Author: Mark Noonan

Obamunism! Consumer Confidence Hits Two Year Low

Mark Noonan60 Comments

From Rasmussen:

The Rasmussen Consumer Index, which measures the economic confidence of consumers on a daily basis, fell three points on Thursday to 67.8. That’s the lowest level in nearly two years, since July 24, 2009.  Consumer confidence is down four points from a week ago, down eleven points from a month ago and down ten points from three months ago…

There are a few polls out there purporting to show Obama and his Democrats as the winners in the budget debate…that the GOP will be blamed if there is a shut down or default.  These polls fly in the face of two facts:

1.  Its not like the Democrats are innocent bystanders with nothing to do with the issue.

2.  Poll after poll shows people just miserable about the state of the nation.

Given these two facts, I find it highly unlikely that a majority of Americans – or even a plurality – will heap blame primarily upon the GOP for whatever goes wrong.  To this day, probably not one in 20 Americans could correctly identify the Speaker of the House in a line up.  No, my friends, if things blow up, they blow up in Obama’s face…he’s the President, he’s the man who said that everything was going to get better with him in office, he’s the man who said he’d bring us all together.

Well, people can see that isn’t working and that is why Obama’s poll numbers are tanking…and if don’t get a budget deal, people aren’t going to suddenly say, “hey, that poor Obama!  Done in by the GOP so let’s re-elect Obama”.  That just isn’t going to happen.  The only way Obama and his Democrats can gain a 2012 advantage is if things get better – and so much better that people can clearly perceive that things are improving.  Can that happen?  Certainly – not too likely, but it can happen…but if it doesn’t happen then people will not give Obama four more years just because they’re mad at the House GOP leadership, even supposing they lay primary blame on them for the failure to get a budget deal.

Gunwalker: It Always Was About Gun Control

Mark Noonan22 Comments

From Katie Pavlich at Townhall:

Democrat Representatives Maloney, Cummings and McCarthy, all members of the Minority on the House Oversight Committee chaired by Republican Congressman Issa, plan to hold a press conference tomorrow to announce new gun control anti-gun trafficking legislation in light of Operation Fast and Furious. The “Stop Gun Trafficking and Strengthen Law Enforcement Act,” is designed to “keep high powered firearms out of the hands of dangerous criminals, including Mexican drug cartels.”

It was back on June 17th, as the Gunwalker scandal really started to gain some traction, that I opined that the ultimate purpose might have been to justify a new round of gun control legislation.  The fact that the Democrats are advancing this new bit of gun-grabbing indicates that I was correct – the patent absurdity of enacting a law with “strengthen law enforcement” in the title is just an example of Democrat chutzpah.  My guess is that the attempt to do it right now is based upon a worry that they need something to deflect attention away from the scandal, or a conviction on their part that the scandal won’t catch on in the public mind.

Liberals are gun-grabbers, plain and simple.  They hate the fact that average Americans possess fire arms.  It flies right in the face of their ultimate desire to dictate every detail of our lives – from what sort of house we live in, to how we get around, to how the kids are raised, to whether or not we can worship God.  An armed population just gets in the way of all this – so, they seek by any means necessary to take away our weapons.  Do not be surprised that they cooked up a plan to provide guns to the cartels and then point to those weapons in cartel hands as a justification for gun control – this, to them, is just a clever tactic.  That people had to die because of it is no matter – certainly no matter to a party which has ruthlessly defended the murder of tens of millions via abortion.

Eternal vigilance will be the price of keeping ourselves armed – they’ll never give up.  The years will stretch on and issue after issue will come up, but our liberals will always, at some point or another, come back to an effort to disarm us.  Never let up for a minute in defense of gun rights – the slightest, momentary slip could cost us everything.

Congressman to Obama: Quit Talking

Mark Noonan4 Comments

Well, strictly speaking, he actually said Obama should “quit lying” – but it is a bit of same/same.

My view is that we should just ignore the President – pass a bill out of the House (and, actually, second and third looks at the McConnell plan are making it appear better), send it to the Senate and just leave it in their lap.  Let the Democrats argue amongst themselves – and when the blow it (because, as liberals, they can do no other), let them carry their disaster in to 2012.

Our bill should do the following:

1.  Have a mechanism to raise the debt ceiling incrementally – with the onus of each rise squarely on the President.

2.  Guarantee that available funds will be used for debt payment, Social Security/Medicare, Defense in that order, all other agencies getting whatever is left over.

3.  Cuts spending $1.5o for each $1.00 of debt ceiling increase.

4.  Imposes a 1% “wealth tax” on all wealth in excess of $5 million.

Pass it, throw it over to them, and then just sit back and watch.

 

Government Shut Down in Minnesota Enters Crisis Phase

Mark Noonan9 Comments

Seems that the liquor licenses are expiring – from Powerline:

Mark Dayton’s shutdown of Minnesota’s state government is now in its third week, and so far I’ve seen no sign of it. I mean that literally: if I hadn’t read about the shutdown in the newspapers, I would have no reason to be aware of it…

…This morning, however, the Strib pulled out the heavy artillery with the revelation that bars across the state of Minnesota are beginning to lose their ability to sell beer, wine and liquor:

Hundreds of bars, restaurants and stores across Minnesota are running out of beer and alcohol and others may soon run out of cigarettes — a subtle and largely unforeseen consequence of a state government shutdown.

The logical thing to do here is to make liquor licenses last longer – or make them automatically renewed during a period of government shut down.  Of course, we can also debate whether or not the State should even be regulating the sale of things as common to humanity, for thousands upon thousands of years, as beer and wine (an argument can be made about hard liquor as it is a relatively new development…no more than 500 or so years; such newfangled things even we conservatives can wish to see regulated until we’re really sure how it works out).  Beer and wine are really just a sort of food – as common on the human lunch and dinner table as bread and milk.  And you can perfectly well keep it out of the hands of the kids without licensing the sale of it.  Away with this Puritan legacy of regulated beer…

Of lesser importance than beer (and I really mean this) is the effect this government shut down is having on attitudes in Minnesota.  The government is shut down and yet people are managing to live – this is a body blow Big Government.  The world didn’t end – it will take liberalism a long time to recover from this.  Meanwhile, with liberalism in disarray, we have an excellent opportunity to turn beer and wine back over to the complete control of the people by eliminating all government responsibility for its production, distribution and sale.  High time that the adults of America got to decide how much beer to drink, and when.

UPDATE:  The Democrat governor caves in and agrees to the GOP budget.  Let that sink in a little bit – in a blue State, with the entirety of the Ruling Class and the MSM on his side, the Democrat had to surrender when the GOP stood firm.  This can be repeated nationally.

Poll: “Generic” Republican Beats Obama by 5

Mark Noonan128 Comments

From Rasmussen:

…The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely U.S. Voters finds that the generic Republican picks 48% of the vote, while the president gets 43% support.  Three percent (3%) favor some other candidate, and seven percent (7%) are undecided…

It seems to me that as we have gotten deeper in to the budget and debt battle and have stood ever more firmly, we have been gaining an advantage over Obama and his Democrats. This is in keeping with the November results and with the general tenor of the American people – everyone is sick to death with business as usual.  This slowly discovered GOP backbone is giving people something to be hopeful about.

Stand up; stand firm – no fear and no worries.  We’ll win this fight if we just stick to our guns.

UPDATE:  Gallup has the generic Republican up by 8, and Obama only getting 39%!

Moody’s Tries to Scare Us

Mark Noonan14 Comments

From Market Watch:

Moody’s Investors Service said late Wednesday it placed the U.S. government’s triple-A bond rating on review for possible downgrade due to rising risk of default. “The review of the U.S. government’s bond rating is prompted by the possibility that the debt limit will not be raised in time to prevent a missed payment of interest or principal on outstanding bonds and notes. As such, there is a small but rising risk of a short-lived default,” Moody’s said…

This is the global Ruling Class circling the wagons – there is absolutely zero danger that a bondholder won’t get paid.  But they are fretful of the precedent – that is, they are worried that we, the people of the United States, will discover that the world won’t end if Uncle Sam stops spending money.  That would be pretty much game over for them…once we see it happen, we’ll probably start making all sorts of demands for spending cuts and that could lead just about anywhere – President Palin, balanced budgets, a revived American economy, bitter-clingers ruling the roost…it is all just too terrible to contemplate.  So, better try and frighten the yokels…Obama did his bit by claiming old people won’t get their SS, now Moody’s is doing it’s bit by claiming that disaster impends.

Don’t buy the scare tactics and the hype – there is no financial crisis for the United States government.  Not yet.  That will come some where in 2015 if we don’t cut spending, not in 2011 if we fail to go further in to debt.  To be sure, there is a danger of a complete economic melt down – but that will be triggered by China and/or Europe, not by us; and there is nothing we can do to stop any of that, though we could make matters much worse by having more debt than we should when the crash comes.  Republicans, conservatives, libertarians – remain calm:  stand firm on principal and all will be well.

Boehner: Obama is Like Jell-O

Mark Noonan5 Comments

From ABC:

In a meeting with a small group of reporters in his Capitol Hill office this morning, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, criticized President Obama and White House officials for their lack of resolve in negotiations.

“Dealing with them the last couple months has been like dealing with Jell-o,” Boehner said. “Some days it’s firmer than others. Sometimes it’s like they’ve left it out over night.”

Boehner explained that talks broke down over the weekend because, he said, the president backed off entitlement reforms so much from Friday to Saturday, “It was Jell-o; it was damn near liquid.”

Rather hard to negotiate with someone who’s position continually shifts.  We’ve seen this before – again and again Obama has refused to put his own ideas firmly on the table…meanwhile, however, the business of the country does need to be done, so men and women with more firmness come up with actual proposals, only to see them sink in the morass of Obama indecision.

I doubt there is much left in Obama outside a desire to be re-elected.  He seems to have resigned any semblance of leadership in domestic or foreign policy and is only interested in events in so far as he feels he can use them for personal, political advantage.

It is probably time for us to give up on Obama and negotiations:  pass a bill which raises the debt limit while cutting $1.50 for each additional dollar of new debt and just hand it off to the Senate.  Let them vote it up or down, or amend it and send it back to the House.  We can sit back and wait – we’ll have passed our plan and can reasonably state to the American people that we’re just waiting to see what Reid and Obama come up with in response.

At any rate, there is something wrong – and vaguely un-American – in seeing our Congressional leaders closeted with the President to work out a plan which, presumptively, would be passed through Congress with minimal debate and no real chance to amend…a sort of decree from on high which Congress is supposed to rubber stamp.  Better to just do it properly and let the political chips fall where they may – in the end, if we stand firm on principal while showing our willingness to do the job, we’ll reap the benefit, in my view.

The Effects of Applied Liberalism

Mark Noonan9 Comments

From CNN Money:

Buffeted by high taxes, strict regulations and uncertain state budgets, a growing number of California companies are seeking friendlier business environments outside of the Golden State…

…Companies are “disinvesting” in California at a rate five times greater than just two years ago, said Joseph Vranich, a business relocation expert based in Irvine. This includes leaving altogether, establishing divisions elsewhere or opting not to set up shop in California…

And this is also why, as a nation, we’re seeing a lot of businesses not just fleeing California, but fleeing the nation – when you have high taxes combined with capricious regulations and lawsuits, you just can’t do business.  Especially in a down economy when generating profits is hard, you seek every advantage you can…and if shifting from California to, say, Arizona will cut your costs by 20%, you do it.  You’d be insane not to.

Sorry, liberals, but you can’t successfully manage an economy…you can’t make a rule and a tax for every activity.  You have to, for the most part, just leave it be.  All government can do is prevent fraud and enforce some very basic health and safety regulations…and even in that area, local governing bodies should have vastly more authority than State or federal bodies.  If you are trying to make it fair and make it come out right – by your definition – all you’ll do is mess it up.  California is proof that liberalism is a complete failure – you liberals absolutely govern that State and pretty much have for the past 20 years.  It is your baby – and it is dying of liberalism.

Do You Love Obama?

Mark Noonan41 Comments

If you do, then Stephen Marche has written the article for you – from Esquire:

Before the fall brings us down, before the election season begins in earnest with all its nastiness and vulgarity, before the next batch of stupid scandals and gaffes, before Sarah Palin tries to convert her movie into reality and Joe Biden resumes his imitation of an embarrassing uncle and Newt and Callista Gingrich creep us all out, can we just enjoy Obama for a moment? Before the policy choices have to be weighed and the hard decisions have to be made, can we just take a month or two to contemplate him the way we might contemplate a painting by Vermeer or a guitar lick by the early-seventies Rolling Stones or a Peyton Manning pass or any other astounding, ecstatic human achievement? Because twenty years from now, we’re going to look back on this time as a glorious idyll in American politics, with a confident, intelligent, fascinating president riding the surge of his prodigious talents from triumph to triumph. Whatever happens this fall or next, the summer of 2011 is the summer of Obama…

It is also the summer of unemployment, bankruptcy and increasing risk of war…but no matter.

We’ve seen this sort of thing before:

The celebration of the 70th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin has become a social and political event of great historical significance.

The love of the people for the great leader, the admiration for the titanic activity of Comrade Stalin as a great revolutionary, statesman, general and theoretical genius, has turned this celebration into a powerful show of unity of the Soviet people, the peoples of the countries of peoples democracy, the progressive people of the whole world…

Hate to break it to Marche, but the prodigious talents of Obama led to a crushing GOP victory in 2010 – and may well lead to Obama being booted out of office in 2012.  And here’s the real kicker – our super genius President could easily have avoided all that.  Think back to January of 2009 – all us GOPers were shaking in our boots, worried that we were entering in to 20 years of liberal governance.  One thing we knew for certain was that nationalized health care was a sure thing…the Democrats had the House, the Senate and the White House and could easily put together a plan which would have put the overwhelming majority of the population permanently on the government teat, thus making the task of getting a conservative majority vastly more difficult.  All Obama had to do was use a little finesse – no chance he’d blunderbuss it through like Clinton tried in 1993, right?

Well, turns out Obama’s actions made Clinton’s in ’93 look masterful.  The bonehead turned it over to Pelosi (when he should have turned it over to a bi-partisan panel headed up by McCain) who then crafted something certain to provoke opposition, thus allowing the GOP to regain its footing.  We were cooked on January 20th, 2009…now we’ve got an even money chance of starting a conservative,  Second American Revolution on January 20th, 2013.

But Obama is still the man our liberals claim to love – mostly because they have a weak idea of what “love” means.  In actually, what they have is a servile devotion to their Great Leader and Teacher.  They are on their knees because they want a master, and have found him.  Just disgusting to think that so many people who are my fellow Americans are like that – the fruit of a century of enervating liberalism, and we’ll be more than a century in purging our nation of it.  Fortunately, Obama in actuality have given us our chance to do just that.

Drill, Baby, Drill: For 190,000 Jobs

Mark Noonan5 Comments

From the Daily Caller:

Almost 190,000 jobs could be created by 2013 if offshore drilling returns to pre-spill levels, according to a study sponsored by two oil trade groups, the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) and the American Petroleum Institute (API).

The study, conducted by Quest Offshore Inc., found that if permits for exploration and drilling returned to historic levels, and if backlogged requests were granted, 400,000 jobs could be supported across the United States with a GDP increase of $45 billion by 2013…

Because Obama flies from one screw up to another we tend to forget the older ones – in this case, the absurd “permatorium” he put in place in response to the Gulf oil spill.  The chances of a repeat of that particular accident, even if no action was taken, are exceptionally small…and  nearly non-existent if a few, common-sense precautions are taken in that sort of drilling (ie, deep water).  But Obama, true blue liberal that he is, couldn’t pass up the chance to gut America’s offshore oil industry – and so he imposed his permatorium and simply will not lift it (by hook or by crook, he keeps it in place – just by going slow on new permits he puts a hammer lock on it).

While we are all gleeful at the prospect of using Obama’s speech in Brazil (where he stated he hopes America will become Brazil’s best customer), we really do need to break this log jam.  Some means must be found to force Obama to allow us to drill for oil – even if this report is wildly over-optimistic, it would still mean tens of thousands of new, high paying jobs…and jobs which produce actual wealth and which are within reach of regular, blue collar Americans (the American economy can never be a place where we merely write computer programs and shuffle fake money around Wall Street, you know?  Someone has to do some actual work).  Continual pressure must be applied – and ever legislative effort (including the debt deal) should include a legislative end to Obama’s drilling “permatorium”.

It is time for us to start working in the interests of the American people – and I can’t think of a better “step one” than to start drilling for oil.