Charles Krauthammer discusses recent events in his latest editorial column titled “An Outbreak of Lawlessness“:
(Via WaPo) For all the gnashing of teeth over the lack of comity and civility in Washington, the real problem is not etiquette but the breakdown of political norms, legislative and constitutional.
Such as the one just spectacularly blown up in the Senate. To get three judges onto a coveted circuit court, frustrated Democrats abolished the filibuster for executive appointments and (non-Supreme Court) judicial nominations.
The problem is not the change itself. It’s fine that a president staffing his administration should need 51 votes rather than 60. Doing so for judicial appointments, which are for life, is a bit dicier. Nonetheless, for about 200 years the filibuster was nearly unknown in blocking judicial nominees. So we are really just returning to an earlier norm. (more…)
This Thanksgiving Day powerful TV ads air across the state of Texas “thanking” Senator Ted Cruz for leading the fight against Barack Obama’s failed ObamaCare healthcare scheme. The ads are running during the highly-rated NFL Thanksgiving Day football games and during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade on one-dozen (12) TV stations across Texas.
How rabid is the Democrat mindset to retain their ideological power at all costs?
(Via TPM) Colorado state Sen. Evie Hudak (D), who was facing a potential recall election over her vote in favor of stricter gun control laws, will resign Wednesday, Denver television station KDVR reported.
Hudak’s decision assured that Democrats would hold onto their one-vote majority in the state Senate, according to the TV station, with a Democratic committee being allowed to pick her replacement.
“In the interest of preserving the progress made over the last year, I am resigning as State Senator for District 19, effective immediately,” Hudak wrote in a resignation letter.
Hudak reiterated her support for strengthened gun control laws. (link)
Via Weazelzippers:
Let’s face it: we all have a crazy Tea Party relative (or two) who just loves bashing President Obama — even on Thanksgiving.
If you’re worried that your Thanksgiving table will start looking like the set of Fox & Friends, we’ve got just the thing for you: the DCCC’s 2013 Thanksgiving Cheat Sheet!
Don’t worry about printing it out — we’ll text it directly to your phone so you’ll always have the facts and stats you need to go up against all the nastiest Republican sound bites.
Enjoy — and have a great Thanksgiving!
Democrats 2014
When President Obama said HHS/Obamacare was going to enter a phase of “rebranding” he wasn’t kidding. He only left out the part where taxpayer dollars would be used in the new imaging campaign…. and this is ONLY just the beginning.
Which begs the obvious question – If Obamacare is so glorious and great on its merits, why does it need a positive branding campaign?
WASHINGTON DC – With the roll out of Obamacare being as disastrous as possible for the Obama administration, one group was given a $1 million grant to help lead a rebranding effort with hopes of salvaging the law in the eyes of the American people.
Families USA (FUSA) — an organization that describes itself as a “national nonprofit, non-partisan organization dedicated to the achievement of high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans” — was given a $1.1 million grant by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on October 4, 2013, to gather “success stories” of Americans dealing with Obamacare and distribute them to the media who often refer to them as an “independent” group. This is part of a greater upcoming effort to bolster the perception of the lowly health care law. (more…)
VIA TELEGRAPH – A senior advisor to the Saudi royal family has accused its Western allies of deceiving the oil rich kingdom in striking the nuclear accord with Iran and said Riyadh would follow an independent foreign policy.
Nawaf Obaid told a think tank meeting in London that Saudi Arabia was determined to pursue its own foreign and policy goals. Having in the past been reactive to events, the leading Sunni Muslim nation was determined to be pro-active in future.
Mr Obaid said that while Saudi Arabia knew that the US was talking directly to Iran through a channel in the Gulf state of Oman, Washington had not directly briefed its ally.
“We were lied to, things were hidden from us,” he said. “The problem is not with the deal struck in Geneva but how it was done.” (read more)
Washington (CNN) – Only four out of 10 Americans believe President Barack Obama can manage the federal government effectively, according to a new national poll.
And a CNN/ORC International survey released Monday morning also indicates that 53% of Americans now believe that Obama is not honest and trustworthy, the first time that a clear majority in CNN polling has felt that way.
(more…)
(Via Politico) Democratic leaders claim the bungled launch of Obamacare is just the latest news sensation — a media-stirred tempest that looks in the heat of the moment like it could upend the midterm election, but ends up fizzling well before voters head to the polls.
Some party strategists say they’re in denial.
And that perceived gap between party spin and facts on the ground is fueling worries that the White House and Democratic higher-ups aren’t taking the possible electoral blowback seriously enough or doing enough to shield their candidates. Democratic contenders in the toughest races are distinctly less convinced that Obamacare will fade as an election-year issue — and they can’t afford to just cross their fingers that things get ironed out or that Republicans revert to political hara-kiri. (more…)