I’ve been slacking and I kinda forgot about posting the cartoons. Consider this an open thread too.
I haven’t done this in a while… Consider this an open trackback posting as well.
Trackposted to The Pink Flamingo, Rosemary’s Thoughts, Nuke Gingrich, , and The World According to Carl, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
It now seems that the Conservative owned and funded WSJ has bad case of sour grapes and in the process shows it’s horrid case of bias in the process.
The WSJ Writes:
The Minnesota Supreme Court yesterday declared Democrat Al Franken the winner of last year’s disputed Senate race, and Republican incumbent Norm Coleman’s gracious concession at least spares the state any further legal combat. The unfortunate lesson is that you don’t need to win the vote on Election Day as long as your lawyers are creative enough to have enough new or disqualified ballots counted after the fact.
Mr. Franken trailed Mr. Coleman by 725 votes after the initial count on election night, and 215 after the first canvass. The Democrat’s strategy from the start was to manipulate the recount in a way that would discover votes that could add to his total. The Franken legal team swarmed the recount, aggressively demanding that votes that had been disqualified be added to his count, while others be denied for Mr. Coleman.
But the team’s real goldmine were absentee ballots, thousands of which the Franken team claimed had been mistakenly rejected. While Mr. Coleman’s lawyers demanded a uniform standard for how counties should re-evaluate these rejected ballots, the Franken team ginned up an additional 1,350 absentees from Franken-leaning counties. By the time this treasure hunt ended, Mr. Franken was 312 votes up, and Mr. Coleman was left to file legal briefs.
What Mr. Franken understood was that courts would later be loathe to overrule decisions made by the canvassing board, however arbitrary those decisions were. He was right. The three-judge panel overseeing the Coleman legal challenge, and the Supreme Court that reviewed the panel’s findings, in essence found that Mr. Coleman hadn’t demonstrated a willful or malicious attempt on behalf of officials to deny him the election. And so they refused to reopen what had become a forbidding tangle of irregularities. Mr. Coleman didn’t lose the election. He lost the fight to stop the state canvassing board from changing the vote-counting rules after the fact.
This is now the second time Republicans have been beaten in this kind of legal street fight. In 2004, Dino Rossi was ahead in the election-night count for Washington Governor against Democrat Christine Gregoire. Ms. Gregoire’s team demanded the right to rifle through a list of provisional votes that hadn’t been counted, setting off a hunt for “new” Gregoire votes. By the third recount, she’d discovered enough to win. This was the model for the Franken team.
Mr. Franken now goes to the Senate having effectively stolen an election. If the GOP hopes to avoid repeats, it should learn from Minnesota that modern elections don’t end when voters cast their ballots. They only end after the lawyers count them.
Uh, Sour Grapes much guys? Look, I am about as happy about Al Franken being a damn Senator; as I would be about getting a root canal. But this petty whining and crying, because you lost a legal challenge is just downright childish. Besides, Norm Coleman was most likely out of money and just could not afford to keep fighting. Not only this, The G.O.P. most likely told Coleman to drop it, because the G.O.P. was already bruising from the Mark Sanford scandal. Not only this, but the G.O.P. is looking towards 2010 and 2012, and the last thing they need; is to be viewed by the General public as a party desperately trying to grasp for power.
Patrick Stack makes a valid point, but in the process dredges up old Democratic Party conspiracy theories and sour grapes of his own:
First, Norm Coleman’s concession was hardly “gracious” — he drew out the process in court for seven months, leaving Minnesota down one senator the whole time. And if anybody is the model for election legal street fights and sketchy vote-count maneuvering through the courts, I think that would have to be the guy who “won” in the 2000 Presidential election.
Glass houses, yo.
Patrick (Nice name, by the way! :D) makes a point in the first part of that, but in that second part, he drags out the old dead tired conspiracy theory that Bush stole the election. There is absolutely no valid proof that Bush stole that election, if there was, how come John McCain did not steal this election in 2008? That’s because there was no election fraud at all. The SCOTUS made that decision based upon one big factor, there was no way those votes could be counted down in Florida accurately, in a reasonable amount of time and Bush won more states than Gore; so, the Court decided in Bush’s Favor. Now am I happy about that? Quite frankly; No, I am not. Bush economic polices proved to be a disaster for this country, his authorizing the bailout of all these banks. The War in Iraq; which Bill O’Reilly himself even has said was a waste. I could go on and on about that, but I think you know what I mean. I never was a Bush Cheerleader, anyone that reads this blog knows this to be a fact.
Chris Cillizza over at “The Fix” has a nice explanation of how Coleman won, sans the Conservative Sour Grapes.
Which brings me to my final and most important point. I was over at HotAir last night and I happened to watch this video here:
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Now, first off this video is supposed to be what MSNBC calls “Fair and Balanced.” If that is fair and balanced, I think I want to move to another Country. Secondly, If Markos and crew over at DailyKos think that the Democrats are going to now do every little thing that the “Nutroots” wants them to; they are going to be in for a HUGE surprise and letdown. The Democratic Party establishment looks out for one person and one person alone; itself. The only difference between the Establishment of the Democratic Party and the Republican Party; is the name. Sure, the Grassroots or in this case the “Netroots”; may have some limited influence, but when the “Goodyear hits the Asphalt”, so to speak, the Establishment calls the shots and if Markos and company think that this 60 votes myth is going to change that, they are going to be in for a big surprise.
Really.
Click here to read it.
The Story is here. Can you believe there are liberals saying that he got too long of a sentence?!?!
Let them lose it all; and then we’ll see how they feel.
Idiots, all of them.
Normally, as a Free Speech advocating libertarian kind of a Conservative; I do not have a problem with people speaking their minds. But this sort of idiotic nonsense is totally uncalled for:
Film producer/director Oliver Stone, a far-left promoter of conspiracies who is working on a sequel to his 1987 ‘Wall Street’ movie, declared on Friday night’s edition of HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher that “Reagan was a dumb son of a bitch” and “I really think George W is dumber” and so, after producing movies on the CIA conspiracy to murder President Kennedy and a dark look at President Nixon, he won’t create a movie on Ronald Reagan because “by doing the W movie I kind of put all my efforts behind dumbness.”
via Oliver Stone: ‘Reagan Was a Dumb Son of a Bitch’ Who Spawned Bush | NewsBusters.org.
Here’s the full exchange:
OLIVER STONE: Nixon always said Reagan was a dumb son of a bitch and, you know, I think that he was [audience applause]. And I think, I really think George W is dumber [more audience laughter and applause].
BILL MAHER: Definitely
STONE: I do think that by doing the W movie I kind of put all my efforts behind dumbness and I don’t want to go back there because, you know, I’m not the Farrelly brothers. But I do think Nixon is the father of Reagan and I think Reagan’s the father of Bush. There’s sort of a very strong line….
I knew there was a reason that this seal here was created:
I am no a big fan of George W. Bush either. His big Government spending and the war in Iraq are just a few things that I have against him. Ronald Reagan is another story; Reagan was by no means perfect, but he was much better than what we have in the White House now. However, I feel that this sort of bashing of Presidents, especially dead one’s like Reagan is just totally uncouth.
Reagan was what American needed at the time, to deal with the Soviets, to deal with the problems at hand, at the time. There is no telling how Reagan would have handled 9/11 or even Iraq, or the current situtation in Iran.
The Bottom line is this; While Oliver Stone might have sounded cleaver to his audience; to the rest of the World, he came off sounding like a crybaby.
I think it is high time that the Democrats start acting like adults. They did, after all, win the election.
From the “Not mincing words” Dept…:
Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) had a few choice words about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) landmark climate-change bill after its passage Friday.
When asked why he read portions of the cap-and-trade bill on the floor Friday night, Boehner told The Hill, “Hey, people deserve to know what’s in this pile of s–t.”
Using his privilege as leader to speak for an unlimited time on the House floor, Boehner spent an hour reading from the 1200-plus page bill that was amended 20 hours before the lower chamber voted 219-212 to approve it.
Eight Republicans voted with Democrats to pass the bill; 44 House Democrats voted against it.
Pelosi’s office declined to comment on Boehner’s jab. But one Democratic aide quipped, “What do you expect from a guy who thinks global warming is caused by cow manure?”
[….]
One Democrat was upset that his leaders would needlessly force vulnerable Dems to vote for a bill that will come back to haunt them. Mississippi Rep. Gene Taylor (D) voted against the measure that he says will die in the Senate.
“A lot of people walked the plank on a bill that will never become law,” Taylor told The Hill after the gavel came down.
Any other time; I would be criticizing Bonhner about the Language. But he does have a point. The bill is not going to create jobs. It is only going to result in higher energy bills for everyone.
Here’s Boehner on the stimulus: (H/T HotAir.com)
He has some very good points. Since the stimulus has passed, no real jobs have been created. I’m still unemployed. Most people around these parts that I know, are still without work. Like my cousin; who has a new baby, and needs work quite badly. So, Obama’s plan is simply a distraction from the real problem. This stimulus is simply the Democrats way of doing things. Throw money at a problem and hope it goes away. They have been doing this for years and will continue to do, as long as people continue to vote for them.
Others: Stop The ACLU, Conservatives4Palin.com, Weasel Zippers
This broke last night and the Liberal Blogosphere about went nuclear.
Via The Washington Post:
Obama administration officials, fearing a battle with Congress that could stall plans to close the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, are crafting language for an executive order that would reassert presidential authority to incarcerate terrorism suspects indefinitely, according to three senior government officials with knowledge of White House deliberations.
Such an order would embrace claims by former president George W. Bush that certain people can be detained without trial for long periods under the laws of war. Obama advisers are concerned that an order, which would bypass Congress, could place the president on weaker footing before the courts and anger key supporters, the officials said.
After months of internal debate over how to close the military facility in Cuba, White House officials are increasingly worried that reaching quick agreement with Congress on a new detention system may be impossible. Several officials said there is concern in the White House that the administration may not be able to close the prison by the president’s January deadline.
White House spokesman Ben LaBolt said that there is no executive order and that the administration has not decided whether to issue one. But one administration official suggested that the White House is already trying to build support for an order.
“Civil liberties groups have encouraged the administration, that if a prolonged detention system were to be sought, to do it through executive order,” the official said. Such an order could be rescinded and would not block later efforts to write legislation, but civil liberties groups generally oppose long-term detention, arguing that detainees should be prosecuted or released.
The Justice Department has declined to comment on the prospects for a long-term detention system while internal reviews of Guantanamo detainees’ cases are underway. One task force, which is assessing detainee policy, is expected to complete its work by July 21.
In a May speech, President Obama broached the need for a system of long-term detention and suggested that it would include congressional and judicial oversight. “We must recognize that these detention policies cannot be unbounded. They can’t be based simply on what I or the executive branch decide alone,” he said.
Shall we start calling him President George W. Obama? It sure sounds like it. When the Conservatives AND Liberals are calling this plan a disaster; something is dreadfully wrong.
Should be interesting to follow.
As always Memeorandum has the round up.
Synopsis: The would be conservative hero who probably now, never will be.
No, I did not watch it. But there is many who did.
Go here for the round up.
My opinion is simply this; The Government cannot even do intelligence properly, perfect example being Iraq. What makes anyone think that they could do Health care?
I do not have health care insurance, but I am not about to become a cheerleader for Government paid, controlled, and financed Health care insurance. It is just another form of Governmental control. As if we do not have enough of that already.
What amazes me, is how ABC has drove in the tank for Obama, just like MSNBC. It is a sad thing.
Think the Democrats will learn from their prior mistakes, and won’t make them again?
Perhaps not:
(Reuters) – Two U.S. Democratic lawmakers want Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to relax recently tightened standards for mortgages on new condominiums, saying they could threaten the viability of some developments and slow the housing-market recovery, the Wall Street Journal said.
In March, Fannie Mae (FNM.N)(FNM.P) said it would no longer guarantee mortgages on condos in buildings where fewer than 70 percent of the units have been sold, up from 51 percent, the paper said. Freddie Mac (FRE.P)(FRE.N) is due to implement similar policies next month, the paper said.
In a letter to the CEO’s of both companies, Representatives Barney Frank, the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, and Anthony Weiner warned that a 70 percent sales threshold “may be too onerous” and could lead condo buyers to shun new developments, according to the paper.
The legislators asked the companies to “make appropriate adjustments” to their underwriting standards for condos, the paper added.
In an interview with the paper, Weiner said the rules have “had a real chill on the ability to get these condos sold,” at a time when prices of condos have fallen enough to attract potential buyers.
via Fannie, Freddie asked to relax condo loan rules: report | Reuters.
This is the same sort of stupidity that got us into the mess that we are in now. You would think that the Democrats in question would learn from their prior mistakes. So much for that idea. :roll:’
Of course, when you’re dealing with a party, that has been taken over by people, who are essentially Communist-lite in nature. What do you expect?
