Mob Rule: Virginia AG Ken Cuccinelli Decides to Forget the Rule of Law, Now Pushing to Allow Newt, Perry on Ballot

When surrounded by clowns, don’t be surprised when a circus breaks out!

By Gary P Jackson

In a move that I am sure will excite the supporters of two disorganized candidates who couldn’t get enough people to support them, in FIVE MONTHS to get on the ballot, Virginia’s attorney general is wanting to throw a lifeline to Newt and Rick Perry.

This is like retroactively changing the rules of a game, so that the loser of the contest is declared the winner, by mob rule.

If there are flaws in Virginia’s law concerning ballot access, then change them FOR THE NEXT ELECTION!

Just as Newt, Perry, and their supporters claim it’s unfair the candidates couldn’t manage to follow the simplest of rules, or get the most minimum of support, it would be just as unfair to those who DID follow the rules and succeed. Seriously, Mitt Romney and Ron Paul followed the rules and qualified for the ballot. Santorum, Bachmann and others didn’t even attempt, because they didn’t have the organization in Virginia to compete.

Again, this would be like winning the Indy 500, and then being told in the winner’s circle you were no longer the winner because of a rule change made, after the race, simply because the fans were unhappy with the outcome.

It’s exactly like that.

What Cuccinelli proposes is not unreasonable, for the next election. From Fox News:

Cuccinelli, who is a Republican, shared the concerns.

“Recent events have underscored that our system is deficient,” he said in a statement. “Virginia owes her citizens a better process. We can do it in time for the March primary if we resolve to do so quickly.”

Cuccinelli’s proposal is expected to state that if the Virginia Board of Elections certifies that a candidate is receiving federal matching funds, or has qualified to receive them, that candidate will upon request be automatically added to the ballot.

Two former Democratic attorneys general are also backing the move, along with a former Democratic state party chairman and a former Republican state party chairman.

Wonder if Cuccinelli’s decision to run for governor has anything to do with this?

Read more here.

Now as a Palin supporter, and someone who would love to see her jump in and run, you’d think I’d be for this change. It would mean they’d have to put her on the ballot, even though she missed the deadline. Why? Because when you start changing the rules after the fact, to favor a candidate, or candidates, who failed to qualify, you gotta let everyone in.

I always thought Cuccinelli was a sharp guy. But he’s totally wrong here. Changing the rules like this would set a very dangerous precedent. Why do you think a couple of democrats support it?

Imagine this. A Republican wins Virginia in the general election. A mob of democrats “find” some reason the Republican won, and want the rules changed, retroactively, to change the outcome.

After all, if this happens, Virginia will have set a precedent for changing rules after the fact.

Sounds too far fetched? Then you haven’t been paying attention to how democrats operate during elections.

The fact is, everyone one involved in the Virginia fiasco, except Mitt Romney and Ron Paul, are acting like children. Spoiled rotten children.

Virginia has 2% of the delegates needed to win the Republican nomination. Is it worth throwing away the last bit of integrity our political process has just to satisfy an angry mob?

The rules were simple. Get 10,000 legitimate signatures including 400 in each of Virginia’s 11 voting districts. It was recommended that every candidate get 15,000 and 700 signatures, respectively, to have a cushion against the inevitable. Oh, and you have FIVE MONTHS to get it done!

As I mentioned, one would think I’d be jumping for joy, because this wrongheaded move would allow Sarah Palin, should she jump in, a spot on the ballot. But I’m not. If this is allowed to take place, it will be a sad day for America.

These candidates and their supporters need to pay attention to this video. It perfectly describes the Gingrich and Perry campaigns, and why they failed :

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Flashback: Newt’s Passionate Support of Mandated Health Care Insurance, RomneyCare

By Gary P Jackson

I’ve noticed something about Newt Gingrich’s supporters. I’ve noticed a lot of things really. Like Ron Paul supporters they believe Newt can do no wrong, and every fact about his Big Government socialist ways is a lie.

Of course, like most Conservatives, they also think Mitt Romney is the Great Satan™!

This is frustrating to me, and I don’t support Mitt Romney in the slightest. Most people’s biggest problem with Mitt is RomneyCare. Sadly, Newt’s supporters are so mesmerized by his nonsense, they fail to realize NewtCare is just RomneyCare with a twist.

When you break both NewtCare and RomneyCare down to their core, what they really are is government mandated health care. The government telling you that you must have health insurance, or else.

One of the few differences in Newt prattles on about posting a bond of say $100,000 to $150,000.

Newt has been pushing government mandated health care as long, if not longer than Mitt Romney. The only reason it hasn’t much mattered [until now] is Newt was just a well paid shill [$37 million from Big Pharma and Big Insurance] rather than a poor, corrupt, government official.

You can bet your ass if Newt had been in office, we’d have NewtCare, just as surely as we have ObamaCare now.

Remember, Newt was the front man for President George W Bush’s Medicare Part D bill.

There’s tons of video of Newt pushing mandates. Heck, he was shilling for government mandated health care insurance in May of 2011!

Here’s vintage Newt, circa 2008, telling you it’s “immoral” for you not to have insurance.

How many times do you have to hear Newt, in his own words, tell you he supports MANDATED HEALTH CARE INSURANCE for it to sink in?

I think it’s immoral for a government to force you to buy anything, just because you exist.

Health insurance isn’t like automobile insurance. You aren’t forced to own an automobile. In fact, driving is not even a right. It’s a privilege. You earn the privilege to drive by passing proficiency tests, and obtaining a license.

Besides, mandated car insurance is only liability, not full coverage. You are only mandated to maintain liability insurance to protect other drivers and property owners for damages you may cause them. You are not required by law to protect yourself. Though lenders do make having full coverage insurance a requirement for getting a loan.But again, that is to protect them, not you.

Driving is a voluntary act. The government doesn’t force you to drive.

On the other hand, government mandated health care forces you to buy a product, simply because you exist, and the only alternative is to die.

What’s really pathetic, is now that Newt is running for president, he has been attacking Mitt Romney over RomneyCare. Back in 2006, Newt praised RomneyCare. And why not, it’s what Newt had been pushing for years, and still pushes!

From the Wall Street Journal: [emphasis mine]

Newt Gingrich voiced enthusiasm for Mitt Romney’s Massachusetts health-care law when it was passed five years ago, the same plan he has been denouncing over the past few months as he campaigned for the Republican presidential nomination.

“The health bill that Governor Romney signed into law this month has tremendous potential to effect major change in the American health system,” said an April 2006 newsletter published by Mr. Gingrich’s former consulting company, the Center for Health Transformation.

The two-page “Newt Notes” analysis, found online by The Wall Street Journal even though it no longer appears on the center’s website, continued: “We agree entirely with Governor Romney and Massachusetts legislators that our goal should be 100% insurance coverage for all Americans.“

The earlier bullish comments about the Romney health-care plan are another potential embarrassment for Mr. Gingrich, who is leading Mr. Romney in most national polls for the GOP nomination. But with a week to go before the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses,

Mr. Gingrich has slipped to third place in that state behind Texas Rep. Ron Paul and Mr. Romney. On other issues including climate change and mortgage giant Freddie Mac, Mr. Gingrich has struggled to reconcile his stance as a conservative with his long history of policy positions that sometimes run counter to that.

Oh, and how does Team Gingrich respond? They go for the “Ron Paul defense,” claiming Newt didn’t actually write the newsletter. How pathetic.

Mr. Hammond said the Newt Notes essay wasn’t written by Mr. Gingrich himself. The Journal was able to view a copy using a web search engine that archives old and even deleted versions of Web pages.

You can read Newt’s entire newsletter heaping mountains of praise in RomneyCare here.

Don’t ever let anyone tell you Newt isn’t a sleazy opportunist, who just tells his followers what they want to hear. Ever.

Newt is just as much for RomneyCare as any lefty would be. He’s patently dishonest when he attacks Mitt Romney, and so are his supporters.

I wrote a while back that even though I’m not a Romney supporter, and have many problems with him, I find myself wanting to defend him more and more. Anything Romney can be accused of, and I do mean anything, Newt supports the same thing, and has likely had more influence getting it done.

In other words, no matter how many people tell you different, Newt is worse than Mitt Romney in every single way.

While I think RomneyCare was stupid, it was also constitutional, as things like this are, and should be, left to the states. Of course, just because you CAN do something, it doesn’t mean you SHOULD.

NewtCare, FEDERALLY mandated health care insurance, would NOT be constitutional, and is a direct assault on Liberty and Freedom. If the federal government can force you to buy health care insurance, they can literally force you to buy anything. I think most of our readers understand the concept of a slippery slope, of the camel’s nose under the tent.

Oh, and for the record, I think RomneyCare is a direct assault on Liberty and Freedom too, but at least you can pack up and move to another state that won’t destroy your Freedoms. Under NewtCare, just like ObamaCare, you must leave the country to escape it.

Somehow Conservatives have become convinced Mitt is the Great Satan™ and must be vanquished at all costs, even if they sit the election out and hand it to Obama.

Friends, there are far worse outcomes than a President Romney. A President Gingrich would top that list, a list that includes a second term for President Obama.

Newt Gingrich is a corrupt, lying Big Government “progressive” who can never be trusted.

You might want to check out Government Mandates: Newt Gingrich and the Art of the Con Explained for more information on how you are being conned by Newt. This includes video of Newt from 2005 strongly pushing, you guessed it, government mandated health care insurance.

There’s also a stern warning from Ronald Reagan about guys like Newt Gingrich.

Sarah Palin’s Blunt Advice for the Presidential Candidates

By Gary P Jackson

As we end the year, the Washington Post has several Republicans, including Sarah Palin, talk about what they would do if they were running for president.

Sarah uses this opportunity to give the current field of GOP candidates some advice:

Given the concerns I have for some of the Republican field’s focus thus far, I must implore the candidates to do something that sounds self-promoting, but whatever. Candidates, please turn to Chapter Three of “Going Rogue” and read what it takes for our country to step toward energy independence. Note the lesson I share in the same chapter about taking on the “elite,” the crony capitalists and the permanent political establishment to get a job done.

Do you really realize what is at stake? What is at stake is our republic. The gravity of today’s situation is real. We count on you to lead our nation on the right path. Please let us know you realize this. Understand how the left’s terrifyingly naive assault on American industry exposes us to the mercy of foreign regimes whose prime objective is, at worst, our permanent demise and, at best, is stripping away our freedom. God has blessed America with ingenuity, natural resources and the strength of our workforce. Let’s use them. Tell voters that you understand this. Talk about this on the campaign trail. And quit gripin’ and moaning about “inside baseball” partisan machinations and maneuvering. We have other things to worry about. Stay strong. Focus on defending our republic and how we’ll re-industrialize our most exceptional nation in order to defeat the incumbent and win for America.

Blunt and to the point, this is vintage Sarah Palin. In a couple of paragraphs she cuts to the chase. Not only giving good, solid [and winning] advice, but pointing out why our candidates are in big trouble.

We have candidates and their supporters creating conspiracies theories at warp speed concerning the Virginia ballot access fiasco. Of course, it’s only a fiasco because Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich are too disorganized to get enough signatures to qualify for the ballot, despite having five months to get it done.

And because the candidates, and their supporters, refuse to accept reality.

Face it. Perry and Newt failed. Get over it. Every mimute spent bitchin’ about this, is a minute spent not talking about how these people intend to get America back on the right track.

Frankly, the candidates need to sit down and read Sarah’s entire book. Then they MIGHT get it. But probably not.

You read Sarah’s words and immediately think: “Girl, if you want this done right, you’re going to have to jump in and do it yourself!” These other candidates simply aren’t capable of articulating Conservative principles and common sense solutions. Most certainly, none have actually put them into practice.

Before readers go all “She’s going to run!!!!!” I gotta throw some cold water on you. The Post also asked Haley Barbour, Herman Cain, and Mitch Daniels to weigh in as well.

That said, she’s the only one of this bunch voicing “concern” over the field. She’s the only one on record as saying she isn’t happy with any of these candidates, and she’s the only one who’s said it’s not to late for “someone” to jump into the race. What that means, only Sarah Palin knows.

There are reasons why, when Sarah Palin was Governor, you saw magazine covers like this:

And by “hot” they meant her approval ratings in the 90s [highest of any governor in the nation] and the ability to get things done. Not her looks.

If we had candidates running for president that had her résumé and skill, we wouldn’t be seeking someone else to jump in the race.

Obama’s Re-election Strategy: Replace “It Could Have Been Worse” With “It’s Not My Fault. It’s Those Rich Guys”

By C. A. Bamford

President Obama hopes to shift attention from his poor economic record by focusing on the declining fortunes of the middle class. His claim is that it is the wealthy that are responsible for the poor state of our economy, so pay no attention to the man behind the desk in the Oval Office. He may want to re-think that strategy.

From the L.A. Times:

“The president is reshaping his message to focus on what aides call his defense of the middle class. It’s a strategy against GOP efforts to turn the election into a referendum on his economic record.

With Republicans distracted by an increasingly divisive primary battle, President Obama and his aides have begun a high-stakes effort to change how voters look at the main issue in the 2012 election — the nation’s continued economic troubles.

Peter Schweizer, author of Throw Them All Out said this:

Ironically, Democrats, who talk about income inequality and plutocracy, are now the party of the super rich. In 2006, 17 of the top 25 contributors to 527 advocacy groups funded liberal/Democratic causes, including liberal billionaires George Soros, and Peter Lewis.

I worked for a fellow once, a mayor, who told us this story about a man who found his wife in bed with someone else. In a rage, the husband began threatening them. The other man calmly got up and began putting on his pants, saying, “What are you talking about? There’s nothing going on here.” The husband shouted, “Nothing? You’re in bed with my wife!” The other man buttoned his shirt and continued dressing, while telling the husband that he had no idea what the man was talking about since nothing was going on, and asked what was wrong with him. The wife also got dressed, made the bed and left the room. The husband was left standing there alone, confused, and trying to understand what had just happened.

Unfortunately for the Obama administration, the voters are not confused. They know who is in bed with the super rich.

This week Obama will ask for, and undoubtedly get, another debt limit hike. The debt limit currently stands at $15.194 trillion and will increase to $16.394 trillion with this request.

Meanwhile, Germany’s economy is humming and consumer confidence rising. From the La Times:

This month, Germany, in conjunction with France, persuaded nearly all of the European Union’s 27 nations to agree to strict borrowing and spending limits and near-automatic sanctions on member states that violate these rules. The countries are now hashing out the details.

Germany’s rebound from the same crisis on which Obama has been blaming our poor economy for over 3 yrs has exposed his inadequacies and his mistakes. It is glaringly obvious that he did not slow the decline. His administration has worsened it.

The Obama administration has paid scant attention to improving the state of the economy. Instead, they have spent their time on secret backdoor politicking to ram the hated Obamacare down the throats of citizens, and on creating onerous regulatory mazes designed to kill energy exploration and development in the US.

We sit on a wealth of untapped oil, coal, and natural gas resources that would make us energy independent, but this administration has blocked its development, and mismanaged our reserves, while giving billions of our tax dollars to other countries, like Brazil, to develop their energy resources so “we can be their best customers”.

But back in the USA, the permitting process has become so convoluted, that recently Shell Oil, after spending nearly 5 years and billions of dollars to comply with the permitting process that normally takes 4-5 months, was shut down by a committee (all democrats) of the EPA. It was President Obama who angrily threatened to veto a bill to prevent a tax hike on millions of American workers because the bill contained a provision to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline, a project that would create tens of thousands of jobs and bring in billions in tax revenues.

At the same time, the administration has poured billions of tax dollars into unprofitable green energy companies, many with ties to top Obama campaign fundraisers.

The mismanagement extends to all departments. The DOJ, currently embroiled in the Fast & Furious scandal, has made little effort to enforce federal laws to secure our borders, yet has made filing lawsuits against states trying desperately to enforce these same laws a priority. However, the DOJ has seen fit to ignore blatant voter fraud violations by the group formerly known as Acorn, and interference by union leaders and radical groups like the new Black Panthers.

Americans are appalled at this disregard for our nation’s laws, and also at the time and money wasted on the excessive tax-payer-funded luxury vacations for his family and friends, and the copycat bus tour to kick off his reelection campaign. The money could have been put to far greater use. He has not led. He has trampled upon our constitutional process while flitting from one useless and costly endeavor to another.

President Obama, however, sees it differently. On 60 Minutes, Mr. Obama informed us that his policies merited him a place of honor among the top four of American presidents.

Summing up from the Wall Street Journal’s; “Are You Better Off Than You Were 4 Yrs Ago?”:

Under Obama, the self-proclaimed 4th best president ever, we have seen;

* 34 consecutive months with unemployment above 8%; chronic unemployment worse than during The Great Depression. The worst jobs record of any president.

* America’s credit rating was downgraded for the first time in US history.

* Federal spending, budget deficit and our National Debt all at the highest level as a percentage of GDP since WWII.

* 46 million people now living in poverty, the most on record since census records began tracking poverty in 1959.

* A record number of Americans now relying on Food Stamps has led some to call him “The Food Stamp President”.

* The Misery Index is at a 28 year high.

· America’s rate of economic growth under the Obama Administration is only slightly higher than the 1930s, the decade of The Great Depression.

* Countless scandals, from Solyndra to the Fast & Furious cover-ups, have eroded confidence in the Obama Campaign’s promises of transparency.

A small business owner, who is representative of so many small business owners across America, wrote the following to a friend;

…“Tom’s back is getting worse and he will be 65 soon, so he’s decided to try and sell the business this year. However, some of the decision will depend on the economy and whether our retirement tanks again. Every time Obama opens his mouth our mutual funds go down. Most of our work is done during tax season now. Taxes are spread throughout the year but many of our monthly customers are closing business due to poor economics.

The “unemployment” stats you hear never include people like us. We are self-employed business owners, not a corporation, thus the Federal Wage stats do not include us or our sole proprietor customers when the business closes. We can’t collect unemployment since we don’t pay in for ourselves but the owners are still unemployed. We’ve often wanted to explain to people the real unemployment stats.”

The president has a record now and it points a finger squarely his policies as the real reasons we are not better off than we were four years ago.

UPDATED [Location Change] You Are Cordially Invited to “Caucus for Sarah Palin” Sign Holding Event in Iowa

*****UPDATED******

Due to larger expected participation, the location has been moved. We’ve updated the location as well as added new maps. This looks to be a lot of fun!

By Gary P Jackson

One of our readers, Tom Jacques, Organize4Palin Omaha coordinator, posted information about a sign holding event in Council Bluffs, Iowa on Tuesday, January 3.

The idea, of course, is to have one last reminder as caucus goers head in to vote, that they can write Sarah Palin’s name on their ballots, and send a strong message.

If we get information on other sign holding events, we’ll update as needed.

From Tom:

Sign holding for Palin (Iowa Caucuses)

DATE
Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012

TIME
8:00 am to 8:00 pm
(You’re invited to come at any time
and stay as long as you wish. Just
look for people holding Palin signs)

Caucus starts at 7:00pm SHARP

Come early to avoid the crowds.

LOCATION

Abraham Lincoln High School
1205 Bonham Avenue
Council Bluffs, IA 51503

Please wear your Palin shirts, hats and buttons.

Dress warm and bring flash lights to illuminate your signs when it gets dark.

Bring cameras!!!

Make signs saying:

“Caucus for Palin”

“Help Sarah Reconsider…Caucus for Palin!!!”

PARKING

Abraham Lincoln High School
1205 Bonham Avenue
Council Bluffs, IA 51503

LOCATION MAP

Or

Valley View Park
1598 Franklin Avenue
Council Bluffs, IA 51503

Depending upon turnout, people will be placed at strategic locations near these two caucus sites….

LC-Titan Hill Intermediate School
4125 Harry Langdon Blvd.
Council Bluffs, IA 51503

Iowa School for the Deaf
3501 Harry Langdon Blvd.
Council Bluffs, IA 51503

Contact person is Timothy Jacques
(O4P Omaha Coordinator)
aksarbencurlingclub@gmail.com

Eric Bolling Talks with Brian Lerch and Kate Obenshain About the Effort to Draft Sarah Palin in Iowa

By Gary P Jackson

Eric Bolling interviews Brian Lerch from the Iowa Earthquake movement and Kate Obenshain from the Claire Booth Luce Institute.

Brian really shows he has realistic goals for Iowa. Kate Obenshain is towing the party line though. Sort of sad. Seems like she’s conceded that Mitt Romney is going to be the nominee.

Eric does a good job of challenging both and having a great point-counterpoint.

Video courtesy SarahNet

“Earthquake” Hits Nebraska, New Radio Ad in Iowa Asks Voters to Write-in Palin

Gary P Jackson

A couple of nights ago I learned a group of patriots from Nebraska are looking to create an earthquake of their own. Not a lot of details to report yet.

The group has a Facebook page. I believe people interested in helping the Nebraska effort can ask to join.

With The Iowa caucuses just a week away, the movement to get voters to write in Sarah Palin’s name is growing. The national media has picked up on this, which will only help spread the word to Iowa voters.

Sachi’s blog has a list of national media covering the Iowa write-in effort. You can check out all the coverage here.

Here’s the new radio ad:

Brian Lerch from the Iowa Earthquake group talks with Simon Conway from WHO Radio 1040. This is a great interview. Listeners will understand this group is realistic, and are saying they understand Governor Palin is not seeking the nomination, but the nomination is very much seeking her. They know she won’t win as a write-in candidate, but feel a 5% showing will be very powerful.

We’re also hearing folks in New Hampshire are organizing as well.

Depending how things work out in Iowa, things could get quite interesting.

President Obama’s “Sputnik Year”

by Whitney Pitcher

When President Obama gave his State of the Union address over 11 months ago, he referred to America’s “Sputnik Moment”–our need to invest massive amounts of money in innovations, particularly green innovations, to keep pace with a changing world (emphasis added):

Half a century ago, when the Soviets beat us into space with the launch of a satellite called Sputnik, we had no idea how we would beat them to the moon. The science wasn’t even there yet. NASA didn’t exist. But after investing in better research and education, we didn’t just surpass the Soviets; we unleashed a wave of innovation that created new industries and millions of new jobs.

This is our generation’s Sputnik moment. Two years ago, I said that we needed to reach a level of research and development we haven’t seen since the height of the Space Race. And in a few weeks, I will be sending a budget to Congress that helps us meet that goal. We’ll invest in biomedical research, information technology, and especially clean energy technology -– (applause) — an investment that will strengthen our security, protect our planet, and create countless new jobs for our people.

Following that speech, Governor Palin criticized President Obama’s reference to Sputnik, noting how spending so much money on things like Sputnik lead to the eventual demise of the Soviet Union:

That was another one of those “WTF” moments, when he so often repeated this Sputnik moment that he would aspire Americans to celebrate. And he needs to remember that what happened back then with the former communist USSR and their victory in that race to space, yes, they won, but they also incurred so much debt at the time that it resulted in the inevitable collapse of the Soviet Union.

So I listened to that Sputnik moment talk over and over again, and I think, No, we don’t need one of those. You know what we need is a “spudnut” moment. And here’s where I’m going with this, Greta. And you’re a good one because you’re one of those reporters who actually gets out there in the communities, find these hard-working people and find solutions to the problems that Americans face.

Governor Palin was lambasted by the media for making what they saw as a huge historical gaffe. In reality, it turned out to be a history lesson for the biased media. Peter Schweizer (prior to being hired as an adviser to Governor Palin) wrote at Big Peace following the media mocking that Governor Palin that she was indeed correct:

Palin is right: Sputnik was the typical government solution; symbolism over substance. The Soviets did not really create a satellite, and Washington really wasn’t threatened by it. They “welcomed it.”

Palin’s other point is that Sputnik was the sort of government bureaucratic program that got the Soviet Union in trouble; it’s an example of what eventually did them in. Citing Wikipedia (what journalistic ingenuity!), Stromberg [Washington Post author] argues that actually the Soviet Union didn’t have a debt problem until some “thirty years after” Sputnik. Perhaps instead of relying on Wikipedia, Stromberg might have consulted Robert Gates’ book From the Shadowswhich chronicles, in part, his career as a Soviet analyst at the CIA. (Just in case they are unaware at the Post, this is the same Robert Gates who is now the Secretary of Defense.) On page 173, he accurately points out that the CIA knew early on of the “Soviet economic crisis. From the late 1950s, CIA had clearly described the chronic weaknesses as well as the formidable military power of the Soviet Union.” Hmmm. Do you think this “chronic weaknesses might have had something to do with excessive bureaucracies and the size of government? Note to Stromberg: you will have to close Wikipedia and actually crack a book for this one.

In a post today, the Heritage Foundation points out that President Obama’s pie in the sky promises have done just the opposite of what he promised. Solyndra has become the notorious posterchild for the green cronyism–driven by politics, not policy— that is so pervasive in this administration:

Of course, central to the story is solar energy company Solyndra, which received a $535 million taxpayer-funded loan guarantee. President Obama spoke at the company’s newly unveiled factory in May of last year, bragging that “[W]e can see the positive impacts [of the stimulus] right here at Solyndra.” Despite the President’s boosterism, Solyndra went bankrupt last summer, leaving 1,100 people out of work. The jobs the President promised didn’t stick around long, and they came at a heavy price.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the “Sputnik” investments President Obama made with taxpayer dollars. Four other solar companies that received stimulus money also went bankrupt this year. There is also Brightsource,a failing solar energy company connected to Obama donor Robert Kennedy Jr, who received more than a billion dollars in taxpayer guaranteed loans. In late September, President Obama’s Department of Energy extended more green energy loans to companies like Exelon and General Electric whose leadership and employees were also big donors to his campaign.Most recently, President Obama has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the company Solazyme to fuel a Navy ship with algae based biofuels. Solazyme’s strategic adviser is non other than T.J.Glauthier who was part of President Obama’s transition team and who worked on the energy part of the 2009 stimulus bill. Solazyme is receiving $16 a gallon for this fuel-– 4 times the average price for such a fuel.  Pretty good payback from a friend, huh?

President Obama’s promised to invest in more than just clean energy, though, and that he did investing in both information technology and medicine. Take for example the companies Lightsquared and Siga Technologies.  Lightsquared, which received hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars for a broadband project and has ties to both the infamous George Soros and Phillip Falcone (another Obama donor) is another company which has been part of President Obama’s “Sputnik Year”. President Obama indeed also invested in “information technology” as he promised in his State of the Union address, but such an investment did not help ” strengthen our security”. In fact, testing showed that Lightsquared internet signals interfered with military GPS signals. In essence, President Obama is willing to compromise the military’s technological abilities in order to fill the wallets of his cronies.  President Obama also has extended a hundreds of millions of dollars no bid contract to Siga technologies  a company who manufacture small pox treatments. This company had ties to former SEIU leader and Obama friend, Andy Stern, and to mainly Democratic donor Ronald Perleman.

President Obama indeed chose to invest in those areas that he sees will pave the way for what he sees as America’s Sputnik moment, but he has done so at the expense of the American taxpayer and at the cost of our financial future. There’s nothing like repaying your campaign donors and cronies with taxpayer money to truly “win the future”. Yet again, Governor Palin was right. It was just another “WTF” moment turned into a “WTF” year for our President.

More Proof that Newt Gingrich Lies When the Truth Would Work Better

Newt and Callista observing Greece’s financial crisis up close and personal.

By Gary P Jackson

I guess we could call this “Newt’s Great Big Greek Vacation Adventure”!

I actually have a couple of stories where Newt has obviously lied when the truth would work better, and I’m not even talking about Newt claiming he got $1.6 million from Freddie Mac for “history lessons

Here’s a little deal from Political Wire:

Newt Gingrich “claims that it was his first wife, not Gingrich himself, who wanted their divorce in 1980, but court documents obtained by CNN appear to show otherwise.”

“The Republican presidential candidate, now in his third marriage, has been peppered with attacks and questions about his divorce from Jackie Gingrich for the past three decades.”

“Newt Gingrich filed a divorce complaint on July 14, 1980, in Carroll County, saying that “the marriage of the parties is irretriebably (sic) broken. Jackie Battley Gingrich, the congressman’s wife and the mother of Jackie Gingrich Cushman, responded by asking the judge to reject her husband’s filing.”

Details here.

OK, what’s the big deal?

Seriously, what’s the big deal?

If Newt did indeed file for divorce, not the other way around, why would he feel the need to say his wife filed? What does it matter?

There’s a puff piece on Newt in the New York Times that talks about his campaign as a whole. When they get to his highly criticized trip to Greece, just as his campaign was getting started, this jewel popped up: [emphasis mine]

Gingrich says now, in what may be a characteristic bit of revisionist history, that it was clear early on that he needed to break free of his highly paid and conventional consultants, and that he and his wife, Callista, actually took their much-maligned Greek vacation last June — a pleasure trip in the middle of what was supposed to be his ramp-up as a candidate — in order to provoke a confrontation with the campaign’s leadership. (Gingrich later added that he really needed to see the Greek fiscal crisis up close.) If so, it worked, because the entire senior team quit en masse when he got back. Thus cast out into the campaign wilderness, Gingrich persevered through the summer and early fall, despite the mockery of those who considered it a sad final act. A few times, he now admits, he considered quitting.

One could go on all day long about the poor management and leadership qualities Newt exhibits here, but I think that’s pretty self evident. It looks like he’s throwing a hissy fit, sort of like when he learned he screwed the pooch getting on the Virginia ballot.

What got me, and you KNOW it’s unmitigated BS, is Newt felt he had to add that he wanted to see the Greek fiscal crisis close up. Seriously? This helps the story how?

Really, it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out what went wrong in Greece. You’d think the smartest guy on earth, according to some of his supporters anyway, would INSTINCTIVELY know what happened, and why.

I’ve written a lot about Newt, the con man, most particularly of his decades long support of mandated health care, and how he’s able to con folks with his slick talk. Lately though, now that I’m actually paying attention to this fraud, I’m noticing a much deeper issue.

Newt is the sort who continually lies when the truth would work better. Now these aren’t big lies, and most are inconsequential. Meaningless really. But it says something about Newt, the man. It goes to character. It speaks to why Newt can spend his entire political career supporting socialist ideas, standing with socialists like Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Al Gore, and many more. It’s how he can support their agenda, at the exact time Conservatives are trying to stop it, and then look you right in the eye and claim he just wanted to be part of the conversation.

In both cases, most especially in the case of the trip to Greece, this hurts his creditability. It’s almost as if he can’t help himself.

I dislike Newt Gingrich at a gut level. One can point out his flip-flops, his pallin’ around with socialists, his support for every left wing notion to come along, while spinning it into some sort of “conservative solution. But for me it goes deeper. I just don’t trust the guy. I don’t believe a word he says.

I also don’t trust him to keep his undisciplined mind in check. Newt has a lot of crazy “solutions” running around in his head. He has some good ones as well, but unfortunately, most always create more government, not less. I saw someone on Twitter today who summed up Newt perfectly. Newt is an inventor, not a leader. You never want an inventor running the company. Too scatter brained. Too many ideas, and many times, not enough discipline.

Look, we all embellish stories now and then. If you’re a hunter, fisherman, or racer, you know what I mean. The problem with Newt is he not sitting with his buddies swapping lies over a few beers. He’s running for president and trying to have us believe he’s taken in millions from big companies for “history lessons” and went on a vacation with his wife so he could observe a financial crisis first hand. Both are silly notions and hurt his cause, rather than help.

In case of the trip to Greece, why not just say everything was going to hell in a handbasket, he was frustrated, and needed time to think? No one would have thought less of him, and most can relate. The “ needing to see the Greek fiscal crisis up close” thing just sounds silly. It also destroys any credibility he might have left.

I’m no psychologist, but I see a deep character flaw in Newt that makes him particularly unfit to serve. And we’ve got enough liars in Washington now.

We need someone of character who can be trusted. Someone we won’t have to watch like a hawk watches chickens. I’m afraid babysitting a President Gingrich would be a 24/7 job.

New Iowa TV Ad Appeals Directly To Sarah Palin To Reconsider

By Gary P Jackson

There’s a brand new television ad set to run in Iowa, that asks Sarah Palin to reconsider her decision to not seek the nomination for president.

This is quite different than the other ads the independent group Sarah Palin’s Iowa Earthquake have been running. This one uses Sarah Palin’s own words urging Americans to choose a quality candidate and ask them to serve.

As more and more voters express a serious displeasure with the Republican candidates, we’ve seen numerous calls for someone else to jump in. The Weekly Standard’s Bill Kristol wrote an elegant piece asking for those on the sidelines, who chose not to run, to jump in. I talked about it here.

The 2012 election is shaping up to be like no other in recent history. Nearly half the country says they think no one running for president [in either party] would make a good one. I don’t know if that has ever happened before. Almost half of those in Iowa say they are undecided.

If there was ever a time for a real reformer to hit the ground running, this is it.

Though no one knows how Sarah would react, I would think a good showing in Iowa, via write-in votes, would have to make her at least think about answering the call. She’s asked the people to make a choice, and a whole lot have. They now want her to make the choice to run.

As I’ve said before, a great personal sacrifice is being asked of Sarah Palin. More than should be asked of anyone. Is it fair? No, not really. But our nation is in peril, and looking at the options before us, what are the American people to do?

The current field of candidates are simply not up to the task.

If you live in Iowa, or know someone who does, and are not happy with the choices before you, consider writing in Sarah Palin on your ballot. It’s spelled S-A-R-A-H P-A-L-I-N.

Whether Sarah runs or not, you will have sent a strong message to the GOP, and it’s candidates, that more of the same is totally unacceptable.