The Donald endorses Mittens

A crony capitalist endorses a crony capitalist:

The Video:

The Story:

(CNN) — Celebrity business magnate Donald Trump endorsed Mitt Romney for president Thursday, telling reporters he will not mount an independent campaign if Romney is the Republican nominee.
Trump, who has repeatedly flirted with the possibility of his own White House bid, revealed his decision in Las Vegas two days before Nevada’s Saturday caucuses.
“It’s my honor, real honor, to endorse Mitt Romney,” Trump said, with Romney and his wife standing nearby. Calling Romney “tough” and “smart,” Trump said, “he’s not going to continue to allow bad things to happen to this country.”
Romney responded by praising Trump for “an extraordinary ability to understand how our economy works and to create jobs” and for being “one of the few who has stood up to say China is cheating” in international trade.
via Trump endorses Romney – CNN.com.

The White House reacts: (Video) (H/T Washington Examiner)

Drudge called that sneering. I thought it was rather funny myself. 😛

Blogger Roundup Here.

Family Of Murdered Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry Files $25M Claim Against ATF

I cannot blame them at all:

The family of murdered Border Patrol agent Brian Terry has filed a $25 million wrongful death claim against the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives claiming Terry was killed with AK-47s that were knowingly sold under the Fast and Furious gunrunning probe to a straw purchaser for drug cartels.
In a 65-page complaint, served on the government on Wednesday, attorneys for the family claim ATF “wrongdoing” in Operation Fast and Furious.
“ATF’s failures were not only negligent but in violation of ATF’s own policies and procedures,” the complaint claims.
The family has also filed a claim against the Lone Wolf Trading Company seeking unspecified damages for negligence in selling the weapons to the purchaser and aiding and abetting in Mexican drug cartels’ conduct.
The claim says Lone Wolf knowingly sold “hundreds of weapons” to various straw purchasers and in turn realized “hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits from these sales.”
The claim alleges that “but for defendants’ negligent and illegal sales … Brian Terry would not have been murdered in the Arizona desert on Dec. 14, 2010.”
The family is seeking a jury trial.
via Family Of Murdered Border Patrol Agent Files $25M Claim Against ATF | Fox News.

Between this and now this bribery scandal, Eric Holder ought to be finding a new line of work.

By the way, you can watch the holder testimony here, it’s a live video feed.

Needless to say, this whole mess is going to be very interesting to follow.

Others: Jammie Wearing Fools, Scared Monkeys, The Gateway Pundit, americanthinker.com and Fox News Insider

Uh-oh: Report: DOJ Prosecutors accepted bribes

I quoted this last night… But I thought I would blog about it too…

A U.S. Justice Department source has told The Daily Caller that at least two DOJ prosecutors accepted cash bribes from allegedly corrupt finance executives who were indicted under court seal within the past 13 months, but never arrested or prosecuted.
The sitting governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands, his attorney general and an unspecified number of Virgin Islands legislators also accepted bribes, the source said, adding that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is aware prosecutors and elected officials were bribed and otherwise compromised, but has not held anyone accountable.
The bribed officials, an attorney with knowledge of the investigation told TheDC, remain on the taxpayers’ payroll at the Justice Department without any accountability. The DOJ source said Holder does not want to admit public officials accepted bribes while under his leadership.
via Justice Department | Bribery | Corruption | Financial-Crime Suspects | The Daily Caller.

This makes Fast and Furious look like child’s play. Those hearings on the hill ought to be very interesting to watch. 😯

Update: You can watch that hearing live here.

Others: Doug Ross, Nice Deb, The Right Scoop, Ricochet Conversations Feed, Patterico’s Pontifications and The PJ Tatler

A good reason why the Government needs to get OUT of the Space Business!

(Via Insty)

The problem:

The problem was that after the ISS was complete, without the Shuttle, the U.S. would have no capability to reach it, and there would be a “gap” in capability until some sort of replacement was developed. At the time of the announcement, the “Crew Exploration Vehicle” (CEV) was the proposed means, but it wasn’t expected to be ready until 2014, resulting in a “gap” of at least three years, and probably longer. When Mike Griffin replaced Sean O’Keefe in 2005, he rolled out a concept called Constellation, which included the CEV, renamed at that time Orion. It also included a new rocket for it, that had not been anticipated in the original Bush plan, called Ares I, despite the fact that existing rockets, such as the Atlas V or Delta IV, could have done the job. Griffin even originally claimed that his plan would reduce the gap, being ready by 2011.
Unfortunately, the design chosen was flawed, and ran into technical difficulties immediately, increasing its costs and stretching its schedule. Because there had not originally been plans for a new launcher, there wasn’t sufficient budget to support it, and other budgets, in science and technology, and the hardware actually needed to get back to the moon, were raided to feed the rocket disaster. The schedule was slipping more than a year per year, and by 2009, when the Augustine Committee was convened to evaluate the situation, it moved rightward to 2017, with only a low probability of hitting that operational date.
[…]
Next year, it will be a full decade since Columbia was lost. And judging by the pathetic state of space policy discussion we’ve seen over the past few days, with Mitt Romney hiring Mike Griffin, the man who caused this policy disaster, to advise him, it’s likely that we’ll still be floundering and earth bound, despite the billions we’ve spent and continue to spend.
via PJ Media » Nine Years Of Space Policy Disaster.

The Solution:

The United States of America needs to get the hell OUT of the space business! Period! End of Discussion. It has been proven time and time again that NASA is nothing more than a wasteful, hazardous, big Government bureaucracy. Let private companies do the research, the development and the deployment. The question is this; how many more astronauts are going to have to be killed, before we realize that the United States Government is not good at space exploration?

This is the entire problem with Neoconservatives or big Government Conservatives; they rail against Big Government, but when it comes to programs like space exploration — they are all for it. Wake up guys! Big Government is Big Government! Either kill the space program and let private companies do the job or stop calling yourself small Government advocates, because you look like absolute hypocrites. This is not some off-the-wall Ron Paul sounding stuff either. It is simply common sense, something that is sorely lacking in the world of politics and Government today.

It is time that Republican and Conservatives started talking and really acting like that which they claim to be. Either we believe in small Government or we don’t. Pick a position please. We do not have the money to be the leader in space exploration anymore. We need to fully privatize that industry. The Russians are no longer a threat to our society, the cold war is over, finally. So, why do we care what the Russians do?

This is the stuff here, that separates me from the rest of the “right” in the Blogosphere. The rest of these guys believe in small Government, except when it comes to space programs. History proves that Government space programs are dangerously misguided; Challenger, Columbia, Apollo — all of them.

We need to stop it, before more people are killed.

Hope and Change: More Jobs to Disappear

(H/T Insty)

Oh my….:

Disappointing Jobs – While everyone seems to debating what the non-farm payroll numb will be Friday, a few are looking toward the annual revisions in the much debated Birth/Death model.
As you probably recall, it does not refer to the birth or death of humans. The badly named model refers to the birth and death of businesses. Each January the BLS revises the number, usually vaporizing thousands of jobs.
We were going to try and calculate the likely revision, but our sharp-eyed friend over at Bloomberg, Rich Yamarone, as usual, beat us to it. Here’s what he wrote in his Notepad column recently:
The Net Birth/Death (NBD) statistic adjustment – an adjustment the BLS uses to account for job creation or loss with respect to births and deaths of businesses – is always the weakest during January. Over the last five years the NBD for January has averaged -335k. [January 2011: -339k, January 2010: -427k, January2009: -356k, January 2008: -378k, January2007: -175k.]
So, if past is prologue, we could see three or four hundred thousand jobs vanish. Nothing like a dependable indicator.
via Art Cashin Explains Why Several Hundred Thousand Jobs Are About To “Vaporize” | ZeroHedge.

Between this and the new scandal involving Eric Holder, this President is screwed.

A Reminder: February 14 Starbucks Appreciation Day for Second Amendment supporters

Thanks to InstaPundit for the link:

There are just 13 days left before Valentine’s Day, when both sides of the gun control debate square-off over lattes. On one side, the National Gun Victim’s Action Council is promoting a February 14th boycott of Starbucks; the Seattle coffeesmith allows firearms on its premises (where it is otherwise legal to do so). On the other side of the issue, gun blogger Sebastian devised Starbuck’s Appreciation Day on the same day. Thousands of gun owners have pledged their participation, promising to spend a $2 bill at Starbucks to show their support for the company’s common sense position. The $2 question: should the TJ go in the barristas’ tip jar or should we use it to pay for the coffee? Your thoughts?
via Starbucks Appreciation Day Update: Tip Jar or Till? | The Truth About Guns.

Now to figure out where the nearest Starbucks is around here!

Wait minute….Isn’t that where all the smelly liberals hang out?!?!? 😮

The things we freedom loving people must endure. 🙄

Mitt Romney sticks his foot in his mouth…..again

Just when I think the stupidity bar has been reached, someone comes along and raises the bar. In other words; move over Jennifer Petkov and Newt Gingrich, you have company. 🙄

The Video:

The Story:

After winning the Florida primary, GOP presidential nominee hopeful Mitt Romney explains to CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien that he is focused on a particular portion of the American population in his campaign.
Romney says, “I’m not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs a repair , I’ll fix it. I’m not concerned about the very rich…. I’m concerned about the very heart of America, the 90-95 percent of Americans who right now are struggling.”
O’Brien asked him to clarify his remarks saying, “There are lots of very poor Americans who are struggling who would say, ‘That sounds odd.'”
Romney continues, “We will hear from the Democrat party, the plight of the poor…. You can focus on the very poor, that’s not my focus…. The middle income Americans, they’re the folks that are really struggling right now and they need someone that can help get this economy going for them.”
via Mitt Romney: middle income Americans are focus, not very poor – CNN Press Room – CNN.com Blogs.

What a better way to communicate to the rest of world, such as independent voters, like me — who struggling and looking for work; and cannot find a job — like me.

…and by the way, Mitt? We’re not that concerned about your stupid, out of touch, rich, white Mormon ass either! 😡

What really steams me, is the fact that this idiot is — what black liberals accuse me of being; which makes it even worse. 😡

I hate to post this, because I like to try and keep the swearing on this blog to a minimum; but this right here, is some seriously serious Weapons-Grade asshole-manship right there…

Others: Erick’s blog, Michelle Malkin, American Spectator, National Review, No More Mister Nice Blog, Liberal Values, The Enterprise Blog, Opinionator, Business Insider, PERRspectives, RedState, New York Times, The Atlantic Online, Informed Comment, Riehl World View, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Little Green Footballs, Stinque, Booman Tribune, Washington Monthly, The PJ Tatler and Taylor Marsh — Via Memeorandum

Newt Gingrich does not even know how to lose

Just a little cherry on top to what I wrote last night:

Newt Gingrich gave his post-primary speech tonight while gracelessly declining to congratulate the man who beat him by double digits. According to the Romney campaign, Gingrich hadn’t called to congratulate the Florida winner as of 9:30 p.m. ET.
The speech was vintage Gingrich, comparing his predicament to Lincoln at Gettysburg and vowing to conduct a “people’s campaign.” He made one small run at Romney, calling him “the Massachusetts moderate,” and then wandered into a rather trite recitation of his commitment to change. He rambled a bit, getting nostalgic about his Contract with America and assuring us he’d been studying “how to do this” since 1958. (He was running for president as a child?) He is going to get rid of White House czars, move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and halt the war on religion. If there was a theme in there, it was hard to spot.
He obnoxiously ended by pledging: “My life, my fortune, my sacred honor.” But he’s not doing any of that. And it’s quite an insult to American patriots who have said that and meant it.
Gingrich has been reduced to a smaller-than-life figure. He’s a guy with a lot of words and very little appeal, whose meanness got the best of him and helped to wreck his campaign on a heap of attacks, insults and downright vile accusations (the latest being his claim that Romney is hostile to religion).
via Newt Gingrich loses Florida — and reminds us why – Right Turn – The Washington Post.

Now something to remember, Jennifer Rubin is a Romney supporter. However, I think that this speaks to the mentality and character of Newt Gingrich; he is that ate up with a lust for power that he does not even have the graciousness to call his opponent and congratulate him on a win.

Which is why I have washed my hands of the race; I hope the GOP picks wisely and they are able to defeat Barack Obama. However, in all honestly, I really do not believe that any of these candidates will be able to even remotely beat Barack Obama, he is going to be too well funded, is going to have all of the cards on the table — including the race card. As Hillary Clinton found out, running against racial politics is the hardest thing ever to do. If you do it wrong, you do can come out actually looking like a racist, and somehow or another, I highly doubt that any of these candidates even remotely know how to fight against identity politics.

So, again, in short; We are so screwed….again. 🙁

What in the hell was Newt Gingrich thinking?

I honestly hate having to write this blog piece, because frankly, I despise this sort of idiotic tripe in politics itself. Newt Gingrich today was able to do something that not many people can do. Newt managed to pull off one of the stupidest, brain-dead, tone-deaf moves that any politician could ever do, one that reeked of utter desperation. Not to mention the fact that he lost my total support. On top that; he lost the damned primary in Florida!

What was it that Newt Gingrich did that invoked such fury from yours truly? Newt Gingrich played one of the worst, bottom of the barrel political tactic cards, that only a few mortal brave souls have played and have come out unscathed. Newt Gingrich waded onto territory that either brave souls or idiot fools—depending on your view of matters, have waded and lived to tell about it politically.

Newt Gingrich played —- The Jew Card.

Newt Gingrich accused Mitt Romney of denying Holocaust survivors in nursing homes to be denied kosher meals. Here is the problem with it; not a damned word of it was even remotely true. In fact, a well-known Jewish Conservative has written a very good article defending Mitt Romney from these idiot charges. Now I should let it be known, I am not a Romney fan. If Mitt Romney is nominated for candidate for President by the GOP, I will vote libertarian. I did say that I would hold my nose and vote for Newt Gingrich in the primary and in the general election. Well, needless to say, that is not the case any longer. I just will not vote for a man who stoops to that low of tactics.

Therefore, I am making it official here on my blog; I will not be voting for the Republican Party in 2012 in the primary or in the general election. I am sorry, but dishonest politics is just immoral and what Gingrich did tonight shows me that Newt Gingrich is just another dishonest beltway-type that would stop at nothing to obtain power. Whoever is the winner of the selection process at the Libertarian Party; I will put my support behind, and that person will get my vote.

I realize that my vote will most likely put a dent the GOP’s chances of defeating President Barack Obama. Believe me when I tell you this, nothing bothers me more than knowing that fact. However, I just cannot and will not support a man who stoops to such beltway tactics such as this.

Admittedly, I have nothing put disdain for Mitt Romney, however, none of that disdain has anything to do with his religious affiliation. My disdain has to do with the fact that man is a habitual liar, the fact that he is a serial flip-flopper; my disdain is because the man claims to be a person from Michigan, when in fact that he has not lived here for years. My disdain of the man is related to the fact that he claims to be a rib-rocked Conservative, when in fact, Mitt Romney is nothing more than an indecisive moderate!

Furthermore, the reason for my decision is this; the race of the GOP’s nomination for President of the United States is not supposed to be a religious test. If that is the case in the Republican Party, then why in the name of the Almighty God of Heaven did Newt Gingrich use the Jews as a proxy to attack Mitt Romney’s Mormonism? I know the answer —-desperation. I do not wish to support a man, who instructs his advisors to play “Dirty Pool.” It shows of the man’s character and I find it lacking greatly. I will not call Newt Gingrich an Anti-Semite, as I do not know his heart or him personally. However, I found this attack to most untactful, idiotic and highly unbecoming of someone who is supposed to be a Reagan Conservative.

Therefore let it be known; I officially disown those running for President of the United States of America in the Republican Party. Sorry, but this freak show just got rather hard to bear any longer. Also too, please know that I am under no illusions about the Libertarian Party’s chances in the 2012 election. However, my vote will be of a protest of the beltway establishment’s tactics in the Republican Party. The Tea Party movement’s message was supposed to be, during its founding that said, during its railing against the Republican Party and the United States Government; “No more business as usual in the beltway!” The Republican Party was quite obviously either not listening or somehow that message was lost.

Having said all of the above, this bloggers vote will be going on Election Day 2012 to the political party that actually believes what it stands for —- The Libertarian Party. I might not agree with everything that some libertarians believe in; but at this point, I see no other party that I actually wish to waste my vote on.

Others: ABCNEWS, Washington Post, CNN, The Other McCain, Daily Kos, msnbc.com, Gothamist, GOP 12, The Spectacle Blog, Saint Petersblog, The Right Scoop, The Raw Story, American Spectator, Reuters and Politics, Roger L. Simon, Ballot Box, National Review, ABCNEWS, Hot Air, The Spectacle Blog, Israel Matzav, JOSHUAPUNDIT, News Desk, Cold Fury, Truthdig, The Atlantic Online, Politics, The PJ Tatler, Washington Monthly, Tablet Magazine, GOP 12, The Daily Dish, Washington Post, The Raw Story, The Politico, msnbc.com, ThinkProgress, CNN, The Huffington Post and PolitickerNY

Update: Oh and by the way; Mitch Berg, Shut the hell up….and start writing blog postings under your real flipping name. Damned Cowards, you and AllahPundit both. Al-Qeada is nearly defeated, it’s time to cut the chicken routine and be out with the who you both really are. 😡

Obama runs up another trillion dollar debt

Unemployment is at 10% and what happens? The President runs up more debt.

The story:

The government faces a fourth year of trillion-plus deficits in 2012, according to new projections released Tuesday—numbers which also show little relief in the future unless Washington comes to grips with needed changes in its tax and spending policies.
Like Aunt Cassandra coming down from the attic, the Congressional Budget Office steps squarely into the 2012 campaign season with the 147-page report which might have been subtitled “It’s not just the economy stupid, it’s also the debt.”
The $1.079 trillion deficit now projected for this fiscal year ending Sept. 30 is a step backwards from what CBO had predicted in August. And to punch home its message, the non-partisan agency outlines an especially grim scenario in which Congress not only extends all the current Bush-era tax cuts but pulls the plug on the $1.2 trillion in sequester set in motion by the Budget Control Act last summer.
Under this scenario—which can’t be ruled out politically—deficits would stubbornly hover just under $1 trillion through 2017, adding another $4.7 trillion altogether to the mounting federal debt.
Under the more prudent—and many would say unrealistic— scenario of ending tax breaks and implementing cuts, the cumulative deficits would be $1.72 trillion or $3 trillion less from 2013-2017. But even this path comes with a warning from CBO: that debt service costs are already on the rise and will command an ever greater share of the annual budget.
“The federal budget remains out of balance throughout the decade,” the report reads. “The resulting accumulation of debt, along with rising interest rates, drives up the cost of financing that debt; in CBO’s projections, net interest costs grow significantly from 1.4 percent of GDP this year to 2.5 percent in 2022.”
via Congressional Budget Office projects trillion dollar deficits through 2017 – David Rogers – POLITICO.com.

This is insanity, if I were the Republican candidates, I would be emphasizing this point to the high heavens! This is madness and we have to correct this in 2012.