Obama's Stimulus Swindle

Here's more data on Obama's disastrous economic policy, from the House Republican Conference:

Here's the new GOP video, which is "a little "unfocused" (via Memeorandum):

From Moe Lane, "This is a hokey ad ... but I like it anyway ..."

More commentary at the link.

See also, "Democratic Irresponsibility."

Democratic Irresponsibility

Here's a follow-up to my post from last night, "Firms Closing as Leftist Policies Make Costs of Doing Business Prohibitive."

Recall that Democratic economic policies are already killing businesses and jobs.

We also know that the administration proposes massive unfunded liabilities that will hang an anchor of debt around future generations. The chart above is from "Policy Watch," House Republican Conference. There's more good stuff at the link.

Here's some additional resources I received from the GOP House leadership:

* Raise the top income tax rates from their current 33 percent and 35 percent rates to 36 percent and 39.6 percent in 2011: http://accounting.smartpros.com/x66802.xml

* Limit itemized deductions for people paying high rates: http://accounting.smartpros.com/x66802.xml

* Increase capital gains and dividend taxes by 33 percent for people paying high income tax rates: http://www.heritage.org/research/taxes/bg2271.cfm

* Impose a value-added tax (VAT) on all goods and services: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/26/AR2009052602909.html

* Raise the Social Security tax by lifting the cap: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/26/AR2009052602909.html

* Raise a variety of business taxes by $353 billion over 10 years, including repeal of LIFO rules, restoring Superfund taxes, seven tax increases on energy companies, and more :http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/02/obamas-budget-a.html

* Tax employer-provided health benefits: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/14/AR2009061402769.html?hpid=topnews

* Implement a cap-and-trade system for emissions permits, the functional equivalent of a massive new taxhttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB124217336075913063.html

* Tax drivers on their mileage: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/02/20/transportation-chief-considers-taxing-miles-driven/

* Change rules to raise gift taxes: http://money.cnn.com/2009/05/11/news/economy/treasury_budget_taxproposals/

* Restore the estate tax at 45 percent: http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE54A3DL20090511

* Raise cigarette tax by 62 cents a pack: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/03/29/single-largest-cigarette-tax-hike-goes-effect-wednesday/

* Raise taxes on beer, wine, liquor, and soda: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-05-20-beer-health-insurance_N.htm

* Eliminate health savings accounts and flexible savings accounts: http://www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/senate-finance-committee-could-limit-or-eliminate-flex-savings-accounts

* Tax employer-provided cellphones: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124501952511913563.html

* Tax AIG employee: bonuseshttp://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/16/AIG.bonuses/index.html

* Raise taxes on overseas corporate earnings: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123897085163290813.html

Blacks as Monkeys? Even When Leftists Hit Bottom, They Keep Digging

Who knows if James B. Webb is gay? (NTTAWWT!) As I've said all along (see, "James B. Webb: Depths of Psychological Denial"), only God knows for sure. I do know that Mr. Webb links to the atheist OUT campaign, and that page is a portal to gay sex weblogs. Frankly, it's a tacit endorsement of the lifestyle, IMHO. No matter, as I've shown, Mr. Webb is a hypocrite and a homophobe who doesn't get snark (even when it's labeled as such). So now, it turns out, a man who refuses reason to embrace hatred and nihilism, appears to be racist as well. This long exchange has has reduced James B. Webb to a purveyor of the most despicable racial slurs.

Earlier, after I had demonstrated James' blatant hypocrisy, he posted this on his unwillingness to let go:

It's getting kind of sad, yet I don't want to let up on him because he keeps lying and mischaracterizing everything I've said ... As I've said, I have a problem letting an insult or argument go unanswered.

And to make good on that pledge, in his post today, "American Power and Unhealthy Obsession," Mr. Webb smears me as a monkey "throwing poop." Mr. Webb is referring to his previous Planet of the Apes smackdown Photoshop. I called him out on it earlier. This is an implied threat here, and I'd frankly prefer to hear it to my face. But, instead of retracting his post, Mr. Webb digs even deeper into the hellhole of moral depravity. Now I'm a "poop throwing monkey":

Seriously though you can relax Don, that's just a picture of my pet liberal-attack-hate-monkey Thade. He says that he'll be happy to meet you for a throwdown anytime anywhere but he has two conditions: 1) Your tussle will have to stay within the bounds of "monkey rules" (I truly have no idea what that means; just pray that there's no flinging of poop involved...) and 2) You must rub bananas all over yourself prior to the fight; apparently it gets him into the mood.

When a remark even remotely this crude is made with reference to President Obama, the entire left-wing of the political spectrum erupts in outrage. But for the atheistic socialists of the hard left-wing base, this kind of blatant racism is totally cool. For reference, remember the Huffington Post's, "New York Post Chimp Cartoon Compares Stimulus Author To Dead Primate." Or, here's the reaction from an obscure radical blog, "Racist New York Post Continues a Murdoch Theme."

But the friends of James B. Webb will be cheering and slapping high fives at the latest smackdown against Dr. Douglas, the "evil" neoconservative.

Enough is enough!

This pissing contest has gone on long enough. I am again calling on James B. Webb to issue a full apology to me. I will publish it here in a new post. This debate began almost two weeks ago, when Mr. Webb attacked the "everyday stupidity of right-wing religious neoconservatives." Now it's time for him to have the last word. I confess honestly myself right here: Sure, I like to debate and tussle online, and I admit that I'm pretty zealous in defending against attacks as a "stupid" neocon extremist. And things have gotten pretty ugly too.

So, now James can show he's a gentleman. James B. Webb can end it here with a full apology for his "blacks as monkeys" slur (see, "Blacks as Monkeys? It's Time For An Adult Conversation"). I will accept his apology and we all can move on.

President Obama: Don't Forsake American Exceptionalism

Monica Crowley recounts Michael Jackson's relationship to President Ronald Reagan (she notes how both men reached the towering heights of fame and power, both beginning with humble origins). But it's her discussion of American exceptionalism that is superb.

During his public life, Barack Obama has often referred to his biracial background and itinerant childhood and has said, "In no other country on Earth is my story even possible." True.

But earlier this year, while attending the European summit of the Group of 20 major economic countries, the president was asked if he believed in American exceptionalism. He replied, "I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism, and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism."

Not exactly the way Mr. Reagan would have answered.

American exceptionalism is grounded in the founding of the United States upon an idea, rather than upon the ambitions of men. Indeed, it was designed to be a nation of laws and specifically not of men, built on the concept of individual liberty and equal justice before the law, with freedoms ranging from speech to worship, and rights from gun ownership to assembly.

The Founding Fathers institutionalized these freedoms so we would be safe from the overweening burdens and capricious claims of a too-powerful state. These freedoms would allow individuals to do as they pleased within the confines of the law and to achieve, in ways big and small, to the benefit of the country as a whole.

Even in extremely difficult times, American exceptionalism survived. Faced with the darkest days of civil and foreign wars; economic depression and recessions; weak leadership at home or aggressive, hostile leadership from abroad; the American people kept faith in the uniqueness of our democratic experiment. Liberty provides opportunity, which is why in our 233 short years, we have produced (even with its flaws and flawed representatives) the greatest democracy in the world, the most productive engine of economic growth, the most influential culture and the most far-reaching effects of innovation.

President Obama's reference to British or Greek exceptionalism suggests a belief that the United States doesn't stand alone with a particular greatness but that every nation is great in its own way and America is simply one of many nations with something cool to offer.

This kind of multicultural, politically correct, "we're all unique in unique ways, every kid must win at dodgeball" thinking is the basis for his economic and foreign policies, from his schemes to nationalize the auto, banking, and health care industries to his lollygagging on behalf of those fighting for greater freedom in Iran.

Israeli Strike on Iran? Timing's Never Been Better

From John Bolton, "Time for an Israeli Strike?":

Those who oppose Iran acquiring nuclear weapons are left in the near term with only the option of targeted military force against its weapons facilities. Significantly, the uprising in Iran also makes it more likely that an effective public diplomacy campaign could be waged in the country to explain to Iranians that such an attack is directed against the regime, not against the Iranian people. This was always true, but it has become even more important to make this case emphatically, when the gulf between the Islamic revolution of 1979 and the citizens of Iran has never been clearer or wider. Military action against Iran's nuclear program and the ultimate goal of regime change can be worked together consistently.

Otherwise, be prepared for an Iran with nuclear weapons, which some, including Obama advisers, believe could be contained and deterred. That is not a hypothesis we should seek to test in the real world. The cost of error could be fatal.

It's a great piece (full essay at the link).

Adam Serwer is not pleased:

Bolton mocks those who are in favor of continued engagement as "theologically committed" to such a course, even though he's certain it won't lead anywhere. Robert Farley and Matthew Yglesias have both expressed skepticism about whether meaningful engagement is possible with Iran post-crackdown, but it doesn't necessarily follow that bombing is in our interest, given our continued involvement in Iraq and the devastation a bombing would cause. It also probably wouldn't work; the consequences of a failed bombing would be pretty catastrophic both for the people of Iran and our relationships in the region, and it would reinforce the legitimacy of the regime at a time when it is struggling to maintain it.

Serwer cites Robert Farley (a man totally bereft of moral credibility) and Matthew Yglesias (who espouses a foreign policy that only Caracas, Damascus, and Tehran could love).

Yglesias is basically an American Basiji, and Farley's no better.

And our options in Iran? Jules Crittenden says there's never been a better time to take out the nukes. And here's this from Israel Matsav, who notes that it's not all upside:

Israel should strike Iran now, because there is no choice. It has to be done, and this seems to be the ideal time to do it. Curiously, there has been very little talk here over the last three weeks about preparations for striking Iran, although we saw a lot of talk about that in the winter and in the spring. But to expect an Israeli strike against Iran's nuclear capability to bring about regime change is probably wishful thinking given the values and goals of the current US administration. It is more likely to bring a further crackdown on Iranians by the Ahmadinejad regime and sanctions against Israel from the United Nations with US cooperation.

American Soldier Believed Captured by Taliban

From the Los Angeles Times, "American Soldier Believed Captured in Afghanistan":

An American soldier is believed to have been captured by insurgents in eastern Afghanistan, the U.S. military said today.

The soldier has been missing from his unit since Tuesday, said Army Capt. Elizabeth Mathias. Citing concern for his safety, she did not disclose the circumstances of his disappearance, or explain how military authorities had concluded that he was being held, or say whether there had been any communication with insurgents about the missing man.

The brief military statement was not definitive about a capture having occurred; Mathias said the soldier in question was "believed" to have fallen into the hands of "militant forces."

There was no immediate public claim of responsibility from any insurgent group. A number of different militant commanders, not all of them affiliated with the Taliban, operate in eastern Afghanistan.

However, the Reuters news agency quoted a senior Taliban commander, Mullah Sangeen, as saying the soldier was captured earlier this week as he left a base in Paktika province on patrol.

See also CNN. Plus, Dan Riehl has more on the new U.S. offensive in southern Afghanistan (via Memeorandum); but check Greyhawk for the military angle and updates.

Reformists Face Quandary in Iran

From the Washington Post, "Iran Unrest Shifts Power Dynamics: Reformists Must Rethink Strategy."

Iranian protester beaten by the regime.

The large-scale protests in Iran since its hotly disputed June 12 presidential election have shaken the Islamic republic's long-standing balance of political power.

For decades, hard-line members of Iran's cleric-led government controlled the judiciary, military, intelligence and state media. But reformists also had wide public support and room to push for more moderate social and political policies.

That delicate balance worked for both sides, providing an outlet for people who chafed at the Islamic regime's austerity and isolationism, while ensuring that the core system, created after the 1979 revolution, would not be seriously challenged. The reformists did not advocate a revolutionary overhaul. The general view was that Iranians did not want another revolution.

But the recent protests attracted hundreds of thousands into Iran's streets, resulting in at least 17 deaths and many more injuries. The hard-liners have tightened their grip, leaving the reformists to decide whether they should keep playing the old game or whether the rules have changed so much that the game no longer exists.

There's more at the link.

Related: Victor Davis Hanson, "Thuggery 101," and Roger Cohen, "Let the Usurpers Writhe" (via Memeorandum).

Photo Credit: Iran Press News. (Hat Tip: Gateway Pundit.)

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UPDATE: Cold Fury links with, "STRONG content warning":

The most hideous and disturbing picture I’ve seen yet of what Obama’s theofascist pals in Iran are capable of. These are the people he wants to go crawling to for more futile negotiations. These are the people he wants to see maintained in power. These are the people he’s sided with ...

Attention Conservatives: Be Feared

Since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved.

Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince

I've cited John Hawkins a couple of times at various points during the recent debates, but this comment sticks out:

Everybody in the conservative movement does not have to be an Ann Coulter, which is fortunate, because few people have her biting wit, talent, or fearlessness. But we need people who aren’t afraid to go for the throats of our political enemies.

It takes a while to figure this out, but when debating leftists, conservatives will never gain points for civility, grace, honesty, and respect. These folks will cut your heart out given the chance. You will be hated equally, no matter your disposition. Stand strong for your values, my friends. You will not betray them in defense of your goodness.

Firms Closing as Leftist Policies Make Costs of Doing Business Prohibitive

I got the tip from James at The Real World.

It turns out that Hav-a-Tampa cigars, a Florida-based unit of Altadis USA, is going out of business. Demand for cigars has declined amid the economic downturn, but aggressive regulations and taxes drove the final decision to close the business:

Several things conspired to hurt Altadis' sales ... including the recession and the growth of indoor smoking bans. The bans have especially hurt sales in cold-weather states, where it's impractical to smoke a cigar outdoors in the winter ... However, the company attributed much of its trouble to the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP, a federal program that provides health insurance to low-income children ...

Yesteday Fox News published this report, "Obama Flirts With Breaking Campaign Pledge on Taxes to Pay for Health Care Reform."

But actually, "President Obama broke his pledge not to raise taxes on lower- and middle-income families with his large tobacco tax increase back in February." The story on that is here: "Obama's Cigarette Tax Puts the Lie To His No New Taxes Pledge."

Now, of course, there's debate this week on the Obama administration's global warming "cap-and-trade" legislation. And Robert Zubrin has this analysis, "The Costs of the Cap-and-Trade Bill":

On June 25, the House passed the Waxman-Markey climate stabilization act, which would institute a cap-and-trade system to restrict Americans’ carbon emissions. While proponents of the bill have sought to argue that the costs of such a system would be negligible, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the bill proposes a massive and highly regressive tax on the U.S. economy, and could potentially cause not only extensive business failures, unemployment and privation within our borders, but starvation among poorer populations elsewhere.

Read the whole thing, here. More analysis at Memeorandum. James' post is here, "Those On the Left Are Mostly Clueles."

See also, Gateway Pundit, "The NRCC Hits Dems Hard Over Cap-&-Tax (Video)."

Related: Los Angeles Times, "Losses of Factory Jobs in California Blamed on Regulation."

James B. Webb: Depths of Psychological Denial

This post is a lengthy response to yet another iteration of the recent attacks on this blog. (Actually, a couple of iterations. James "Barebacker" Webb" has photoshopped me again since I started working on this post! And this time, with this particular Photoshop, James appears to imply a physical threat. I don't buckle to threats, so if big boy James is really calling me out, he knows where I am. He's a sorry-assed punk who's been beaten badly already, for all to see. But if he's looking for serious trouble, he'll need to get real personal and kick me to the curb like a man - put up or shut up!)

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Anyway, as readers know, I like the online debates. And I recognize that sometimes things get a little hot. But after three years of this stuff one gets the knack for holding their own. The leftists are bullies and brutes. After Wonkette posted more links to the demonic Trig Palin Photoshops, the moral balance had really turned against the leftists. My own commenter, Grizzy Mama, summed things up (link):

This is unreal. These lefty bloggers are incapable of behaving like adults. It's like they are a bunch of nasty, spoiled little kids. They're like some of the 'publics' (as I call them) on the block in the old neighborhood - desperately in need of mature parental guidance. That they are fully grown and have a forum for their base thoughts and so-called humor is shocking, really.

With that, and the commentaries of William Jacobson, it was manifestly clear that it'd be impossible for James B. Webb to continue his defense of the indefensible. Yet, when he Photoshopped me one more time, I responded:

An apology for your depraved attacks would be the decent thing to do, and I'll publish it at my blog with your denuniciation of Wonkette and your disavowal of using your sister as a shield.

Well, there's more: Mr Webb, after the merciless thrashing he's gotten, indeed offers a summary apology - but not to me! It's to his readers, and includes this:

The apology I'd like to offer is to say that I'm sorry to the readers of this site. This latest rhetorical scuffle between Don and myself was mean and it was ugly and I'm sure that it was hard to read about at times. I'll admit that I wrote some fairly unfriendly words in the course of things but I still feel justified in the stance that I took and I still stand behind every word that I wrote. I realize that by this point in my life I should be able to resist getting dragged down into the gutter by someone with Don's level of intellectual dishonesty in the blogger world but for as long as I can remember I've always had a problem backing down from an argument when I've known that I was on the right side of it.

There's actually a diagnosis for this in psychiatric medicine. James clearly manifests the indications of acute psychological denial. As Dr. Sanity points out in her post, "STRATEGIES FOR DEALING WITH DENIAL - Part III":

At the center of all psychological denial is a hidden agenda. That agenda is usually not completely conscious--meaning that the denier has not thought through the issues surrounding his denial; and may not even be aware of what his motivation is in asserting something is true when it isn't; or false when it isn't.

Denial need not be absolute and completely cut off from reality. Even among alcoholics and drug users there is a varying level of awareness of their problem. Some accept that they are in jail or sick because of their substance use, but yet are still not willing to do anything about it. Some may recognize some facts about their drinking (like that they get put in jail), but completely deny the impact of those facts on themselves or their families; or the future implications of continued drinking or drug use (e.g., that they are killing themselves and will die).

The hidden agenda or underlying motivation behind the denial is very frequently related to the potential adverse consequences that could ensue if the denial were eliminated and reality acknowledged. That is where the unnacceptable feelings, needs, and thoughts come in. The denier (or part of him) has made an unconscious decision that awareness of certain feelings, needs, or thoughts is more threatening to his sense of self than the act of denial.

(ASIDE: Dr. Sanity's example of an alcholic's denial is hypothetical, and is not specific to my criticism of James B. Webb. It is interesting, though, that with James B. Webb, many of his attacks are alcohol-fueled. I don't know if James' drinking problem is related to the supression of the other feelings and conflicting guilts, but there's no doubt that when someone has been shown as not just badly wrong, but bereft of moral virtue, some kind of psychological clinical adaptation must take place. Absent that, one might completely breakdown to a catatonic state.)

But let's recap the whole week-long debate with James B. Webb, the king of postmodern hypocrisy. In response to my first post over a week ago, on the Photoshopping attacks on Trig Palin, we got this from Mr. Webb:

My youngest sister also has Down Syndrome so you can imagine that I too would be considerably offended and justifiably outraged at such an attack against a defenseless child, only I have taken the time to arm myself with a few weapons that Don appears to lack: restraint, common sense and the Google ...

In a recent post about the faux Palin/Letterman controversy I asked what the next outrage du jour from the Republicans would be, a question that I think was aptly phrased in that it certainly does appear that there is something new that positively infuriates these people every single day. The term "sore losers" seems a bit simplistic and trite to explain this apparent derangement and never ending persecution complex ...

Famous last words? Mr. Webb has written four posts [six now, but who's counting?] since that time, most in response to my blogging on the controversy. But finally, earler, after William Jacobson pointed out Wonkette's latest reprehensible attack on Sarah Palin - including completely stomach-churning Photoshops of Governor Palin's son - it turns out that James B. Webb has finally eaten his words dissing the "ghoulshopping" of Baby Trig:

I understand ... any of those photoshops attacking or making fun of Trig are disgusting and should rightly be condemned ...

Well, why didn't you say that in the first place, big boy? You might have avoided a bit of, what's it called? Oh yeah, hypocrisy:

1. The practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not hold or possess; falseness.

2. An act or instance of such falseness.

Now, it's bad enough to be hypocritical. But what's worse is hopelessly attempting to escape such hypocrisy to the point of denying the accepted definition of the word:

I called you on your inability to recognize or define hypocrisy and dared you to publically prove your claim you went apeshit and wrote a rambling screed trying to smear me as being gay ...

Well, there's ample evidence to James' hypocrisy, not just in the example above, but here as well, "James Webb, Atheist Hypocrite, Loves teh Gays." God only knows James' sexual orientation for sure, although we have no hard evidence to rebut the suspicions that surround him. No matter, since that time James has stopped backlinking his posts attacking me to my own blog. I guess the notion that that might be a little hypocritical finally sunk in, especially having once denounced such practice himself. Oh, and James has yet to start calling me "Dr. Douglas," despite his hysterical demands that I show "respect" by addressing him as "James B. Webb." I won't hold my breath for a little recipical respect on my side. No matter though. There's certainly some comfort, altogether, that James' moral bankruptcy and nihilist hypocrisy are on brilliant display by now, for the whole world to see. Note too that this complete break with intellectual honesty is the hallmark of the postmodern left:

Those individuals, groups, or nations who live in the world of deep denial are practically untouchable by reality or rational argument. They go through their daily lives secure in the knowledge that their self-image is protected against any information, feelings, or awareness that might make them have to change their view of the world. Nothing--not facts, not observable behavior; not the use of reason, logic, or the evidence of their own senses will make them reevaluate that world view.

This last section is key. Because when James sees this post, he'll embark on another round of alcohol-fueled irrationalism and denial in and attempt to get out from under the weight of the unmistakable proof of the complete collapse of virtuous character.

Iran Regime Hangs Protesters; Oppo Newspaper Shut Down, Mousavi Defiant!

Atlas Shrugs, "Day 19 Iran Revolution: Supporters of Opposition Hanged." Plus, from JPost, "6 Mousavi Supporters Reportedly Hanged."

Also, from the Los Angeles Times, "Iranian Opposition Newspaper Shut Temporarily," and "Analysis: Hopes Fading for Negotiated Solution to Iranian Nuclear Impasse in Wake of Crackdown." From London's Independent, "Mousavi Declares Iran Government Illegitimate, " and Washington Post, "Ahmadinejad's Rivals Defiant on Iran vote."

Just found this on Twitter:

RT @inblueink: Protests continued across Iran today, Tehran and Tabriz and others #iranelection ...

And from ABC's Lara Setrakian on Twitter:

Khatami: #iranelection was a 'velvet coup' against democracy, undermines country's leadership @ap

Also Blogging:

* Astute Bloggers, "Mullahs Hang 6 Mousavi Supporters."

* Berman Post, "Iranian Revolution."

* Enduring America, "The Latest from Iran (1 July): The Opposition Regroups."

* Gateway Pundit, "Iranian Regime Hangs 6 Mousavi Supporters In Mashhad."

* Hot Air, "Mullahs Stringing Up Opposition?"

* Jihad Watch, "Iran is Still supporting, Funding and Training Surrogates Who Operate Inside of Iraq."

* Michael Ledeen, "Iraq and Iran."

* Nice Deb, "Iran Hanging Mousavi Supporters, Now?"

* The Lede, "July 1: Latest Updates on Iran’s Post-Election Turmoil."

* Jonathan Tobin, "Has the Iranian Regime Been Strengthened?"

See also, Der Spiegel, interview with Iranian theologian and philosopher Mohsen Kadivar, "'This Iranian Form of Theocracy Has Failed'." And CNN, "Opposition Movement in Iran Not Over, Experts Say."

Check Memeorandum and Atlas Shrugs for updates.

Jackson Begged For Sedative

From KABC-TV Los Angeles, "Nurse: Jackson Had Begged For Sedative":

Also, CNN, "Jackson's Will Filed in Court, Officials Say," and "Michael Jackson Public Viewing Set for Friday." From the Los Angeles Times, "Michael Jackson Will Not Be buried at Neverland Ranch."

For the latest gossip news, check WeSmirch. Plus, UsWeekly, "Dermatologist Is Father of Michael Jackson's Kids."

Americans See Democratic Party as “Too Liberal”

That's Gallup poll director Frank Newport in the video:

It turns out that the public sees the Dems as more liberal than they see the GOP as conservative, "More Americans See Democratic Party as “Too Liberal”":

The Democratic Party continues to hold the upper hand over the Republican Party in the current U.S. political environment by a variety of measures, including party identification and party favorable ratings. However, compared to last year, Americans are significantly more likely to see the Democratic Party as too liberal, and as a result, they are somewhat more likely to view the party as being too far left than to perceive the Republican Party as too far right. That may expose a bit of a vulnerability for the Democratic Party, and if perceptions of the Democratic Party as being too liberal continue to grow, the GOP may be able to win back some of the support it has lost in recent years. But that may be possible only if the Republicans are at the same time able to convince the public that they are not too far to the political right.

Oh, and remember: We're the right-wing "extremists."

The Filibuster-Proof Majority

Markos Moulitsas' wide-eyed glee in this MSNBC video is almost creepy:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Ezra Klein notes how short-lived these legislative majories are, with the implication that the Dems better ram home their program while they've got the chance: "Democrats Have 60 Votes. What Will They Do With Them?"

At The Hill, "Another vote for card-check bill" (via Memeorandum).

Dick Morris suggests the GOP should stand its ground against the disastrous Obama policy agenada.

Actually, I'm glad the Minnesota race is done. Now we'll really see the Democratic agenda in action. The Dems are the country's majority party. They'll have responsiblity for the policy disasters under their watch. As Private Pigg said about Al Franken in the comments here yesterday:

I'm glad he won. The last thing we needed was the economy to be stinky and Democrats to be able to point to Republicans who were actually able to kill some Dem programs and use them as scapegoats. Now the Dems can ram their crap through, over-reach, and be out of power in 2 and 4 years.

Video Hat Tip: Hot Air.

The Supreme Court Says No to Quotas

I was expecting this commentary, from Abigail Thernstrom:

The Supreme Court has made an elegant start at cleaning up the mess of employment discrimination law, in part by insisting on a critical point. "The purpose of Title VII is to promote hiring on the basis of job qualifications, rather than on the basis of race or color," Justice Kennedy said. The goal was to create a workplace environment free of discrimination, "where race is not a barrier to opportunity." And yet "the City made its employment decision because of race. The city rejected the test results solely because the higher scoring candidates were white."

Justice Samuel Alito's concurring opinion noted that New Haven never made any credible effort to determine whether the firefighters' promotional exam was a legitimate test of job-related skills; the decision to discard the test results was nakedly political. The tests, in fact, had been scrupulously designed and scrubbed of all possible racial bias.

Incredibly, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, writing in dissent, agreed with the willfully blind conclusion of the district court -- which had reasoned that New Haven's assessment "was race-neutral" on the grounds that "all the test results were discarded, no one was promoted." The panel on the Second Circuit effectively agreed with this nonsense.

Yet another Second Circuit judge, José Cabranes, properly posed the broad constitutional question at issue: "Does the Equal Protection Clause prohibit a municipal employer from discarding examination results on the ground that 'too many' applicants of one race received high scores and in the hope that a future test would yield more high-scoring applicants of other races? Does such a practice constitute an unconstitutional racial quota or set-aside?"

Unfortunately, only Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia addressed this issue -- and only briefly. "The war between disparate impact and equal protection will be waged sooner or later, and it behooves us to begin thinking about how -- and on what terms -- to make peace between them," he concluded.

All racial classifications are highly suspect under the 14th Amendment. The Constitution protects individuals from discrimination -- without respect to race. Distributing benefits and burdens on the basis of color was supposed to be the ugly mind-set the leaders of the civil rights movement struggled so heroically to change. We have not escaped such race-thinking yet, but this decision is an important step in the right direction.

More at the link.

Biology and the Sick Ideological Fantasies of the Left

Dr. Sanity comments on the case of the Swedish parents who want to let their child "choose" its gender when the "time is right":

This is probably one of the best examples of the kind of biological fantasies generated by the so-called 'progressive' and 'reality-based' intellects of the left. Yesterday I talked about how the face of evil constantly renews itself ; however, the ultimate goal remains the same: it is anti-mind, anti-life, and anti-reality.

The parents who wish to deny the biological reality of their child are no different than all those who wish to deny reality in order to proudly disply their leftist credentials. They are no different from any other "selfless" sociopath who desires control over others; except that their particular brand of malignant narcissism couches its oppression of others in terms like "social justice" and "choice"--but it is tyranny nonetheless.

Is it any wonder then that, unlike the capitalist system they abhor, where basic human nature--both the good and the bad parts--is harnessed and made socially useful, the ideologically-motivated paents described above (and all the reality-denying morons of the left) intend to stamp out or ignore any aspect of human nature they don't happen to like, or which is inconvenient to their ideology.

Someone should tell them it has been tried many times before, and by much smarter tyrants than the current crop of ideologues will ever be. It won't work. It cannot work. It has NEVER worked.

Attack of the Leftist Hate Monkeys!

I thought James B. Webb was a beaten man by now. But no, he's back with another depraved smear against me, "American Power Powers Down."

Actually, I didn't "power down." It was James B. Webb who was down for the count (after the brutal pounding he took in the last round). He's back up, in any case; but I'm not in the mood to deal with this sick little boy right now, so please take a look at Andrew Klavan's recent dealings with another batch of beasts from the netroots swamps, "Attack of the Leftist Hate Monkeys!":

Last week, my Pajamas Express blog suffered an onslaught by these leftist haters. As far as I can tell, they were spurred on by someone named Glenn Greenwald, whom I don’t know, but who seems to have inspired them with a nonsensical personal attack of his own and then sent them forth like the Wicked Witch dispatching her flying monkeys. Now, my policy has always been to allow all comments on my site. I enjoy the debate, occasionally learn from it and frequently get a laugh from some hostile wit who lands a good one on me.

So at first I shrugged off the Attack of the Leftist Hate Monkeys. As a result, they were allowed to darken the atmosphere for other readers and commenters and detract from the generally free and jovial bellicosity of online discussion. Thus, after a weekend of meditatively beating my wife, relaxing around the men’s room glory hole and skewering babies to watch them writhe and die, I’ve decided I’ll ever-so-slightly modify my policy. All opinions – by which I mean ALL opinions – remain welcome. Snarkiness, sarcasm, satire, pointed wit, commonplace nastiness will still make the grade. Even low-level name-calling is all right if it applies. Nothing wrong with the occasional “boor” or “knucklehead.” But cursing, strangled cries of hate-filled rage, disturbing personal attacks that reveal more about the attacker’s sick mind than we want to know—they’re gone. Send that stuff to my mailbox through my personal website. You can be sure I’ll give it the consideration it deserves.

There's more at the link.

Perhaps Mr. Klavan might take exception to James B. Webb's nickname. But before anyone has ideas, I'd suggest folks read John Hawkins' piece, "Attention Conservatives: Nice Guys Do Finish Last."

It's too bad James and his leftist friends have stooped to such a low level. But being conservative doesn't mean having to cave to these idiots.

Cynthia McKinney Demands Release After Confrontation With Israeli Navy

This just in from Yid With Lid, "Cynthia McKinney Earns Certificate of INSANITY."

It turns out that the Israeli Navy has seized McKinney's boat, the Spirit of Humanity, as it attempted to violate the blockade against outside intervention in Gaza. Fox News has the report, "Cynthia McKinney Demands Immediate Release After Her Gaza-Bound Boat is Seized by Israeli Navy":

Former U.S. lawmaker and Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney, whose relief boat was seized by an Israeli naval ship Tuesday for the second time in a year, is demanding the immediate release of her and 20 other activists.

McKinney, a longtime supporter of Palestinians, said her Greek-flagged boat, the Spirit of Humanity, was carrying medical supplies, cement, olive trees and children's toys to Gaza when it was boarded by the Israeli navy.

"This is an outrageous violation of international law against us," said McKinney. "Our boat was not in Israeli waters and we were on a human rights mission to the Gaza Strip. President Obama just told Israel to let in humanitarian and reconstruction supplies, and that's exactly what we tried to do. We're asking the international community to demand our release so we can resume our journey."

The Israeli military issued a statement Tuesday saying that the boat had attempted to break a blockade of Gaza and was forced to sail to an Israeli port after ignoring a radio message to stay out of Gaza waters.

More at the link.

Actually, I knew something was up. I received this notification from Cynthia McKinney's headquarters, dated June 24, 2009:

From Cynthia McKinney: We Leave for Gaza Tomorrow; I've Asked the White House to Intervene for our Saftey...

I just sent the following message to President Obama:

"Mr. President, Please ask the Israelis to not harm our boats and to let us proceed to Gaza. The Israelis are paying attention and have printed stories about our boats in both the Jerusalem Post and Ha'aretz. We are doing nothing more than what you have already requested the Israelis to do: ease up on the Gaza blockade. Please ask the Israelis to allow us to proceed to Gaza without harm. Sincerely, Cynthia McKinney"

You, too, can contact the White House (http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/) and ask them to send a message to Israel requesting our safe passage to Gaza. We pose no threat to Israel and represent real hope for change in US policy for the people of Gaza. I also contacted the State Department and the Justice Department with similar messages.

We are in a group training now. What will we do if . . . I'll upload pictures and some video (if I've mastered this video camera) to our http://www.dignity.ning.com/ http://www.dignity.ning.com/ and livestream.com/dignity pages. Please visit all of our pages listed below and join!!

DIGNITY will be planning some direct actions inside the U.S., too. Additionally, I have communicated with the authorities re Troy Davis and am in communication with Peltier's attorney.

As always, I do look forward to hearing from you!!

I received a second notification on June 25th:

The Israelis are hopping mad. And they're flexing their muscles in all the ugly places. They can't ram us again without sparking an international uproar, so they're trying to stop us from leaving the port at all. The Limasol, Cyprus Port Authority which controls the port of Larnaca also, sent their inspector to Larnaca with a letter saying that the boat failed inspection, only thing, the letter was written BEFORE he even arrived in Larnaca to do the inspection! Reuters is doing the story at this very moment saying that we were prevented from leaving due to Cypriot authorities. We just learned from a Cyprus government source that pressure is being applied by Israel to deny us departure credentials. It appears, then, that Israel is putting us into contortions because they don't want us to take cement into Gaza. After white phosphorus, depleted uranium, DIME, cluster bombs, F16s, death, destruction, and mayhem. All of *this* over a few bags of cement. Can you believe???

1. Read the Haaretz article here, showing Israeli concern about us taking cement to Gaza

2. Hear the interview with Don Debar on the contortions we're being put through by Cyprus Port Authority

3. Read the Reuters article here (interesting that the story broke in Israel and not Cyprus!!)

4. Individuals have already started to contact the Cyprus UN Mission and their DC Embassy to inquire why they are arbitrarily not allowing the Spirit of Humanity and the Free Gaza to set sail.

1. Here is the Ha'aretz article:

Last update - 17:00 18/06/2009

Activists plan to send Gaza cement, in violation of Israel blockade
By Reuters and Haaretz Service

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/tags/index.jhtml?tag=Israel+News

http://www.twitter.com/haaretzonlineActivists campaigning for an end to Gaza's blockade by Israel will sail to the Hamas-run enclave from Cyprus despite the presence of the Israeli navy, they said on Thursday.

Two boats, including one carrying cement and building supplies -- materials not permitted in by Israel over fears that they could be used for military purposes -- will sail from Cyprus on June 25, the multi-national Free Gaza Movement said.

"We are taking 15 tons of cement, which is just a token of how much the Palestinians need, because the Israelis won't allow building supplies into Gaza," said Greta Berlin, a representative of the group.

The group started regular shuttles to Gaza from Cyprus in August 2008, but was turned back by the Israeli navy on its last journey in mid-January of this year.
Israel tightened a blockade on Gaza in 2007 after the Islamist Hamas took control of the enclave, a strip of land that is home to 1.5 million people.

Israeli forces bombed and then invaded Gaza in late December 2008 in a bid to rout out militants lobbing rockets into Israel, badly battering its already decrepit infrastructure.
Related articles:

* U.S. ups pressure on Israel to end Gaza blockade

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1093870.html

* Ex-president Carter urges Obama to remove Hamas from U.S. terror list http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1093577.html

2. Hear Greta Berlin and I explain what is happening with the purposeful delay of our departure?http://www.livestream.com/wbaix

3. Read the Reuters article:

??? 12:54 25Jun09 -Cyprus halts aid boats bound for Gaza Strip LARNACA, Cyprus, June 25 (Reuters) ...

This really has nothing to do with promoting humanitarianism in Gaza. It has all to do with promoting Cynthia McKinney. Check the links to the "Dignity" page above. I've just skimmed them, but her supporters appear on the fringe of the left-wing fringe. Unfortunately, McKinney's playing an extremely high stakes game. It's dangerous business. And there's really not much she can achieve as one who's no longer in government and as one who's developed a reputation as acting outside of international law.

As I've noted previously ("Cynthia McKinney at Long Beach City College"), Ms. McKinney seems personally vexed by ideologically demons. Yid With Lid is absolutely correct in suggesting some sort of insanity.

Trig Trutherism! Andrew Sullivan Gets a Lifeline - Again!

Look, even the freaks at Daily Kos let it go.

And take it from Glenn Beck (who knows something about fringe conspiracies), "It's the whackiest rumor about Sarah Palin or any other politician so far this election."

A pregnant Governor Sarah Palin, interviewed by Alaska's TV station KTVA in Anchorage, April 2008.

But Andrew Sullivan has gotten a lifeline from Todd Purdum's hit piece at Vanity Fair:

It remains true that no one in the MSM will investigate the details of this truly bizarre story - and MSM journalists instead have devoted their efforts to demonizing any journalist who tries.

The one MSM newspaper that tried to report out the story of the pregnancy, asking the questions that any sane person would ask, was the Anchorage Daily News ....

But Palin refused to answer any questions and went on a tirade against the ADN. You can read the full story of this here. As I have said all along, I do not know what happened and the benefit of the doubt should go to Palin in the absence of actual journalism being committed. But the more her pregnancy with Trig becomes a campaign platform, a serious inquiry into exactly what happened in those few surreal days - days and decisions that she has made public and that reflect vital questions about her character and judgment - remains on the shelf of media deference. And the key witnesses who could verify it all - Palin herself, her husband, her doctor - still refuse to even take questions on the most bizarre series of events in Palin's entire life.

I believed then and I believe now that the MSM is too concerened [sic] with their own reputations and too deferent to power to even ask the questions. Which is another betrayal of their core purpose. And why they are dying. And deserve to.

That's good, actually, that someone still believes reputation matters!

As it is, far too many people take for gospel the word of Andrew Sullivan.

It's surprising too. Remember the comment by AOSHQ: "A brain-addled conspiracy crank unable to observe the minimum levels of respectability and human decency is simply not fit for polite company."

See also, Ed Morrissey, "A Picture Refutes a Thousand Nutcase Conspiracies."

And in case you missed it, see Christopher Badeaux's, "Through the Looking Glass With Andrew Sullivan."

Also Blogging: JammieWearingFool, "Sullivan: MSM Should Die Because They Won't Go Trig Troofer."

Hat Tip: Memeorandum.

Previously: "Trig Trutherism Lives!"

Are You Franken Serious? Vile Comedian to Take Seat in Washington

Al Franken will take a seat in the U.S. Senate.

From The Politico, "Norm Coleman Concedes Minnesota Senate Race to Al Franken," and the New York Times, "After 8 Months, Franken Wins Senate Seat in Minnesota."

Most folks might appreciate the idea of the "citizen legislator" taking the fight to Washington. But with Franken, we're seeing the acccession of the most disgusting fever-swamp partisanship to Capital Hill.

See, "THE FACTS ABOUT AL FRANKEN."

Also, "Are You Franken Serious, Minnesota?":

In an effort to keep his promise to Minnesotans and prove his seriousness Franken called Senator Coleman, "one of the administration's leading butt boys." (Hey, wait. Isn't that what the PC police call, a homophobic slur?) Ask Ann Coulter if she thinks it's a homophobic slur. Not to worry though, Al Franken is a Democrat, and is pro-gay rights, so "butt boy" is ok for him to use. Which has me pondering this whole Al Franken fiasco; look at the Democrats today, they are driven by the extreme angry, anti- (fill in the blank), Left-wing sector of the Party.

Don't miss Kathy Shaidle as well, "Send in the Clown."

Hat Tip: Memeorandum.

Also Blogging: Michelle Malkin, "Franken-fied: Make way for (another) clown; Update: Coleman statement added," and Hot Air, "Breaking: Say hello to Senator Al Franken; Update: Coleman concedes."