Erick Erickson's Blog, page 186
February 3, 2011
74 or 35 or More of the Same. The Pledge to Nowhere Comes Back to Bite the GOP on the Bottom.
"We will put government on a path to a balanced budget and pay down the debt with a plan to … Cut government spending to pre-stimulus, pre-bailout levels saving at least $100 billion in the first year alone."
— A Pledge to America
I was roundly attacked for calling the Republicans' "Pledge to Nowhere" a lot of pablum.
Guess what? I was right. The Republicans wasted a bunch of ink and paper to put up a paper tiger of a sham and, channelling Jeremiah Wright, their chickens are coming home to roost.
The Republicans are championing cutting federal spending by $74 billion. There's just one problem — they promised $100 billion in the first year. They did not, at the time, pro-rate it, but now they are.
There is a further problem too. The Republicans are cutting $74 billion from fiction.
What I mean is the GOP is claiming they are cutting $74 billion from what Barack Obama wanted in 2011. There's just one problem — the Democrats left power without ever passing Barack Obama's budget. In other words, the GOP is cutting $74 billion from a budget that does not even exist.
In reality, they are cutting $35 billion from the continuing resolution that continues to fund the federal government. That's all. Just $35 billion.
To be charitable though, had the Democrats actually passed their spending goals — goals President Obama still wants — the cuts the GOP outlined would in fact be $74 billion.
I applaud the work. I applaud the effort. But they promised $100 billion.
They also promised to roll the clock back to 2008's non-defense spending levels. That number is $378 billion. Paul Ryan's number is $420 billion. In other words, that is cutting $58 billion of non-defense spending and tacked on $16 billion in defense cuts to meet the goal.
I thought Paul Ryan was a budget genius. Are you really telling me he couldn't get $100 billion cut? Hell, he promised to.
And there's one final problem: Republican staffers and congressmen in leadership are going to be mad at me for writing any of this and pointing this out. But, dare I point it out one more time, they are the ones who made the promise. Silly us for expecting them to uphold the promises. And no, there was no talk of proration in the Pledge to Nowhere.
UPDATE: I'm being nuanced to death on this. Points out one staffer:
The impression you create with your post below is that we are not cutting $100 billion over 12 months (most people's definition of "year"). What you fail to point out that $58 billion is being cut over 7 months. Of course ($100 / 12) X 7 = $58. Why are you leaving that part out?
I guess they just built expectations too high. I mean, I was presuming they way they were talking back when they unveiled the crap pledge that they were talking about the first budget year. This may be the first time in the history of America that congresscritters are talking calendar years and not budget years, which at the time everyone seemed to think. See for example:
http://www.thefreemanonline.org/in-brief/house-gop-pledges-to-cut-100-billion/
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/05/us/politics/05fiscal.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20017335-503544.html
http://blogs.marketwatch.com/election/2011/02/03/gop-spending-cut-pledge-falls-short/
http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/budget/136029-gop-2011-budget-will-not-cut-100-billion
Note that even members of Congress assumed the leaders meant "budget year" not "calendar year".
Obama Administration Covering Up Abortion Data *Updated*
Let's be clear: promoting science isn't just about providing resources – it is also about protecting free and open inquiry. It is about letting scientists … do their jobs, free from manipulation or coercion, and listening to what they tell us, even when it's inconvenient – especially when it's inconvenient. It is about ensuring that scientific data is never distorted or concealed to serve a political agenda – and that we make scientific decisions based on facts, not ideology.
-President Obama, March 9, 2009.
"The Obama Administration has apparently ordered that the only Federal government report on abortion statistics … be deep-sixed. "
RedState has uncovered evidence - confirmed by the CDC's own press office - that the Obama administration is deliberately playing "hide the ball" on nationwide abortion statistics. For apparently the first time in 40 years, the CDC's annual "Abortion Surveillance Report" was not published, and there are "no plans" for the data to be produced at this time.
Whatever you feel about abortion and its legality, virtually all people agree that transparency and factual accuracy are important in the abortion debate. That is why even Planned Parenthood spends a substantial amount of money each year funding the Guttmacher Institute's studies on abortion statistics. While pro-life groups have long contended that Guttmacher's methods systematically undercount abortions, that is beside the point; the Guttmacher studies have long provided a consistent source for studying abortion trends over time. Which aggregate data, we re-emphasize, is important not only for both sides of the ideological debate, but is also important medical information.
Yet, in the wake of numerous damaging disclosures about unscrupulous practices by abortionists (from Kermit Gosnell to Planned Parenthood clinics across the country), the Obama Administration has apparently ordered that the only Federal government report on abortion statistics – again, a report that has run continuously for 40 years – be deep-sixed. The immediate question this raises is: what is the Obama administration trying to hide?
Here's the background: Beginning in 1969 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention collected data on legal abortions carried out in the United States through its Abortion Surveillance System. The report based on this data ordinarily appeared as an article in CDC's professional journal, The Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Report (MMWR) the week after Thanksgiving. The report lagged the data by three years, i.e., the 2006 data were printed in 2009.
The report was produced by the cooperative efforts of the Guttmacher Institute and statisticians at the CDC.
The report has never been all-encompassing because collecting data on abortions is a state function, and not every state cooperates. In the 2006 reports, California, Louisiana, and New Hampshire did not provide data. Until 2005, Alaska and Oklahoma also declined to participate.
While not comprehensive, the CDC report provided the best single estimate of abortions in the US, as well as providing detailed breakdowns: the age of the baby at the time of abortion, age of the mother, number of abortions the mother had previous to the current one, etc. People on both sides of the abortion debate have cited these statistics to make their points. Here at RedState, we frequently posted articles on this report, examining the statistical trends on abortion. We were particularly interested in this year's report in light of the widely publicized stories indicating that over 40% of pregnancies in New York City are ended by abortion.
Last year, contrary to the long-established practice, November came and went with no report posted on the CDC's website. Over the following weeks, multiple visits to the site proved fruitless. The possibility the report was not merely delayed, but had in fact been axed from higher up, had to be considered.
Last week, RedState began investigating by calling those in DC who might have some answers. After several attempts, we finally received confirmation from Rhonda Smith at the CDC's press office in Atlanta that the report has been buried indefinitely; the CDC "will not have stats available at any time in the near future" and there "are no plans for them to come out any time soon." This call took place on Jan. 27th, and we asked Ms. Smith for a reason that the report wouldn't be issued anymore. She promised to check around and find out if there was any reason given and get back to us – as of the date of this posting, we have received no further communication from her office.
This revelation is nothing short of shocking. Most of the leg work for this study is actually done by Guttmacher – all it costs the CDC is some manpower to assemble the statistics and write up the report. In the overall scope of the CDC's budget, this report barely even registers. So what is the CDC trying to hide? The only reasonable conclusion to be drawn here is that someone higher up has made the decision to actively eliminate the only official report on abortion statistics in the country, just because they don't want abortion being talked about.
This action is indefensible and contrary to the Obama administration's repeated promises of transparency and the removal of politics from accurate scientific reporting. And it is more damning than any report: it reflects the reality that the Obama Administration is afraid of the truth, afraid that the American people cannot be trusted to support legal abortion if they look closely at the facts.
Suppression of this nature doesn't have to stand. A senate aide tells RedState that if the administration or the CDC are stonewalling on this, "Congress would have a range of options to force them to disclose this information including hearings, letters and floor amendments."
We urge Congress to investigate this apparent cover-up. Transparency and consistency are not a partisan issue. The CDC report is objective statistical data that should be produced regardless of any potential political implications.
UPDATE: Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (MO-4) is the first member of Congress to provide RedState with a statement:
"This is the epitome of hypocrisy being exhibited by the Obama Administration as it hides facts and figures on abortion while claiming to want more transparency in government. This is a pattern that has become all too common with the Obama Administration, ranging from its distortion of the facts on taxpayer funding of abortions under ObamaCare to manipulated information to support repeal of the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. It is time for the Obama White House to put a stop to its disregard for openness in government and to end its practice of distorting data for blatantly political purposes."
Is John McCain Back to Being a Maverick Now?
In Donald Rumsfeld's new book, he characterizes John McCain as having a "hair-trigger temper" with "a propensity to shift his positions to appeal to the media."
McCain has struck back saying how happy he is that Rumsfeld was ultimately forced out.
Of course this does not change Rumsfeld's characterization. McCain is, after all, the man who claimed for years to be a straight talking maverick who rode the "Straight Talk Express" to defeat in 2008. Until, that is, McCain met the tea party, at which point he proclaimed that he'd never been a maverick.
Suddenly he is again. McCain blows with the wind and times. Donald Rumsfeld stays pretty consistently awesome.
How The Stupid Party Gets Its Name
Today was another fine example of how the Republican Party gets labeled as the stupid party.
Senator Dick Durbin hinted two days ago that the Senate Democrats would be unified in their opposition to repeal Obamacare except for one or two. In other words, the GOP had the opportunity to get Democrats to jump ship.
But Democrats have signaled that they want to "fix" Obamacare, not repeal it. So the GOP gladly obliged. Without any obstruction, the GOP went along with the Democrats' changes to the onerous 1099 provision.
You may say that is a good thing, and you would be right. Except that doing this, instead of keeping the pain in place until Obamacare is repealed, makes the pain less and less. And as the pain becomes less and less because Republicans work with Democrats to "fix" Obamacare, it becomes less and less likely that Obamacare will actually get repealed.
No Democrat had to vote for repeal because they knew they'd get a chance to say they were "fixing" Obamacare. And the headline will now be that the GOP and Democrats in the Senate are cooperating on a "fix" instead of repeal.
On top of that, however, is the stupidity — sheer stupidity — of certain Republicans now trying to undermine the litigation against Obamacare. I'm looking at you Senators Lindsey Graham and John Barasso.
Barasso and Graham have proposed to let states opt-out of having the citizens of the several states be placed in the individual mandate.
If states can opt out of the individual mandate, they no longer have grounds to keep up their lawsuit in federal court. Why? Because if they can choose to opt out of the individual mandate, it is no longer a constitutional obstruction to them.
Further, proposing this and other changes to Obamacare gives Justice Anthony Kennedy plausible grounds to say, "Look! Obamacare is severable and it can survive without the individual mandate."
Tinkering with Obamacare undermines both the lawsuit against Obamacare and the effort for full repeal. It doesn't take a genius to know that, but it does take the stupid party to ignore it.
Morning Briefing for February 3, 2011
RedState Morning Briefing
For February 3, 2011
Go to www.RedStateMB.com to get
the Morning Briefing every morning at no charge.
1.
2. Barack Obama's Egypt Failure: He's Becoming Carter Faster Than Carter Became Carter
3. Obama Administration Tells Darrell Issa to Go to H-E-Double Hockey Sticks
4. Charles Fried: Yes, Government Can Make You Buy Broccoli
5. Did Union Feuds Cause DNC Convention Planners to go Union-Free?
———————————————————————-
1.
Yesterday was another fine example of how the Republican Party gets labeled as the stupid party.
Senator Dick Durbin hinted two days ago that the Senate Democrats would be unified in their opposition to repeal Obamacare except for one or two. In other words, the GOP had the opportunity to get Democrats to jump ship.
But Democrats have signaled that they want to "fix" Obamacare, not repeal it. So the GOP gladly obliged. Without any obstruction, the GOP went along with the Democrats' changes to the onerous 1099 provision.
You may say that is a good thing, and you would be right. Except that doing this, instead of keeping the pain in place until Obamacare is repealed, makes the pain less and less. And as the pain becomes less and less because Republicans work with Democrats to "fix" Obamacare, it becomes less and less likely that Obamacare will actually get repealed.
No Democrat had to vote for repeal because they knew they'd get a chance to say they were "fixing" Obamacare. And the headline will now be that the GOP and Democrats in the Senate are cooperating on a "fix" instead of repeal.
On top of that, however, is the stupidity — sheer stupidity — of certain Republicans now trying to undermine the litigation against Obamacare. I'm looking at you Senators Lindsey Graham and John Barasso.
2. Barack Obama's Egypt Failure: He's Becoming Carter Faster Than Carter Became Carter
Barack Obama's failure in Egypt has nothing to do with Egypt itself descending to chaos. No American administration has been willing to call Hosni Mubarak a dictator, which he is. And no administration has sought to strong arm Mubarak into a succession plan devoid of kleptocratic relatives.
We cannot blame Barack Obama for Egypt collapsing in on itself.
We can however blame Barack Obama for failing to mitigate and control the impact of the collapse.
Like when a demolition team sets about bringing down a crumbling building — and we now know Obama collaborated to help bring down Egypt — the demolition team must make sure the building, as it implodes, does not throw debris and carnage all over the place. If that happens, the demolition team is liable.
Barack Obama is liable, given this. . .
Please click here for the rest of the post.
3. Obama Administration Tells Darrell Issa to Go to H-E-Double Hockey Sticks
Congressman Issa will not get the documents he is requesting from the Department of Homeland Security.
The Daily Caller has the story.
Congressman Issa, now in charge of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, sent the DHS a demand for documents. Those documents have never arrived.
Please click here for the rest of the post.
4. Charles Fried: Yes, Government Can Make You Buy Broccoli
In a classic example of "something that would've been more useful yesterday," Senate Democrats today held a hearing in the Judiciary Committee on the constitutionality of the individual mandate. One of the guests was Charles Fried, a prominent Harvard Law professor. When Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) asked a question of Fried today about the so-called "broccoli mandate" hypothetical — which gets to the question of whether the government can regulate all forms of inactivity, and if so, what if anything is off-limits? — Fried shared an answer that was refreshingly blunt.
Please click here for the rest of the post.
5. Did Union Feuds Cause DNC Convention Planners to go Union-Free?
After spending hundreds of millions to ensure they owned the party, Lefties and union members have got to be feeling just a little betrayed after the Democratic National Committee's convention planners chose Charlotte, North Carolina—the least unionized state in the nation—as the site to hold the 2012 convention. While progressive activists' heads are still spinning, you can bet that, if union bosses in Washington did not agree with the move, and with other "union" cities in the running (including such illustrious hotspots as Cleveland, Minneapolis, and St. Louis), Charlotte would not be having the convention. So, what's the real reason Charlotte—a city without a single unionized hotel, as well as a union-free convention center—was chosen?
Please click here for the rest of the post.
February 2, 2011
Herman Cain Testing the Waters
Tonight from 6pm to 8pm ET, I'll be interviewing Herman Cain about his potential Presidential run.
You can listen live at http://wsbradio.com and you too can call in and ask Herman questions. The call in number is 1-800-WSB-TALK.
Barack Obama's Egypt Failure: He's Becoming Carter Faster Than Carter Became Carter
Barack Obama's failure in Egypt has nothing to do with Egypt itself descending to chaos. No American administration has been willing to call Hosni Mubarak a dictator, which he is. And no administration has sought to strong arm Mubarak into a succession plan devoid of kleptocratic relatives.
We cannot blame Barack Obama for Egypt collapsing in on itself.
We can however blame Barack Obama for failing to mitigate and control the impact of the collapse.
Like when a demolition team sets about bringing down a crumbling building — and we now know Obama collaborated to help bring down Egypt — the demolition team must make sure the building, as it implodes, does not throw debris and carnage all over the place. If that happens, the demolition team is liable.
Barack Obama is liable, given this:
The Obama administration said for the first time that it supports a role for groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, a banned Islamist organization, in a reformed Egyptian government.
The organization must reject violence and recognize democratic goals if the U.S. is to be comfortable with it taking part in the government, the White House said.
Note that by saying the Muslim Brotherhood "must reject violence and recognize democratic goals", the White House is presupposing that the Muslim Brotherhood accepts violence and does not recognize democratic goals.
Notwithstanding that, the White House is perfectly happy to give them a seat at the table.
It's 1979 all over again. I hope the Embassy has been fully evacuated.
Obama Administration Tells Darrell Issa to Go to H-E-Double Hockey Sticks
Congressman Issa will not get the documents he is requesting from the Department of Homeland Security.
The Daily Caller has the story.
Congressman Issa, now in charge of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, sent the DHS a demand for documents. Those documents have never arrived.
More troubling, according to Issa
top DHS officials actually instructed career employees not to search for the documents he is requesting.
"I was disappointed to learn that on or about Jan. 20, 2011, DHS's Office of General Counsel instructed career staff in the Privacy Office not to search for documents responsive to my request," Issa says in the Feb. 1 letter.
More troubling, DHS officials have told career bureaucrats to send all the documents to Barack Obama's political team to review for sending the documents on. We've known for a while that everything the Obama Administration does is political, but this is a telling example that even compliance with Congress has descended into a political fight.
From Department of Justice inquiries to Freedom of Information Act requests, future Republican White Houses will now have some great precedent set by the Obama Administration.
Of course the question is — what are they hiding?
Morning Briefing for February 2, 2011
RedState Morning Briefing
For February 2, 2011
Go to www.RedStateMB.com to get
the Morning Briefing every morning at no charge.
1. Is George Bush Suddenly Back in Charge?
2. Planned Parenthood Caught Aiding and Abetting Sex Trafficking of Minors
3. Chrysler asks for billions, loses hundreds of millions…but can afford UAW bonuses?
4. NJ's Chris Christie & the Best Presidential Campaign Ad…Evah!
5. Herman Cain & Me
———————————————————————-
1. Is George Bush Suddenly Back in Charge?
How did this happen?
"In 2010, total compensation and benefits at publicly traded Wall Street banks and securities firms hit a record of $135 billion, according to an analysis by The Wall Street Journal. The total is up 5.7% from $128 billion in combined compensation and benefits by the same companies in 2009."
For a minute I had to jump over to the White House website to see if George Bush was back in charge. The Democrats told us that Wall Street got rich because of George Chimpy McBushHitler Halliburton. And yet . . .
The dirty little secret is that many of those people on Wall Street who are getting ridiculously rich are Obama supporters. But then the Democrats are so loudly demagoguing Republicans as tools of Wall Street that they hope you don't notice that fact.
Please click here for the rest of the post.
2. Planned Parenthood Caught Aiding and Abetting Sex Trafficking of Minors
From 2008 to 2009, Planned Parenthood received $363 million in government grants and contracts — our tax dollars. During the same time period, they destroyed the lives of 324,008 unborn babies.
As if it could get worse, it does.
New footage released just this morning shows a Planned Parenthood manager in New Jersey coaching a man and a woman posing as sex traffickers on how to secure secret abortions and other services for their female underage sex slaves.
The Planned Parenthood manager explains to the "pimp" how to make their operation "look as legit as possible" and how to lie to avoid mandatory reporting laws.
You have to see it to believe it.
Please click here for the rest of the post.
3. Chrysler asks for billions, loses hundreds of millions…but can afford UAW bonuses?
On Thursday, Reuters reported that Chrysler is lobbying Washington for $3 billion in subsidized loans from the Department of Energy that it was promised in 2009 to spur the development of Al GoCarts a/k/a fuel efficient cars.
On Monday, however, when Chrysler reported its 2010 numbers, it revealed the company lost $652 million for the year.
This makes handing out bonuses to its workforce somewhat perplexing.
To be clear, Chrysler's CEO Sergio Marchionne is not calling the $750 bonuses to UAW workers profit-sharing (how could he?). Instead, he's calling them performance award payments because…well, you know, that just sounds better.
Please click here for the rest of the post.
4. NJ's Chris Christie & the Best Presidential Campaign Ad…Evah!
New Jersey has a problem. Well, actually New Jersey has a lot of problems—today it's a freakin' ice storm. However, at least the Garden State now has a governor that, instead of bedding union bosses while sticking the taxpayers payers with the tab, is actually confronting the very problems created by the all-too-cozy relations between NJ's typical politicians and their union handlers.
While it may be painful to certain sets of public-sector employees, here is a politician that finally tells it like it is.
This is probably the most honest confrontation that you are ever likely to see between an elected official and a disgruntled public-sector worker—one of New Jersey's finest—who, even after having it explained, still doesn't seem to want to accept the fact that the state is…
B-R-O-K-E.
Please click here for the rest of the post.
5. Herman Cain & Me
Tonight, from 6pm to 8pm ET, I'll conduct an interview with Herman Cain on WSB in Atlanta about his Presidential bid. You'll be able to listen, as always, at http://wsbradio.com. You can also call in and ask Herman your own questions.
Then, on Thursday, starting at 7pm, I'll be taking over that time slot on WSB. My show will run 7pm to 10pm each weeknight followed by Dave Ramsey. This is a big change for me and my family. I'll continue my CNN commitment and RedState too.
In other words, Sean Hannity better pull his weight in his final hour because I'll be coming on right after him.
It'll make for a fun and exciting time!
February 1, 2011
Is George Bush Suddenly Back in Charge?
In 2010, total compensation and benefits at publicly traded Wall Street banks and securities firms hit a record of $135 billion, according to an analysis by The Wall Street Journal. The total is up 5.7% from $128 billion in combined compensation and benefits by the same companies in 2009.
For a minute I had to jump over to the White House website to see if George Bush was back in charge. The Democrats told us that Wall Street got rich because of George Chimpy McBushHitler Halliburton. And yet . . .
The dirty little secret is that many of those people on Wall Street who are getting ridiculously rich are Obama supporters. But then the Democrats are so loudly demagoguing Republicans as tools of Wall Street that they hope you don't notice that fact.
Erick Erickson's Blog
- Erick Erickson's profile
- 12 followers
