It’s Friday, October 18th, 2013…but before we begin, a brief administrative note. You may have noticed rather than cutting and pasting entire articles, we’ve begun providing links to many of the items we feature along with brief snippets to give you a flavor for the offering. This saves both time and effort on our end, and hopefully doesn’t detract from your viewing experience.
Now, here’s The Gouge!
Leading off the last edition of the week, pictorial representations of America’s two biggest problems: an executive thugocracy with nothing but contempt for the Constitution…
…and criminally out-of-control government consumption almost everyone on Capitol Hill, on both sides of the aisle…
…seems to view, quite inexplicably, with little if any concern. What inquiring minds want to know is if Republicans are either unable or unwilling to derail the Runaway Spending Express, then who? And if not now, when? When the debt clock reaches $20 trillion? $30 trillion? Irreversible insolvency?!?
In the immortal words of Matt Hooper…
Unfortunately, we’re the ones whose asses this particular problem will be biting!
Moving on, two views of the latest in a seemingly unending string of Republican missteps. First, courtesy of Speed Mach, a rather curious commentary from Peter Beinart writing at The Daily Beast:
…Democrats keep holding out hope that losing yet more public support will break the ideological “fever” that grips the Republican Party and help GOP moderates regain power. The problem, as the last few weeks have shown, is that the GOP keeps defining moderation down. For instance, the Washington GOP’s plummeting approval ratings may well boost the presidential prospects of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, just as the Gingrich Congress paved the way for the comparatively moderate George W. Bush. Like Bush, Christie is described as moderate because he has Democratic allies in his home state and because his rhetoric is not as harsh on cultural issues. But in the White House, Bush’s economic policies were hardly moderate. To the contrary, from taxes to social security to regulation, he governed well to the right of Ronald Reagan. Christie likely would as well. As governor, after all, he’s vetoed a hike in the minimum wage, cut the earned income tax credit, vetoed a millionaires’ tax three times and adopted basically the same attitude towards public sector unions as Wisconsin’s Scott Walker.
Yet for the next three years, the press will likely describe Christie as “moderate” for the same reason it now describes a “clean” CR as Republican surrender: Because the GOP keeps moving the ideological goalposts and the press keeps playing along.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/10/14/why-the-shutdown-is-a-republican-victory.html
Really? Seriously?!? Whatever Beinart’s smoking must be some…
…goooooood sh*t! We never cease to be amazed at the Liberal capacity for self-contradiction. It seems like only yesterday the likes of Beinart were defending The Obamao’s profligate spending by emphasizing the deficits under Bush; yet today Dubya’s to the right of Reagan.
Second, a far more reasoned, realistic assessment from the WSJ‘s Kim Strassel:
“Forward the Light Brigade! Charge for the guns!” he said. Into the Valley of Death, Rode the 600. –Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
On an October morning in the Crimea, 1854, British Lord Cardigan led his 600-strong cavalry force into a frontal assault of a fully dug-in and alerted Russian artillery battery. The charge was courageous. And it was suicidal. The Light Brigade was ripped apart in the Valley of Death. Commenting on the bravery and utter futility of the attack, French Marshal Pierre Bosquet declared: “C’est magnifique, mais ce n’est pas la guerre. C’est de la folie.” (“It is magnificent, but it is not war. It is folly.”)
The Republican Party is in a disorderly retreat from its own Valley of Death, having been led there by Sens. Ted Cruz and Mike Lee, flanked by drummers Heritage Action, FreedomWorks, Senate Conservatives Fund, and Club for Growth. Their cause was just, their charge courageous. And it was utterly suicidal. They were mowed down by a Democratic Party that was dug in, fully alerted and had every advantage…
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304410204579141582841805144.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_BelowLEFTSecond
Not to mention, as the Washington Examiner‘s Paul Bedard details, they had a little help from their friends in the Fourth Estate:
Networks blamed shutdown on GOP in 41 stories — 0 for Dems
Republicans never expected to get a fair shake in the Big Three networks’ coverage of the 16-day government shutdown, but the final tally of stories blaming the GOP is stunning: 41 stories blamed Republicans and zero blamed Democrats. Nightly, 20 million Americans heard “a version of the shutdown story that could easily have emanated from Barack Obama’s own White House,” said the new report from the Media Research Center.
The report, provided to Secrets, found that a total of 41 stories blamed Republicans for the shutdown. None blamed the Democrats. Another 17 blamed both sides.
In addition, those interviewed by the night news broadcasts by ABC, CBS and NBC whacked the Republicans by a six-to-one ratio, said the report. “The broadcast networks invariably blamed Republicans for the impasse; spotlighted dozens of examples of how Americans were being victimized; and ran scores of soundbites from furloughed federal workers and others harmed by the shutdown — even as they ignored examples of how the Obama administration and Senate Democrats were working to make the shutdown as painful as possible,” said the report.
In some cases, the conservative media watchdog heard broadcast anchors blasting Republicans, who took the brunt of the punishment in public approval polls. One example: NBC anchor Brian Williams said on October 14, “This current showdown and this current government shutdown traces its history back to a determined core of GOP House members who are vehemently against Obamacare and were willing to shut down the government because of it.”
Meanwhile, as today’s installment of RINO News reports, contrary to Beinart’s concerns, Liberals need not worry about the Mouth That Roars. Based on his latest flip-flop, we stand by our prediction come 2016, if Chris Christie runs for national office it will be as a Dimocrat:
Christie Flips, Now Wants In-State Tuition for Illegals
Hasta la vista, Republicanistas!
Immigrant-rights activists say New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), reversed himself Saturday and endorsed giving illegal immigrants in-state college tuition rates, and said he will try to get the issue through his legislature in a lame-duck session. Mr. Christie, who is up for re-election in November, is also seen as eyeing a bid for the GOP’s 2016 presidential nomination — but his support for in-state tuition could complicate that.
“We need tuition equality for everyone in New Jersey,” the activists said the governor said in a speech to the Latino Leadership Alliance of New Jersey. Afterward, the activists said, Mr. Christie told one of them that, “We will get it done in the lame duck.” A message left with Mr. Christie’s office Sunday morning wasn’t returned.
Mr. Christie previously had opposed the federal Dream Act, which would have legalized illegal immigrant students and made them eligible nationwide for in-state tuition. New Jersey press accounts said Mr. Christie said that would have amounted to “subsidizing” them with taxpayers’ money.
Since we’re on the subject of unprincipled Progressives, we turn now to the “And If The Queen Had Balls She’d Be The King!” segment…
Which brings us, appropriately enough to the Lighter Side…
Finally, we’ll wrap up the week with another titillating tale torn from the pages of the Crime Blotter, and a…
Teacher fired for allegedly giving minors alcohol, condoms
A South Florida teacher has been fired after she is accused of provided students with alcohol and condoms. The Miami-Dade School Board terminated Isabel Diaz Almaraz on Wednesday for acting inappropriately with students. “On behalf of the Superintendent, I am requesting that the board enter final order terminating Isabel Diaz Almaraz’ employment with the school board,” said assistant school board attorney Heather Ward.
Almaraz was a full-time dance teacher at South Miami High School. The district first began to investigate Almaraz because of several complaints from parents. In the spring of 2012, the district said Almaraz provided students with a hotel suite for an after-prom party. The hotel suite was $1,000 and was paid for with her PayPal account. The district suspects that Almaraz supplied students with goodie baskets, which contained two bottles of alcohol and condoms. A student posted a photo on Instagram with the caption: “Thank you Mrs. D.”
Almaraz has been employed with Miami-Dade Public Schools since 2009. Her attorney spoke on her behalf. “Being at the rooms, not something she should have done. She acknowledged that. She has taken responsibility for that. The issue then becomes, what is the appropriate discipline?” said Almaraz’ attorney, Mark Herdman.
Two thoughts come to mind; first, if her photo’s any indication, she’s a lock for the role of the Wicked Witch of the West in any remake of the Wizard of Oz. Second, in an age of tight budgets and poorly performing public schools, South Miami High School actually employs a full-time dance teacher?!?
Yeah; little Johnny and Sally can’t read, write, multiply or divide…but they can twerk!
Magoo
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