Blame The GOP Moderates

Here we are. One day before the United States of America risks defaulting. As Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell work on a package to postpone the budget crisis beyond the holidays, there is a tendency for many to blame both sides. To call all sides losers, as the Wall Street Journal did this morning, when the reality is that there are clear winners: President Obama and the Democrat Party.

The Democrats' Chickens Come Home To Roost

Nice to see Democrats concerned about atrocities again. All of the sudden, they are rediscovering that Saddam Hussein was a genocidal tyrant. After spending years portraying Bush as the war criminal and Saddam as the victim of neocon aggression, Democrats are making the case that we need to strike Bashar al-Assad because he is just as bad as Saddam. Somewhere in Dallas, TX George W. Bush must be smiling.

Trayvon Martin: One More American Gun Tragedy

Before the verdict in the George Zimmerman case was announced, the general consensus among legal pundits was that the state of Florida had not met its burden of proof of beyond a reasonable doubt; especially as far as the second degree murder charge. Some hoped that Zimmerman would at least be found guilty of manslaughter. A charge added at last minute by the prosecution that came across more as an admission that the state had a weak case than a charge to be seriously considered by the jury.

Mourning A Country That Never Was

So much angst. With the revelations about the NSA program and the recent Supreme Court decision allowing the collection of DNA during arrests, there is a palpable feeling of despair and hopelessness among many Americans. A belief that the country the founders established is irretrievably lost. Gone forever. So much angst.

Somewhere along the way, a belief has taken root in the minds of many Americans that the Constitution was founded for the sole purpose of guarding individual liberties. That the unalienable rights mentioned in the Declaration of Independence are indeed unalienable; and that the Bill of Rights didn't come with fine print. What makes this situation even more tragic is that simply picking up a book on the history of our Constitution would greatly alleviate much of the suffering.

From Mushroom Clouds To Pressure Cookers

Anzor and Zubeidat Tsarnaev
 (Dmitry Kostyukov / The News York Times via Redux)

Last week, the George W. Bush presidential library was dedicated. It was a lovely ceremony with all living presidents attending and saying wonderful things about each other. Even Jimmy Carter had nice words for George W. Bush. American democracy at his best.

Even though the library is not yet open to the public, there has been extensive media coverage of the various exhibits about both the Bush domestic and foreign policy agenda. It seems that Bush wants the public to remember that there was more to his administration than wars. Whether he will be successful in adding dimension to his legacy is doubtful. The Bush name will always tied to the Iraq War and the catastrophic failure to find WMDs.

Yep, Journalism Is Dead

If there was any doubt that journalism is dead in America, the coverage of the Boston bombings put it to rest. Erroneous reports of arrests. Regurgitation of information passed on by anonymous officials. Irresponsible finger pointing of innocent people just for having knapsacks and being at the marathon. Failures to follow up on information. And worse of all, getting married to a narrative and not letting go even though the facts do not seem to square.

Gun Control: Round One To The Status Quo

Despite polls showing that 90% of Americans support universal background checks, the Senate could not muster the 60 votes needed to pass the Manchin-Toomey amendment. Or pass any gun legislation.The status quo remains intact, for the moment.

Kermit Gosnell Is A Preview Of What Will Happen If Abortion Is Outlawed

Gosnell at his arrest

When did the conservative movement become such a Whine Fest? Gone are the days of the Happy Warrior. The Iron Lady. Now is just a non stop cycle of whining, complaining and wallowing in victimhood. Grrr..

One of the favorite conservative complaints is that the mainstream media is constantly conspiring against them. The MSM - as it is known in the right wing blogosphere -  "hides" stories that hurt their liberal agenda and "pumps up" the volume on stories that cast an unflattering light on conservatives. The latest example - according to conservatives - of the media purposefully ignoring a story is the case of Dr. Kermit Gosnell.

Scalia's Judicial Activism

Justice Antonin Scalia on CNN, July 18, 2012

(Photo credit: CNN.com)

During an appearance at Southern Methodist University, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia declared that the Constitution of the United States is "dead, dead, dead". Which raises an interesting question. If the Constitution is "dead, dead, dead", does it mean it should be buried? We bury the dead because after a few days they start to stink, stink, stink.

Can A Political Party Be Euthanized?

As every pet owner knows, sometimes the best thing one can do for beloved animals is to let them go. Quietly and while they sleep. As someone who has supported the GOP with my vote, time and a little money, it is best to euthanize the party. It is the only humane thing we can do. There is no coming back from the pathologies that are ravaging the Republican party. The Grand Old Party that produced leaders like Lincoln, Roosevelt and Reagan is now little more than a collection of people that deeply dislike modern America.

Re-Writing The History Of The Iraq War

First, let's get the giant elephant out of the room. If WMDs had been found in the form and quantity advertised by the Bush administration, we would not be talking about Iraq today. There would be no hand wringing about the lives lost in the conflict or the cost. Who knows? We might have even gotten positive news coverage about Iraq instead of the current tendency of the world media to find a Sunni in Baghdad that pines for the days when Saddam was in charge.

Let's Respect The Voters' Verdict

Source: Fox News

After months of relative silence, Paul Ryan will be taking center stage once again on Tuesday when he will release his budget proposal. This morning, he appeared on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace to preview the upcoming budget.

Based on what Ryan said, it appears that his fiscal approach is essentially unchanged. The primary difference appears to be that he now intends to balance the budget in 10 years. His previous proposal did not balance the budget until well into the 2030s, if then. This is good news for those - like myself - who believe that tackling our fiscal problems should be the number one priority of Washington.

Rand Paul's Filibuster Scorecard

Relax everyone. It is once again safe to grab a seat and enjoy coffee at Starbucks.

Thanks to Rand Paul's 13 hour filibuster we now have assurances from Eric Holder that American citizens will not be struck by a drone on U.S. soil while enjoying a Grande Latte unless they are  "engaged in combat". Who gets to define "engaged in combat"? The Administration, of course. So we are  back to square one. But at least now everyone seems to feel better with perhaps a couple of exceptions.

America Needs Its Own Political Earthquake

During his final campaign rally, Beppe Grillo filled Saint John's square in Rome with 800,000 people and had a strong message for the Italian political class: "Give up. You are surrounded. Apologize." Miles away, in Texas, watching the live feed I found myself dreaming of 800,000 people gathering on the National Mall and telling Congress and the White House "Give up. You are surrounded. Apologize to the country."

Beppe Grillo is the leader of the Movimento 5 Stelle (Five Star Movement or M5S). He is a former comedian turned blogger and political leader. He was the big winner of the Italian elections held last week capturing 25.5%  of the vote, coming in third place behind the Center-Left Coalition that garnered 29.5% and the Center Right Coalition garnering 29.1%. Mario Monti - the current Italian Prime Minister - only won 10.56% of the vote. If one were to just look at the vote share won by the parties on a stand alone basis, M5S is now the top vote getter in the lower House with the Democratic Party a close second with 25.52% of the vote.

The Electorate Heard The GOP Loud And Clear

It has been almost three months since the 2012 election and the GOP is still struggling to comprehend why they were rejected by the voters. Nevertheless, there seems to be a consensus emerging among Republican pundits, strategists and elected officials that the party mainly suffers from a failure to effectively communicate its message. A few rhetorical tweaks, a better turnout machine and the GOP will be flying high again.

Language and presentation is an important part of politics. But no amount of clever or lofty words can overcome an unappealing agenda. In the rhetorical war over abortion, the term "pro-life" is more appealing than "pro-abortion" or even "pro-choice". After all, other than serial killers who isn't pro-life?

The NRA Shouldn't Be So Confident

(Credit: Reuters/Ralph Freso) from Salon.com

The meeting between Joe Biden and the NRA is what is called "going through the motions". Neither side was going to listen to the other; however, the public relations game demanded that they spent a few minutes face to face.

Afterwards, Biden described the meeting as  "productive" while the NRA blasted the White House, "It is unfortunate that this Administration continues to insist on pushing failed solutions to our nation's most pressing problems.

Why The Left Will Win On Guns

Well played Piers Morgan - the CNN host and gun control advocate. Inviting Alex Jones on his show will do more to advance Morgan's call for restrictions than interviews with the families of gun violence victims. Here is a segment of the Jones interview:



If Alex Jones becomes the face of the Second Amendment, gun control legislation that has been stalled in Congress for years will be heading for Obama's signature. Well played, Mr. Morgan. Well played.

The Guys At Reason.TV Are Soooo Funny....

.... no. Not really.

Here is one of their attempts at humor: