[EDITORIAL] Electing a president is not a game

Think about the acronym POTUS, President of the United States. Now imagine Donald Trump when you hear the phrase POTUS. Is that thought merely surprising or terrifying?

    Polls seem to indicate that at least some are willing to put the destiny of the United States, indeed of the entire world, into “the Donald’s” hands just because they are angry at the political system. Really consider Donald Trump and the kind of president he would be were he to actually be elected.

    Who among us would feel comfortable giving this person complete control over the nuclear codes. POTUS is, after all, charged with the power to use them. At some point, Donald Trump becomes no joke.

    Now that the primary debate season is underway, Trump is the first choice of 19 percent of GOP primary voters. In reality, that is actually a fairly tiny number of actual persons, but they seem to believe in Trump as the one best able to explain the issues important to a president, and in his dismissal of the debates as just a waste of his time.

    Trump admitted that he has little experience in the exchange of ideas that debates entail. He sees as his strength his unwillingness to control his emotions and to engage only with bombast. In fact, it is those very qualities that have made Trump the centerpiece of these very early days in the presidential election process. 

    Electing a president is more than a game. Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be dismissed with the “you’re fired” catch phrase. Allies, like Germany’s Angela Merkel, are just as unlikely to be reassured by Trump’s assurances that he will “know just what to do.” Trump, however, seems to have convinced himself he is ready to run the country.

    Trump set the rules on his TV show, but he certainly will not be able to do so in the debates or the campaign months ahead. We will now see whether he can operate without his own rules. On Thursday night, Republicans opened the first part of their process for showcasing their candidates for the office of president. A Trump true to his outrageous form is preferable for entertainment purposes, but for the good of the country, a more controlled Trump is a better outcome.

    The debates are intended to give the public an opportunity to learn what choices we, as voters, will be offered. Up to the debates, Trump has certainly been clear about what kind of leader he will be. In the end, however, it is not the Donald but we, America’s voters, who must take responsibility for the momentous decision of who will be POTUS, the most powerful person on the planet.

Via: Idaho Mountain Express

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I TOLD YOU SO: OBAMA REALLY STOLE THE ELECTION

I don’t mean to say, “I told you so”…But I told you so.

In October of 2012, just before the election, we heard miraculous unemployment reports that made it sound like the economy was turning around. Hundreds of thousands of jobs were supposedly created. Happy days were here again. “Bravo Obama,” said the adoring mainstream media. It was the biggest one month jobs increase ever.

But I smelled a rat. I warned again and again in the media that “the books were cooked.” I screamed this was pure fraud and the voters were being scammed. I accused Obama and his friends in the government employees union of fixing the election. Democrats and the mainstream media (I know, I repeat myself) called those charges “preposterous.” They said it was impossible to fake jobs reports.

Surprise, surprise, guess who was right? It turns out government employees faked the jobs reports to re-elect Obama. They wanted the man who protects their bloated salaries, obscene pensions, and corrupt unions, to be re-elected. They would stop at nothing to keep the gravy train rolling, so they made up reports about job increases out of thin air. 

The entire election was pure fraud. Based on fantasy. Americans walked into the voting booths hearing fresh news that indicated the economy was improving and jobs were dramatically increasing. It was all fake. The numbers were made up out of thin air by pro-Obama government employees. The voters of America made their final decisions based on pure fraud.

Worse this fraud endangered our entire economy. The Federal Reserve bases billion dollar decisions, like interest rate hikes and quantitative easing, on jobs reports. If those job increases don’t actually exist, the Fed is moving in the wrong direction. Crimes were committed that falsely elected a President and could cause billion dollar damages for years to come to the U.S. economy.

But wait, that’s only the latest reported fraud that stole the election. 

Via: The Blaze

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2013 ELECTION DAY ROUND-UP

Yesterday was Election Day in Virginia, Colorado, New Jersey, and New York. Here’s what happened:

In Virginia: Conservative Republican Ken Cuccinelli narrowly lost the governorship to liberal Democrat Terry McAuliffe by three points (45-48), despite McAuliffe, a Clinton darling, outspending his GOP challenger by $15 million. Cuccinelli was able to make major strides in the last week of the campaign (when he was behind by double digits in almost every poll) by appealing to voters who hate Obamacare. Robert Sarvis, the Libertarian in Name Only, garnered six percent of the vote.

In Colorado: Voters in Colorado strongly approved a hefty 25 percent state tax on recreational marijuana, but soundly rejected a ballot measure (66 percent) to raise income taxes to fund education.

In New Jersey: Republican Chris Christie, as predicted, was the big winner again in his state, defeating Democrat Barbara Buono easily (60-38 percent) for a second term as governor of the Garden State. The New York Times reports Christie’s victory a victory has “vaulted him to the front ranks of Republican presidential contenders and made him his party’s foremost proponent of pragmatism over ideology.”

In New York: Bill De Blasio won by a landslide in New York City and became the first Democrat since 1989 to become the Big Apple’s mayor. He celebrated his victory byperforming a “smackdown” dance on stage to pop singer Lorde’s song, “Royals.” De Blasio, who has already announced his intentions to raise taxes on the city’s wealthiest and usher in a new era of extreme liberalism, defeated Republican Joe Lhota 73-24 percent.

*Also of note is the fact that despite splitting election results in New Jersey and Virginia, Republicans outnumbered Democrats in total votes. A Washington Times analysis shows a clear advantage of turnout for the GOP.

Via: Human Events

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**VA LIVE UPDATES** TEA PARTY: GOING TO BE 'VERY CLOSE'

Early reports from voters at two polling places in Virginia's gubernatorial election, one in Richmond and one in Lynchburg, indicate that as of 9:30 am eastern standard time, turnout has been just "a trickle."

A third report, from Rustburg in rural Campbell County, a conservative stronghold, indicates turnout is good there. At that location, Cuccinelli signs are highly visible and McAuliffe signs are not present.

Via: Breitbart

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Kick Them Out: Pew Finds Voters Want Incumbents Gone

Nearly four in 10 voters are so disillusioned with Congress that they want their own representatives kicked out of office.

A new survey from Pew Research Center finds that 38 percent of voters don't want their senators and representatives re-elected. 

Anti-incumbent sentiment is nothing new, but voters traditionally have been more indulgent of their own elected officials. In 2010, for instance, 29 percent of voters were willing to give their representatives the boot.

Pew found Americans overwhelmingly dissatisfied with the way the fiscal battle in Washington has played out. Looking to 2014, 74 percent of Americans want to see most incumbents defeated in the midterm elections.

But dissatisfaction with incumbents may not translate into gains for the opposing party. In many states, the number of House seats in "swing districts," that are not solidly in the hands of either party, has declined in recent years due to gerrymandering.

Pew's survey, released Wednesday, pointed out that 90 percent of House members were re-elected in their last race and only one senator — Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown — was beaten in the General E. election and Indiana Sen. Dick Lugar lost in a primary.

Of 435 House members, 391 sought re-election in 2012 and only 40 lost, a phenomenon referred to as congressional stagnation. That, Pew said, is making red districts getting redder and blue districts bluer.

Via: Newsmax

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REPORT: WEINER WAS SEXTING WHILE PREPARING TO RUN FOR MAYOR

On Tuesday evening, Anthony Weiner, with his wife by his side, admitted to continuing to send lewd messages to women after he resigned from Congress. He assured the public however, that the behavior was "behind him now." According to Facebook messages from Weiner, publishedby RadarOnline, he was sexting with a woman in March of this year, while he was campaigning for Mayor. 

When exactly did the sexting get "behind him?" 

On March 16th, in an exchange with Weiner, a woman writes "Nice! Just what I'm looking for....I want to XXXX the future mayor of nyc!"

Weiner hadn't formally announced for Mayor at that time, but had conducted polling on the race and was reportedly considering making a run. On March 16th, the date of the message, FoxNews reported that Weiner was preparing for a mayoral race.  

RadarOnine has 23 pages of Facebook messages between Weiner and the woman. Some date back to 2010, indicating an on-line sexual relationship of at least three years.

Throughout his campaign for Mayor, Anthony Weiner has promised New Yorkers that he is a "very, very different man." He is in a way. He is much more lewd than we thought. 

Via: Breitbart

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THE BIG FAIL: Obama’s Campaign Towards The Fiscal Cliff

The Election Is Over, But Obama Is On The Campaign Trail In Pennsylvania Nearly A Month Before The Thelma And Louise Democrats Plunge Us Over The Cliff

Today, Obama Will Be In Pennsylvania For A “Campaign-Style” Event Meant To Increase Pressure On Congress To Reach A Deal On The Fiscal Cliff. “Administration officials said Obama will hit the road this week for a campaign-style series of events with ordinary Americans, including a visit to a toy manufacturer in suburban Philadelphia on Friday. That trip and others will be aimed at increasing pressure on Congress to reach an agreement on heading off a series of automatic spending cuts and tax increases that are scheduled to begin in January.” (David Nakamura and Zachary A. Goldfarb, “Obama Public Relations Effort Aims To Avoid ‘Fiscal Cliff,’” The Washington Post , 11/27/12)

AS OBAMA HITS THE ROAD TO PENNSYLVANIA, HIS FELLOW DEMOCRATS IN D.C. ARE STARTING TO SING THE SAME TUNE ON GOING OFF THE CLIFF

“Call Them The Cliff Jumpers. A Growing Bloc Of Emboldened Liberals Say They’re Not Afraid To Watch Defense Spending Get Gouged And Taxes Go Up On Every American If A Budget Deal Doesn’t Satisfy Their Priorities.” (Seung Min Kim, “Fiscal Cliff: Will They Jump?,” Politico, 11/25/12)

The Washington Post Headline: “Democrats Threaten To Go Over ‘Fiscal Cliff’ If GOP Fails To Raise Taxes.” (Lori Montgomery, “Democrats Threaten To Go Over ‘Fiscal Cliff’ If GOP Fails To Raise Taxes,” The Washington Pos t , 7/15/12)

The Washington Post ‘s Greg Sargent Reports That White House Meetings About The Fiscal Cliff Have Conveyed A Willingness “To Go Over The Fiscal Cliff If Necessary.”“I’m told that representatives of major unions and progressive groups met privately this morning with senior Obama administration officials at the White House – and were pleased with what they heard. Things can always change at a moment’s notice. But attendees at this meeting came away convinced – for now – that the White House firmly believes it has the leverage in the fiscal cliff talks, and has no intention of budging on the demand for higher tax rates from the rich or on other core priorities. Indeed, one person at the meeting – which included people from the AFLCIO, AFSCME, SEIU, MoveOn and others – came away convinced that the White House would ultimately prove willing to go over the fiscal cliff if necessary, rather than give ground on core demands, though this is not by any means a desired option and isn’t being discussed as a strategic possibility.” (Greg Sargent, “Reasons To Be Encouraged About Fiscal Cliff’s Endgame,” The Washington Post ‘s The Plum Line , 11/23/12)

Via: GOP.com

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The scale of Obama's humiliation revealed: Romney scores 52-point debate victory - the BIGGEST in Gallup poll history

• Romney also enjoyed a five-point national poll swing putting him level pegging with Obama at 47% 
• Even among Democrats, 49 per cent thought Romney was the winner with only 39 per cent of his own supporters saying Obama had won the day
• Latest: Pew Research Center reported Romney taking a four-point lead among likely voters since the debate - 12-point swing from mid-September

Mitt Romney won the first presidential debate by a whopping 52-point margin according to Gallup - the most resounding margin since the polling giant began tracking debates 20 years ago.

The stunning judgement on the debate came as a bombshell Pew national poll put Romney four points ahead of President Barack Obama by 49 to 45 points - a huge swing of 12 points from mid-September, when Pew found Obama leading by 51 to 43 points.

In Gallup debate results published today, three times more people thought Romney did a better job than Obama in last week's so-called Duel in Denver presidential debate.

The poll about the Wednesday night's debate in Denver, watched by 67 million people, was conducted on Thursday and Friday. Of those who watched, 72 per cent thought Romney did a better job compared to 20 per cent for Obama.

Meanwhile, the respected Pew Research Center reported the most dramatic shift in a national poll during the entire general election campaign, with Romney’s fortunes improving in almost every respect. The center reported also pulling even with Obama on 46 per cent among registered voters and taking the lead by three points among likely voters.

Via: Daily Mail

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Byron York Column: Liberals Fret: Is Obama Bored? Does He Want A Second Term? Maybe Not

There’s no doubt President Obama’s liberal supporters are worried by his lackluster performance in the Denver debate.  “Everyone is in shock,” one show-business liberal told the Hollywood reporter.  “No one can understand what happened.”  The Obama faithful are offering the White House advice, talking points, pep talks — anything to improve the president’s performance when he next faces Mitt Romney at Hofstra University on October 16.

But for some liberal writers, the concern goes deeper.  Perhaps Obama’s somewhat withdrawn demeanor at the debate was an indication that he doesn’t even want a second term as president.

On the morning after the debate, The Atlantic ran an analysis headlined, “Snippy Obama, Whose Heart’s Not In It.”  Writer Garance Franke-Ruta suggested that Obama, as an unusually sensitive man, has been worn down by the presidency’s demands of conducting war in Afghanistan and dealing with crises like the murder of a U.S. ambassador and three other Americans in Libya.  “His supporters keep wanting Obama to be who he was in 2008,” Franke-Ruta wrote.  “But that’s not who he is anymore.” Obama’s old enthusiasm for the job is simply gone.

Now, in the Daily Beast, liberal writer Michael Tomasky asks, “Does Obama Even Want to Win the Election?”  After poor Obama showings at the debate, the Democratic convention, and a high-profile “60 Minutes” interview, Tomasky writes, “Someone needs to ask the cut-to-the-chase question: is he enthusiastic about keeping this job, or he is just maybe tired of being president?”

Perhaps he is.  If so, there were certainly signs long before Wednesday night in Denver.  A look at the president’s career shows he has never stayed in a job four years without looking to move on to something.

Via: Washington Examiner

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Chavez's socialist rule at risk as Venezuelans vote

(Reuters) - Hugo Chavez loyalists blew bugles in a wake up call for voters on Sunday as the Venezuelan leader faced the biggest electoral challenge yet to his socialist rule from a young rival tapping into discontent over crime and cronyism.

Henrique Capriles, a centrist state governor, edged toward the still-popular Chavez in final polls thanks to a vigorous campaign that united the opposition and made him its best chance of ending the president's 14-year tenure.

Chavez has used record oil revenue to support ideological allies around the world while preaching a fiercely anti-American line, so the election is being watched eagerly from the United States to Belarus and Iran.

Queues formed at some polling centers long before they opened, and despite a few delays voting was going smoothly.

"The battle has started!" the flamboyant former soldier wrote in an early morning rallying cry on Twitter. "Today we will write another chapter in history."

Chavez loyalists in poor neighborhoods, where he draws his most fervent following, blew bugles and trumpets in the predawn wake-up call. In the center of Caracas, some red-clad fans shouted "Long live Chavez!" from the back of trucks.

Chavez, 58, staged a remarkable comeback from cancer this year. But he could not match the energy of past campaigns - or the pace set by his 40-year-old basketball-loving opponent.

"Today we decide the future of our Venezuela," Capriles said on Twitter. "Today we are millions of Davids! God will be our guide," he added, referring to his depiction of the vote as the biblical underdog's battle against Goliath.

Capriles had prepared for the election by hiking a mountain trail on the edge of Caracas on Saturday, donning sports gear and mirrored sunglasses and posing for pictures with supporters.

Via: Reuters

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JetBlue Offers To Help Disgruntled Voters Flee The U.S. After 2012 Elections

Airline to help upset voters leave the U.S.

An airline says it will help voters distraught over backing the losing candidate in next month's presidential contest flee the country — for free.

JetBlue Airways' new "Election Protection" promotion allows voters the chance to win a free round-trip ticket to one of the airline's 21 international destinations if the election doesn't go their way. Contestants first must preregister at jetblue.com/electionprotection. After the Nov. 6 results are in, the airline will give away 1,006 roundtrip certificates — that's 2012 seats — to participants whose candidate lost.

"We've all heard it said before: if my candidate does not win, I'm leaving the country," said Marty St. George, senior vice president of marketing and commercial strategy for JetBlue. "Fun is one of our five founding values, and in this spirit, we decided to give people a chance to recover from the political noise and follow through on their claim to skip town if their candidate comes up short."

Via: Washington Times

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Labor chief Trumka vows stronger ground game for elections

The nation’s largest labor federation says it is ready to unleash a new and improved political program ahead of the November elections with expanded outreach and more volunteers than past years.

AFL-CIO President Richard L. Trumka on Thursday outlined a strategy that will emphasis grass-roots efforts over TV ads, vowing that at least 400,000 volunteers — 100,000 more than during the 2008 election season — will hit the streets nationwide this autumn.

“You won’t see us doing all the ads, all the anonymous ads,” he said during a briefing with reporters sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor. “We turn out people at the grass-roots level, something [anti-union groups and candidates] can’t do. And this time we’re going to try to do it even better.”

“That’s where we’re going to shine this time.”

New laws allow labor activists to have more contact with voters in non-union households — a demographic Mr. Trumka vows not to ignore.

“It used to be that we would do a door-knock, and there’d be 500 houses in a small community, and if 100 were union, we had to skip 400 houses. Now we’re going to be able to go to those 400 houses, talk to them about the issues,” he said.

Via: The Washington Times

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Pelosi: Harry Reid’s accusation against Romney is ‘true’ and ‘a fact’

Rep. Nancy Pelosi D-Calif. is backing up  Sen. Harry Reid D-Nev. baseless accusation that Mitt Romney hasn’t paid taxes for ten years.

“Harry Reid made a statement that is true. Somebody told him. It is a fact,” Pelosi told The Huffington Post in a Sunday interview. “Whether he did or not can easily be disposed of: Mitt Romney can release his tax returns and show whether he paid taxes.”

Pelosi also added that “Harry Reid is a person who is, as we know, A, is a fighter, B, he wouldn’t say this unless it was true that somebody told him that.”

Reid has attacked Romney, in recent days – with permission from Obama’s re-election campaign – insisting that he was told by “an extremely credible source that Romney has not paid taxes for ten years.”

Via: Washington Post

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California: Political Sinkhole of the West

Anyone who follows politics in California knows that the republicans are fighting a losing battle.  Jerry Brown is again going to the taxpayers to bail out the state.  To add insult to injury the 2012-2013 budget bill he just signed includes revenues of $8.2 billion that will come from his tax initiatives "IF" they pass.

There are many ways that we can paint this picture.  First of all, if history is any indication of the failures of the past, higher taxes do not raise revenues.  It usually has the opposite effect.  When Illinois passed a tax increase in last year, revenue went down faster than a roller coaster at Disneyland. There is only so much you can do to tax your way out of trouble.  Business's and people have moved to neighboring states where the tax burden is lower and the business environment is pro-active.  This is the exact same thing that has been happening in California for the past few years.  Business's are leaving at the rate of five a week and this is not the worst of it.  California has ranked at the bottom of the least friendly state to do business eight years running according to Chief Executive magazine.  And as the taxes and regulatory burden increases more and more people are leaving the state for friendlier pastures. You know when things are getting worse when you see other states putting up billboards in your state.

No Good Path to Re-election for Obama

The number of negative events that have hit President Obama this week is not unprecedented but the quality of the bad news (9 on a scale of 1 to 10) should make one think that he is not electable. That’s the good news. The bad news is don't count him out yet.

In the past week we have seen a serious mic gaffe at the nuclear summit and while he was trying to walk back his comments that no one was buying, his top legal minds were getting beaten up in front of the Supreme Court. It was so bad that Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, had to be thrown a lifetime by the liberal justices (I think they truly felt sorry for him). Gas prices continue to rise to unprecedented levels. A recent poll shows 68% of Americans are angry at the president, his approval rating is hovering around 41%, and we won't even mention his comments about Trayvon Martin which has taken us in so many directions it's hard to keep track. The former DNC chairman Howard Dean predicted that the individual mandate would be declared unconstitutional. Current DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz in staying true to her fantasy thinking says that Obama's base is “pretty darn excited” as they were in 2008. I think not. All of this leaves Obama in a very precarious position. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Time to Get Back to Basics and Elect a New President

Since 2009 we have endured a government out of control, partisan bickering like nothing we have seen in our life time, ballooning deficits and a president who thinks that sharing the wealth is the way this country should be run.  While he is out golfing (90 times at last count), and flying around the county campaigning for four more years of misery, we as a nation are in steep decline.  There has been no leadership to speak of from anyone and the most important election of our lifetime is just ten months away.  Legislation is going to screech to a grinding halt at all levels and no one at the helm seems to care that we have had no budget in three years and a spending problem that shows no signs of abating.

Some analysts tell us that we are in a recovery while others say that it will be years before we see any noticeable improvement and the economic indicators are all over the map.  If the economists can’t agree how do they expect the average citizen to figure it out?  Congress is in a free fall and with a 12% approval rating we have stopped trusting them to do what’s right for the American people.

Now that the holidays are behind us it’s time to ramp up the pressure in the upcoming election.  We have to give it to the democrats with both barrels if we are turn this country around.  The last three years have brought us to the brink of bankruptcy with this administration in charge of our country.  This regime is using policies that have known nothing but failure in the past by every president that has tried yet they are still intent on trying them again with the same results. We must not, we must not, we must not elect this president again for his failures are the countries failures.

How many more times are we going to hear the term “Millionaires and Billionaires” being bantered about by millionaires in our government.  They are delivering a message to themselves but not one of them has come forward to donate one penny to pay for their plan.  They are talking the talk but when it comes to walking the walk they are nowhere to be found.

We have lost all faith in our leaders from the top down. The only road that the democrats see is the road to failure.  Time after time we have been promised everything and some have been suckered into believing the message, only to find out that we have been lied to again.   Now is not the time to be complacent.  We can’t just wake up one morning and say, ‘I wish I had done something when I had the chance’.  It’s not enough to expect someone else to effect change.  It is up to each and every one of us to get involved.    

Common sense thinking must be at the top of the list of priorities.  We have all seen what has happened in other countries and if it we keep on this path it could happen here as well.  We don’t have the luxury of turning to other countries to bail us out.  We are all alone in the world.  Let us not fall prey to the obvious.  Now is the time to elect a  new President and Congress that will do what it takes.  The game is in your hands and you must win at all costs or it we be the end of this country as we know it.