Mitt Romney fires a shot across Newt Gingrich’s bow

Looks like Mittens is feeling the heat, perhaps from the flip flops and/or because of the recent polls and is firing back.

ORMOND BEACH, Fla. — Mitt Romney landed here Sunday with a simple message: Newt Gingrich is a failure and a fraud. And a disgrace. And a hapless showman.
Standing under a brilliant orange Florida sunset, Romney delivered his longest sustained critique of the South Carolina primary winner to date — ticking through a list as if he were reading off Gingrich’s Wikipedia page, and undercutting each item as he got to it.
“Speaker Gingrich has also been a leader,” the former Massachusetts governor said. “He was a leader for four years as speaker of the House. And at the end of four years, it was proven that he was a failed leader and he had to resign in disgrace. I don’t know whether you knew that, he actually resigned after four years, in disgrace.
Romney continued: “He was investigated over an ethics panel and had to make a payment associated with that and then his fellow Republicans, 88 percent of his Republicans voted to reprimand Speaker Gingrich. He has not had a record of successful leadership.”
Then Romney got into Gingrich’s post-congressional career.
“Over the last 15 years since he left the House, he talks about great bold movements and ideas,” he told the crowd of several hundred people gathered at a building materials company here. “Well, what’s he been doing for 15 years? He’s been working as a lobbyist, yeah, he’s been working as a lobbyist and selling influence around Washington.
via Mitt Romney: Newt Gingrich is a ‘failed leader,’ ‘disgrace’ – Reid J. Epstein – POLITICO.com.

To be clear, Newt Gingrich is not a saint and as Geller put it, “He is a son-of-a-bitch, but he’s our Son-of-a-bitch.” I know that personally I would rather vote for someone like Newt and hold my nose, than to vote for some idiot racist Mormon who worked for a Latin-American financed company that acted as corporate raiders. I am sorry, but that is simply Anti-American; the very idea that an American would sit at a table with Latin Americans to devise a plan to destroy American businesses is absolutely asinine and for this Mitt Romney should be held accountable. However, because Fox News and others are in the tank for that creep, you will not hear a word about it and that my friends is the tragic thing about corporate media.

So, yes, you can put me in the “anyone but Mitt Romney” category.

Video: Miracle baby goes home

This video comes via “The Morning Spew” (H/T to Hotair.com)

…and to think, liberal Democrats believe that this little precious bundle of joy is annoyance and should have been terminated. Bastards they are, all of them. 😡

U.S. lawyer for Megaupload.com leaves case

Just an update to a story I covered recently about Megaupload…

(Reuters) – Content-sharing Internet service Megaupload.com has lost the help of one of the best-known U.S. defense lawyers as it begins to fight charges of copyright infringement, a person familiar with the matter said.
Robert Bennett was required to withdraw from the case because of a conflict involving at least one other client of his law firm, Hogan Lovells, this person told Reuters. The other client or clients were not identified.
Bennett initially advised Megaupload.com. The company and seven of its executives were charged in a 5-count, 72-page indictment unsealed on Thursday accusing them of engaging in a wide-ranging and lucrative scheme to offer material online without compensating the copyright holders.
Bennett’s long career includes past representation of President Bill Clinton. He was Clinton’s personal attorney in a sexual-harassment case brought by Paula Jones. He has represented a wide array of other prominent Washington officials and U.S. corporations, including former energy giant Enron Corp.
Under the ethics rules for U.S. lawyers, a firm generally does not represent two clients whose interests are at odds. Conflicts are especially likely to arise at law firms as large as Hogan Lovells, one of the biggest in the world, because of the number and variety of clients they represent.
via U.S. lawyer for Megaupload.com withdraws | Reuters.

Word is the porn crowd is still mourning in sackcloth and ashes. I mean, all that porn….gone! 😥 Anyhow, I am sure they will get themselves another lawyer, and if my suspicion is correct, they will end up either getting the charges dismissed or reduced to fines. Either way, it should be interesting to watch! 😀

Others: Law Blog, Law Librarian Blog

Zach Edwards loses his job

As he should….

Remember Zack Edwards, the guy arrested for scamming? Well, he’s unemployed.

Jeff Link, president of Link Strategies, confirmed Saturday that Edwards no longer works for the company.
“I am greatly disturbed by the charge brought against Zach, and understand the pending legal action will run its course,” Link said.
He added that within hours “of learning of this situation, I met with Zach and notified him he was no longer employed with Link Strategies effective immediately. After gathering further information it is clear the incident involved in the allegation was related to a personal action taken by Zach and unrelated to his work with Link Strategies. “
Link also said his firm “holds itself to a high bar of ethics and professionalism, and this type of activity is not acceptable and will not be tolerated.”
via Political consultants quickly fire arrested man | The Des Moines Register | DesMoinesRegister.com.

Way I see it, anyone stupid enough to pull off a bone-headed stunt like this; should be unemployed and remain unemployed for a very long time. Hopefully, the justice system runs its course and the only kind of job this guy will be maintaining is the “pivot man” in a circle jerk. (Yeah, I know, it’s nasty, but I needed to make my point in a blunt way…)

Others: The Iowa Republican

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords to resign from Congress

The inspiring video:

The story via Arizona Daily Star:

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will step down from Congress this week to focus on her recovery, her staff announced Sunday.
“I have more work to do on my recovery, so to do what is best for Arizona, I will step down this week,” Giffords said in a video message.
Giffords, a third-generation Arizonan who served five years in the state Legislature before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2006, will not seek re-election this fall.
Giffords vowed to return public service.
“I will return and we will work together for Arizona and this great country,” she said.
In the two-minute video, Giffords urged her colleagues in Congress to work across party lines.
“A lot has happened over the past year,” she said. “We cannot change that. But I know on the issues we fought for, we can change things for the better.”
Giffords will submit her letter of resignation later this week to House Speaker John Boehner and Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer. The governor will set the date for special primary and general elections to determine who will serve the remainder of Giffords’ term.

God Bless her, my her recovery be swift.

I will say this, I am very highly disappointed in this nasty comments being left over on the YouTube page where this video was posted. I don’t give a hoot who it is and what side they are on; it is shameful.

Gabrielle Giffords: U.S. REP. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS WILL STEP DOWN FROM CONGRESS THIS WEEK

ABCNEWS: Rep. Gabrielle Giffords to Step Down from Congress

Round Up: msnbc.com, Scared Monkeys, Patterico’s Pontifications, Daily Kos, Outside the Beltway, Mediaite, The Democratic Daily, The Raw Story, Arizona Republic and The Moderate Voice, WTVM-TV, Taegan Goddard’s …, Wake up America, The Daily Caller, Guardian, The Political Carnival, RedState, CBS New York and The Impolitic

Update: As always Ed Morrissey displays the class that makes me respect him very highly:

I respect Giffords’ decision, given her inability to execute the duties of the office and her need to focus on her recovery, but I wish she could have recovered enough to fill out the rest of her term. It would have been a defiant answer to the madness of her would-be assassin. Regardless, my prayers will be with her and her family as she continues to recover, and I hope that she finds herself able to return to full capacity as soon as possible. I may have disagreed with Giffords on many points of policy, but the courage shown by her and her husband in very difficult circumstances has been inspiring to people all across the political spectrum.

Agreed times 1 bazillion.

Update #2: Apparently some bloggers have nothing better to do than to knock others down to make themselves look good. Kinda like a particular pony-tailed queer I know. I say this to her in Yiddish:

du bist an absolut umkoved keyn dayn mishpokhe keyn got der tate un keyn your`land yisroyl

Culture of Corruption: Former Obama Staffer Busted for Stealing Iowa Secretary of State’s Identity

I have not always agreed with Michelle Malkin; but when she wrote this book here, she had a very good point — and no I am not talking about the one on the top of her head either! 😉 :

Barack Obama’s 2008 Iowa New Media Director was arrested Friday for attempting to use the identities of Secretary of State Matt Schultz, and/or his brother Thomas, with the intent to falsely implicate the Secretary Schultz in illegal or unethical behavior. Zach Edwards, 29, of Des Moines, currently works for Link Strategies, a Democrat-affiliated organization with ties to Iowa Senator Tom Harkin. Edwards is the Director of New Media for Link Strategies.
The Secretary of State’s office discovered the alleged crime and reported it to authorities. Edwards turned himself in to the Iowa DCI agents Friday afternoon. He was charged with identity theft, a misdemeanor, and booked into the Polk County jail. Edwards posted $2,000 bail and was released later on Friday. He faces up to two years in prison.
Zach Edwards’ bio on Link Strategies website says he joined the Obama campaign in early 2007 as an intern in Nevada. He eventually joined the New Media department and directed their operations in five other primary states. He was the Iowa Director of New Media for Barack Obama’s general election campaign. After the election, Edwards joined Link Strategies, “where he provides innovative web-based research tools, video analysis and production, and web-based communication tools to assist our clients,” according to the bio.
Those clients include Iowa Senator Tom Harkin. On the Link Strategies testimonial page, Harkin credits the political consultant group for his electoral success. “The folks at Link Strategies have been helping me win campaigns since 1996. Whether it is managing campaigns or handling research, their specialty is doing quality work while finding smart, creative solutions to problems. In a tough fight, there is no question that I want Link Strategies in my corner.”
Jeff Link, the founder of Link Strategies, ran the Gore-Lieberman presidential campaign in Iowa in 2000. He managed Tom Harkin’s 2002 and 2008 reelection campaigns. Link also served as a media consultant for Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign.
via Former Obama Staffer Busted for Stealing Iowa Secretary of State’s Identity | The Iowa Republican.

Charming fellow. 🙄

Others: Iowa Grounds, Power Line, Hot Air, Des Moines Register, RedState and The Gateway Pundit

Newt in the lead in South Carolina polling

Looks like the attacks on Newt from his ex-wife did not do a thing to diminish his chances. Either that or Chuck Norris has more power and influence than I thought. 😉

Quote:

Newt Gingrich heads into South Carolina election day as the clear front runner in the state: he’s now polling at 37% to 28% for Mitt Romney, 16% for Rick Santorum, and 14% for Ron Paul.
Gingrich’s lead has actually increased in the wake of his ex-wife’s controversial interview with ABC. Although one night poll results should always be interpreted with caution, he led the final night of the field period by a 40-26 margin. One thing that continues to work to his advantage are the debates. 60% of primary voters report having watched the one last night, and Gingrich has a 46-23 lead with those folks.
The other reason his ex-wife’s interview isn’t causing him much trouble is that there’s a lot of skepticism about it. Only 31% of voters say they think her accusations are true while 35% think they are false and 34% are unsure. 51% of voters say that they have ‘no concerns’ about what came out in the interview.
The skepticism of Republican voters toward the media is helping Gingrich as well. Just 14% of likely voters have a generally favorable opinion of the media, while 77% view it negatively. Gingrich’s attacks on the media have clearly played well with the party base.
Gingrich is leading with pretty much every key segment of the Republican electorate. He’s up 41-21 on Romney and Santorum with Evangelicals, he has a 52-18 advantage on Romney with Tea Partiers, he leads Santorum 44-21 with ‘very conservative’ voters with Romney at 20%, and he’s up 39-26 with men.
In the final week of the campaign Gingrich rose from 24% to 37% in PPP’s polling while Romney basically stayed in place, going from 29% to 28%. Romney saw a 15 point decline in his net favorability in the closing stretch from +24 (57/33) to just +9 (51/42). Gingrich saw a modest increase in his numbers over the final week from +14 (51/37) to +17 (54/37).
via Newt expands South Carolina lead – Public Policy Polling.

Best thing about all that up there? Ron Paul is a 14%; which is where that Jew-Hating, Racist bigot jerk belongs in this race. 😡 Like I told my commenter, “John V” the man allowed his name to be lent to a bunch of newsletters that contained some of the most vile, nasty stuff ever written; much more than anything that I ever written here or on my old blog. That alone brings into question his judgement as a leader; not to mention as a congressmen.

Furthermore, the worst thing that ever happened to me, during my tenure as a blogger; is the fact that I actually got associated with that idiot man and his followers. For the record, I have never, ever agreed with any of the garbage that was contained in those newsletters, ever. Furthermore, the most idiotic, tone-deaf thing I ever have done was when I thought that I could call myself a Paleoconservative/paleolibertarian and could actually disagree with that tripe. The truth is everyone and I mean every darned last one of them agree with that garbage that was published in those newsletters. Because of that, I prefer to call myself simply, “Right of Center.” I do not agree with Wilsonian foreign policy, but I sure as heck do not agree with those who seem to harbor the ugliness in those newsletters.

If there is anything that I ever hope to accomplish as a writer; it is that I can finally shake off the association with those who are of the Ron Paul, anti-black, anti-Jew mentality. I do not think that way, nor have I ever, nor will I ever. I might not like the liberal left’s idea of racial resentment and “Multiculturalism;” But I am not a bigot, not like those people.

As for Newt and Mitt’s race; I believe sooner or later, one of them will win the primary and the Republican Party will get behind one of them. The sooner the better, if you ask me.

Others: Gretawire, Don Surber, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Mashable!, Christian Science Monitor, Yahoo! News, Scared Monkeys, today.yougov.com News, American Spectator, Political Insider, Telegraph, Daily Kos, New York Times, ABCNEWS, Hot Air, Ricochet Conversations Feed, The Reaction, M.JOSEPH SHEPPARD’S …, Guardian, Gallup and Clemson University

Chuck Norris Endorses Newt Gingrich

Alternate Headline: “Chuck Norris gives the green light for Presidential Candidates to be womanizing freaks”

Not that this honestly matters, but it is news. 😀

No man or candidate is perfect. We all have skeletons in our closet. If buried bones became unforgivable bones of contention, the world would never know or will never know another Benjamin Franklin, King David and others like them. We must remember that we’re electing a president, not a pastor or pope. And with the mainstream media and a billion-dollar Obama campaign coffer on the president’s side, we need a veteran of political war who has already fought Goliath, because he will be facing Goliath’s bigger brother.
In the last few editions of my weekly column, I detailed “10 questions to find our next president” in no particular order of importance. I proposed that the name of the candidate that fills the majority of the answers deserved readers’ vote.
Who is most committed to follow and lead by the U.S. Constitution?
Who has the greatest leadership ability to rally, unify and mobilize citizens across political and societal spectrums?
Who has the best working comprehension of America?
Who has the best ability to influence a volatile world away from its brink of destruction?
Who has clear and present moral fortitude?
Who can best beat President Barack Obama (in and outside of debates)?
Who has the best abilities to lead Washington politics and politicians?
Who has the best plan and leadership ability to restore America’s economy?
Who is the most fiscally prudent?
Who has demonstrated the highest regard for human life?
For my wife, Gena, and I, we sincerely believe former Speaker Newt Gingrich is the answer to most of those questions and deserves our endorsement and vote.
via My endorsement for president -WND.

He also should have asked the question, “Who was the first speaker of the house to be reprimanded by congress?”

To me, this just proves that the social conservatives movement has fallen a good deal from its moorings of long ago. The movement would have never allowed this sort of man to be even remotely consider for President years ago. It also shows, I believe, that the GOP is utterly desperate for someone to nominate for President. They’ve come along way since the ways of Eisenhower, Goldwater, Reagan, Bush and the like. That very sad fact is not a good thing at all.

Others: Balloon Juice, Pat Dollard, Mediaite, Riehl World View, Hot Air, Gawker, The Hill, Lawyers, Guns & Money and The Daily Caller

Video: Looks like President Obama can sing after all

The Video via ABC News:

I cannot criticize him for this one, he did hit the right note.

Quote:

Shortly after taking the stage tonight for a fundraiser at the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem, President Obama broke into song.
Obama, standing behind the presidential podium, thanked his hosts and the performers who preceded him, including soul singer Al Green.
“To know that Rev. Al Green was here!” Obama said.
Then, after a pause, he began to sing the opening line of one of Green’s hit songs from 1972: “Let’s Stay Together.”
“I’m…. sooo in love….”
The crowd of 1,400 supporters went wild.

He might be a socialist, he might be a Democrat and I might disagree with a good deal of what he is doing; but I cannot argue that the man can work a crowd. 😀

Others: Talking Points Memo, The Impolitic, Gothamist and alicublog

Update: Pam Geller was not impressed. 😯

Local CBS Station catches Solyndra destroying million bucks worth of parts

This is millions of dollars of your tax money, going square down the drain. Angry

The Story via CBS in San Francisco:

FREMONT (CBS 5) — After filing for bankruptcy last year, Fremont solar company Solyndra still owes American taxpayers half a billion dollars. But CBS 5 caught them destroying millions of dollars worth of parts. At Solyndra’s sprawling complex in Fremont, workers in white jumpsuits were unwrapping brand new glass tubes used in solar panels last week. They are the latest, most cutting-edge solar technology, and they are being thrown into dumpsters. Forklifts brought one pallet after another piled high with the carefully packaged glass. Slowly but surely it all ended up shattered. And it’s not a few loads. Hundreds of thousands of tubes on shrink-wrapped pallets will meet a similar demise. Solyndra paid at least $2 million for the specialized glass. A CBS 5 crew found one piece lying in the parking lot. Solyndra still owes the German company that made the tubes close to another $8 million. So why is a bankrupt company that owes a fortune to creditors, including American taxpayers, throwing away millions of dollars worth of assets?

I do believe that the last line of that story. has pretty much become a metaphor for the President Administration. Gee, I wonder if my commenter “Dusty” still believes that I simply do not know what I am talking about. Dusty?

Others: Atlas Shrugs