Conservatism Today

Steve Driehaus is not a Fiscal Conservative

From Doug Ross at Director Blue:

Steve Driehaus is a Democrat from Ohio who ran as a "fiscal conservative" in a very red district (OH-1). Seriously. And yet he voted for every single one of the Obama-Pelosi-Reid economy-killers including Cap-and-Trade. If you have a blog and you want to express your disgust with PelosiCons like Driehaus, please join me in posting a Steve Driehaus blog widget.

Glad to be able to help, Doug. These clowns have got
to go next time around.

ABC News is such a Joke

Michelle Obama has entered the health care fray, which may be good news for those who recall what a great job Hillary Clinton did getting her beliefs passed into law during her husband's administration. But that's not the big news, according to this ABC blog story, which can't resist reporting what really matters about the First Lady:

Mrs. Obama wore a light gray elbow-length jacket with a large silver high waisted belt, and dark gray pants. She accessorized with several silver bangle bracelets and diamond earrings.

At least our media are no longer distracted by minutia. Did anyone think to ask her if she felt her $317,000 hospital income was excessive when many of her hospitals patients couldn't afford health insurance? Probably not. Too busy getting her earring details.  

Yes, I'm Back

Had a little vacation time and got to see my cousin get married. But as Brian Johnson sings below, "I've been too long, I'm glad to be back!" A little Monday drive-time rock for you...

Obama is 'Poor Dad'

I normally try to avoid linking to myself, but when Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit and Donald L. Luskin of The Conspiracy to Keep you Poor and Stupid both do, I figure I can, too.

Rich Gov, Poor Gov: Why Obama can't Fix the Economy

Last night, as I reread Robert Kiyosaki's 1997 Bestseller Rich Dad Poor Dad, I realized why Barack Obama will be unable to do what is necessary to fix America's economy. It's not just that he believes in government intervention in business, although that's a big part of it. But what makes it even worse is that President Obama is Poor Dad.

More at the link. Much more. I spent some time on it and It's quite long - I like to think it's even pretty good.

Around the Conservative Web - Weekend of June 14

Catching you up on some of my favorite blogs this weekend...

Flopping Aces: CBS Headline: Meet Iran’s George W. Bush

This ought to be a no-brainer: Ahmadinejad has made a mess of the economy, clamped down on political dissent and social freedoms, militarized the state, and earned the enmity of much of the world.

Michelle Malkin: Corruptocrat Chris Dodd caught lying again

Chris Dodd’s cottage in Ireland, a joint purchase facilitated by crony contributor and convicted insider trader Edward Downe, is magical.

Watch it magically appreciate:

Moonbattery: SF Judge: Terrorists Can Sue Bush Officials

The AC was up too high, the lights were too bright, he didn't get enough sleep, there was a pea under his mattress, et cetera. Meanwhile, in Muslim countries people are getting their fingernails torn off. The worst of Padilla's "torture" was allegedly being told he would be transferred to the sort of country where he really would be tortured.

Any judge who wouldn't laugh this case out of court needs to be removed from the bench immediately for reasons of national security.

Patriot Room: That was Quick. Is Obamacare Already Dead?

The logic of Democrats' (Republicans should, on principle alone, always oppose the government's doing anything not required under the Constitution, and health care ain't in there) opposition to the plan is clear. If the doctor's, health insurance companies, and the public don't like it, what constituency are the politicians serving by voting for the plan? Even if they are authoritarian, nanny-state, do-gooders, who would vote for anything that would aggrandize their own power, they still need to win reelection to enjoy that power. Following a president who was the most liberal Senator in the Senate down the road to Nationalized Health Care may not play well in the 95% of Congressional districts that are not as liberal.

Right Wing Nut House: A Grand Old Flag

This is the best Flag Day piece I've ever seen. Check it out.

The Other McCain: Karl Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Rove?

Really, Sully? I mean, really? WTF goes through someone's mind when they dream up an idiotic comparison between (a) Karl Rove, a Republican political strategist, and (b) Mahmoud Ahmadinejed, a Jew-hating genocidal maniac?

Powerline: The Walpin Story: It's about Money

So the investigation had to be swept under the rug quickly, and Walpin had to go. Obama had one of his White House lawyers call Walpin and demand that he resign within an hour. When Walpin refused to quit, Obama fired him without giving a reason other than his supposed lack of "fullest confidence" in Walpin. This certainly violated the spirit, and may have violated the letter of the 2008 Inspectors General Reform Act, which Obama co-sponsored. (I think it probably did.) This is classic Obama--ignoring a statute which he himself had sponsored just a year earlier.

PoliPundit: It's Interest Rates, Stupid

If the Republicans have any political savvy, they will coordinate a full attack on Obama’s economic policies as soon as the Treasury hits 5%. By then, there will be no getting around what his policies have created. About two in three people on their own home or property (condo, two unit, etc) Even if they aren’t now buying, selling or refinancing, a homeowner is acutely aware of what higher mortgage rates mean to them. Many homeowners are aware of what property values are doing in their own areas. As they see property values falling, they will be able to make the connection from that to rising mortgage rates.

That's all for this week. Please check out our friends' sites, it's good for everyone.

Sarah Palin: A Fear Worse Than Words

A guest post by author Paul A. Ibbetson...

Want to know what is worse than losing a long, grueling race for the White House? Don’t ask John McCain - ask Sarah Palin. Since the moment the Alaskan Governor decided to throw her hat in the ring as the 2008 Republican Vice Presidential candidate, she has re-defined what it means to be the candidate of the extreme. For conservatives, she injected a brief moment of pride, if not hope, in what was a more or less a pre-destined losing bid by John McCain to become the next president of the United States. While Palin brought a spark of enthusiasm to the McCain campaign, she truly unleashed the “Dogs of War” from liberals around the nation, who were driven into an anger-frenzy by her fresh face, conservative ideas, and vision for the future.

Even after John McCain’s defeat to the Obama machine had long been verified, the battle to destroy Sarah Palin continues. On one of these battle fronts has been a continual character assassination that transcends the petty framing of the usage of wardrobe funds which made such grand headlines during the campaign and has now been elevated to accusations that Palin is in fact a plagiaristic word-thief. As recently reported in the June 9, 2009 Associated Press, liberal blogger Geoffrey Dunn accused the Alaskan Governor of stealing the words from a 2005 Newt Gingrich speech in a recent introduction the Governor made in Alaska for talk show host Michael Reagan.

Like a typical liberal, Dunn found a friendly venue at the Huffington Post to spew his slanderous statements, and then later edited his post to soften his accusation of Palin as a plagiarist to someone who failed to give complete and proper attribution. In retrospect, Dunn grudgingly reported later that Palin had given verbal accreditation to Newt Gingrich in her speech. Rich Tyler, Newt Gingrich’s spokesman stated that Dunn’s accusation had the validity of a joke. It would be easy to throw this incident on the growing stack of failed liberal attempts to disparage the integrity of conservative politicians and just move on. However, for the sake of what may be more than just decency, let’s take a moment to look at why Sarah Palin still warrants the target of liberal hatred at this stage of the game. Despite some pretty major problems within the Republican Party that linger today, Sarah Palin remains a beloved figure among conservatives, despite the defeat of John McCain, that has placed the nation at the hands of Barack Obama.

The same attributes that naturally draw conservatives toward her keep angry liberals continually attempting to destroy her. That is, Palin was following (and continues to follow) the conservative values of small government, tax cuts, oil drilling, strong defense, and the list goes on and on. She does all this as a beautiful independent woman, who defies the modern liberal logic of the day and embraces the traditional conservative values of the family and the right of the unborn to live. In short, she makes liberals sick. In truth, she scares the hell out of them. Yes, for liberals like Dunn and other lackeys of the same ilk, people like Sarah Palin bring a fear worse than words to their world. It’s a fear that this country might still possibly take a turn back to its traditional values of the free market, controlled spending, accountability and American pride. For liberals like Dunn, this is a fear I would like to bring to fruition, and yes, you can quote me.

Paul A. Ibbetson is a former Chief of Police of Cherryvale, Kansas, and member of the Montgomery County Drug Task Force. Paul received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Criminal Justice at Wichita State University, and is currently completing his PhD. in sociology at Kansas State University. Paul is the author of the books Living Under The Patriot Act: Educating A Society and Feeding Lions: Sharing The Conservative Philosophy In A Politically Hostile World. Paul is also the radio host of the Kansas Broadcasting Association’s 2008 and 2009 Entertainment Program of the Year, Conscience of Kansas, airing on KSDB Manhattan 91.9 f.m. www.ibbetsonusa.com. For interviews or questions, please contact ibbetson91.9@gmail.com.

Bob Hope's Best Line Ever

I'm sure I've posted this before, but it's only 24 seconds and it never stops being funny,

The National Debt Road Trip

This video illustrates our increased spending about as well as anything I've seen. If this were an actual family road trip, the kids would be screaming, "Mommy, why is Daddy trying to kill us?!"

Rush Limbaugh's 14 Commandments of the Religious Left

This is an oldie, but it's still funny, true, and you probably haven't seen it in 15 years, if ever:

Jon Voight on Obama: 'False Prophet'

Proving he's even more evil than his character on this season's 24.

Your Taxes at Work: Michelle Obama takes Girls to London for Fish and Chips

Mama Obama and the girls frolic in London on your dime:

We all remember Obama’s admonishment to corporate CEO’s in February:

“You can’t get corporate jets, you can’t go take a trip to Las Vegas or go down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayers dime.”

Apparently that doesn’t apply to his wife...

Of course not. None of our rules apply to the god and His wife.

Include the dozens of Air Force personnel to fly and service the plane, embassy personnel and other staff and we are talking about a serious expenditure of tax payer dollars.

Meanwhile, millions of Americans have lost their jobs and won’t be able to take their family on a summer holiday. Despite their circumstances they’ll still be expected to fork over the tax dollars to pay for Michelle’s trip!

Around the Conservative Web - Weekend of June 7

This post usually celebrates the fact that I successfully avoided learning and posting about anything over the weekend, but not so this week. Still, a catch-up of the past weekend's news and insights from the right-wing web is always worth it. I'm sure you're wondering what ground-breaking news item actually made me break my "no work on the weekends" rule, so I'll make that the first link:

Patriot Room: A Beauty Tip that is Great News for Men Everywhere

American Thinker: Too Audacious to Hope?

Suddenly, the good guys seem to be winning elections.  (Or at least the bad guys are losing them.)

Flopping Aces: Obamanomics Creating More Unemployment

Readers may recall that the Congressional Budget Office warned in February that passing the massive stimulus bill might actually damage the economy and in many ways was worse than doing nothing.

Democrats who cited the CBO as the gold standard of economic analysis when it criticized Bush Administration forecasts were quick to dismiss the CBO report.

Guess who was right?

Hot Air: Obamacare - Goodbye 4th Amendment

(T)his appears to do away with that pesky Fourth Amendment, which normally requires search warrants and probable cause to access the records of individuals and businesses.  Not under ObamaCare!  Now, everyone belongs to the government … rather than the other way around.  George Orwell, call your office!

Moonbattery: MSM Moonbats Declare Obama a God

What took them so long?

Track-A-'Crat: We are so Screwed

Because now we’re being outwitted by even Cuba.

Axis of Right: Obama's Czar Problem

It's not just the fact that you can't name someone else a czar when you are personally doing more czar-ing than any American President in history.

And finally, Ronald Reagan's 1984 D-Day Speech at Point-du-Hoc, Normandy. One of the best ever and written mostly by himself. Remember the days when our President loved what America represented, instead of apologizing for being the savior of freedom in the world? Yeah, me too, barely.

Tonight's Bedtime Prayer

I'm rereading P.J. O'Rourke's brilliant book Parliament of Whores, and came across this old favorite that seems to apply more today than ever.

Abracadabra, thus we learn
The more you create, the less you earn.
The less you earn, the more you're given,
The less you lead, the more you're driven,
The more destroyed, the more they feed,
The more you pay, the more they need,
The more you earn, the less you keep,
And now I lay me down to sleep.
I pray the Lord my soul to take
If the tax-collector hasn't got it before I wake.

                                     -- Ogden Nash

Sweet dreams.

Obama has made Joblessness 'fun'

From Ace: Oh. My. God: LAT Times Finds the Fun in Unemployment, Coining the Term (and I'm Not Kidding) "Funemployment"

During the Bush Administration, the left and media (BIRM) constantly sought to inflate Bush's actual unemployment numbers by guessing at the number of "discouraged workers," workers who had become so discouraged at trying to find work that they'd given up. They were unemployed, but no longer drawing unemployment benefits or otherwise getting their numbers on to the official government lists, so they were "invisible unemployed."

And every week the left talked them up, and guessed that these "discouraged workers" would, if properly counted, goose Bush's actual unemployment figures by something like 50%.

So:

Anyone heard of any "discouraged workers" lately?

I guess that was a made-up stat that applied only to Bush, just like "jobs saved" is a made-up stat that applies only to Obama.

I'm waiting for the LA Times nbext article on the joys of the "funinsured," or maybe an expose on our "funderperforming" public school system.

LOLBAMA

More fun with pictures at IMAO. Example below.

Sarah Palin on Murder of Abortion Doctor, Military Veteran

"The death of 67-year old George Tiller was unacceptable, but equally disgusting was another death that police believe was politically and religiously motivated as well."

The Idiocy of Releasing Gitmo Detainess on U.S. Soil

From Flopping Aces:

Bledsoe didn’t resist arrest, but he was prepared for a shooting joy ride that day. At his immediate disposal was approximately 200 rounds of ammunition. In his car was magazines, all loaded up with 100 additional rounds of ammo and stashed in a vest, an SKS rifle, two pistols and two military books.

According to the video report at the ABC story linked above, he was “hunting” US soldiers. And most of our armed forces service men and women are not wandering around US streets in battle-ready status. This, of course, makes them sitting ducks for wannabe-jihadis like Bledsoe.

More at the link.

On the Abortion Doctor's Murder

Following the murder of abortion doctor George Tiller, Patterico asked a couple good questions.

1) Do you believe killing an abortion doctor is morally justified?

2) If you had an al Qaeda terrorist in the sights of your gun, would you pull the trigger? If you were the President and you were told one of our snipers had Osama in his sights, would you give the order to kill him?

I do not happen to believe that abortion is murder, although I believe it is wrong — and becomes more morally objectionable as we get closer to the moment of birth.

But some do believe abortion is murder, no different from murder of a fully formed human. It is those people to whom I put the question.

I made two posts responding to those questions, and to those who blame religion for this murder, which I excerpt below:

Christianity in no way Responsible for Murder of Abortion Doctor

But the left is right about one thing. This is an occasion to look at the bigger picture. As far as dangerous political groups go however, abortion opponents and their ideas don't kill anywhere near the number of people that, say, enviro-wackos do. See malaria deaths in Africa thanks to criminalizing the use of DDT

for just one example that has killed millions of people.

Likewise, the people who think it's a good idea to promote single motherhood are responsible for far more deaths than anti-abortion activists. So are the people who want to legalize heroin. Trade unions (particularly their bosses) kill more people, as do those who oppose capitalism, like Lenin... Perhaps you get the point.

Once every year or so one of our loons kills someone or a group of someones over abortion. But anti-abortion is not an ideology founded in death, as the other side's is.

Does the Supreme Court bear some responsibility for abortion doctor's murder?

The difference ought to be clear. The abortion doctor is doing his job, work that has been declared legal by our democratic process (or so it appears). We are not at war with abortion doctors, nor are they actively trying to kill me (so self-defense wouldn't be a consideration.)

Many people think that what our military is doing in Iraq is murder. Apparently these people still manage to ride the same logic train and refrain from killing our servicemen upon return. Either that or they actually are the impotent wussies that I have always suspected they are.

So there are two possible explanations for why abortion doctors get killed, for ideological reasons, more often than returning servicemen. The first is that our military members tend to be good fighters, while pacifist pansies don't. It fits. But I don't think it is the real cause.

The real reason is that abortion doctoring has never been declared legal by the democratic process. The Supreme Court usurped the people of the United States, preventing them from deciding this issue in their states, as the 10th Amendment to the Constitution requires

Two can play the blame game.

Around the Conservative Web - Weekend of May 31

This is the weekly post where I celebrate the fact that I have successfully made it through another weekend without posting anything on Saturday or Sunday. I offer this up to those - like me - who need to catch up on what they missed over the weekend. Here are some of the more interesting, entertaining, informational, or just downright funny right-wing blog posts from this weekend.

Ace of Spades: Olbermann's a Liar

Oh really? Note that Olbermann didn't ask Mancow about the hoax emails on the air and let the audience in on that, or let it judge Mancow's response to see if they too were as easily persuaded by the buffoonish cow-insemination major Olbermann. He did not merely fail to disclose this fact, he actively concealed it from the world, and only now -- when exposed as a liar -- does he tell us about all the serious fact-checking he did behind the world's back to "confirm" the stunt as genuine.

Also note that, as Ann Coulter says, more reporters have now been waterboarded than terrorists. So it is apparently not particularly difficult to get a trained guy to waterboard you... safely, and properly.

Flopping Aces: Barack and Michelle's Date Night

Imagine for a moment the “news” media reaction if President Bush had taken Laura out for a night in New York with half the Secret Service, the U.S. Military, New York’s finest and the news media tagging along at taxpayer expense?

Right of Course: The road to racism…paved with good intentions

Now we are hearing about what Judge Sotomayor intended when she spoke about the superior decision making skills of a Latina woman.  This is because the Democrat Party has become a party where intentions are more important than the actual results of action.  To explain why this is, I have to first give you a different view of the political arena.

Doug Ross: RED ALERT: Dealergate -- Quantitative Analysis Indicates Clinton Donors Rewarded By Selective Closings

Conclusion: "a significant and highly positive correlation between dealer survival and Clinton donors":

A must read. 

Patriot Room: I Wish I Could send my Daughter to School Here - But I'd have to move to California

Not many schools in California recruit teachers with language like this: "We are looking for hard working people who believe in free market capitalism. . . . Multicultural specialists, ultra liberal zealots and college-tainted oppression liberators need not apply."

Track-a-Crat: Exporting Gay Pride to Iraq

We can’t foster democracy in the Middle East but we can force respect for homosexuality onto them?

Something tells me that the second is going to be even less popular than the first.

Last Friday, 29 May, the US Embassy in Iraq held its first-ever gay pride party in Baghdad.

The Black Sphere: Obama's Cyber Security Farce

Frankly, with all the internal wars being waged by Obama against America, I say to cyber thieves, "Stand down." Why bother doing against America what is already being successful done from within...by the guy with the keys to the kingdom?! Obama is doing a better job of destroying America than all hackers, foreign and domestic—combined.

For those of you who believe that Obama is setting up some innocent new department—think again. This is the same guy who won two elections by having divorce records of his opponents made public.

Green Hell: Propaganda - Cap and Trade

Desperate greens really will say anything to advance their agenda (i.e., totalitarianism-via-global-warming-regulation).

Start Thinking Right: Democrats weep over Sotomayor, Targeted Thomas, Estrada

There is no racism like the racism of the left, especially when they are opposing a conservative of color.  He or she is an Uncle Tom or an Aunt Jemimah.  A race traitor.  An “Oreo Cookie” (or a “Twinkie” for a “white-acting” Asian, or a “coconut” for a “white-acting” Hispanic).  You had better damn well two the line and be the kind of black that liberals want you to be or they will come after you.

DonovanTalk: Obama losing Liberal Support

Obama's popularity will finally cave. He has no natural sizable national American political base. He sold out America to win the election. When it goes, his popularity will vanish quicker than his campaign promises.

Greg Larson: Racial Consciousness and Faction

Namely, the desire of the political, elite left to raise the race issue ad nauseum.  This is not really multiculturalism, it the beginning of factionalism which, as Hanson explicitly states devolves into tribalism.  That is the opposite of the universal aspirations of America.

For America to retain its strength, it must become color blind and race blind.  Anything else enshrines parochial loyalties rather than broad, national loyalties.

That should catch us both up.