Week in Review 04/24/10

Obama: Drop Bailout Fund

The Obama administration told Senate Democrats Friday to drop a proposed $50 billion fund designed to finance the liquidation of a big financial institution facing collapse, a victory for Senate Republicans opposed to government-supervised and government-funded corporate bailouts.

“The fund was not in our original proposal we announced almost a year ago and we don’t feel it is an essential part of final legislation,” a senior administration source told Fox. “The President will only sign a bill if it passes the test of putting an end to bailouts.”

President Obama also issued a veto threat on regulatory reform, saying he will reject legislation that “does not bring the derivatives market under control in some sort of regulatory framework.” Read more.

Gates Warns U.S. Lacks Strategy on Iran Nukes

WASHINGTON – A memo from Defense Secretary Robert Gates to the White House warned that the United States lacks a nimble long-term plan for dealing with Iran’s nuclear program, according to a published report.

Gates wrote the three-page memo in January and it set off efforts in the Pentagon, White House and intelligence agencies to come up with new options, including the use of the military, The New York Times said in its Sunday editions, quoting unnamed government officials.

White House officials Saturday night strongly disagreed with the comments that the memo caused a reconsideration of the administration’s approach to Iran. Read more.

Palin Taken Aback by Obama’s ‘Like It or Not’ Remark

Washington, Ill. (AP) – Sarah Palin criticized President Barack Obama on Saturday for saying America is a military superpower “whether we like it or not,” saying she was taken aback by his comment.

“I would hope that our leaders in Washington, D.C., understand we like to be a dominant superpower,” the former Alaska governor said. “I don’t understand a world view where we have to question whether we like it or not that America is powerful.”

Obama said earlier this week that the United States must do its best to resolve conflicts around the world before they grow too serious. Read more.

Ruffin Poole reaches plea deal

RALEIGH — Ruffin Poole, a longtime aide to former Gov. Mike Easley who is accused of 57 corruption counts, has reached a plea deal with prosecutors, court records say.

A hearing on the plea deal is set for 2 p.m. today before U.S. District Judge Terrence Boyle.

The terms of the plea deal are not yet known.

Officials could not be reached or have declined to comment.

Boyle must accept the deal before it is considered final and, if past cases are an indication, he will question both side at today’s hearing.

The deal would avert a trial that was set to begin in just two weeks.

Perdue’s approval ratings slipping again

Gov. Bev Perdue’s approval ratings have tumbled backward after showing slight improvement during the first three months of the year, according to Public Policy Polling.

The Democratic polling firm found that 28 percent of those surveyed approve of the job Perdue is doing, while 52 percent disapprove. That’s down from a 32-47 split a month ago.

The anti-incumbent sentiment among voters remains strong, and Perdue, a Democrat, didn’t even break 50 percent approval within her own party: 44 percent of Democrats approve, while 33 percent disapprove.

“If Perdue’s numbers continue to be this poor, she’s likely to be a drag on Democratic legislative candidates this fall,” PPP Director Tom Jensen wrote.

The firm’s survey this month found voters preferring Republican legislative candidates 45 percent to 42 percent, thanks to a 47 percent-to-18 percent lead among independents.

OBAMA’S CZARS

Get to know the Czars who are making key decisions that affect your daily life and your future. Wake Up America! This is the backbone of our government who have not been elected, but self picked by Obama to “fundamentally change our Country.” These people are not for a free America, but a government run, socialistic redistribution of wealth. So far they run our banks, automotive industry, Healthcare, Wall Street, and Education. They are not going to stop until they takeover all of American industries. Read more.

2010 Primary Dates By State

Our Movement to rescue America from radical socialism and extreme liberalism starts with your votes. Here are the 2010 primary voting dates by state. Make sure you put these dates on your calendar and you are registered to vote. Then start to vote the liberals and socialists out of our Congress – Both State and Federal. See chart.

US and Europe rethink role of Cold War alliance

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is heading to a meeting of NATO ministers in Estonia at a time when the 61-year-old organization is suffering from a kind of mid-life crisis.

Almost 20 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the 28-member North Atlantic Treaty Organization is in the midst of an intense self-examination, trying to rethink its basic purpose.

NATO was founded to blunt the long-extinct threat of a Soviet invasion of Western Europe.

Now it finds itself divided on many fronts: doubts among some members about its combat mission in Afghanistan, unease with the continuing presence of U.S. nuclear weapons in Europe, prickly relations with Moscow and concerns about the wisdom of expanding NATO deeper into Russia’s backyard. Read more.

Illinois Democrat Pressures Obama to Tackle Immigration Legislation

Forget the Tea Parties. President Obama and Democratic leaders in Congress have another rebellion on their hands — led by a fellow Democrat from Obama’s homestate.

Illinois Rep. Luis Gutierrez is turning up the volume on his already piercing criticism of the Obama administration for failing to tackle immigration reform and is now threatening to rally Hispanics to stay home on Election Day.

Gutierrez took his criticism a step further Tuesday, holding a news conference on Capitol Hill with other Latino lawmakers to slam a bill making its way toward the governor’s desk in Arizona that would give state officials broad new powers to arrest people suspected of being illegal immigrants — a bill Gutierrez blames in part on Obama. Read more.

Middle age: Earth Day hits 40

Forty years ago, when Sen. Gaylord Nelson launched the first Earth Day, the United States was an environmental disaster area.

Air pollution was unchecked — cars and factories filled our skies with toxic smoke. The same was true of waterways. Lake Erie was so polluted it was declared dead. The oil-slicked Cuyahoga River in Cleveland had caught fire a year earlier. Vehicle fuel efficiency was a novel idea.

That year, Republican President Richard Nixon signed into law the Clean Air Act and the National Environmental Policy Act and approved the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, all sent to him by a Democratic-Congress. Two years later, he signed the Clean Water Act. Read more.

Poole pleads guilty to tax evasion, will cooperate

RALEIGH — Ruffin Poole, an aide to former Gov. Mike Easley, pleaded guilty to a single count of income tax evasion Monday, sparing himself a trial on 57 counts related to corruption.

As part of his plea agreement, Poole will cooperate with investigators, suggesting that federal prosecutors have their sights firmly set on higher ranking members of Easley’s administration, possibly Easley himself.

“I trust that Mr. Poole’s cooperation will be valuable,” said U.S. Attorney George Holding just after the hearing. “I can promise that we will use the information. We will follow the evidence to wherever this investigation leads.”

U.S. District Judge Terrence Boyle accepted the plea, and said he will suspend further proceedings in the case until the federal government has concluded its investigation. Read more.

Brown thinks Palin qualified, backs Romney now

WASHINGTON (AP)– Sen. Scott Brown says he thinks former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is qualified to be president but right now he’s supporting former Gov. Mitt Romney for the 2012 Republican nomination.

As for his own ambitions, he say “absolutely in 2012″ he’s ruling out any run for the presidency. And in an NBC interview Friday, Brown said “I’m not even going to jump” at a question about whether he would seek the presidency later on.

Brown said, “I’ve been here three months … and I’m very focused on doing my job.” Asked if he regretted bolting the Republican caucus recently to support Democrats on a jobs bill, he said, “I don’t really care. .. I’m going to be the independent person I have always been.”

Lindsey Graham: Immigration would kill climate bill

A top Senate negotiator on climate change believes that a sudden turn by Senate Democrats to immigration could “destroy” any hope of a major climate and energy bill this year.

“This comes out of left field,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), after hearing that Democratic leaders may now push immigration reform ahead of a climate bill. “I’m working as earnestly as I can to craft climate and energy independence, clean air and jobs, and now we’re being told that we’re going to immigration. We haven’t done anything to prepare the body of the country for immigration.”

“This destroys the ability to do something on energy and climate,” he added, questioning whether the Senate could take up both immigration and climate before November. Read more.

S.B. 1070 Is Now State Law

After much heated discussion, following lengthy protests and in the wake of both national and local support and criticism; Gov. Jan Brewer signed S.B.1070 into law just moments ago, referring to the new law as “another step forward in protecting the state of Arizona.” Governor Brewer also stated that the bill was the state’s only choice given the federal government’s failure to secure the nation’s borders.

In contention with Arizona’s new law on Immigration Enforcement is the constitutionality of the measure. The bill includes the authority of local police departments to directly inquire about citizenship, while further enabling police officers to stop suspect illegals under “reasonable suspicion.” The problem this poses is a simple one. In Arizona the overwhelming majority of those in the state illegally are Mexican. The fear is people of Mexican heritage that are in the state legally will be stopped solely to assess their citizenship based on profiling practices. Many in opposition to the bill stand against it solely for this one reason. Gov. Jan Brewer stated she will be signing an executive order to provide training to officers to avoid civil rights violations stating, ”I will not tolerate racial discrimination or racial profiling in the state of Arizona,” She also emphasized an amendment in the bill that prevents law enforcement personnel from using race as the only reason to implement the law. It is important to note in the arguments opposing this bill, this amendment within the bill is never referred to. Read more.

Week in Review 01/02/09

America’s Best Hope – Fifty Sovereign States

There is a saying that all politics is local. But as the federal government expands its role in our lives, there is no longer much distinction between national and local. Every person, every home, every Quickie Mart, every church, every school, doctor, bank, and every car dealer, is directly affected as a paternal federal government becomes ever more invasive. The balance between federal, state and local government established by our founders is all but erased. And in the realm where checks and balances prevent unilateral domination, the states may be our last best hope for restoring our birthrights. Read more.

System ‘did not’ work – Napolitano revises comments

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano reversed course Monday and admitted the U.S. air travel security system failed after a Nigerian man attempted to blow up a plane on Christmas Day.

On the “Today” show, Napolitano said her comment over the weekend that “the system worked” was “taken out of context.” She said her words referred to the U.S. air travel security’s reaction — notifying law enforcement, airports and carriers — 60 to 90 minutes after the suspect tried to bring down the jetliner. Read more.

Democracy Under Attack

A Letter from a Concerned US Citizen Posted on WakeUpAmerica.Com’s Web Form

As we celebrate Christmas with friends and family, we also need to be mindful that our freedoms and way of life are being erased by a government which cannot be trusted.

This year, the holiday has an entirely different meaning. Our President has declared war on democracy. President Obama is swiftly removing our freedoms and replacing our successful economy with socialism. Unfortunately, we have elected our first Muslim President. He has been on the attack since taking office on January 20. His campaign promises of openness and ensuring the public would have an opportunity to read any and all of his legislative proposals on the internet were false. Most of his other campaign promises were equally false. Read more.

Dems’ Turn to Unravel

It is one of the immutable laws of American politics that whichever major party is riding high today will be dusting itself off tomorrow.

A year ago, the Democrats thought they had achieved nirvana. Barack Obama was waiting in the wings to replace George W. Bush; Kay Hagan was about to take Elizabeth Dole’s Senate seat; Larry Kissell had won Rep. Robin Hayes’ House seat; and Bev Perdue’s election was about to extend the Democratic hold on the governor’s mansion to 20 years – the longest Democratic run east of the Mississippi River.

But a funny thing happened on the road to the Democratic Shangri-La. Read more.

Handling problems the Obama way

HONOLULU — There is a sense of déjà vu in the Obama administration’s response to the attempted terrorist attack on Christmas Day. A by-now familiar pattern has been established for dealing with unexpected problems.

First, White House aides downplay the notion that something may have gone wrong on their part. While staying out of the spotlight, the president conveys his efforts to address the situation and his feelings about it through administration officials. After a few days, the White House concedes on the issue, and perhaps Barack Obama even steps out to address it.

That same scenario unfolded over the summer, when Obama said Sgt. James Crowley, a white Cambridge, Mass., police officer, “acted stupidly” when he arrested Henry Louis Gates Jr., a black Harvard professor, in his own home. It happened in March when the public was outraged over AIG dishing out hefty bonuses. More recently the public witnessed the dynamic after a security breach at President Barack Obama’s first state dinner. Read more.

New cybersecurity Czar faces huge hurdles

President Barack Obama has reached into the private sector and named Howard A. Schmidt as the new coordinator for cybersecurity in the administration – a new “Cybersecurity Czar,” if you will. Mr. Schmidt has his work cut out for him; balancing the many and often divergent – even parochial – interests of the many federal agencies concerned with the security of their computer systems and information. Schmidt also will have to consider the security of the government’s cyber systems as they relate to the business sector and to other governments – state, local and foreign.

The approach Schmidt takes, and the perspective he decides to bring to his new job will in large part determine whether this administration will succeed in protecting vital national security and economic data from domestic and foreign threats. Read more.

‘09: Year of Dem Scandals

RALEIGH — Two governors — one leaving office, the other beginning — probably couldn’t imagine the troubles that they would see as 2009 began.

For the newcomer to the job, Beverly Perdue, the difficulties began as dark clouds over the state’s finances.

For the old hand headed out of the Governor’s Mansion, Mike Easley, the woes started as questions over his personal finances.

The scandal churning around Easley and the multibillion dollar financial hole for state government dominated the political news in 2009. The year also saw an historic smoking ban become law and legislators wrestle to ensure the solvency of state-backed insurance programs. Read more.

Holliman to face tougher election

GOP, interest groups gear up to beat him after he backed higher taxes, smoking ban

State Rep. Hugh Holliman, a Democrat from Lexington, is one of the most powerful members of the General Assembly — but in the conservative-leaning district he represents, that can be both a blessing and a curse.

As the N.C. House majority leader, Holliman has his fingerprints on every major piece of legislation passed by the Democratic-controlled General Assembly. This year, in addition to helping write a state budget amid a massive shortfall, Holliman championed a statewide smoking ban at businesses. It will take effect on Jan. 2. Read more.

Alarm over Treasury aid Fannie/Freddie cap probed

Lawmakers are calling for an investigation of the Treasury Department’s decision to lift the cap on government cash for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, a move that essentially gives unlimited aid to the mortgage giants for the rest of President Barack Obama’s term.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) said Wednesday that his subcommittee of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee will launch a probe. Separately, Reps. Scott Garrett (R-N.J.) and Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.) requested that the Financial Services Committee hold a hearing on the matter. Read more.

Government Moves Toward New Aid for Auto Finance Firm GMAC, Source Says

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government was moving ahead Wednesday on a fresh multibillion dollar cash infusion to stabilize auto financing company GMAC Financial Services, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.

GMAC, based in Detroit, is instrumental to the operations of automakers General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group LLC. It has already received $12.5 billion in taxpayer money and is 35 percent owned by the federal government.

The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because discussions weren’t complete, says the new infusion would be in the range of another $3 billion. That would fall short of the roughly $6 billion the government had earlier thought GMAC would need to stabilize the company. Read more.

GOP lawmakers stay vocal during break

On the Sunday before Christmas, 40 conservative House Republicans jumped on a conference call to talk about political strategy going into the holiday break.

The message from Republican Study Committee Chairman Tom Price: This is no time for a vacation.

While the Capitol is quiet for the winter recess, GOP lawmakers have been anything but silent. Building on noisy recesses past — the gas-price protest of the summer of 2008, the town halls from the summer of 2009 — Republicans are determined to win the winter break, flooding the airwaves with cable TV and radio appearances, beating up their Democratic colleagues on health care, attacking President Barack Obama over the Christmas Day terrorism plot and generally refusing to give in to a traditionally slow news cycle. Read more.

Do the liberal elite care that they are harming America?

[The liberal elite] know that the people simply cannot be trusted; that they are incapable of just and fair self-government; that left to their own devices, their society will be racist, sexist, homophobic, and inequitable – and the liberal elite know how to fix things. They are going to help us live the good and just life even if they have to lie to us and force us to do it. And they detest those who stand in their way. – Les Adams (The 2nd Amendment Primer)

People have asked me, “Don’t Congress and the President know that their policies are harmful to America?”

I think the answer to that question is evident. The liberal elite don’t think that their policies will harm America; they think that they are making it a better place for everyone, even if they are doing it against the will of the American people. The elitists’ leftist ideology is so ingrained that they no longer listen to their constituents. Read more.

Democrats’ worst nightmare: Terrorism on their watch

From the time he launched his campaign for president three years ago, Barack Obama had to consider how he would react to the first serious act of terrorism during the campaign, or if he won, on his watch. His fellow Democrats had been thinking about the moment even longer – since the September day in 2001 when attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon defined George W. Bush’s presidency and gave Republicans a decisive advantage on a defining political issue.

And yet the White House’s response to last week’s attempt to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight to Detroit could rank as one of the low points of the new president’s first year. Over the course of five days, Obama’s Obama’ reaction ranged from low-keyed to reassuring to, finally, a vow to find out what went wrong. The episode was a baffling, unforced error in presidential symbolism, hardly a small part of the presidency, and the moment at which yet another of the old political maxims that Obama had sought to transcend – the Democrats’ vulnerability on national security – reasserted itself. Read More.