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News, Politics, Video

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) keynoted the 2014 Conservative Political Action Conference, opening up with “God Bless CPAC.” Previewing an issue he would rail the Democrats over, he joked by telling the crowd that everyone on attendance they will soon get an unwelcome piece of news. “Tomorrow morning each and every one of you are going to be audited by the IRS.”

Cruz ripped the former IRS former official at the heart of the scandal, Lois Lerner, for pleading the Fifth and also the president for telling Bill O’Reilly that there was not a “smidgen of corruption” with the targeting of conservatives.

But it was his forward-looking message and suggestions on how to move the party forward that received the most attention. Senator Ted Cruz underscored the absurdity of the claims made by pundits and the establishment that fighting over ObamaCare and principles isn’t the way to victory, considering the outcome of the last four congressional elections in 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2012.

“In ’06, ’08 and ’12 we put our head down, we stood for nothing and we got walloped. The one election that was a tremendous election was in 2010 when Republicans drew a line in the sand  — we said we stand unequivocally against ObamaCare, against bankrupting the country, and we won in a historic tidal wave of an election,” he noted.

“There are a lot of D.C. consultants who say there’s a choice for Republicans to make: We can either choose to keep our head down, to not rock the boat, to not stand for anything, or we can stand for principle. They say if you stand for principle you lose elections. The way to do it — the smart way, the Washington way — is don’t stand against Obamacare, don’t stand against the debt ceiling, don’t stand against nothing. I want to tell you something — that is a false dichotomy.”

He said that conservatives in the Republican Party must define themselves and the party, citing past candidates who didn’t emphasize their principles such as McCain and Dole, who found themselves on Election Day defeated by their opposition.

“When you don’t stand for principle, Democrats celebrate,” he stated, adding that keeping your head in the sand will not accomplish anything but failure.

Cruz offered a radical plan to the youth in attendance, of which the crowd is by majority, despite what the media and Democrats would love to portray. He said if you were trying to construct an agenda that hurt young people, you couldn’t construct an agenda more damaging than the Obama agenda.

Another radical position Senator Ted Cruz suggested in order to win the youth, was the novel concept holding Republicans should “tell the truth,” adding that the Obama Administration “seems to have a little problem with that.”

Senator Cruz mentioned a top ten list of things that would define the Republican Party:

  1. Abolish the IRS
  2. Simple Flat Tax
  3. Expand energy and create high paying jobs
  4. Expand school choice
  5. Repeal Dodd Frank
  6. Audit the Federal Reserve
  7. Pass a strong balance budget amendment
  8. Repeal every single word of ObamaCare
  9. Stop the lawlessness
  10. End the corruption: eliminating corporate welfare and crony capitalism – if you sever in congress=lifetime ban on lobbying and Term Limits

“All across this country people are waking up,” Senator Ted Cruz added. But in order to inspire them, Cruz held, the activists in the party must work on the areas the Republican Party where principles have been lacking.

VIDEO: Senator Ted Cruz keynoting at 2014

Economy, News

U.S. hiring improved modestly in February from the previous two months, though unemployment ticked up to 6.7 percent and real unemployment is 12.6 percent.

The Labor Department said Friday that employers added 175,000 jobs last month, which is up from just 129,000 in January, a number that was revised up from 113,000. December’s gain was also revised higher.

The unemployment rate rose to 6.7 percent from the five-year low of 6.6 percent. More Americans started looking for work but didn’t find jobs. That’s still an encouraging piece of data, because more job hunters suggest that ling0term jobless benefits were keeping people from participating in the labor market, an argument Republicans made during the debate over providing another extension.

To some economists, the numbers were a surprise, because they’ve been arguing that harsh weather had closed factories, lowered auto sales, and caused existing-home sales to plummet. the Obama administration is welcoming that message, citing the cold weather as a reason that the report was a welcomed piece of news. It is ironic, however, considering the administration has been ring the global warming bells.

“Over the past three months, payrolls growth has averaged 130,000, which is pretty respectable given the widespread weather disruptions,” tweeted University of Michigan economist Justin Wolfers.

The low temperatures and snow storms that hit the eastern half of the country in February might still have held back hiring. The number of Americans who said weather forced them to work part-time rather than full-time reached the highest level for February in the 36 years that the government has tracked the figure. The average work week fell.

Some recent reports hint that the economy will accelerate as the weather warms. The number of people who applied for unemployment benefits fell last week and is at about the same level as before the Great Recession.

Applications reflect layoffs, while the decline in the number of applications suggests that companies are optimistic about future growth. Layoffs would rise if employers expected business to weaken in the near or mid-term future. Instead, businesses advertised more jobs online last month, according to the Conference Board. Online job ads rose 268,100 in February to 5.19 million.

However, there are still many other factors of concern and are weighing on the economy. Auto makers and other manufacturers build up big stockpiles of goods in the second half of last year, which suggests they are likely producing fewer goods this year and that is corroborated by factory orders being down.

Most economists forecast the economy will grow at a 2 percent annual pace or less in the first three months of the year, revised down from a 2.4 percent pace in the final three months of 2013. Yet they expect growth to accelerate in the spring and summer to roughly a 3 percent pace.

U.S. hiring improved modestly in February from

News, Politics, Video

tim scott

Republican Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina spoke on the absurdities of ObamaCare, the true importance of great education and the independence of thought.

“I believe in the future of America. My opportunity agenda focuses on the American people and not the federal government,” Senator Scott stated.

When wqe are limiting the government, then it empowers the people to start new businesses, instead of raising taxes and having the government dictate areas of exemption or privilege.

A smaller and less intrusive government makes it possible for Americans to succeed, in their “garages, coffee shops” and other uniquely American opportunities.

He emphasized what makes America so great, “our genius emerges from our classrooms, our libraries, or even our chick filet” because you can “think” your way out of poverty.

Senator Scott’s opportunity agenda,  “Believes that kids not unions should be the focus of our public education.” He stressed how parents should choose what is in the best interest for their kids.

in his speech at the 2014 Conservative Political Action Conference on Thursday, specifically criticizing thecalorie-count requirement.

“We don’t need Obamacare forcing pizza places to tell us how many calories there are in our pizza, do we really want to know?” Scott said. “I’m not sure about you, but I don’t even want to know how many calories are on my pizza. When I eat my Häagen-Dazs ice cream, I want to enjoy those 1,292 calories and all 100 grams of fat in one sitting.”

Republican Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina

News, Politics

obamacare-news-delays

The Obama administration has decided to front-load bad ObamaCare news, including another delay in the law’s implementation that would allow insurers to sell policies that do not meet the Essential Health Benefit Standards.

The Obama administration announced Wednesday that it will let people keep “substandard” health insurance plans by issuing an outright ObamaCare delay until 2016, another act of lawlessness by an administration desperate to avoid certain political consequences. The move is clearly intended to put off consequences for Democrats when mass-cancellations hit millions of Americans until after both the 2014 midterm elections and the 2016 presidential election.

The administration, after Democrats forced a government shutdown over delaying the law, had already given people a one-year reprieve when millions had their health plans cancelled last year. Though President Obama promised people could keep their plans if they wanted, which earned Polifact’s “Lie of the Year” in 2013, neither individual or groups plans meet the law’s requirements under ObamaCare, and they will inevitably be cancelled and replaced with more expensive plans.

The so-called “fix” is meant to trick the American people during the transition and ease the political headache for Democrats. But the “fix,” and the latest ObamaCare delay until 2016, will likely have a limited impact. Because it is up to individual insurance companies and state commissioners whether to re-offer canceled policies, the administration will have to lean on them to hide the impact of the law, and they might.

Republicans immediately pounced on the announcement, citing the move as more evidence ObamaCare is bad policy and Democrats are cowardly scurrying for political cover. A spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner said the move to issue an ObamaCare delay until 2016 “reeks of politics.”

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell called the ObamaCare delay until 2016 a “desperate move to protect vulnerable Democrats in national elections later this year.”

“By announcing a new delay in requiring that policies meet minimum coverage standards, the administration avoids a new round of health policy cancellations set to hit shortly before the November elections,” he said in a statement.

The incompetent Department of Health and Human Services argued that the administration was just trying to provide “flexibility” while the entire law is being implemented. But, in reality, HHS has been doing everything in their power to mislead the American people, including providing fictional enrollment numbers in an attempt to give the appearance of success with the law.

“These policies implement the health care law in a common-sense way by continuing to smooth the transition for consumers and stakeholders and fixing problems wherever the law provides flexibility,” HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statmeent. “This comprehensive guidance will help ensure that consumers, employers and insurers have the information they need to plan for next year and make it easier for families to make decisions to access quality, affordable coverage.”

The latest delay would be valid for policies issued up to Oct. 1, 2016, long enough to postpone cancelled policies not only after the 2014 midterm elections, but throughout the entire presidential campaign in 2016.

Hillary Clinton, no doubt, earned that political cover.

The cancellation, and the blatant lie regarding them, of at least 4.7 million individual policies politically damaged President Obama and precipitated the decline in his approval rating. A wave of cancellations hit last fall, just as the new HealthCare.gov website was exposed as an expensive failure.

It’s not clear how many people would actually be affected by the latest delay. About half the states have allowed insurance companies to extend canceled policies for a year under the original so-called “fix” by the White House. The policies usually provided appropriate coverage for a reasonable and bearable cost to the consumer. But they failed to meet requirements under the law.

“It’s not likely to affect a large number of people but it certainly avoids difficult anecdotes about people having their policies cancelled,” said Larry Levitt of the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation, an expert on insurance markets. “I think it’s a small and dwindling number of people who are affected,” because insurers must make changes to forecast premium increases.

It’s also not yet clear if policyholders will find any financial relief if they are allowed to stay with their extended policies. Insurers in several states where extensions were allowed for 2014 have said they planned to hike the cost of those plans, regardless. Because enrollment has been far less than needed, premiums must be increased to cover the cost of Medicaid expansion and sicker, more expensive patients filling up the risk pool.

The law did include a scheme called “grandfathering” to try to deliver on Obama’s infamous broken promise. It was intended to shield policies in force at the time of the law’s 2010 enactment from many new requirements, provided the policies were not changed, even a little. But insurers considered it impractical, and it was. Further, many of the canceled individual policies would not have been eligible for relief anyway, because they were purchased after the law’s passage, as that’s the nature of the insurance industry.

When the cancellations were first exposed the White House went into full-blown damage-control, outrageously arguing that the cancelled plans were “junk” insurance and they knew better than consumers, who would be better off with the new expensive coverage under ObamaCare.

But Obama was quickly forced to reverse course, urging insurers and state regulators to allow policyholders to keep their existing plans for an additional year.

Meanwhile, amid the expextec announcement, the Republican-led House voted again Wednesday for a one-year delay of the penalty that people would have to pay if they fail to sign up for health insurance.

It was the 50th time that Republicans have forced a vote to repeal, gut or change the law championed by Obama. Wednesday’s vote was 250-160, and it came despite a veto threat.

The Obama administration issued an outright ObamaCare

Opinion

vladimir-putin

People are overreacting to this Crimean situation. I’ve noticed that Russia has not moved beyond Crimea, and I’ve also noticed that frankly, there’s not anything America can do about it. Some conservatives seem to be the only ones keeping calm in all the hysteria.

This administration, as well as others on the other side of the aisle like John McCain, have it totally wrong about Russia. They confuse Vladimir Putin with a Soviet era communist.

He is not.

He is a hardline, serious statesman, not to be trifled with, or underestimated, and he is giving the world a hard lesson in power politics.

It would be a serious miscalculation to view Putin as just another dictator. He is a Machiavellian leader on the order of Longshanks, DE Borgia or Pope Innocent III. If we imagine we can deal with him like a Noriega or Gadhafi we might just kill millions. Promoting our agenda of a “global community” and expanding NATO into the former Soviet Union’s satellite nations are what started this and will make matters worse.

Putin will not waver, hesitate or make a move without careful forethought, planning and a ruthless disregard for human life. Obama is in far over his head, and better batten down the hatches and deal with him on that level. Heaven help anyone who stands in Putin’s way and right now we have his full attention.

I assure you, this is not a good thing.

Putin explained his growing discontent with the West, and its tyrannical reinterpretation of democracy that has moved away from the constitutional roots of our founding fathers in a speech in 2007. He said:

I think it is obvious that NATO expansion does not have any relation with the modernization of the Alliance itself or with ensuring security in Europe. On the contrary, it represents a serious provocation that reduces the level of mutual trust (Note: in reference to the Budapest Agreement of 1994):

And we have the right to ask: against whom is this expansion intended? And what happened to the assurances our western partners made after the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact? Where are those declarations today? No one even remembers them. But I will allow myself to remind this audience what was said. I would like to quote the speech of NATO General Secretary Mr Woerner in Brussels on 17 May 1990. He said at the time that: “the fact that we are ready not to place a NATO army outside of German territory gives the Soviet Union a firm security guarantee.

Where are these guarantees?- Vladimir Putin, Munich 2007

It’s clear Putin rejects Obama, progressivism and Soros’ ideas of a one world government and views (correctly) that it is an enemy of real freedoms, and Russia.

Putin’s economic policy, which has pushed Russia forward by miles as compared to Obama’s, is remarkably similar to Reagan’s with the same results. He imposed a flat income tax of 13%, lowered corporate taxes across the board. He replaced the inherent communistic barter system, and repaid all of Russia’s national debt in a quasi-capitalistic economy.

He has promoted what the world wanted — cheap gas and oil — and ensured Russia was not dependent upon imports. Putin did this not through “green energy,” but by providing a cheap and plentiful supply of fossil fuels. Europe is now as much as 80% dependent on Russian natural gas imports.

Putin is no communist, as least not in the historic sense.

Coincidentally, Putin’s grandfather was the personal cook to Lenin and Stalin, men who were big on nationalism. He went on to survive the fall of the USSR as a leader of the Stasi, and was with the KGB until its dissolution in 1991. He was inaugurated in a lengthy ceremony and statement that was the same statement (essentially) as the one Alexander the Great was pronounced with, with whom Putin compares himself with.

The West should beware of this man, as they are fleas compared to him in regards to brutality, cunning and political skills.

I’d also like to point out that Putin’s Russia is not a place I would want to live. The lack of economic freedoms in what is essentially a criminal police state is providing a bleak life for his countrymen. The problem is, he recognizes this “global community” ideology and mass democracy movement for what it really is — tyranny. He has no desire to be a team player and let his people become manipulated sheep. His country may not be a bed of roses, but at least it’s getting better and Russia’s people have no illusions about the world they live in.

They aren’t lied to by their own government attempting to buy their votes. America, however, cannot say the same.

Putin again, from 2007:

Incidentally, Russia — we — are constantly being taught about democracy. But for some reason those who teach us do not want to learn themselves.

I consider that the unipolar model is not only unacceptable but also impossible in today’s world. And this is not only because if there was individual leadership in today’s — and precisely in today’s — world, then the military, political and economic resources would not suffice. What is even more important is that the model itself is flawed, because at its basis there is and can be no moral foundations for modern civilization. — Vladimir Putin, 2007

Is he a brutal, evil man or a patriot? His people think he is a patriot, and the people of the Crimean peninsula at least think so. His “brutal invasion” was largely met with cheers and was bloodless, unlike our invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. That should tell you something.

I’m neither putting blame on Bush for those wars, nor cheering Putin on as he invades a sovereign country. But at least I’m not blind to the truth, nor blind to what is really going on.

Bottom line — I think it’s better to live under a leader that puts his own country first, rather than everyone else’s.

Thomas Purcell is a nationally syndicated columnist and host of the Liberty Never Sleeps podcast hour and author of “Shotgun Republic.”

If you would like to read more about Thomas Purcell’s thoughts on this issue you can read more at LibertyNeverSleeps.com 

Op-Ed: Do not confuse Vladimir Putin with

News, Politics

IRS hearing

At the anticipated IRS House hearing on Capitol Hill to uncover the source of the targeting scandal, the top Democrat and top Republican broke into an argument just after former IRS official Lois Lerner again invoked her Fifth Amendment right not to testify.

It was a shameful display of behavior amid a shameful abuse of government.

Lerner, who last year refused to answer questions about her role in oppressing Tea Party and other conservative groups through extra scrutiny, was called back before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Wednesday. Republicans argue she waived her Fifth Amendment right by giving a statement during the last hearing, but Lerner invoked that right again on Wednesday even after her lawyer emailed confirming that she would give testimony.

On Saturday March 1, Lerner lawyer William Taylor wrote to committee attorney Steve Castor asking him to give him a call. “We have some change in our thinking,” the brief email reads. Castor replied to Taylor, “I understand … Ms. Lerner is willing to testify and she is requesting a one week delay. In talking to the chairman, wanted to make sure we had this right.”

Later Saturday afternoon, Taylor replies to Castor, saying only “Yes.”

Yet during the IRS hearing Wednesday Lerner took the Fifth.

“On the advice of my counsel, I respectfully exercise my Fifth Amendment right and decline to answer that question,” she said in response to every question posed by the committee.

Then, however, ranking Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings got into a heated argument with Chairman Issa, when Cummings attempted an inappropriate monologue after Issa tried to adjourn the hearing.

Cummings essentially lied to Issa when said he wanted to ask a “procedural question.” There was no question prepared, just a partisan monologue that outrageously claimed the moral high ground regarding forces attempting to silence his right to speak and be heard.

It was a staged spectacle and an effort to distract attention away from one of the most, if not the single-most, serious scandal in modern American political history.

Cummings, with his microphone turned off, continued to rant and rave about the Republicans’ “one-sided investigation.” He failed, however, to express his outrage for the one-sided, Democrat-crafted FCC plan to oppress the press, or the very one-sided targeting of groups that handed the Democratic Party a historical thumping in the 2010 midterm elections.

“I am a member of the Congress of the United States. I am tired of this,” he shouted.

After the confrontation, Representative Cummings went on every so-called mainstream liberal news network with the audacity to cry about his silenced speech, following it up with the even more outrageous statement, “I would fight for the Tea Party’s right” to be heard.

Critics note that if Cummings cared enough to stand up for his political opposition’s right to speak and be heard, then now is his chance. But he clearly doesn’t. Curiously, when the IRS targeting scandal was first revealed, Cummings was acting quite outraged and was clearly outspoken during the first IRS hearing in the House.

However, after talking it over with his Democratic bosses, he backed down and began to tow the party line at the expense to his reputation and everyone’s freedom. After a failed attempt to pretend as if Inspector General George failed to include in his report that progressive groups were also targeted, a claim that has been widely discredited, Cummings reduced his character to a man willing to play the victim card in the worst instance of government making We the People the real victim in a century.

Representative Elijah Cummings disgraced himself at the IRS hearing today, and he should be shamed back to his multi-million dollar home in Maryland, which consequently, was paid for by the very taxpayers he has refused to defend.

Issa claimed Wednesday that Lerner’s testimony remains critical, and it is. Republicans say she must be compelled to testify with or without the cooperation of Mr. Cummings and his droid-like Democratic members sitting on the committee.

“Ms. Lerner is uniquely positioned to provide testimony that will help the committee better understand how and why the IRS targeted conservative groups,” he said.

Issa said House leadership has made a decision whether to hold her in contempt if she continues to stay silent, and may begin the process as early as next week. House Speaker John Boehner also made the same threat later in the day.

Last week, Lerner lawyer William Taylor made public a letter in which he told the committee that Lerner would testify on Capitol Hill only if compelled by a federal court or if given immunity for the testimony.

South Carolina Representative Trey Gowdy wasn’t at all happy or open with the idea of giving Lerner immunity when asked last week. Now, many Republicans are beginning to say it may be worthwhile to review the idea of granting Lerner immunity, because there is a very good reason she changed her mind, a reason the American people would love to hear.

It was a shameful display of behavior

News, Politics, Polls

obama job approval

Fox’s Obama job approval measurement fell to a record low 38 percent, fueled by majorities of Americans who say he failed at growing the economy, creating jobs, improving health care and the country’s image.

According to a Fox News poll released Wednesday, and for the first time, not even four in ten voters — 38 percent — approve of President Obama’s job performance, while 54 disapprove. Prior to the latest Fox Poll, the lowest Obama job approval rating was 40 – 55 percent measured in November 2013, following the failed rollout and exposure of a massive lie over ObamaCare.

In February, 42 percent approved and 53 percent disapproved in the Fox Poll. When updated to reflect the latest Fox Poll, PPD’s average Obama job approval rating is only 41 percent, while disapproval stands at 53.5, a spread of disapprove 12.5.

Democrats remained fairly steady even though it is a drop from his average performance, but independent have abandoned the president in droves. Obama’s job approval among Democrats measured at 71 percent, which is around 69 percent record low in September of 2013. Among independents, an abysmal 28 percent approve, with Obama’s job approval among Republicans hitting a new low of just 5 percent.

That would suggest that — although Obama and Democrats have attempted to peel “mainstream” Republican voters away from the “extreme conservative” wing of the party — it isn’t working. But when we get in to the individual issues tested, it would seem that reality is finally catching up to President Obama, and people are holding him accountable.

In total, a 59-percent majority thinks the White House has mostly failed at creating jobs, which is up from 52 percent who said the same in October 2012. Likewise, 56 percent feel it has failed on growing the economy, an increase up from 52 percent. Consequentially, an ADP jobs report today found the economy saw very weak private-sector growth.

PeoplesPunditDaily.com previously reported that Gallup found — for the first time — Americans no longer believe Obama is respected on the world stage. Now, in the Fox Poll, the greatest precipitation came from the question of improving America’s image around the world, which is something Obama vowed to do once in office that President Bush could not.

In 2012, by a 4 percentage-point margin, voters felt the administration had failed to improve the country’s image. In this Fox Poll, they found a 26-point margin, including 33 percent who say mostly he succeeded and 59 percent saying he mostly failed.

Obama also promised to have the most transparent administration in American history, but voters aren’t buying it anymore, with 59 percent saying Obama has mostly failed to run a transparent administration.

ObamaCare, the issue that is likely to dominate the 2014 midterm elections, has hurt the president greatly. When asked about health care, 36 percent say the administration has improved it, while a 57 percent majority say Obama has failed to make positive reforms.

The best of the issues tested for the White House is homeland security, but even that issue measured at a significantly lower level. Now, 41 percent think the administration has mostly succeeded at making the country safer, which is down from 52 percent who said that in 2012. Even worse, however, more voters than not — 48 percent — think the Obama administration has mostly failed to make the country safer.

On all of the issues save for transparency, 60 percent or more of Democrats feel the Obama administration has mostly succeeded in each. In transparency, only 47 percent say is transparent.

Majorities of independents say the White House has mostly failed in every area tested, including 68 percent who feel that way on improving America’s image.

The crisis in Ukraine appears to have hurt the president on the issue of foreign policy, as well. By a 33 – 56 percent margin, most voters disapprove of the president’s handling of foreign policy, which is a new low for the Obama job approval rating on foreign policy. In December, 39 percent approved and 52 percent disapproved.

On health care, 36 percent of voters approve of the job Obama is doing, while 59 percent disapprove. He receives an almost identical 36-58 percent rating on the economy.

On the issue of the economy, however, while the numbers are abysmal they are slightly better than last year, though it is a statistically insignificant difference. Now, just over half of voters continue to say it feels like the economy is getting worse, with 51 percent saying they feel it is getting worse, down from 55 percent in February 2013. Meanwhile, 34 percent say they feel like the economy is getting better, up from 31 percent last year.

There was a new question asked in the Fox Poll, testing if Americans believe “things are better since Obama became president,” and only 34 percent of voters think the country is better off. However, a significant majority — 60 percent — disagreed. In September 2012, some 45 percent thought the country was better off compared to before Obama took office.

Fifty-seven percent of Democrats say the country is better off today, down from 81 percent who felt that way in 2012.

The Fox News poll is based on landline and cell phone interviews with 1,002 randomly chosen registered voters nationwide and was conducted under the joint direction of Anderson Robbins Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R) from March 2 to March 4, 2014. It has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points for the total sample.

Fox's Obama job approval rating fell to

News, Politics

DOJ Obama Nominee

Senate Democrats failed to muster enough support to push a controversial, radical Obama nominee for the Justice Department in a key test vote on Wednesday, leaving the process stalled.

However, what is being pushed as bipartisan concerns about his past work on behalf of convicted cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal, is not at all what it seems. Senate Democrats were more than willing to vote in favor of moving this nomination forward, with this and other controversial nominations being central to the Democrats’ reasons for obliterating the filibuster rule requiring 60 votes rather than a simply 51-vote majority.

But after following intense blowback and a public campaign by and on behalf of the slain police officer’s widow, Democrats began feeling political pressure and caved.

The nomination of Debo Adegbile for head of the Civil Rights Division was blocked, on a 47-52 vote.

In anticipation of a tight vote, Vice President Biden, who serves as the President of the Senate and potential tie-breaking vote, actually attended in case he was needed by his Democratic colleagues to break a tie. However, it did not even get to that point, as a total of 7 Democrats, those in tight races in conservative state, parted with the president and joined the Republican opposition.

While the nomination was stalled due to the Democrats jumping ship, some embattled Democrats up for reelection did not join in opposing the radical Obama nominee.

Maureen Faulkner, widow of the Philadelphia officer killed by Abu-Jamal, gracefully said after the vote that Adegbile was “the wrong person for the job.” She thanked Democratic senators who “broke ranks and had the courage to do the right thing.”

doj obama nominee

Maureen Faulkner, widow of the Philadelphia officer killed by Abu-Jamal, plead with senators to reject the radical Obama nominee for the DOJ.

Democrats were also facing serious pressure from police organizations, as well as Republicans, to vote against the nominee. After the vote tally, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus called the nomination itself “an embarrassment for President Obama,” and ralled against “vulnerable Democrats running in 2014” who voted “yes.”

Obama, though, stood by his nominee and called the outcome a “travesty based on wildly unfair character attacks against a good and qualified public servant.”

In a written statement, Obama outrageously said: “The fact that his nomination was defeated solely based on his legal representation of a defendant runs contrary to a fundamental principle of our system of justice — and those who voted against his nomination denied the American people an outstanding public servant.”

Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey, who was essentially hiding under a log until recently, gave his Democratic colleagues cover to vote “no” after he recently came out against the nomination. Casey represents the state where Abu-Jamal killed a Philadelphia police officer.

Adegbile worked with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund who were representing the convicted cop-killer, Abu-Jamal. He was convicted for the 1981 murder of Philadelphia officer Daniel Faulkner, a conviction that was never in doubt nor did he ever deny. Naturally, because he killed a cop, the case has attracted leftists celebrity and media attention for decades, amid factitious and outrageous claims that Abu-Jamal faced racial discrimination.

As acting director of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Debo Adegbile succeeded in getting convicted cop-killer and former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal’s death sentence overturned.

Republicans and law enforcement groups like the Fraternal Order of Police were staunchly opposed. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), questioned Tuesday whether Adegbile could be counted on to advocate for the civil rights “of all Americans,” if confirmed to the post of Civil Rights Division director.

The president of the Fraternal Order of Police has called the nomination a “thumb in the eye of our nation’s law enforcement officers.” They also wrote and sent President Obama a letter condemning the radical appointment, stating it was a “slap in the face to all law enforcement officers.”

Faulkner’s widow has adamantly opposed the nomination and plead with senators to vote “no.”

Both of Pennsylvania’s senators, Casey and Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, earlier announced their opposition.

“I respect that our system of law ensures the right of all citizens to legal representation no matter how heinous the crime,” Casey said in a statement.

“At the same time, it is important that we ensure that Pennsylvanians and citizens across the country have full confidence in their public representatives — both elected and appointed. The vicious murder of Officer Faulkner in the line of duty and the events that followed in the 30 years since his death have left open wounds for Maureen Faulkner and her family as well as the city of Philadelphia. After carefully considering this nomination and having met with both Mr. Adegbile as well as the Fraternal Order of Police, I will not vote to confirm the nominee.”

Obama nominated Adegbile to succeed another radical, Thomas Perez. Perez was confirmed for the Labor secretary post, which Democrats whole-heartedly supported.

The other Democrats who voted against Adegbile are: Sens. Chris Coons, of Delaware; Heidi Heitkamp, of North Dakota; Joe Manchin, of West Virginia; Mark Pryor, of Arkansas; and John Walsh, of Montana.

Adegbile is the first Obama nominee to fail on a Senate test vote since Democrats pushed through changes to the filibuster rule that allows certain nominees to go through with a simple majority, as opposed to the normal 60 votes.

Senate Democrats failed to muster enough support

Economy, News

unemployment

Once again small businesses created the most new private-sector jobs in February, and once again economists are blaming the cold winter for the lack of growth.

According to the recent ADP monthly report, small businesses with fewer than 50 employees added 59,000 new jobs last month. Large businesses with more than 500 employees created 44,000 positions, while medium-sized businesses added 35,000 new jobs. The Labor Department will release its February jobs report on Friday.

The total – 139,000 jobs created – is significantly weaker than analysts expected, though it was a slight increase from the month of January, when just 127,000 new private-sector jobs were added.

“The number for February was on the soft side,” says Moody’s Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi.”It was the third month in a row of weak job growth.”

Zandi says declines in job growth were seen across all sectors, even the industries such as leisure and hospitality, which are low-wage jobs representing the bulk of jobs created under the Obama-economy. Professional services and health care, too, saw drops in growth.

The cold temperatures across the country supposedly played a big part, which is ironic considering the Obama administration wants the country to believe in global warming.

Looking specifically at small businesses, which conservative economists rightfully underscore are the heart and soul of the Americans economy, which is why they oppose taxing them to death, service providers added 52,000 jobs. Companies that produce goods created only 7,000 new positions.

According to the recent ADP monthly report,

News, Politics

texas governor race

Attorney General Greg Abbott (right) will face the controversial State Senator Wendy Davis (left) in the Texas governor race.

It was a quick and overwhelming victory for both Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott and Democratic State Senator Wendy Davis. However, Abbott won the GOP primary with several three times as many votes as Davis in the Democratic primary.

With nearly 48 percent of precincts reporting, Abbott wins GOP primary with just under 900,000 votes, while Davis garnered just over 300,000. With nearly 60 percent reporting, Abbott had just under 1 million votes compared to Davis who seemed stuck at 327,000.

The white  Democratic base continues to shrink, down to 26 percent when last asked by Gallup, which was reflected in the actual voting result. The Texas Governor race is rated “Safe Republican” on the 2014 Governor Map Predictions.

(Read: Texas Governor Race Is And Has Always Been ‘Safe Republican’ For Myriad Reasons)

We also recently highlighted how Hispanics in Texas are just as likely to be a hinderance on the Democratic Party than they are a help in their effort to turn the state blue. Hispanics in the Lone Star state are more likely to identify Republican than Hispanics nationwide, and are actually trending more so, while Democrats have lost ground among the ever-important voting bloc in the state.

(Read:  Gallup Data Show Hispanics In Texas May Pose A Problem For Democrats, Not Solution)

Now, both campaigns are likely to turn their complete attention at each other, but Davis has an almost insurmountable challenge ahead of her.

With nearly 48 percent of precincts reporting,

People's Pundit Daily
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