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June 2014

Posted by Leslie Eastman on June 24, 2014 14 Comments
While America's attention has been focused on Iraq, it is easy to forget the month before we were concerned about Russian interventions in the Ukraine and Crimea. On another one of his #SmartPower/vacation tours, President Obama in early June went to Poland to promise that he would send aidto address tensions in the region.
U.S. President Barack Obama promised ...to beef up military support for eastern European members of the NATO alliance who fear they could be next in the firing line after the Kremlin's intervention in Ukraine. Under attack from critics at home who say his leadership on the world stage has not been muscular enough, Obama unveiled plans to spend up to $1 billion in supporting and training the armed forces of NATO states on Russia's borders. The White House also said it would review permanent troop deployments in Europe in the light of the Ukraine crisis -- though that fell short of a firm commitment to put troops on the ground that Poland and some of its neighbors had sought.
This is in addition to the U.S. Army paratroopers who were sent to Poland in April for a series of military exercises in four countries across Eastern Europe to counter the crisis in Ukraine. However, it seems that in some quarters of that country, Polish opinion of our assistance is on par with the substantially decreased popularity of our Commander-in-Chief. A Polish news magazine provided excerpts of a secretly recorded conversation with Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski, during which he called his country's ties with the US "worthless".
According to a transcript of excerpts of the conversation that was published by Wprost on its Internet site, Sikorski told Rostowski: "You know that the Polish-US alliance isn't worth anything." "It is downright harmful, because it creates a false sense of security ... Complete bullshit. We'll get in conflict with the Germans, Russians and we'll think that everything is super, because we gave the Americans a blow job. Losers. Complete losers."

Posted by RedDawn on June 24, 2014 17 Comments
Yesterday, President Obama announced America should aspire to be more like France when supplying employee benefits. The Washington Examiner reports:
“Other countries know how to do this,” Obama said. “If France can figure this out, we can figure it out.” “Many women can't even get a paid day off to give birth,” Obama said. “There is only one developed country in the world that does not offer paid maternity leave, and that is us. And that is not a list you want to be on, by your lonesome.”
On the surface, this sounds like a fair enough argument, but then so does raising the minimum wage... until you consider the numeric reality. Unlike the United States, France's unemployment rate clocks in at a steady 10% for workers over 25. Under 25, the rate is closer to 25% unemployed. For perspective, the US and the UK both hover around a 6% unemployment rate. But that's not the only factor worth considering. Remember the infamous 75% tax? That was France, all France. Take a look at where France ranks in taxation comparable to the United States: [caption id="attachment_90228" align="aligncenter" width="639"]Source: Tax Policy Center Source: Tax Policy Center[/caption] Tax conditions in France are so horrid, that entrepreneurs are fleeing to countries with more agreeable taxation rates. The New York Times discussed this phenomenon. This aspiring entrepreneur left for the UK:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 24, 2014 23 Comments
The completely hyperventilated headline at the progressive "Crooks and Liars" website is Scott Walker Fan Indicted For Massive Voter Fraud. What apparently happened is that someone who allegedly is a Walker supporter voted multiple times in multiple elections and encouraged others to do so. The total fraudulent vote count is in the single digits, maybe as high as 10-12 votes spread among different jurisdictions. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel has more details:
A Shorewood man has been charged with more than a dozen counts of illegal voting, accused of casting multiple ballots in four elections in 2011 and 2012, including five in the 2012 gubernatorial recall. Robert D. Monroe, 50, used addresses in Shorewood, Milwaukee and Indiana, according to the complaint, and cast some votes in the names of his son and his girlfriend's son.
Does this matter? Yes, of course. We have seen razor-tight elections. A few votes here or there could make a difference.

Posted by Andrew Branca on June 24, 2014 28 Comments
It was with considerable astonishment that I read the following headline in an ABC news post:

Marissa Alexander, who fired warning shot at husband attacking her, likely won't see prison after Florida changes 'Stand Your Ground' law

One wonders if they had to work extra hard to get four errors into a single headline, or if it's just a talent.  I guess we'll never know, because no authorship is associated with the piece.  If I'd written this post, I'd want to be anonymous, too.  Let's take a look at the errors one at a time.

Alexander "Fired Warning Shot"

The article states:

Posted by Rusty Weiss on June 24, 2014 1 Comment
Legal Insurrection was able to bring national attention to the Tenney/Hanna primary last week, with a story involving "false flag" Super PACs spending upwards of $1 million to distort Tenney's campaign.  Since then, the Tea Party Marine mother has been garnering support from conservatives, receiving endorsements from Rick Santorum, Sean Hannity, Erick Erickson, and other political pundits. Aside from the false flag Super PACs, Hanna has also taken to Twitter to seemingly make up things concerning Tenney's career in the Assembly.  Yesterday, his campaign tweeted that Tenney had "let (the) SAFE Act" (the onerous anti-gun legislation) pass in New York, despite the fact she was a 'No' vote on the legislation.  The blatant distortion of reality led Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin to respond by calling Hanna a "liar" and a "coward." One thing has been clear over the last several weeks in the 22nd Congressional District - Richard Hanna and the GOP establishment are concerned with this race.  The proof lies in Hanna's supporter's actions...
  • The unceasing, dishonest Super PAC ads. It bears repeating - A million dollar campaign to distort Tenney's record by groups with decidedly non-conservative missions.
  • Deceptive tweets such as the 'she allowed the SAFE Act to pass' message.
  • Hanna's unwillingness to actually engage in a legitimate debate, where his repeated fabrications of Tenney's history in the Assembly could be readily challenged.
  • And now we can add this - last-minute attempts to keep Tenney's campaign message off the airwaves.
One year ago, in explaining a vote for legislation regarding internet governance, Richard Hanna released a statement which read in part that he "believe(s) that the freedom of speech is a fundamental right that should be protected both online and within our daily lives without unwarranted government censure." That belief doesn't seem to extend to the television airwaves however, as the Hanna campaign has, in a last ditch effort to preserve his Congressional career, issued a cease and desist order to multiple television stations running Tenney campaign ads, one day prior to their primary in New York's 22nd Congressional District.  The order was designed to force television stations including WKTV, WBNG, WUTR, to pull the ads, called "To Tell the Truth."

Posted by Amy Miller on June 24, 2014 27 Comments
The White House is taking to Twitter in its appeal for an increase in the federal minimum wage. On Monday, the @WhiteHouse Twitter account posted a graphic touting their "#RaiseTheWage" campaign:

White-house-tweet-america-raise

Unfortunately, the proposed minimum wage raise could come at enormous cost.

Posted by Bruce Carroll on June 24, 2014 13 Comments
It hasn't been a good month for Hillary Clinton. It has been a very very bad month, in fact. This was supposed to be a great month with the launch of her new biography "Hard Choices." The book tour had her featured on every major television news and entertainment program in the country. Hillary's face was popping up across the fruited plains from Albuquerque to Zanesville. Things were looking good for Hillary Clinton's 2016 preview. But then the wheels came off. Here are the five horrible stories that slowed down the Clinton Express in the last few weeks:

Posted by Laura Gundersen on June 23, 2014 3 Comments
UPDATE ELECTION NIGHT: ------------------------- In Oklahoma’s Republican Senate primary race on Tuesday, June 24th, T. W. Shannon (R), a member of the state House of Representatives since 2006, will compete against James Lankford (R), Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional district Representative since 2011, to take over the seat of Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), who is retiring. The two will face other lesser-known candidates as well, and if no candidate obtains 50% of the vote, there will be a runoff in August among the top two. Shannon, favored by the Tea Party, has received backing from Ted Cruz and Sarah Palin, among others, and is also endorsed by the Senate Conservative’s Fund and the American Conservative Union Political Action Committee. Shannon was Oklahoma’s youngest Speaker of the House at age 34, and was the first African American, southern Oklahoman elected to the legislature. Though he has some big-name support and an impressive background, Shannon had less campaign money than Lankford. Shannon prides himself on his belief in preserving American liberty and values, and focuses heavily on the impact in his life of his faith and family, and how these factors have led him to develop an even stronger desire to fight to reestablish American freedom. Shannon outlines his positions on a variety of issues on his campaign website. He places a priority on his commitment to defending the Constitution, and returning power to the people. He also is a pro-life supporter of the second amendment, and is an advocate of strengthening our military, stating that “President Obama's planned cuts to our military forces will place our country in grave danger” and “America is safest when our enemies know we are prepared to defeat them.”

Posted by Mandy Nagy on June 23, 2014 33 Comments
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is set to hear testimony tonight from IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, in an evening hearing on the subject of Lois Lerner’s missing emails. [This hearing has concluded. Full video will be posted when available]. Some clips from the hearing can also be viewed below. Remainder of the original post follows clips.

Posted by RedDawn on June 23, 2014 3 Comments
Tomorrow Mississippi decides which Republican will face off against Democratic Challenger, Travis Childers, in the bid for a coveted U.S. Senate seat. Easily one of the most bizarre primary elections I've witnessed, the final campaign pushes have produced more oddities. Yes, more. 

McCain encourages vets to support Cochran

Earlier today at a rally for Cochran at the War Memorial auditorium in Jackson, Senator McCain appeared to stump for Cochran. According to The State, "I call on my fellow veterans, I call on my fellow service members to send Thad Cochran, a good and decent and honorable senator, back to the United States Senate," McCain pleaded. This follows Senator McCain's 2008 criticisms of Senator Cochran on Meet the Press:
We all know as much as I love Thad Cochran, he's an appropriator and I have fought him hard time after time after time on these pork barrel projects he's been famous for, many of which in my view have been harmful to the economy and harmful to our environment. We've had strong words from time to time about pork barrel spending. He's one of the great pork barrelers and he's very proud of that.
Emphasis mine, because well, that's the money line. You can watch McCain's 2008 remarks here:

Poll released this weekend shows McDaniel lead growing

Chism Strategies released a poll Saturday that shows McDaniel with a 52-44 lead over Cochran with 4% undecided. As UPI reports:

Posted by David Gerstman on June 23, 2014 6 Comments
One of the frustrating aspects of following the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is the "blame Israel first" syndrome. Writing in the Telegraph, Alan Johnson articulates the dynamic that is at play in It's time to Stop Infantilising the Palestinians. (h/t Elder of Ziyon)
First, by granting only one side to the conflict agency and responsibility, the dichotomy distorts key events of the conflict (e.g. the war of 1948, the collapse of the Camp David peace talks in 2000, Gaza after the 2005 disengagement). The Palestinians are cast as passive victims; a compelled people (Haaretz writer Yitkhak Laor claims the second intifada was “instigated” by … Israeli policy); a duped people (activist Tikva Honig-Parnass writes of “Barak’s pre-planned collapse of the Camp David talks in October 2000”); and a people beyond the reach of judgement. Academic Jacqueline Rose views Palestinian suicide bombers as “people driven to extremes” and argues that Israel has “the responsibility for [the] dilemma” of the suicide bomber. Second, the dichotomous understanding of Palestinians and Israelis distorts our understanding of Israel’s security. The threats Israel faces are discounted and the security measures taken by Israel reframed as motiveless and cruel acts.... The third consequence of this dichotomous thinking about the nature of the two peoples is the infantalisation of the Palestinians: they remain perpetually below the age of responsibility; the source of their behaviour always external to themselves, always located in Israel’s actions.
By the way, Alan Johnson was the Professor shouted down with abusive profanity at U. Ireland - Galway, by anti-Israel BDS protesters. A case in point of this dynamic is the common complaint that Israeli security checkpoints impede Palestinian economic progress. It's a common refrain but it ignores the reality on the ground. Aaron Menenberg observed the inner workings of the Palestinian Authority for two years recently and wrote about his experience in Terrorists & Kleptocrats: How Corruption is Eating the Palestinians Alive at The Tower Magazine. Menenberg dealt with regular Palestinians and contrasted their willingness to work for the betterment of themselves and their society with their political leadership's interest in maintaining their perks and positions.

Posted by A.F. Branco on June 23, 2014 2 Comments

Note: You may reprint this cartoon provided you link back to this source.  To see more Legal Insurrection Branco cartoons, click here. Branco’s page is Cartoonist A.F.Branco...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 23, 2014 9 Comments
Last night we wondered Will conservatives and Tea Party miss a golden opportunity in #NY22? and questioned why no big name national conservatives or Tea Party politicians were helping out in Claudia Tenney's challenge to Richard Hanna in the safe Republican NY-22 District. Tenney has faced over $1 million in negative false flag attack ads from Super PACs supporting Hanna. The anti-Tenney ads have run around the clock for weeks. Rick Santorum has answered the challenge, recording a robocall that went out to 50,000 Republican voters in the District:
Citizens United Political Victory Fund (CUPVF), the affiliated PAC of Citizens United, announced that Senator Rick Santorum will be contacting 50,000 Republican households in New York supporting conservative Claudia Tenney who is running in New York’s 22nd Congressional District’s Republican Primary which is being held on June 24th.
Will anyone else step up to the plate? In related developments, Washington Post notes Tenney's strong challenge:
Keep an eye on the 22nd District, where Rep. Richard Hanna (R) faces a surprisingly strong challenge from Assemblywoman Claudia Tenney (R).
Laura Ingraham also has endorsed Tenney:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 23, 2014 1 Comment

Professor, Saw this car parked at a Dunks in southern New Hampshire. Just FYI, the NH state motto is "Live free or die." Enjoy, J ...

Posted by Rusty Weiss on June 22, 2014 3 Comments
One week ago tonight, Legal Insurrection brought national attention to a Tea Party, Marine mother running for Congress in upstate New York. Claudia Tenney has been battling a million dollar avalanche of "false flag" Super PAC ads that deceptively portrayed Tenney as the more liberal candidate, and incumbent Richard Hanna as more conservative. In fact, the opposite is true.  Conservative voters in this conservative district may mistakenly vote for Hanna thinking they are electing the more conservative candidate. The rallying cry has been picked up and amplified by Erick Erickson, Michelle Malkin, Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity, among others. Unfortunately, so far, no big name national conservative or Tea Party politicians have jumped into the race to help Tenney. With the primary this Tuesday, June 24, time is running out. Why the lack of interest?  This is a completely safe Republican seat, the perfect opportunity to move the caucus at no risk. And it could have been winnable (and still might be).

Posted by Mandy Nagy on June 22, 2014 16 Comments
Secretary of State John Kerry was in Egypt on Sunday at the start of his trip to the Middle East and Europe this week, during which the situation in Iraq is expected to be a major discussion point. Kerry met in Cairo with newly elected Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, followed by a joint news conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri. When asked during that news conference if U.S. policy was the cause of recent violence in Iraq and Libya, Kerry said, "The United States of America was not responsible for what happened in Libya, and nor is it responsible for what is happening in Iraq today," reported Newsweek. More on Kerry's comments from NPR:
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