Saturday, August 30, 2008

Headed to RNC Convention 2008 & to Centerfield

Bill Smith, ARRA Editor: There won't be much posted today as I am traveling to St Paul, MN where I will report on the Republican National Convention, special events and receptions during the week.

In addition, I am excited that several right minded national main Street Media bloggers and radio show hosts have joined together. They will be broadcasting radio shows, posting stories, and meeting with people in the heart of downtown Minneapolis’ historic warehouse district at the newly opened “Centerfield.” Centerfield is located at 119 North Fourth Street at the corners of North 4th Street and 2nd Avenue North. Lets Get This Right and Grizzly Groundswell are setting up a Grizzly Groundswell Strategy Headquarters at Centerfield. Centerfield has graciously opened their doors to house credentialed bloggers and to provide us with a RNC convention headquarters from which we can blog, broadcast radio shows, coordinate daily activities and meet with other and coordinate with other Main Street Media members.

We invite all Grizzly Groundswell Strategy members, Let's Get This Right activists, bloggers and participants to come by Centerfield when they arrive in Minnesota and make themselves comfortable throughout the convention! Stop in and get a little Grizzly with all of us! Enjoy the great food and drink at Centerfield and lift up this great business and its owner, Josh. Join Lets Get This Right and Grizzly Groundswell as we carry out this historic coverage! Centerfield will be open to the public all throughout the convention.

When not at the convention and attending events. we intend the flex our Main Street Media Muscle at Centerfield. However, that does not stop people from having good times and fun will other bloggers and RNC attendees during the whole week of the convention at Centerfield. A couple special events for RNC attendees have been planned in advance:

The first is on Sunday Night, Aug. 31, from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m, with a Kick-off of the RNC at Centerfield Bar and Restaurant. This will be the place to be this Sunday Night for Fun Food and Drinks! Joining us for the event will be Barb Davis White and Ed Matthews, Candidates for U.S. Congress. Other Congressional candidates are expected. This event is free and open to the public! Chad Everson, will host his popular Grizzly Groundswell Blogtalk Radio broadcast from Centerfield during the evening.

Then on Wednesday Sept. 4th from 4-6 pm, we will have a Grizzly Groundswell Strategy Event Bash co-hosted by Lets Get This Right (LGTR) to celebrate our historic coverage. The event's hosts will be Chad Everson (MN), Director of Grizzly Groundswell, Brad Marston (MA), Co-Executive Director of LGTR, Sheridan Folger (NH), Co-Executive Director of LGTR, and Dr. Bill Smith (AR), National Political Director of LGTR. Everyone is welcome. Come and get to meet-up with Grizzly Groundswell and Lets Get This Right!

Tags: Bill Smith, bloggers, Centerfield, Election 2008, Let's Get This Right, Minneapolis, Minnesota, RNC Convention, St Paul To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Friday, August 29, 2008

McCain/Palin ‘08

Gary Bauer, Campaign for Working Families: We now have the most pro-life ticket in history, running on the most pro-life platform in history. This selection is a grand slam home run! Sarah Palin is conservative. She is pro-family. She is pro-life.

Gov. Palin recently had her fifth child, Trig, who was diagnosed in the womb with Down Syndrome. Her doctors advised her to have an abortion, but Palin refused. When Trig was born, Gov. Palin wrote:
“Trig is beautiful and already adored by us. We knew through early testing he would face special challenges and we feel privileged that God would entrust us with this gift and allow us unspeakable joy as he entered our lives. We have faith that every baby is created for good purposes and has potential to make this world a better place. We are truly blessed.”
Sarah Palin was elected governor of Alaska in November 2006 by taking on political corruption and vowing to reduce spending. More importantly, she has delivered on those campaign promises: Under her leadership, the legislature passed a major ethics reform bill, and she cut more than $200 million in state spending.

Described in one media report as a “strong social conservative and a staunch supporter of gun rights,” a poll in late July put her approval rating at a whopping 80%. Her oldest son, Track, joined the Army last year on the sixth anniversary of the September 11th attacks. Both the Republican presidential and vice presidential candidates currently have children serving in America’s Armed Forces.

There is no excuse now for any conservative, any “values voter,” any pro-life advocate to sit out this election or gripe about the choice. And, of course, Senator McCain’s historic selection of a pro-life, conservative woman to join the GOP ticket could fundamentally alter the course of this election. Thank you, Senator McCain!

John McCain and Sarah Palin can beat the Obama/Biden ticket, but only if we enthusiastically rush to the front lines for what is guaranteed to be the most critical election in generations. . . . It’s going to be an exciting year, and I hope you are as encouraged today as I am!

Tags: Gary Bauer, John Mccain, pro-life, Republicans, Sarah Palin To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Government Transparency

Kerby Anderson, Point of View: For years, watchdog groups have said that government needs to be more transparent. In the last few years, the federal government and many state governments have taken meaningful steps to be more transparent. The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 set up a free, publicly searchable website that taxpayers can use to find all federal grants and contracts. This website allows each of us (as well as columnists, commentators, and reporters) a chance to see what happens to our tax dollars.

The authors of the legislation were Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn and Illinois Senator Barack Obama. Their legislation has been especially helpful to various think tanks and advocacy groups to track spending and earmarks. Even more encouraging is the fact that many states have been willing to follow the federal example and enact similar legislation. Texas, for example, has a website that allows visitors to search on various categories (such as state agency search, vendor search, spending category search, or purchases code.) Apparently, with a little expertise, you can get down to the finest detail.

More than a dozen states have such a website, and others promise to be online soon. It is reasonable to assume that eventually all states, along with the federal government, will provide citizens with information about where their tax dollars are spent. I think that this is an encouraging trend. Earmarks and pork barrel spending have been a concern for many years. Most earmarks are secured in secret and doled out without much publicity. These websites will be a great disinfectant to some of the back room deals and even the governmental corruption of the past.

But information is only part of the solution. When this information is made available, citizens should demand accountability to make sure that our taxes are spent wisely and efficiently. While I am grateful for more government transparency, it is only an important first step. Now it is up to us to use that information effectively. I'm Kerby Anderson, and that's my point of view.
ARRA Editor Note: Concerned about transparency, visit Sunshine Review

Tags: government transparency, Kerby Anderson, Point of View, Sunshine Review To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

FRC 2008 Presidential Voter Guide

Family Research Council Action hase researched and produced a highly detailed voter guide. They have drilled down on the issues important to the family so as to discover not only a candidate's position, but the depth of that position. They have provided footnotes as reference guides to substantiate our findings. The footnotes also serve as further reading as you continue to contemplate your decision. The Guide is a PDF document - Click to view.

Tags: Barack Obama, Family Research Council, FRC, John McCain, presidential candidates, voter guide To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Breaking News -- Alaska Gov Sarah Palin GOP Vice Presidential Candidate

U.S. Senator John McCain today announced that he has selected Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to be his running mate and to serve as his vice president. Governor Palin is a tough executive who has demonstrated during her time in office that she is ready to be president. She has brought Republicans and Democrats together within her Administration and has a record of delivering on the change and reform that we need in Washington.

Governor Palin has challenged the influence of the big oil companies while fighting for the development of new energy resources. She leads a state that matters to every one of us -- Alaska has significant energy resources and she has been a leader in the fight to make America energy independent.

In Alaska, Governor Palin challenged a corrupt system and passed a landmark ethics reform bill. She has actually used her veto and cut budgetary spending. She put a stop to the "bridge to nowhere" that would have cost taxpayers $400 million dollars.

As the head of Alaska's National Guard and as the mother of a soldier herself, Governor Palin understands what it takes to lead our nation and she understands the importance of supporting our troops. Governor Palin has the record of reform and bipartisanship that others can only speak of. Her experience in shaking up the status quo is exactly what is needed in Washington today.

Tags: Election 2008, GOP, John McCain, Republicans, Sarah Palin To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Juan Williams: Obama "Doesn't Have The Record"

NPR's Juan Williams: Barack Obama "Doesn't Have The Record" of Bipartisanship That John McCain Has. You think about everything from campaign finance to immigration and on, and there's John McCain working across party lines. Senator Obama doesn't have a record. Now, he can make the claim and he can hold himself up as pure and trying to reach to a new generation of post partisan politics, but he has to do so largely based on rhetoric and wishful thinking because he doesn't have the record. (Fox News' "Special Report With Brit Hume," 5/7/08)

Tags: Barack Obama, Election 2008, Jaun Williams, John McCain, NPR, presidential candidates, the record To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Study Other States' Laws

Study other states' laws You [the Arkansas Dem-Gazette] recently published a positive story on E-Verify quoting a spokesman saying that E-Verify is updated continuously, has become much more efficient and has added photos.

E-Verify is the Social Security Number Verification Service allowing employers to verify if an employee is here legally. The story indicated that Sen. Mark Pryor is in the process of sponsoring a federal law to require E-Verifying for new employees.

A new Mississippi law requires all employers to participate in E-Verify, to be phased in annually until all companies are included, by July 1, 2011. The first phase, all government agencies and businesses with more than 250 employees, began July 1. An employer violating the law is subject to ineligibility for contracts and loss of business license.

Arizona implemented E-Verify in January. Google "illegal immigrants leaving Arizona" and you will find stories indicating that illegals left in droves, many as soon as it was passed, even before it became effective.

Gov. Mike Beebe was quoted last year saying that before Arkansas passes more laws addressing illegal immigration, state officials should study such laws recently passed by other states. This year Beebe, in opposing the Secure Arkansas ballot initiative, indicated that Arkansas doesn't need any more laws.

Let's let Beebe and our legislators know that E-Verify works and that we expect action like Arizona and Mississippi in our session starting in January. BRENDA TOLLETT, De Queen [Letter to Voices page, Arkansas Dem-Gaz, 8-28-08, 8-28-08]

Tags: Arkansas, DeQueen, e-verify, employment verification, illegal aliens, Secure Arkansas To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Arkansas Republican Delegates to RNC 2008

Republican Party of Arkansas: List of Republican Delegates attending the GOP National Convention 2008 in St. Paul, MN.
Automatic Delegates:
- Dennis Milligan, RPA Chairman Little Rock (Saline)
- Jim Burnett AR National Committeeman; Little Rock (Van Buren)
- Reta Hamilton AR National Committeewoman; Bella Vista (Benton)
At-Large Delegates:
- Congressman John Boozman, Ark Delegation Chair; Rogers (Benton)
- Pat Harris Vice, Chair of Ark Delegates; Bryant (Saline)
- Anne Britton; Fayetteville (Washington)
- Dixie Carlson; Marion (Crittenden)
- Ann Clemmer; Benton (Saline)
- Elmer Flucht; Mayflower (Mayflower)
- Patricia Greene; Little Rock (Pulaski)
- Jim Harris; Bryant (Saline)
- Julie Harris; Springdale (Washington)
- Prissy Hickerson; Texarkana (Miller)
- French Hill; Little Rock (Pulaski)
- Robin Lundstrum; Springdale (Washington)
- Rep. Mark Martin; Prairie Grove (Washington)
- Doug Matayo; Springdale (Washington)
- Ann Schmuecker; Mountain Home (Baxter)
- Dr. Robert Smith, Sr.; Little Rock (Pulaski)
- Doyle Webb; Benton (Saline)
- Joseph Wood; Fayetteville (Washington)
- Duane Neal; Bentonville (Benton)
District Delegates:
1st CD:
- Joe LeBlanc: Mountain Home (Baxter)
- Gerald Fulbright; Locust Grove (Independence)
- Dorothy Crockett; Osceola (Mississippi)
2nd CD:
- Bonnie Davis; Sherwood (Pulaski)
- Charles Mazander; Benton (Saline)
- John Parke; Little Rock (Pulaski)
3rd CD:
- Jonathan Barnett; Siloam Springs (Benton)
- Jim Reavis; Fayetteville (Washington)
- Susan Gessler; Fayetteville (Washington)
4th CD:
- Barbara Deuschele; Hot Springs (Garland)
- Mary Ann Lewis; Hope (Hempstead)
- Bill Poynter; Texarkana (Miller)
At Large Alternates:
- Liza Freeman Wright; Little Rock (Pulaski)
- Collette LaBlanc; Mountain Home (Baxter)
- Lucy Ralston; Fayetteville (Washington)
- Aaron Black; North Little Rock (Pulaski)
- Steve Hollowell; Forrest City (St. Francis)
- Vicki Boozman; Cave Springs (Benton)
- Wayne Bowen; Arkadelphia (Clark)
- Maezetta Ramsey; Fayeteville (Washington)
- David McCoy; Benton (Benton)
- Rick Caldwell; Little Rock (Pulaski)
- Jason Tolbert; Benton (Saline)
- Meredith Novak; Mountain Home (Baxter)
- Leslie Rutledge; Little Rock (Pulaski)
- Marty Benedict; Fayetteville (Washington)
- Dale Benedict; Fayetteville (Washington)
- Stacey Utley; Cabot (Lonoke)
- Lauren Huckabee; Little Rock (Pulaski)
Congressional District Alternates:
1st CD:
- Bobbi Dodge; West Memphis (Crittenden)
- Donnie Scroggins; Truman (Poinsett)
- Ralph Myers, III; McCrory (Woodruff)
2nd CD:
- Mozella Flucht; Mayflower (Mayflower)
- Christian Olson; Little Rock (Pulaski)
- JoNell Caldwell; Little Rock (Pulaski)
3rd CD:
- Cathy Boozman; Rogers (Benton)
- Dr. Lew Britton; Fayetteville (Washington)
- Jonathan Harris; Springdale (Washington)
4th CD:
- Jana Kay Starr; Nashville (Howard)
- Jennifer Parks; El Dorado (Union)
- Nita Waddell; Hope (Hempstead)
Delegate Alternates:
- Dr. John Jucas; El Dorado (Union)
- Kermit Parks; El Dorado (Union)

Tags: Arkansas, delegates, Republican National Convention, RNC To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Huckabee Releases His Delegates

Former Gov. Mike Huckabee has released his delegates to support for John McCain. A staffer at HuckPac has confirmed that letters were sent to the States in which he had won delegates. The letter freed his delegates to support behind Sen. John McCain on the first round of voting. That letter does not void state party rules when they cannot be released by the delegate.

Alabama and Kansas has already confirmed receipt of the letter. While the HuckPac source said a letter was also sent to Arkansas, Huckabee's home state, delegation, the RPA as of this post could not confirm receipt.

Unlike Hillary Clinton who continued to use her followers to "milk" her opportunities until after she and Bill had spoken to the convention and then released her delegates, Huckabee has not pandered and has shown straight forward support for the presumptive nominee John McCain. Huckabee hopes everyone will vote for McCain.

Tags: Election 2008, delegates, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Republican National Convention, RNC To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Harry Reid Rants On - Hides His Failed Leadership

Senate Staff Observer: Apparently, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid just can’t help himself. In the process of delivering a speech on energy issues to the Democrat convention in Denver last night, he relied on his old standby of insults and innuendo to attack policies he disagrees with. As he’s done many times in the Senate, Reid spent most of his time attacking oil drilling and President Bush.

Reid first decided to caricature GOP energy proposals by saying, “Senator McCain and the Republicans have centered their answer to our vital energy needs on one solution: off-shore drilling.” Reid apparently hasn’t been paying much attention, since Republicans have been calling for a “find more, use less” approach to energy all summer. Indeed, Senate Republican proposals have featured incentives for plug-in hybrids and clean coal development and GOP leaders have called for extending tax credits for renewable energy without simultaneously raising taxes.

Republicans support developing alternative energy sources, but understand they will not be ready for widespread efficient use overnight. In the meantime, Republicans are saying we should tap domestic oil and natural gas reserves to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and lower prices.

But clearly Reid is more interested in leveling accusations and lobbing insults. He calls the idea of more offshore drilling “snake oil” and ridiculed it as “Doc McCain’s magic off-shore oil elixir.” So is Reid accusing all his fellow Democrats who have expressed their willingness to consider offshore drilling of peddling “snake oil and quackery”? What about the majorities of the American public who want to see more domestic drilling and energy production?

Reid offered little in the way of solutions, but he did make sure to point out that “President Carter warned us about it in the 1970s when he proposed real solutions . . . .” Little surprise that Reid would invoke Carter, since he’s pushed energy bills full of failed ideas right out of the 1970s. Americans are looking for real solutions on energy and gas prices. But what do they get from Harry Reid and the Democrats running Congress? Name-calling and obfuscation. There’s a reason congressional approval ratings are at record lows.

Tags: Democrat National Convention, DNC, energy policy, failed leadership, GOP, Harry Reid, Republicans, US Senate To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Brown Shirt History Repeating Itself . . .

Ozark Guru: ABC Reporter getting arrested in Denver for trying to film Senators who were coming out of a private meeting. Were they protecting leading democrats and big donors? I am not a fan of liberal ABC reporters. But this "Brown Shirt" activity by police is unacceptable. If ABC crews gets kicked around imagine what they would do to liberty loving conservative bloggers! [The video and the news story is available at ABC News .]

Tags: ABC, bloggers, brown shirts, Denver, police, reporter To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

The Four Horsemen of Economic Apocalypse

by Dick Armey, Real Clear Politics: Like most conservatives, I look at the looming November election with a certain sense of gloom. While Senator McCain has a good shot at taking the White House, Democrats look certain to expand their majorities in both the House and Senate by considerable margins. As the Democratic Party gathers in Denver this week, it will lay out an aggressive policy agenda worthy of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The 111th Congress has the potential to pass legislation of the magnitude of the New Deal and Great Society; indeed, we may face a historic turning point in our economy in the wake of the 2008 election. Examining the legislative proposals laid out by Democrats for a potential Obama presidency, I see the four horsemen of the economic apocalypse gathering on our horizon.

The first horseman will bring higher taxation, which, as students of Economics 101 learn, destroys incentives to save and invest, reducing economic growth. . . .

The second horseman, seen lurking Capitol Hill for nearly a decade, is energy regulation. . . .

We can expect the third horsemen to unleash a new wave of union building legislation in the 111th Congress, beginning with "card check," a plan to boost sagging union membership by eliminating the secret ballot when it comes to the important decision of whether workers want to unionize. . . .

The fourth horseman first began to ride during the 1930s under President Roosevelt, and came of age during the Great Society. This horseman is government-run health care, and a new Congress provides the perfect opportunity to expand. Rather than harnessing the market and empowering individuals, expect to see policies that expand the role of government in the health care system, with more bureaucrats, more price controls, and more taxes to pay for it all. . . .

Our economy rewards entrepreneurship and investment, allowing all Americans to benefit. The policies of the four horsemen share a top down, command-and-control philosophy that is out of step with global economic trends and costly for America's taxpayers and consumers. In fact, the four horsemen have the potential kill the goose that laid the golden egg, shackling an economy that has allowed generations of Americans to prosper. Is this the legacy, high taxes and a stagnant economy, we want to leave our children? [Full Story: The Four Horsemen of Economic Apocalypse] Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey is chairman of FreedomWorks in Washington, D.C.

Tags: Apocalypse, Dick Armey, Economics, economy, energy regulation, Four horsemen, government regulation, higher taxes, Real Clear Politics To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Democrat Bear

Ozark Guru: The photo below was provided by a friend and captures a disturbing trend that is beginning to affect wildlife in the USA. Animals that were formerly self-sufficient are now showing signs of belonging to the Democratic Party, as they have apparently learned to just sit and wait for the government to step in and provide for their care and sustenance.


Tags: Bears, Democrat, Democratic Party, Ozark Guru, socialism To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Speaker Misspeaks On Theology

Gary Bauer, Campaign for Working Families : When it comes to values issues, the media and leftwing groups routinely criticize conservatives for inserting religion into politics, and yet they stay silent when the “Religious Left” makes a faith-based case for bigger government or pacifism. But, unfortunately, there are also times when liberals try to use appeals to faith and end up grossly distorting the Gospel in the process.

I am still recovering from Obama saying that the Sermon on the Mount informs his support for the radical agenda of the militant homosexual rights movement and his opposition to the traditional definition of marriage. That’s an interpretation I completely missed growing up. And after re-reading it several times recently, I still don’t see what Obama sees.

Now here comes House Speaker Nancy Pelosi misrepresenting the doctrines of the Catholic Church and distorting the teaching of St. Augustine on life. This weekend on Meet the Press, Pelosi was asked by Tom Brokaw to help out Barack Obama after he was stumped at the Saddleback forum over the question of when a baby gets human rights. Here’s how Pelosi answered the question:
“I would say that as an ardent, practicing Catholic, this is an issue that I have studied for a long time. And what I know is, over the centuries, the doctrines of the church have not been able to make that definition. . . . St. Augustine said at three months. We don’t know. The point is, is that it shouldn’t have an impact on a woman’s right to choose. . . . I don’t think anybody can tell you when life begins, human life begins.”
The reaction to Pelosi’s comments was severe. As one might expect, Catholic leaders objected to her remarks, but their response was more than just an obligatory press release. Several Catholic leaders around the country were quick to clarify Pelosi’s misstatement of Catholic doctrine, and they had some very pointed remarks of their own.
  • Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver issued a statement saying, “Killing an unborn child is never the right answer to a woman’s or society’s problems. …Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is a gifted public servant of strong convictions and many professional skills. Regrettably, knowledge of Catholic history and teaching does not seem to be one of them.”

  • Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl of Washington, D.C., said, “Abortion is evil. It’s the destruction of a human life . . . this teaching has not changed and remains unchanged.”

  • Cardinal Justin F. Rigali, chairman of the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Bishop William E. Lori, chairman of the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine also issued a statement that strongly affirmed the Catholic Church’s commitment to the sanctity of human life, concluding, “…the Church teaches that from the time of conception (fertilization), each member of the human species must be given the full respect due to a human person, beginning with respect for the fundamental right to life.”


  • Whatever “outreach” the Democrats had hoped for in attracting the support of people of faith has probably suffered a huge setback in recent days. No matter what image they try to project, the fact remains that the Democrat Party is 100% committed to abortion-on-demand and the radical agenda of the homosexual movement.

    Barack Obama is the most pro-abortion candidate the Democrats have ever nominated, and in calling for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, he has fully embraced the most extreme positions of the Left when it comes to the redefinition of marriage and the family. The contrast on values issues between Sen. McCain and Barack Obama is tremendous. In the days ahead, we will be working overtime to expose Obama’s radical record!

    Tags: Barack Obama, Election 2008, Gary Bauer, Nancy Pelosi, pro-abortion, religious left To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

    Relatives Traveling to Help Barack Obama

    "Distant" relatives of Barack Hussein Obama traveling to local airports to catch flights to Denver, Colorado to participate in the temple ceremony at Mile High stadium. Rumor has it that at their departure airports, they had to leave their weapons and excess baggage behind. Many expressed they would like to hangout in America to pick up a few things and maybe another wife and even visit Barack at the White House.


    Tags: Barack Hussein Obama, Colorado, Denver, Mile High, political humor To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

    Obama: Running on the Cult of Personality

    by Phyllis Schlafly: Smarting from ridicule about the way John Edwards' sexual mischief was covered up or ignored for months, the mainstream media have decided to avoid similar charges that they are protecting Barack Obama. Hence the unprecedented New York Times page-one treatment of Jerome Corsi's latest best-seller, The Obama Nation. Corsi's book, copiously footnoted, assembles thousands of facts to present a newsworthy picture of the personality and character of the presumptive Democratic nominee. After all, that's what Obama's supporters say is of primary importance.

    His political strategist, David Axelrod, is known for projecting personality as the principal factor in electing a candidate. Paul Waldman, the Media Matters spokesman chosen by Larry King Live and C-SPAN to rebut Corsi, claims that it's not specifics or issues but character that counts the most. Maybe Axelrod and Waldman are correct that the voters don't demand to be told about their presidential candidate's specific plans for withdrawal from Iraq, or health care, or tax policy. Maybe they don't even care that Obama does not have a single legislative accomplishment from his service in either the U.S. Senate or the Illinois Senate. . . .

    David Axelrod and Barack Obama have decided to run a presidential campaign on the cult of personality and character. If that's the battleground of the 2008 race, Jerome Corsi's book provides all the information needed to defeat him. Maybe Hillary Clinton's top strategist and pollster, Mark Penn, had it right when he wrote this in a secret memo on March 19, 2007, recently unearthed by Atlantic magazine. Obama lacks "American roots" and "is not at his center fundamentally American in his thinking and in his values." [Full Story: Obama: Running on the Cult of Personality]
    Tags: Barack Obama, cult, Election 2008, Jerome Corsi, Phyllis Schlafly, Politics To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

    Tuesday, August 26, 2008

    Debra - Lifelong Democrat Endorses McCain

    Debra - Lifelong Democrat, Former Clinton Delegate Endorses McCain: U.S. Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign today released its latest television ad, entitled “Debra.” The ad features Debra Bartoshevich, a lifelong Democrat and former Clinton delegate, explaining why she supports John McCain. Because John McCain has the experience and judgment we need at these challenging times, millions of Democrats from across the country are supporting him. The ad will air in key states.

    Tags: Debra Bartoshevich, Democrat, Election 2008, endorsement, Hillary Clinton, John Mccain, presidential candidate To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

    Join John McCain & Cindy McCain at Rally in MO

    Presumptive GOP Presidential Candidate John McCain to visit O'Fallon, Missouri, on Sunday, August 31, along with Gov. Mike Huckabee, Gov. Mitt Romney and others on the Road to the Republican National Convention. T.R. Hughes Ballpark, 900 T.R. Hughes Blvd., O'Fallon, MO 63366 More details on McCain Missouri Rally.

    Tags: Cindy McCain, John McCain, Missouri, Rally, RNC To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

    Monday, August 25, 2008

    "Not Ready 08"


    Gary Bauer: I am writing to you today from Minneapolis, site of the upcoming Republican National Convention. This week, the Republican Platform Committee will be holding its deliberations. I am happy to report that the McCain campaign asked me to come to Minneapolis and advise the committee on a wide variety of issues that are of interest to conservative, pro-family/pro-life voters. I continue to get many opportunities to represent our values with the campaign, a development that I hope encourages you as much as it does me.

    The Democrats are in Denver this week for the Colorado coronation of the Obama/Biden ticket. But they will have some unexpected company there, highlighting the very real danger this ticket represents to our country and our values. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina will also be in Denver to expose the Democrats' leftwing agenda. Their slogan is "Not Ready '08: A Mile High and an Inch Deep."

    The GOP has also launched a great new website -- www.notready08.com. One of my favorite features on the site is the video board featuring brief clips of leading Democrats, including Joe Biden, making it painfully clear just how unqualified and inexperienced Barack Obama really is. As I noted in my Saturday Special Message, Joe Biden said that Barack Obama was not ready to be president and that the presidency does not "lend itself to on-the-job training." At www.notready08.com you can see a video clip of George Stephanopolous questioning Biden about that very statement with Obama standing right next to him.

    I encourage you to click on the "Videos" tab and watch the eight minute "Obama Iraq Documentary." Obama's constantly shifting positions on such a critical issue -- America's victory in war -- is absolutely devastating. His feckless indecisiveness is most definitely not the kind of change we need when it comes to our next commander-in-chief.

    Tags: Barack Obama, Election 2008, Gary Bauer, Politics, Republican National Convention, RNC, videos To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

    Know Enough? About Barack Obama & William Ayers?

    Beyond the speeches, how much do you really know about Barack Obama? Learn about his connection to William Ayers by viewing this video and then reading the referenced link . Also reference prior posts Obamba-Ayers Annenberg Challenge Records Available Tuesday & Unrepentant Domestic Terrorist Influence On Barack Obama


    The Video produced by the American Issue Project
    Want to Learn More About Weather Underground?
    Tags: 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, Annenberg Challenge, Barack Obama, Bill Ayers, influence, Issues, news, Politics, terrorist To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

    Democrats Hidding Behind Bush

    Bill Smith, Editor: Congressional Democrat leaders attending the DNC 2008 in Denver are attempting to transfer their failures to President Bush in an effort to distract voters by claiming their candidate is running against the Bush/McCain or McCain/Bush ticket. America is not stupid. Bush is retiring to Texas. And, Sen. John McCain as a maverick has never been part of the Bush team. It is true that Bush and McCain have conservative principles on which they agree. However, McCain as a maverick never placed party line first and often reached across the Senate isle to work with Democrats on critical issues. McCain has a leading democrat backing him and even the current identified Democratic vice president said positive things about McCain's qualifications to be president. Allegiances are shifting everywhere but with the Democratic leadership in Congress

    While the candidates carry out their campaigns as they determine best, the Congressional Democrat leadership hides their failures behind George Bush. They are pursing a "con" job on the voters. They are working hard to sell their head-in-the-sand approach to energy policy to the American people. This may prove to be difficult with the divisions in their party who are deciding whether to continue following the inept Democrat leadership's refusal to produce more American energy. Some are tired of their leaders' ineptness and are considering joining with Republicans and sensible Democrats in support for policies like opening more areas to offshore drilling. ABC News reports that Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-HI) is concerned that Democrats’ lack of action on a comprehensive energy solution could cost them politically. Abercrombie has joined with his GOP colleague Rep. John Peterson of Pennsylvania to urge a vote on an offshore drilling proposal.

    Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is paying attention. Pelosi has not been bothered by these situations and has even advocated for Democrats with competitive races to lie and side with the Republicans because she can still stall and control things back in Congress. Though she’s been saying that drilling could be part of an energy package, she refuses to commit to a specific vote. Reuters reports, “She criticized President George W. Bush and other Republicans for presenting offshore drilling as an answer to the recent rise in U.S. gasoline prices, saying expanded drilling would not affect prices for a decade and then only by a small degree. ‘I don’t think that's a good alternative. But if they can prove that it is, and they want to pay royalties to the taxpayer ... then we have something to talk about’. . .”

    Non-leader Pelosi would rather deal in distractions than grasp the laws of supply and demand. She says that drilling is not in her DNA. She would do well to read today’s New York Times, which discusses the recent rapid increase in American natural gas production. The Times writes, “Domestic natural gas prices have already plunged 42 percent since early July, an even faster drop in price than oil or most other commodities, in part because the rapid supply growth has begun to influence the market. Price spikes remain possible, of course, but throughout the industry the shale discoveries are causing a shift in thinking about the long-term outlook.”

    Although doubtful, Democrats who understand how supply and demand work will be able to use their time in Denver to convince Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid to that a “find more and use less” approach to energy is the best way to lower gas prices and provide more energy to America. Republicans have put forward a number of serious plans to do just that. It begs the question, when will the wiser more reasoned Democrats stop being lead by people who are disgracing their positions and hurting the American people? Also, noticeable is that five Democrat senators put themselves forward as qualified to be President of the United States and yet, not one of them would lead the effort to replace an inept Harry Reid. Pelosi and Reid, democrat agents of "no" change!

    Tags: Democrats, domestic oil production, Harry Reid, Hillary Clinton, US Congress To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

    When will the madness end?

    Blogs 4 Borders! 082508 - vlog -- podcast on illegal immigration and border security issues. In this weeks edition...You Do The Math: Is the ID theft associated with illegal really a 'victimless crime?' We investigate. Welcome to post America: LA slides further into the abyss. 100% Preventable! Americans continue to pay the bloody price for open borders, when will the madness end?

    Tags: video, Blogs for Borders, illegal immigration,border security, fake ID, illegal immigration, open borders, To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

    Paris Liberated 25 Aug 1944

    As many radical left socialist converge in Denver to protest during the Democratic Convention this week, it is good to consider the contract 64 years ago today in Paris. H/T to D=S for reminding us of this event: "We all know the American military are really the bad guys. I wonder if a liberal socialist could bring themselves to acknowledge the liberation of Paris from Nazi tyranny as a victory" From Wiki:
    The Liberation of Paris (also known as Battle for Paris) took place during World War II from 19 August 1944 until the surrender of the occupying German garrison on the 25th. The capital of France had been administered by Nazi Germany since the Second Compiègne armistice in June 1940, when the Vichy puppet regime was established with its capital in the central city of Vichy.

    The liberation was an uprising by the French Resistance against the German Paris garrison. On 24 and 25 August, the FFI resistants received backup from the Free French Army of Liberation and the uprising evolved to urban warfare with the use of barricades, submachine guns, and tanks firing against Nazi and Milice snipers until the German surrender on 25 August.

    This battle marked the end of Operation Overlord, the liberation of France by the Allies, the restoration of the French Republic and the exile of the Vichy government to Sigmaringen in Germany.

    Tags: academic freedom, America, France, History, liberals, military, Nazi, Paris, socialism To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

    Sunday, August 24, 2008

    How Shall We Judge Our Leaders?

    Hat tip to Conservative Politics Today for bringing the following video and comments to our attention:
    It’s a very telling video that speaks clearly of Obama’s hypocrisy, and lack of concern for anything other than himself. It is very insightful and I advise everyone to view it and pass it along. Meet George Obama, Barack’s half-brother. George lives in a 2×3 meter shack. He survives on $1 a month. Twice he has met Barack. Twice Barack has treated him as a stranger. Seems political opponents are not the only ones Barack shows absolute disregard for.
    Barack Obama thinks we should judge our leaders based not just on words, but on deeds. See if you agree...

    Tags: ABC News, Barack Obama, change, charity, Democrat leadership, documentary, Election 2008, George Obama, judge our leaders, judgement, Kenya, leadership, Politics, video To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

    Why was Hillary Clinton passed over?


    Presumptive nominee Barack Obama did not select Arkansas former First Lady - United States First Lady - New York Senator Hillary Clinton for his vice presidential running mate. Will Obama speak truth as to "Why was Hillary Clinton passed over?"

    Tags: Barack Obama, campaign ad, Democrats, Election 2008, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Republicans, Scandal, Tony Rezko, truth, vice president To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

    Criminals For Gun Control

    Criminals For Gun Control Videos
    Part 1 Home Invasion - Violent criminals advocate stronger gun control laws to minimize their exposure to risk and foster a safer work environment.
    Part 2 - Carjacking - Violent criminals advocate gun control legislation to foster a safer work environment. Carjacker gives interview before burying corpse of victim.

    Tags: concealed weapon, crime, criminal, gun ban, gun control, gun rights, guns, home invasion, Murder, rape, shooting, videos, violence To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

    Saturday, August 23, 2008

    Speakers for "Country First" RNC 2008

    The 2008 Republican National Convention has announced the themes and preliminary lineup of speakers for the program of events that will run Sept. 1-4. The convention’s overall theme, "Country First," reflects John McCain’s remarkable record of leadership and service to America. Each day of proceedings will center on a touchstone theme that has defined John McCain’s life and will be central to his vision for leading our nation forward as president. McCain 2008 Communications Director Jill Hazelbaker said:
    "Our convention will showcase a cross-section of leaders who will highlight John McCain’s long commitment to putting our country first -- before self-interest or politics. The speakers will address John McCain’s unmatched record of service and sacrifice for America, and his vision for moving our nation forward to keep us safe and get our economy back on track."
    The roster of speakers announced today includes John McCain, Mrs. Cindy McCain, 10 current and former Republican governors, five current and former U.S. Senators and two well-respected businesswomen. Their remarks will echo the themes that have been selected for each of the convention’s four days: service, reform, prosperity and peace.

    Monday, Sept. 1 - Service: "Love of country, my friends, is another way of saying love of your fellow countryman." --Sen. John McCain
    John McCain’s commitment to his fellow Americans, a commitment forged in service to his country, is one of the defining hallmarks of his life. Monday’s events will highlight John McCain’s record of service and sacrifice and reflect his commitment to serving a cause greater than one’s own self-interest.
    Speakers will include:
    • U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman (CN)
    • Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (CA)
    • Vice President Richard B. Cheney
    • First Lady Laura Bush
    • President George W. Bush
    Tuesday, Sept. 2 - Reform: "If you find faults with our country, make it a better one. If you are disappointed with the mistakes of government, join its ranks and correct them." --Sen. John McCain
    John McCain’s life is a testament to the fundamental truth that every American can be a force for change. A restless reformer who has dedicated his career to taking on special interests and the status quo, John McCain will deliver the right kind of change and reform to meet the great challenges of our time. On Tuesday, the convention program will underscore his vision of a government that is transparent, principled and worthy of the American people it serves.
    Speakers will include:
    • Former New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani
    • Former Gov. Mike Huckabee (AR)
    • Former Gov. Tom Ridge (PA)
    • Gov. Sarah Palin (AK)
    • Gov. Jon Huntsman (UT)
    • Rosario Marin, California Sec.of State & former Treasurer of the U.S.,
    • Former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson (TN)
    • Gov. Linda Lingle (HA)
    • Former Lt. Gov. Michael Steele (MD)
    Wednesday, Sept. 3 - Prosperity: "America’s best days are still to come." --Sen. John McCain

    The American story is one of perseverance. Even in the face of tough times, the ingenuity and spirit of the American people has ushered in a new era of prosperity. Wednesday’s program will focus on John McCain’s plans to get our economy back on track and continue our long tradition of meeting the challenges we face and using our prosperity to help others. The day will conclude with an address by the vice presidential nominee.
    Speakers will include:
    • U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman (MN)
    • Meg Whitman, National Co-Chair for McCain 2008 & former President & CEO of eBay
    • Carly Fiorina, Victory ‘08 RNC Chair & former Chairman & CEO of Hewlett-Packard Co.
    • Former Gov. Mitt Romney (MA)
    • Mrs. Cindy McCain
    • Gov. Bobby Jindal (LA)
    • Republican Party’s Vice Presidential Nominee
    Thursday, Sept. 4 - Peace: "Our next president will have a mandate to build an enduring global peace on the foundations of freedom, security, opportunity, prosperity, and hope." --Sen. John McCain
    John McCain understands the challenges that America faces in the world and the sacrifice necessary to defend our freedom in a way that few others can fathom. Thursday’s events will reflect his vision of an America in pursuit of peace and seen as a beacon of goodwill and hope throughout the world. The evening will close with John McCain accepting the Republican Party’s nomination for the Presidency of the United States.
    Speakers will include:
    • Gov. Tim Pawlenty (MN)
    • Gov. Charlie Crist (FL)
    • U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback (KS)
    • U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez (FL)
    • Sen. John McCain (AZ)
    In the coming days, the 2008 Republican National Convention will announce additional speakers and program details. The 2008 Republican National Convention will be held at Saint Paul's Xcel Energy Center from Sept. 1-4, 2008. Approximately 45,000 delegates, alternate delegates, volunteers, members of the media and other guests are expected to attend the convention. Minneapolis-Saint Paul is expected to receive an estimated $150-$160 million positive economic boost from the four-day event. For more information about the 2008 Republican National Convention, please visit the RNC Convention 2008 website and join one or more of their social network sites on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn.
    Tags: Election 2008, 2008, Minnesota, Republican National Convention, RNC, St Paul To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

    Biden on Obama - Bloggers on Biden

    From Joe Biden's own lips . . .


    Fausta's blog quips: The announcement came at 3AM, so, was it meant to be a slap in the face for Hillary? Or to the newspapers, who missed their deadlines? Or to the Obama supporters, who weren’t the first to know? . ..

    Fort Hard Knox sums up What bloggers are saying regarding Obama’s running mate…
    Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey: It’s an admission that Obama’s inexperience has finally begun worrying voters, and not just Democratic power brokers. There really is no other way to see an addition of Biden to the ticket. … Now Obama, who supposedly represents a new brand of politics, has instead hitched his wagon to an old-time pol who has trouble coming up with his own words when he campaigns. That’s desperation, and what’s more, it’s obvious desperation. And in politics, just as in dating, desperation is not an aphrodisiac (HotAir.com, 8/23/2008)

    Power Line’s Scott Johnson: Barack Obama’s selection of Joe Biden as his running mate is underwhelming for many reasons, but it affords an opportunity to review a few of the moments that might have provided all the embarrassment a normal person needs to escape from public life. (PowerLineBlog.com, 8/23/2008)

    The Moderate Voice’s Jazz Shaw: At this point, Obama is fast becoming the only convincing argument I’ve seen in favor of gun control. He shoots himself in the foot so often that I’m shocked the man has any toes left. … Obama made his bones during this election cycle talking first about how Hillary Clinton lacked the judgment to get the Iraq war right. (She voted in
    favor of the authorization to use military force in Iraq.) Barack later criticized John McCain for his support of the war (”getting it wrong”) and voiced his opposition to the surge. (Another place he had better “judgment” than McCain.) He has now selected a running mate who not only voted in favor of the war, but came out on McCain’s side in saying what a great idea the surge was. (TheModerateVoice.com, 8/23/2008)

    The National Review’s Kathryn Jean Lopez: Question of the Day: How exactly is Biden “change”? (NationalReview.com, 8/23/2008)

    RedState’s Erick Erickson: The One has chosen. … This is all about Obama. Joe’s just there for constitutionally required window dressing. (RedState.com, 8/23/2008)

    The Weekly Standard’s Dean Barnett: The conventional wisdom regarding vice-presidential nominees is first do no harm. Given that Biden has been a garrulous gaffe machine for his lengthy political career (36 years in the senate, although it feels like longer), it would seem the potential for harm is great. … Also on the right, we’ll get to watch progressives feign
    joy over Obama’s elevation of an Iraq war supporter who enjoys a cozy relationship with the credit card companies. (WeeklyStandard.com, 8/23/2008)

    Townhall’s Hugh Hewitt: Obama represents the merger of two of the worst aspects of Democratic politics –’60s radicalism and corrupt Chicago machine politics. With the addition of Slow Joe Biden to the ticket, Obama has added to his unsteady candidacy an epic amount of Beltway cluelessness and arrogance unsupported by anything except frequent flier miles and Delaware’s love for a chuckle-headed fellow with a big smile. (Townhall.com, 8/23/2008)

    Instapundit’s Glenn Reynolds: OBAMA PICKS BIDEN: So Much for Change? That’s unfair. He’s at least as fresh a face as Madeleine Albright. (Instapundit.com, 8/23/2008)

    The National Review’s Jonah Goldberg: I think it is an outright terrible decision on Obama’s part to pick Biden. Yes, he helps balance Obama’s inexperience on foreign policy, but he also reminds people of it. Yes, Biden could conceivably be effective as an attack dog. But Biden is such a gasbag he makes the Hindenburg look like a sack of rocks. (NationalReview.com, 8/23/2008)

    Townhall’s Amanda Carpenter: Joe voted for the Iraq war, just like Hillary and everybody else did. Obama bashed Hillary on this over and over again through the primaries and yet Obama picks a VP, based on his FP experience, who did the same? This doesn’t make sense. (Townhall.com, 8/23/2008)

    Commentary’s Jennifer Rubin: Put simply: what happened to the themes of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign? A “no” vote on the Iraq war was the telltale sign of superior national security judgment. Experience doesn’t matter. A long senate career is useless in preparing one for leadership. All these are now officially inapplicable? Or is there some bizarre methodology by which one would reconcile these messages (and the candidacy of Obama) with the selection of Joe Biden? You got me. (CommentaryMagazine.com, 8/23/2008)

    Tags: Barack Obama, Democrats, Election 2008, Joe Biden, John McCain, Politics To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

    Friday, August 22, 2008

    Obamba-Ayers Annenberg Challenge Records Available Tuesday

    Update on prior post: Unrepentant Domestic Terrorist Influence On Barack Obama Records of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge that Obama chaired and Ayers co-founded will be made available to the public Tuesday, the University of Illinois at Chicago said in a statement. After spending $160 MILLION with NO measurable benefit to students, troubling questions may be answered: How close were Ayers and Obama? Where did the money go? See University of Illinois to release Obama records

    Tags: Annenberg Challenge, Barack Obama, Bill Ayers, influence, terrorist To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

    Woe Is Me, Said The Democrat

    Debra Saunders, GOPUSA: In politics, everyone wants to be seen as a mudslinging virgin -- who, like King Lear, is "more sinned against than sinning." Toward that end, Democrats have crafted the conceit that Republicans are attack dogs, while Democratic candidates are not sufficiently ruthless. After years of calling President Bush every name in the book, the left nonetheless manages to see itself as the victim in the smear game. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama knows how to play to that conceit.

    In a speech before a Veterans of Foreign Wars gathering in Florida on Tuesday, Obama went into woe-is-me mode as he responded to Republican candidate John McCain's criticism of Obama's opposition to the successful U.S. troop surge in Iraq. "One of the things that we have to change in this country is the idea that people can't disagree without challenging each other's character and patriotism," said Obama. "I have never suggested that Sen. McCain picks his positions on national security based on politics or personal ambition. I have not suggested it, because I believe that he genuinely wants to serve America's national interest. Now, it's time for him to acknowledge that I want to do the same." Poor baby. . . .

    Oh, and while the Democratic National Committee produced a spot lampooning "Exxon John," ABC reported that Exxon Mobil Corp. execs have donated more money to Obama than McCain. On a conference call Wednesday, Obama surrogate Richard A. Clarke called McCain "reckless" and "trigger-happy," while surrogate Susan Rice attacked McCain's Karl Rove-style "gutter" politics. . . .

    Hey, I'm game. In the play of politics, campaigns hurl accusations at each other, but only the good stuff sticks, and only then because something about the charge resonates with voters. . . . The left then whines that the right plays hardball, and the right excels at slinging mud -- blind to the fact that both sides have able mudslingers, but only one side has champion poor losers. . . . [Full article: Woe Is Me, Said The Democrat]
    Tags: Barack Obama, Debra Saunders, Democrat, Election 2008, GOPUSA, John McCain, mudslinging, Politics To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

    Pelosi & Reid Are Porkers of the Month

    Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) has named Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) Porkers of the Month for leading a do-nothing Congress into a five-week recess. Of the 106 bills enacted since January, 94 -- or 89% -- were to name government buildings or lands, extend or make technical corrections to existing laws, or passed either by unanimous consent or with less than 10 dissenting votes. The dubious accomplishments include “Frank Sinatra Day,” “National Plumbing Industry Week,” and “National Day of the Cowboy.” In addition, the congressional leaders have deliberately ignored the October 1 deadline for passing the 12 annual appropriations bills. Only one of the bills has passed the House, and the House Appropriations Committee has approved only four others. In the Senate, the Appropriations Committee has approved nine, but none has reached the floor. The Speaker and Majority Leader appear to be awaiting the presidential election, hoping that the winner will favor higher spending and more earmarks. They had also wanted to avoid a vote on the moratorium on offshore oil drilling, which is typically renewed through the appropriations process, though they reversed course last week and said they would allow a vote. For leaving town after Congress has spent nearly all of its time on frivolous legislation and failing to address critical issues, CAGW names Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid the August 2008 Porkers of the Month. Read more about the Porker of the Month.

    Tags: CAGW, Citizens Against Government Waste, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, porker of the month To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

    Thursday, August 21, 2008

    Pelosi & Democrats Promote Sham Energy Proposal

    Rep. Tom Cole, Chair NRCC: "While Nancy Pelosi is off on her cross-country tour trying to get her book moved off the New York Times' worst-seller list, voters are wondering why she and her fellow Democrats can't be bothered to address the issue of out of control fuel costs," said Ken Spain, a spokesman for the NRCC. (http://www.politickerca.com/)
    Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democrat Majority are well into the third week of their paid five week vacation right now. And no, they aren't showing any signs of getting back to work before September to vote on an energy package that would increase the supply of American oil. Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports that kids are about to head back to school where they'll be paying more for lunch, studying from old textbooks and walking further to the bus stop - assuming their bus schedule hasn't been cancelled altogether - thanks to higher fuel prices.

    This past Sunday, Pelosi proposed a sham of an energy proposal during her weekly radio address. And it was nothing short of an insult to the American people. Madam Speaker, who hails from California, refuses to allow Congress to vote on - or even debate - legislation that would open the Golden State to offshore drilling. But listen to this - even George Skelton, a left-of-center columnist for the Los Angeles Times, advocates opening up California to more drilling. He writes:
    "California is the nation's biggest consumer of gasoline - 45 million gallons a day, plus 10 million gallons of diesel. That makes us the third-biggest petroleum-consuming entity in the world, behind on the United States and China. ... So there's a gusher of hypocrisy here: The state that is the biggest consumer of gasoline in the nation - but produces less than 40% of what it uses - is opposed to drilling for more oil off its shores. We're slackers not pulling our weight."
    The long and short of it is that our nation is being held hostage by one woman from San Francisco, Nancy Pelosi, who opposes drilling for American oil off the shores of California.

    The good news is that Republicans are winning the debate on energy. A recent Rasmussen Poll finds that 61% of Americans want Congress to get back to work immediately and lift the ban on offshore drilling. In terms of how they'll vote for Congress this year, 77% say offshore oil drilling is important. And 67% of Americans recognize Republicans - not Democrats - are pushing the drilling issue.

    Tags: Democrats, energy plan, Nancy Pelosi, NRCC, Tom Cole To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

    Unrepentant Domestic Terrorist Influence On Barack Obama

    Unrepentant Domestic Terrorist Bill Ayers and his wife, fellow terrorist Bernardine Dohrn, have had a long term relationship with Barack Obama. Although this relationship is well known, the paper trail is being hidden even from the main stream press. H/T to Cynical Optimist for the following:
    Bill Ayers in a known terrorist from the 60’s. He wasn’t just some random hippie that protested the war and got high. He blew stuff up. With bombs. He’s unrepentant even as of 2001 when he told the New York Times, “I don’t regret setting bombs; I feel we didn’t do enough.” From Wikipedia . . .

    So what does this have to do with anything? Well, it happens that Barack Obama has had a long term relationship with Ayers and his wife. The key to the story is Obama’s stated position that Ayers is just a “guy who lives in my neighborhood,” when, actually, the relationship is much deeper than that. Ayers and his wife, fellow terrorist Bernardine Dohrn, held a campaign event for Obama in 1995 at the Ayers home. This is supposedly where they first met, but the record, at this point, isn’t clear. At the time of this meeting Obama was already the chairman of a foundation, the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, which Ayers had formed. Obama served as chairman of the board for three years and continued as a member until the foundation was closed in 2001.

    They also served together on the board of Woods Fund, another foundation. Obama was a director of the board from 1999 to Dec. 11, 2002. Ayers is still a member. This organization provided a $40,000 grant to the Arab American Action Network in 2001, with a second grant of $35,000 in 2002. This organization was co-founded by Rashid Khalidi, an Arab who has made statements supportive of Palestinian terror and reportedly has worked on behalf of the Palestine Liberation Organization while it was involved in anti-Western terrorism and was labeled by the State Department as a terror group. Khalidi also held at least one fundraiser for Obama. Source

    Additionally, Ayers and Obama served together on panels together at numerous speaking events throughout the years. There are records which may reveal additional details of the relationship but they are being suppressed. As the Associated Press reported yesterday: Source . . .

    So, it’s apparent that Ayers is not just a “guy who lives in my neighborhood.” Obama’s attempts to minimize this relationship are disturbing and calls into question his truthfulness on the matter. The suppression of the records, even if only temporarily while they are cleansed, is equally disturbing. Combine all that with Obama’s relationships with other radicals, such as his Pastor Rev. Wright, Communist Party member Frank Marshall Davis and who knows who else, and we are left with a lot of questions which need to be answered. Questions which Barack Obama doesn’t want to answer.
    See also: Chicago Annenberg Challenge Shutdown? ; Documents in Danger & Who is Bill Ayers? (Chicago Sun Times)

    Tags: Annenberg Challenge, Barack Obama, Bill Ayers, influence, terrorist To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!