and we weren't arguing about whether to extend 99 weeks of unemployment benefits for a minimum of 12 more weeks...and we didn't have millions, perhaps tens of millions of Americans losing their health insurance so these "special few" could choose to work less!  Yet this is the context of this new program.  Unfortunately Republicans so far have not bothered to provide the context.

(4) Liberals do not bother to mention that we did not put safety net programs into place to disincentivize work.  Yet that is what this Pelosi-through-the-looking-glass-"follow your dream" argument suggests -- Robertobamacare allows you to follow your dreams! By not working! So others can pay for your dream! Would it do any good to tell liberals that safety net programs are not put in place so special few can follow their dreams?  At someone else’s expense?

President Obama's State of the Union

Our World Class Finger Pointer---Because it's Always Some One Else's Fault.

If President Obama truly reported on the actual State of the Union, the stock market would crash and gold prices would go through the roof.  Instead, the President will tell us the economy's “still improving“, (for the fifth time), but, there's still room for improvement, and pay no attention to the 90 million out of work.  What he won’t tell us, is the American work force participation rate is the lowest in 36 years.  He will brag about the stock market that's been receiving an 85 billion cash infusion every month, (courtesy of the Feds own printing presses), feeding the banks and the power-brokers who return their in-kind campaign donations to the Democratic Party.  Polling on the President’s economy---39.4% approve, 56.2% disapprove.  Grade: D-

On his legacy policy---the Federal Government take-over of the Health Care Industry---Obama will tell us the beleaguered web-site “is working”, but there’s still much work to do on the back-end, (for the third no-bid contractor to “clean up“).  He will tell us over two-three million now have insurance who never had it before, but he won’t tell us about the 6-7 million that now have cancelled policies, or that the new one’s being offered at the exchanges are far more expensive including massively high deductibles.  What he also won’t tell us is, if the numbers of sign-ups by the young and healthy don’t change dramatically by March, the Federal Government will be asking for trillion dollar installments to bail out the insurance companies.  (Any one remember when the Democrats supplied the CBO with phony numbers to keep the entire program under ONE TRILLION DOLLARS?.  Does anyone know what those “revisions” are now?)  The impending disaster still awaits us all when the employer mandate kicks in, and millions more are systematically forced onto the over-priced exchanges.  Polling on this policy---37.6% favor, 54.5% disapprove.  Grade: D-

How he will explain "progress in the middle east", and other foreign policies as anything positive is beyond our comprehension.  Perhaps he'll tell us the Al Qaeda flags flying over Fallujah is the result of another offensive video.  Thousands of Coptic Christians are being systematically exterminated throughout Egypt and the middle east---in a Holocaustic manner---and there’s not one word of outrage from the State Dept or the White House.  On Iran, no one knows how soon they will have a working nuclear weapon, or how soon it will be deployed to a satellite terrorist group, since Iran’s foreign minister just announced “that we did not promise to dismantle anything”.  But Mr. Kerry, under Obama’s direction has given the regime a six month reprieve on sanctions---that were working.  Oh, and Syria is still a hornet’s nest, since Mr. Obama can’t make up his mind whether Assad and his henchmen should remain in power while continuing to murder hundreds of thousands of their citizens.  And despite the recent Senate Intelligence Report, (chaired by a Democrat), that said the four murdered patriots in Benghazi could have been prevented, it’s still a phony scandal.  (Paging Susan Rice).  Polling on Obama’s foreign policies, 42.2 approve, 48.8 disapprove.  Grade: D 

The President will tell us how his policies of reducing our carbon footprints are progressing as solar and electric car companies continue to file for bankruptcy and the windmills chew up four million birds, (including eagles and other protected carrion).  Meanwhile, his personal war on the coal industry, and other fossil fuels, continues unabated.  In the U.S. there are over 30,000 miles of  small pipelines, 55,000 miles of crude oil pipelines. and 95,000 miles of pipeline with refined products, but President Obama and the Inviros are hell bent on preventing one more pipeline, Keystone, that would provide products and jobs.  What he won’t tell us is how 50 environmentalists were stranded for a month in the Antarctic because of expanding ice flows, or that the planet has actually been cooling for the past decade. What he also won’t tell us, is that out of all of the Federal tax-payer dollars, (subsidies), that go to environmental companies for R&D, explorations, CO2 prevention, millions of dollars are returned to the Democratic Party to continue the biggest hoax ever played on the American public---a world-wide multi-billion dollar money laundering scheme.  Polling on Mr. Obama’s job of protecting the environment vs. improving the nation’s energy resources, 56% say he’s doing a good job on the environment, while only 43% think his energy policies are working.  Grade: D-  (one full point deducted for the global warming scam)

Overall, the most recent polling on the direction/health of this Nation, a whopping 62.7% believe this country is on the wrong track, while only 28.2% think we’re on the right track.  So, after five years, (and at least six more trillion dollars added to the national debt), Mr. Obama will tell us everything is going on “swimmingly well”.  Pass out the life preservers.

Addendum:  President Obama said the other day, (again), that "I have a phone and a pen", and was specifically telling the American public that if he can't implement his agenda and policies Constitutionally, and legislatively, he will use his executive powers to extend his personal assault on this nation, despite two-thirds of the country telling him it's the wrong direction, (see poll just above).  Instead, Mr. Obama continues to blame everyone and anyone else for his failures, (including Fox News, and those mean old Conservative Republicans). Apparently, Mr. Obama hasn't yet read, (in the news), that National Polling shows a strong majority of the country are rejecting both his policies and agenda. For this arrogant and egotistical rejection of the people's wishes and expectations, Mr. Obama receives my personal grade of F-   

Double-Addendum:  Almost forgot.  Mr. Obama will tell us all, (in his speech), about the disparity of income inequality.  He will tell us of how the haves have more and the have not's have less---from the direct liberal playbook of "how to employ class warfare to advance your agenda".  He will call for a federal raise in the minimum wage, (and tell us a few stories about how devastated the middle class and the poor are doing today).  What he will not tell us is that under his 5-year administration and his policies, the income gap has expanded, not reduced.  What he also won't tell us, is when 15-25 million illegal immigrants are granted full amnesty, they will be taking more of America's poor and the disadvantaged JOBS away, while adding millions more to the government rolls of dependency and entitlements.  And yes, 99% of them will vote for Democrats, as long as the "benefits" flows into their pockets---always the cheapest way to buy votes, using the tax-payer's money---but no one will see this as just another "phony scandal".

Much of the President's State of the Union address will be a "rinse and repeat" of last year's address with the caveat of guilt he will pile on to the "greedy corporations".  He will call on the rich to cut a check to his liberal progressive cronies in Congress, so they can pass more legislation to protect the poor---because YOUR GOVERNMENT always knows best how to redistribute the wealth.  More American citizens are dependent of government assistance, (food stamps, WIC, and general welfare), under this President and his policies since the great depression.  Yet, President Obama will tell us it's some one else's fault.  Over the past five years, he's become a champion finger pointer, while filling the public's heads with empty promises or flat out lies, ("if you like it, you can keep it").  The fawning liberal media will tell us all what a great speech it was---AGAIN---filling the heads of low information voters with another dose of hope and change, and expecting a different result.  One thing is certain, 2016 can't come soon enough. 

~ Rov

  

Obama's Job Approval Points to 2014 Trouble for Democrats

From Sean Trende at Real Clear Politics      

"With the advent of this election year, the time to turn from generalities/playing field pieces to tracking specific races is fast approaching. But before picking up my series on competitive Senate races (I wrote on three with relatively well-formed dynamics last year: Kentucky, Montana, and Arkansas), I do have a few more things to say about the playing field.

As a general matter, the journalistic narrative hasn’t yet caught up with the deterioration of the Democrats’ political standing since the early summer. Polls showing tight Senate races in New Hampshire, Iowa, Colorado and Michigan are met with surprise and disbelief. But they are exactly what we’d expect to see given the president’s national job approval rating. I think they’re accurate barometers of the state of the races."

Trende's post has a full set of graphs and qualifiers that support the notion that "if" Obama's approval ratings remain below 50% and Republicans play their cards right, control of the Senate is within their grasp.  President Obama's current RCP job approval stands at 42.9%, not an attractive number for his party or the incumbents who will try to hang on to their jobs in 2014. 

Please read the full post here.