Mitch McConnell is either the dumbest member of congress, or the smartest.  At first I leaned toward dumbest when he proposed giving Obama the ability to raise the debt limit.  Then I read the proposal and realized that this is a brilliant solution.  The following article explains it:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/mitch-mcconnells-surprising-proposal-to-empower-barack-obama/2011/07/11/gIQA4RDBBI_blog.html#url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fblogs%2Fezra-klein%2Fpost%2Fmitch-mcconnells-surprising-proposal-to-empower-barack-obama%2F2011%2F07%2F11%2FgIQA4RDBBI_blog.html&size=small&count=fal

First, Obama would submit a request for a $700 billion increase in the debt ceiling, along with a nonbinding proposal to cut spending. That would automatically trigger a $100 billion increase in the debt ceiling to give Congress time to consider the request. Congress could then vote to either approve or disapprove of the president’s request. If they disapprove of it, however, Obama could veto their disapproval, and unless two-thirds of both chambers voted to overturn his veto — a virtually unthinkable outcome given that Democrats control the Senate — he could raise the debt ceiling anyway.

The same thing would happen, albeit in $900 billion increments rather than $700 billion increments, in fall 2011 and summer 2012. Take it all together, and Republicans would almost completely forfeit their leverage over the debt ceiling. In return, they’d get to make Democrats vote repeatedly to first raise the debt ceiling and then to “approve” of raising the debt ceiling. As Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said, this “gives the president 100 percent of the responsibility.”

Republicans ought to accept this, because it puts the spotlight and the responsibility solely on Obama.  McConnell is right, this President will never agree to a reasonable deal to raise the debt ceiling.  Instead he will hold sham meetings and repeatedly use the debt ceiling to take cheap political shots at Republicans, without having to offer any solutions himself.  He will use the threat of the debt ceiling to extort outrageous concessions from Republicans.  This would turn the tables on him.  He and only he would be responsible for raising the debt ceiling.  He and only he would be responsible to propose spending cuts to support that decision.

Unfortunately the conservatives are looking at this as surrender to Obama, without realizing that instead it is the ultimate poison pill for Obama.  My prediction is that if congress did pass this, the White House would reject it.  If this was such a great deal for Obama you would be hearing a lot of Democrats praising it.  They aren’t.  That is because they know the truth.  This deal will expose Obama and ultimately expose Democrats.  The reason is that Obama is very unlikely to propose real spending cuts.  That means when he requests an increase to the debt ceiling congress will almost certainly vote no.  Obama will then have to veto the legislation and Democrats in the Senate will have to block any attempt at over-ride. 

This is absolutely brilliant, but my hunch is that it will never happen.  Instead we will continue on the same path, which is the road to nowhere.

TDM

Obama just announced that he cannot guarantee that Social Security, veterans and disability checks will be issued if Congress cannot agree on a deal that would raise the governmnet debt ceiling by August 2nd.  This is a sure sign that he is not making much progress with the Republicans who are actually showing signs of growing a spine.  It is an act of desperation.

Now he has resorted to the classic Democratic trick of always trying to cut benefits for the most vulnerable people and then blame it on the Republicans.  I sure hope Republicans call his bluff.   There is more than enough money to pay the interest on our debt, to fund our military and to pay social security and veterans benefits.  It is unfortunate that President Obama has chosen the most vulnerable citizens in our society as his first choice to cut spending.

They need to make it clear that this is Obama’s decision, because it is.  If Republican allow Obama to dump the blame for his irresponsible actions on them, they lose.  If they put it where it belongs, solely in Obama’s court, they win.  It is as simple as that.

TDM

The Canadian Free Press has some interesting articles.  They despise Obama so I generally read their articles with a grain of salt.  In this particular case, however, everything they are reporting is consistent with known facts: 

http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/38374

This story has the potential to be beyond explosive.  The NRA is one of the strongest political forces in this country.  They not likely to be amused!  Just think about this.  During the last election John Kerry had a picture taken of himself pretending to duck hunt.  John Kerry?  Duck hunting?  Please!  It was so bad that even David Letterman could not resist a shot:

“John Kerry went duck hunting and he’s doing that to fulfill his campaign pledge to hunt down the ducks and kill them wherever they are. Kerry did pretty well; he came back with four ducks and three Purple Hearts.” —David Letterman

Kerry did that because, like a lot of Democrats, he knows he cannot afford to be targeted by the NRA.  Harry Reid only won re-election because of NRA support.  Even if you’re a democrat, being targeted by the NRA in much of the country is a fast track to retirement.

The danger to the Obama administration has increased exponentially because of the obvious cover-up.  As with most political scandals, the cover-up often does more harm than the underlying event.  The best example of that was Watergate.  It was, after all, all about nothing.  Some people got caught bugging DNC headquarters.  Who cares?  Does anyone really think Democrats would have passed up on the opportunity to bug the RNC.  (Remember Democrats actually got caught wiretapping Newt Gingrich’s cell phone.)  But the cover-up led to the resignation of Richard Nixon.

Brett Hume is one of the most respected reporters in Washington.  He is an experienced and careful man.  Following are his comments on this issue:

Hume: This is a real scandal. And once again we have the classic question “what did the Attorney General, for example, know and when did he know it.” This Obama Justice Department reminds me of nothing so much as the Nixon Justice Department. You have the scent of high level knowledge, of serious wrongdoing, and you have the smell of cover-up and I think the stench of cover-up on this gunrunning operation is very strong indeed.

 This is one time when the Canadian Free Press  big bang theory may have some real merit.

 TDM

President Obama has said that both political parties must compromise for the greater good.  But what he means by compromise is for Republicans to agree to raise the debt ceiling and raise taxes.  Once again Democrats are playing the class warfare card claiming that Republicans want to give tax cuts to the rich and screw the poor.

This is a classic bait and switch tactic by the liberal left that unfortunately has worked effectively for decades.  Republicans tend to get defensive and mutter comments like “I don’t think we should raise taxes on anyone during a down economy.”  It is pathetic.  What Republicans should do is start telling people the truth.  There is a good reason all those rich Democrats are so willing to support increasing tax rates on the rich. It is because they know they won’t pay them.  Really rich people hire professionals to find ways to avoid tax.

 Republicans need to point out the obvious difference between raising tax rates on the rich and raising the amount of tax actually paid by the rich.  This is an easy argument to win. 

 The following charts shows what percentage of total income tax was actually “paid” by income groups for the period 1980 – 2008

 George W. Bush cut the top tax rate and almost immediately the top wage earners began to pay a higher percentage of total tax revenue.  Even more significantly, the lower tax brackets paid a significantly lower percentage of total tax revenue.  If Bush is to be criticized, it is for allowing half of the population to pay nothing at all.

With regard to raising the debt limit, Republicans can win this debate, if they grow a spine.  They should just refuse to raise the debt limit.  They should tell Obama he cannot borrow any more money, period! 

 The 14^th Amendment says the U.S cannot default on its debt.  It does not authorize the President to borrow more money. If Obama refuses to pay our debt and spends money on anything else, he will be violating the constitution.  Obama is pretending that Republicans will be responsible for any default, but that is untrue.  There is more than enough money to pay the cost of our debt.

 Some things are predictable.  Obama will begin, as Democratic Presidents usually do, by cutting the military.  He may use this as an excuse to just order an immediate withdrawal from Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya and blame the resulting mess on Republicans. This is the only cut that Obama can make that will not infuriate his base. 

 Obama is unlikely to cut Social Security or Medicare.  His plan is to intimidate Republicans into doing that, so he can campaign against them on the subject.  He wants the Republicans to propose cuts.  Then Obama will ride in on his white horse and save the day.  But that is only possible if Republicans are dumb enough to play the game.  Republicans can call his bluff by refusing to raise the debt limit and dumping the ball fully in his court.  That way Obama, not Republicans will have to propose cutting entitlements.  Obama is very good at shifting leadership responsibility to everyone else.  Republicans need to call his bluff.

 I don’t expect it, but I would sure like to see Boehner say:  “enough is enough.”  We aren’t going to increase the debt limit.  We are not going to raise taxes on anyone.  The American people are already taxed too much.  Increasing taxes will only destroy what is left of our economy resulting in even less tax revenue.

 Mr. President, it is time for you to provide the leadership required to cut spending in a responsible manner. It is time for you to stop shifting responsibility to everyone else and do your job.

 TDM

The House Judiciary Committee is conducting a probe with regard to Elana Kagan’s testimony in front of congress during her confirmation hearings.  So far Ms. Kagan has refused to recluse herself from Supreme Court hearings regarding Obamacare:

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/judiciary-committee-launches-probe-kagan

The stated goal of the probe is to determine whether or not she should recluse herself.  But a more important issue may be whether or not Ms. Kagan committed perjury.  If Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds were put on trial for lying to congress, why should Ms. Kagan get a free pass?

Note the following sentence in the letter sent to the House Judiciary Committee:

“Contradictory to her 2010 confirmation testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, recently released Department of Justice (DOJ) documents indicate that Justice Kagan actively participated with her Obama Administration colleagues in formulating a defense of PPACA.”

 In other words, Kagan lied.  Lying before congress is a felony.  (See Clemens & Bonds above)  Should a nominee for the Supreme Court be held to a lower standard than a baseball player?

 TDM

The following article is absolutely stunning.  For a long time there has been a lot of evidence of an out of control Justice Department.  Yet no one seemed ready, willing or able to tell the truth.  That all changed with Kenneth Melson.  The Obama administration made a huge mistake.  They left an honest man in a position of power.  Then they made an even bigger mistake.  They tried to throw him under the bus assuming he would just take one for the team.  The problem for the Obama administration is that Melson did take one for the team, just not their team.  This is going to blow up like a powder keg:

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2011/07/fast-and-furious-blows-sky-high.php

Although this will start with the Fast & Furious fiasco, it won’t end there.  The camel’s nose is under the tent and the lid is coming off.  If 10% of the rumors about this administration are true, the biggest challenge will be deciding where to look next.

Watch for the Obama administration try to destroy this man.  They have no choice, because if they don’t destroy him, he has the potential to take them all down.

Enjoy!

Terry

For weeks the only thing on television has been the dreadful Casey Anthony murder trial.  Fox News seemed to devote half their broadcast schedule to covering this disgusting travesty.  Wasn’t there SOMETHING else they could have covered.  If anyone needs more evidence on why trials should not be televisioned, look no further.  Now,  after the prosecution argued for six weeks that Casey Anthony was worthy of execution, the jury decided she wasn’t guilty of anything other than lying to the cops.  Really?  Try to connect those dots!

Odds are that Casey Anthony will now make millions of dollars, solely because of her high name recognition.  She has already been offered a job by a major Porn studio.  A lot of lawyers are saying this is ok because the system worked.  That is why we should really resist electing so many lawyers to political office.  They have a warped sense of value.  In my personal opinion the system only works when the guilty are convicted and the innocent go free.  It is small solace to have someone explain that the trial was fair and balanced when a guilty person goes free.  It is even less solace to hear the same argument when someone has spent years behind bars for a crime they didn’t committ.  I understand why lawyers support the rule of law.  It is one of the cornerstones of our society.  But, is not the same thing as justice.  As for me, I would prefer more focus on justice rather than process.

This is a sad commentary on our society.   This has been a problem for a long time.  Far too often we pay more attention to someone being notorious rather than being note worthy.  I guess that explains how Barack Obama became President of the United States. 

TDM

Barack Obama may be seriously considering ignoring the debt ceiling and just continue to spend money. 

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/breaking-49-house-members-call-investiga

The pattern is becoming all too familiar.  Obama does what he wants, without regard to congress.  He started by appointing all those Czars.  The whole point of the Czars was that they did not require congressional approval.  Then, more recently, he decided to go to war with Libya. Now, it appears that he is prepared to ignore congress with regard to the debt ceiling.

I can almost hear him now. He will declare a financial emergency and say that since congress refused to do the necessary, he is taking action.  The man is fully capable of doing this.  Of course the only action he will consider is continuing to spend money he doesn’t have.  He may also refuse to pay our military, or Social Security, or Medicare.  This is a standard Democratic ploy.  The first things they cut during a time of crisis are the things that really matter.  That is why every time a Democratic leader is confronted with a financial challenge they threaten to cut funds for schools, police officers and fire fighters. 

Congress should call Obama’s bluff.  They should refuse to raise the debt ceiling and demand that Obama spend the available money with the following non-negotiable priorities:  Pay our troops, pay Social Security, pay Medicare, and pay the interest on the debt.  There is more than enough revenue to meet these priorities.  If Obama does that, there is no risk of the U.S. defaulting.  There will be painful cuts, but no financial crisis.  It is extremely important for the Republicans to refuse to raise the debt limit and to also to make sure the American people understand that the decision to default on our debt will be solely the responsibility of President Barack Hussein Obama. 

Obama has not sought or received congressional authority for a lot of things he has done.  George Bush challenged the UN and told them that if they were unwilling to back up their resolutions, they risked becoming irrelevant.  In my personal opinion, the same is true for congress.  If the leaders in the House and the Senate are unwilling to stand up for congressional authority when a President is openly ignoring the constitution, when will they stand up?  Leadership is not standing by meekly while Obama mucks things up beyond repair.

The 4^th of July is an important reminder of the courage it took for our founding fathers to stand up to King George.  It is easy to forget that a significant portion of the population at the time thought this was a major mistake.  They were wrong.  As Barry Goldwater once said: 

extremism in defense of liberty is no vice and moderation in resisting tyranny is no virtue.

TDM

Re-read my post:  HUMA DINGER.  Then read the following article:

 http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0611/58094.html

Coincidence?  

TDM

If we as a country are incapable of discerning the difference between a man of character and honor, like George Bush, and man who demonstrates only arrogance and incompetence, like Barack Obama, we are doomed.  Following is a video clip of George Bush riding with the wounded warriers on a bike ride:

I will include no clip from Barack Obama, because there is none available.  He has never done anything remotely similar to this.  We had a man of courage and honor as President.  He personally visited the families of soldiers killed in action.  He never allowed the media to cover this.  Note how he instantly remembers some of these guys.  Contrast that with Obama who couldn’t even remember a Medal of Honor recipient.

In my opinion, we failed to appreciate what we had.  A lot of people are longing for another Ronald Reagan.  I frankly would be thrilled to find another George Bush.  He was not the best public speaker, but this was and is a real leader.  We would do well to find another one just like him.

TDM