Erick Erickson's Blog, page 142

Jim DeMint Brings His A Game To the Debt Vote

Finally. Conservatives are starting to fire up on the Cut, Cap, and Balance pledge and are deciding they must hold people accountable.

Senator Jim DeMint appears to be one of them. He tells ABC News that "It would be the most toxic vote" for Republicans.

Now, he's not saying necessarily that he is going to challenge them, but there are growing hints that he might. I, for one, hope he will.

He said he will not support any candidate for Congress — incumbent or challenger — who does not sign a pledge promising not to vote for a debt limit increase without first passing a balanced budget amendment, making deep spending cuts and putting strict limits on future government spending. The same rule applies to presidential candidates.

"I don't have many litmus tests, but this is one: Any candidate who doesn't understand that we need to balance the budget should not be president of the United States," DeMint said. "So, I'm looking for candidates to sign the pledge."

Now, the question is whether DeMint will actually choose to primary Republicans who raise the debt ceiling without extracting serious concessions to include passage of a Balanced Budget Amendment. If this really is the gravest situation the country faces, then that should happen.

Morning Briefing for June 24, 2011

RedState Morning Briefing

For June 24, 2011

Go to www.RedStateMB.com to get
the Morning Briefing every morning at no charge.

Just a quick note: RedState is going into "read only" mode today around noon. We have some long awaited maintenance that needs to take place You'll be able to read the site, but no new content will appear for the rest of the day, starting at noon. — Erick
1. Eric Cantor Pulls Out. So does Jon Kyl. It Distracts From the Big Story.

2. Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania: In Defense of the Ryan Budget

3. Hillary Clinton Questions Congress's Patriotism Over Libya

4. The U.S. Senate flails about in an effort to save face as the coalition in charge of bombing Libya begins to crack

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1. Eric Cantor Pulls Out. So does Jon Kyl. It Distracts From the Big Story.

Eric Cantor (R-VA) decided to pull out of talks with Joe Biden on what to do about the debt. He placed the problem in President Obama's and Speaker's Boehner's laps saying there were issues relating to taxes that only they could resolve.

Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ), a man well known on Capitol Hill to negotiate defeat from the jaws of victory, decided he would pull out as well.

Getting Kyl out of these talks is actually a good thing because Kyl's negotiating skills leave much to be desired.

In any event, the media is breathlessly reporting this and making a big to do about taxes and tax increases being the big sticking point.

Maybe it's just me, but it seems to me that the big news should be that Democrats and Republicans think $2 trillion in cuts over the next ten years is a serious deal. Meanwhile the debt will keep going up.

This is the same problem we see with the Gang of 5 or 6 in the Senate. Recently, Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) and Mark Warner (D-VA) proudly proclaimed they were on the cusp of a deal that would raise tax revenue by $1.00 for every $3.00 in spending cuts. But the nugget everyone seems to ignore is this one. . . .

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2. Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania: In Defense of the Ryan Budget

More of this please.

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3. Hillary Clinton Questions Congress's Patriotism Over Libya

As the two houses of Congress debate resolutions that run the gamut from authorizing and limiting President Obama's Libya action to defunding the Libya war altogether, and as the NATO begins to complement its ineffectiveness with internal discord, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is questioning her former legislative colleagues' patriotism.

"Who's side are you on?" she demanded today, lashing out at Congress while on an official visit to Jamaica. According to the AP report, "Clinton says Congress is free to raise objections but questions the priorities of the critics. She says the Obama administration and its partners are rightly siding with the Libyan people."

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4. The U.S. Senate flails about in an effort to save face as the coalition in charge of bombing Libya begins to crack

In an apparent effort to save face via the provision of ex post facto permission, the U.S. Senate is considering a bipartisan resolution that would authorize Obama to continue prosecuting his war in Libya for up to a year, albeit with a specific prohibition against the employment of ground troops. The sponsors of this resolution are, as may be expected, John McCain (R-AZ) and John Kerry (D-MA). Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has said the bill likely has enough votes to succeed in the Senate.

If passed, this milquetoast authorization would be yet another example of a governing body trying to have it both ways. First, the attempt by the Senate to "reassert its authority" over the president's engagement in hostilities amounts in essence to giving the horse permission to go for a stroll weeks after the barn door has been left open; and second, the authorization of continued air operations while specifically prohibiting the use of ground troops all but ensures the continuation what has already been a lackluster, impotent military effort which unduly endangers civilians, doesn't have a clear goal, and seems as far as Qaddafi is concerned to be accomplishing little other than giving this tinpot dictator increasing confidence that the coalition is unwilling or incapable of unseating or killing him.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

Eric Cantor Pulls Out. So does Jon Kyl. It Distracts From the Big Story.

Eric Cantor (R-VA) decided to pull out of talks with Joe Biden on what to do about the debt. He placed the problem in President Obama's and Speaker's Boehner's laps saying there were issues relating to taxes that only they could resolve.

Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ), a man well known on Capitol Hill to negotiate defeat from the jaws of victory, decided he would pull out as well.

Getting Kyl out of these talks is actually a good thing because Kyl's negotiating skills leave much to be desired.

In any event, the media is breathlessly reporting this and making a big to do about taxes and tax increases being the big sticking point.

Maybe it's just me, but it seems to me that the big news should be that Democrats and Republicans think $2 trillion in cuts over the next ten years is a serious deal. Meanwhile the debt will keep going up.

This is the same problem we see with the Gang of 5 or 6 in the Senate. Recently, Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) and Mark Warner (D-VA) proudly proclaimed they were on the cusp of a deal that would raise tax revenue by $1.00 for every $3.00 in spending cuts. But the nugget everyone seems to ignore is this one:

The Gang of Six, now down to five, is trying to craft a deficit-slashing plan along the lines of the 10-year, $4 trillion package that Obama's deficit commission put together last year. Basically, that plan called for $1 in higher taxes in exchange for every $3 in cuts to government spending and benefit programs. The nation's $14.3 trillion debt would continue to grow, but at a much slower pace.

So, regardless of which plan, which negotiation, and which cuts and increases you want to talk about, it seems no one in Washington is serious about actually shrinking the national debt.

Revving Up Cut, Cap, and Balance

Tonight, there will be a special webcast you can watch from the comfort of your home about "Cut, Cap, and Balance.

Join FRC Action President Tony Perkins and Let Freedom Ring President Colin Hanna as they host Sens. Jim DeMint (R-SC) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), and other conservative leaders. They will discuss why and how Congress must Cut the deficit, Cap the spending, and Balance the budget.

The event starts at 8:30 p.m. ET tonight, You can watch it here at FRC Action's website.

Horserace for June 23, 2011

This week we find Jon Huntsman in the race officially. Rick Perry continues to look at getting in the race. And there's a battle shaping up in Iowa.

I'll get into it all and how the candidates are stacked up.

Michele Bachmann

The Congresswoman continues to be the leader of the anti-Romney pack right now. She dazzled the crowd in New Orleans and Minneapolis. She is giving strong speeches, but she's also doing something very smart — going silent. The campaign is showing serious discipline that was not there just a few months ago.

This minimizes the "gaffe police" being able to embarrass the campaign, or try to, and it increases demand for the candidate. There is so much buzz about Michele Bachmann right now that the less she supplies in terms of appearances, the more demand there is for her. It's a valuable commodity at this point and I suspect she's going to be able to turn it into some serious fundraising.

Bachmann's rise hurts Pawlenty and Cain in serious ways.

Herman Cain

Cain has rebounded nicely from last week's debate. There is still huge interest in his campaign and his ability to wow and dazzle a crowd outpaces even Michele Bachmann. The downside for Cain is still policy. His campaign gets tired of people, including me, saying it, but the contrast between a Bachmann speech and a Cain speech is that Cain leaves the crowd with great one liners. Bachmann leaves the crowd with some powerful facts and figures.

The Bachmann campaign is throwing a wrench in Cain's outsider, tea party fueled surge and he's going to have to figure out a way to overcome it moving forward.

Newt Gingrich

Just when you thought all the wheels had come off the Gingrich campaign, more fell off. Newt is not, at this point, a viable candidate.

Rudy Giuliani

The Rudy buzz is gone, replaced by a Perry buzz. I don't see him getting in now.

Jon Huntsman

His speech played well in the media, but the hits are going to keep coming. If conservatives do not soon rally around a candidate, Huntsman is going to be able to exploit it to his benefit. In New Hampshire, he is going to give Mitt Romney a run for his money.

If conservatives rally soon around a Pawlenty, Perry, Bachmann, Cain or other, Huntsman will have to fight Romney for the centrist wing of the party. That hurts Huntsman. Otherwise, Huntsman could play the field and we shouldn't count him out. One thing to keep in mind though, according to the latest Gallup survey, the more Republicans find out about Huntsman, the less positive their views of him are. That's not a good sign for him long term. He'll have to rely heavily on independent voters and run the table with them.

Gary Johnson

This will probably be his last appearance in this list. No traction. No chance. Not worth the time and energy to write about him.

Ron Paul

Ron Paul will not be the nominee, but his ability to excite a base of youthful voters is something that continues to impress a lot of people who should know better.

Tim Pawlenty

Pawlenty's campaign feels stagnant to me. That's not a bad thing. He went down after the New Hampshire debate and is at least holding steady now. He's got to start boosting his name identification, which I think is one reason he is up early with commercials in Iowa.

It's a smart move on his part to go on now and start the acceleration of name ID. But then that is money he can't get back. My guess is his fundraising is less than what they want, and there is a feedback loop of both low name recognition playing into low financing playing into low name recognition.

His stump speeches have gotten better and I still think without Perry in the race, he'll ultimately become the anti-Romney crowds rally around. But the longer there is buzz about another candidate getting in, the longer it will take for that to happen.

Rick Perry

He's not in yet, but he's already making waves. I have no inside knowledge as to whether he'll ultimately decide to get in, but the odds are looking good. It also looks like Perry won't be in a position to announce anything until after the Texas legislature's special session wraps up.

Mitt Romney

Romney continues to be the front runner, but part of me wonders if his play it safe strategy is ultimately going to hurt him. Right now, Romney is coasting with a third of the GOP electorate willing to support him. But that leaves two-thirds at play and I wonder if he's reached his ceiling.

Some of his recent moves on global warming, Romneycare, etc. will continue to plague him along the way. But right now, it remains his race to lose and his willingness to go on and sound like he is in the general election with Obama ultimately helps him hone his message and keep up the air of inevitability.

Rick Santorum

With Michele Bachmann's surge, the rational for a Santorum campaign diminishes daily and I don't expect him to have either stellar fundraising numbers come out or the ability to sustain himself through the end of the year.

Morning Briefing for June 23, 2011

RedState Morning Briefing

For June 23, 2011

Go to www.RedStateMB.com to get
the Morning Briefing every morning at no charge.

1. Empty Sophistry, when directed at the War in Afghanistan, is still Empty Sophistry

2. Obama Agencies Announce Massive Attack on American Job Creators

3. Horserace for June 23, 2011

4. Republicans Urge Obama to Raise Fuel Efficiency by 100 percent

5. When is a War not a War? When Obama is President and Libya is the Opponent

6. It's Official: You Must be an Eco-Socialist to Graduate in Maryland

7. The nonsensical, astroturf campaign against AT&T and T-Mobile

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1. Empty Sophistry, when directed at the War in Afghanistan, is still Empty Sophistry

Shortly after taking office in 2009, President Obama declared that a new strategy was forthcoming for the Afghan war. Over six months later, after weeks and weeks and weeks of "thoughtful deliberation" (and a few dozen rounds of golf), Obama used an awkward 45-minute appearance at West Point to boldly announce…that he was going to implement what amounted to the same strategy that President Bush and Secretary of Defense Gates had prepared just before the January 20, 2009 change of command. Bold and cutting-edge, that.

Now, as America winds down its Iraq obligation and feckless NATO blunders about 10,000 feet over North Africa, the President has another Afghan announcement to make. This one, though, is supposed to represent great news for the American people: the nearly ten-year war in Afghanistan (which may as well still be on the Dark Side of the Moon as far as many Americans are concerned) is ending, and we're declaring ourselves the victors! . . . .

If, as has been said more recently, the goal was to "punish al Qaeda and the Taliban," then that mission could have been declared accomplished by November 2001, and we all could have been spared the effort of, and the rhetoric which has accompanied, the Global War on Terror. If, on the other hand, the goal was to permanently remove the Taliban from power, neuter or destroy al Qaeda, and leave behind an Afghanistan that was domestically stable, secure, and free of terrorists, and which wasn't a threat to its own free people, to its neighbors, or to the rest of the world…well, how many more decades do you have to give?

Rather than address these questions head-on, of course, Obama declared tonight to be Arts and Crafts time and threw together a few of his favorite creations: Straw Men.

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2. Obama Agencies Announce Massive Attack on American Job Creators

Over the last year, the Obama Administration, through its regulatory agencies, has been conducting a quiet war on American business—those enterprises that are the nation's job creators. Earlier this week, the union extremists in Obama's Department of Labor and the "independent" National Labor Relations Board (the same agency that may cause 1,000 Boeing employees in South Carolina to lose their jobs) launched an all-out offensive designed to maximize unions' ability to unionize the 93.1% of America's private-sector employees who are union free.

On Monday, using retread and biased psuedo-studies, the Department of Labor issued an expansive 160-page notice for proposed rule-making; request for comments. It is, in sum, a radical overhaul of the reporting requirements for employers who wish to remain union free and the consultants, lawyers, and firms that provide human resources, employee and labor relations services.

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3. Horserace for June 23, 2011

This week we find Jon Huntsman in the race officially. Rick Perry continues to look at getting in the race. And there's a battle shaping up in Iowa.

I'll get into it all and how the candidates are stacked up.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

4. Republicans Urge Obama to Raise Fuel Efficiency by 100 percent

The Obama green dreams have recently been awarded assistance by nearly forgotten former Republicans officials, desperate to find relevance. The collection of fifteen former governors, congressmen & agency officials are joining in with the President and Democrats who have long been of the opinion that the American public will only do what's "right" if they are left with no other options. In the world of green, this translates into higher efficiency standards.

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5. When is a War not a War? When Obama is President and Libya is the Opponent

Last week, at House Speaker John Boehner's (R-OH) request, the Obama administration provided a brief (32 pages plus classified addenda) overview of its activities in Libya, its conversations with Congress about them, and its rationale for not needing Congressional approval to continue this war ad infinitem. The full document (minus the classified annexes) is available here in pdf form. Here are a few highlights.

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6. It's Official: You Must be an Eco-Socialist to Graduate in Maryland

It's not like Maryland Democrats haven't worked assiduously to earn the distinction of 'least free state in the country' for their beloved Free State.

Maryland high school students will now be required to pass green proficiency requirements in order to graduate. The Maryland state board of education will require public schools within the state to weave in eco-socialist propaganda to the general science curriculum. Sadly, due to flaccid opposition and complacency on the part of all of us, public schools across the country have already been doing this for quite some time. Maryland is merely the first state to consummate those requirements as part of the "official curriculum."

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7. The nonsensical, astroturf campaign against AT&T and T-Mobile

I've said before that the case against the AT&T/T-Mobile deal makes no sense. Not only does the historical record suggest that the merger will increase competition, but the actions of key players are the opposite of what we'd predict if the merger were expected to reduce competition and raise margins.

There's something more to it, though. That something is astroturf pushing a basic agenda of an expanded government role in the media. Why yes, the same forces were behind Net Neutrality that are now behind the anti-AT&T coalition, in addition to Sprint who wants to keep prices higher and competition lower, by preventing AT&T and T-Mobile from getting together and being more effective.

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The Horserace, the President Speaks, and Jose Antonio Vargas #EERS

Tonight on the Erick Erickson Show, we'll kick off with the horserace for 2012. Then I want to get into the story about Jose Antonio Vargas, the reporter who turns out to be an illegal alien. At 8:00 p.m., President Obama will address the nation. I'll cover it live.

You can listen to it all at http://wsbradio.com and call in at 1-800-WSB-TALK.

Consider this an open thread.

Cut, Cap, and Balance

There is a big press conference that will be happening on Capitol Hill at 4pm today regarding the Cut, Cap, and Balance pledge. You'll be able to watch the video feed here:

Conservatives need to rally on this issue and support the pledge.

Morning Briefing for June 22, 2011

RedState Morning Briefing

For June 22, 2011

Go to www.RedStateMB.com to get
the Morning Briefing every morning at no charge.

1. Jon Huntsman Admitted He Was Representing Barack Obama

2. Senate Plans to Abdicate its Confirmation Duties

3. Jen Rubin Continues Her Tragic Self-Beclowning

4. Labor Refighting the American Civil War

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1. Jon Huntsman Admitted He Was Representing Barack Obama

One of the big excuses and counters to my argument that Jon Huntsman was disloyal to the President of the United States was that he wasn't representing the President, but the United States.

And the people who make this argument usually say something like, "Well, he may have been disloyal to Obama, but he wasn't loyal to the country and that's who he represented."

Except Jon Huntsman, in his own words, saw it differently. In a letter to Barack Obama dated August 16, 2009, in additional to calling Obama a "remarkable leader", Huntsman wrote that he appreciated the President's confidence in Huntsman's "ability to represent you in China."

So Jon Huntsman admitted he was representing Barack Obama to the Chinese, not the United States in generally. And he publicly began consideration of a Presidential campaign against the man he admitted he represented before ceasing that representation. The Newsweek article where he admitted he was considering it happened at the beginning of this year. Huntsman didn't leave China until May 1st.

Republicans should not honor disloyalty to the President at this level, regardless of who that President may be.

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2. Senate Plans to Abdicate its Confirmation Duties

In recent years, the job of United States Senator has evidently been added to the list of 'jobs that Americans won't do.' Harry Reid's Senate has categorically shirked its core constitutional responsibility by refusing to pass a budget for over two years. Concurrently, the Senate has been preoccupied with feckless, unconstitutional legislation that fails to deal with any of the paramount public policy problems facing the nation.

Today, Chuck Schumer, with the help of Mitch McConnell and Lamar Alexander, plans to vitiate one of the Senate's few remaining constitutional duties; advising and consenting to presidential appointees. The Presidential Appointment Efficiency and Streamlining Act (S.679), which was never reported out of a committee, would eliminate the confirmation requirement for 200 presidential appointees. This bill would completely abrogate the safeguards against tyranny that were established in the "Appointments Clause" of the constitution. [The Heritage Foundation has a useful primer on the bill.]

The bill has seven Republican co-sponsors: Lamar Alexander, Scott Brown, Susan Collins, Mike Johanns, Jon Kyl, Richard Lugar, and Mitch McConnell.

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3. Jen Rubin Continues Her Tragic Self-Beclowning

It figures that when the Washington Post hired a token conservative, they apparently hired someone completely ignorant of the conservative blogosphere. Apparently, they also hired someone who is completely ignorant of even recent Republican political history. Behold her latest offering in her quixotic campaign against the SBA List pledge:

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4. Labor Refighting the American Civil War

As a boy growing up just outside of Richmond, VA, I used to know a few very sad and sorry human beings. I pity these people, because they lived their lives believing in a myth that had died a well-deserved death over a century before. Yet, in their minds and hearts, these people still kept musing "If only Stonewall Jackson had handled himself better on the first day of Gettysburg."

Today, I still live in the South. In Huntsville, AL, I no longer see people wearing faded-old t-shirts with portraits of Robert E. Lee. However, I picked up the Wall Street Journal and lo and behold, I felt transported back in time to when failed human beings still blamed their circumstances on a war that tore apart America over 100 years ago. Today, I read the words of Chicago Labor Lawyer, Thomas Geoghegan, and imagined him grousing over his bagel. "If only Bobby Lee's courier hadn't dropped that battle plan at Sharpsburg. Then we wouldn't be losing all our high-paying union jobs to that G—D— Johnny Reb!"

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Jon Huntsman Admitted He Was Representing Barack Obama

One of the big excuses and counters to my argument that Jon Huntsman was disloyal to the President of the United States was that he wasn't representing the President, but the United States.

And the people who make this argument usually say something like, "Well, he may have been disloyal to Obama, but he wasn't loyal to the country and that's who he represented."

Except Jon Huntsman, in his own words, saw it differently. In a letter to Barack Obama dated August 16, 2009, in additional to calling Obama a "remarkable leader", Huntsman wrote that he appreciated the President's confidence in Huntsman's "ability to represent you in China."

So Jon Huntsman admitted he was representing Barack Obama to the Chinese, not the United States in generally. And he publicly began consideration of a Presidential campaign against the man he admitted he represented before ceasing that representation. The Newsweek article where he admitted he was considering it happened at the beginning of this year. Huntsman didn't leave China until May 1st.

Republicans should not honor disloyalty to the President at this level, regardless of who that President may be.

Here's Huntsman in his own words: