This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Category: Barack Obama/Joe Biden

  • Gettin’ changey with it

    How do you convince people that you’re going to change politics in Washington? After spending the last several months telling people he’s all about change, Barack Obama’s actions speak louder than his words. He names Joe Biden, who has been in the Senate since 1973, as his running mate. Then he opens his convention with a speech from the living monument to the Democrats’ status quo, Teddy Kennedy – who also tries to convince us that he’s all about the change at his “surprise” appearance we’d all known about for two days.

    In today’s Washington Times, Jim McElhatton uncatalogued some of the reasons that Biden can’t be considered an agent of change in Washington;

    Mr. Biden’s campaign has hired lawyers from his son’s firm to do its legal work. His son’s firm lobbied for the University of Delaware and, in turn, Mr. Biden championed federal funding for lucrative projects, known as earmarks, in congressional spending bills.

    In addition, Mr. Biden’s son, Hunter, once worked for MBNA, the giant credit-card company, whose employees are the elder Biden’s largest source of campaign contributions and whose side Mr. Biden took in a controversial bankruptcy-law fight.

    All of which makes Mr. Biden a veteran of the types of insider fights that “outsiders” are supposed to eschew. “He’s no stranger to how the system works,” said David Williams, vice president of policy for the Citizens Against Government Waste.

    Republicans are seizing on the ties between Mr. Biden and his son’s lobbying firm, calling Mr. Biden “a model Washington insider with numerous connections to lobbyists and special interests,” said Danny Diaz, spokesman for the Republican National Committee.

    But Mr. Obama’s campaign, which refuses donations from federal lobbyists, downplayed the criticism and said that the senator’s son has never lobbied his father on behalf of any clients or employers.

    In addition to Biden’s old school politics, Obama’s policy approaches all include traditional Liberal massive tax hikes, he handily throws out the old class warfare cliches about special interests, overpaid CEOs and evil corporations. Obama is pro-abortion, and he thinks all of the solutions to all of our problems spring from the Federal government.

    So what is he going to change?

    Well according to Donald Lambro, in the Washington Times, he’s changed the Democrats into a far-Left party;

    There is no doubt that the liberals are now in full control of the Democratic Party and that Sen. Barack Obama is commander in chief of their bid to “take back America.”

    The Democratic Leadership Council’s centrist-leaning agenda of free trade, a strong defense and welfare-to-work reform that helped propel Bill Clinton’s rise to power in 1992 is hardly visible here.

    Instead, it is the far-left grass-roots organizations who are out in full force and fury here at the Democratic National Convention, raising questions about whether the Obama campaign, by embracing them, risks alienating the moderate swing voters who made Mr. Clinton the first two-term Democratic president since Franklin D. Roosevelt.

    The only change Obama offers is his personage, because as he says, he doesn’t look like previous presidents. That’s it, that’s all we get for change. A guy who looks different. He surrounds himself with the same old tax-and-spend liberals, and has the audacity to assume that we’re stupid enough to vote for him because of his appearance.

    He may indeed change the country by ringing the death knell for the far-left sound machine.

    Here’s some change I can believe in;

    [youtube 597YG23mAWs nolink]

    DavidL on Bits Blog thinks the Democrats are in panic mode.

  • Mao is the change we’ve been waiting for

    You really must see this video of Obama praising the filthy air, the dirty water, the slave labor in China. He claims we should be emulating this behavior;

    [youtube I-IvjXnkHwA nolink]

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  • Counter-Convention looking good

    ComeuptoDenver.org has been begging “progressive social change groups” from across the country to do just that for the Democrat Convention this week, and it seems that every one without a job is complying;

    And the police seem happy, too;

    PBR seems to be the beverage of choice for the sign-makers at Tent State.

    And Veterans For Peace are just there to be in rallies – it doesn’t matter what the rally is for or against (CBS4 Link);

    Robert McLaughlin held aloft a banner supporting abortion rights. He avoided eye contact with a man with a guitar who belted out an anti-abortion song: “It’s a baby, not a molecular glob!”

    McLaughlin tried to ignore the heated exchanges around him, shifting his weight between his feet and looking like he was trying to find his ride home.

    “I don’t know. It’s weird,” said the decorated 67-year-old former staff sergeant, wearing a “Veteran for Peace” T-shirt at the dueling rallies Saturday outside the Planned Parenthood of the Rockies’ headquarters.

    McLaughlin is one of several thousand demonstrators in Denver for the Democratic National Convention that begins Monday. When pressed why he was a counter-demonstrator at an anti-abortion rally, he confessed it was his first one.

    “I’m really here to protest the Iraq war,” he said.

    But in the meantime, you can hold a poster supporting infanticide while you’re waiting for the Iraq Veterans Against the War. Pathetic, actually.

    In the meantime, police are on the lookout for Weapons of Mini-Destruction;

    Denver police are on the lookout for stockpiles of a dozen items ranging from pipes to bikes — things they say could be used to disrupt the Democratic National Convention next week.

    A police bulletin sent to officers and other emergency workers asks them to look out for “medium and large numbers” of things that violent demonstrators could use as weapons.

    Also on the list are shields, helmets, gas masks, chest protectors used in baseball or softball, protest sign handles, hand-held radios, chemicals and maps.

    Police said some of the items on the list have been used by protesters before during demonstrations at events like the DNC.

    Not from people like Wayward Bill, the top photo in this post, who writes at his blog “Deadheads United”;

    (ps; Don’t forget Counter Delegates that while you are in Denver, your surname is Amerika. Afterall aren’t we all Amerikans!)

    Well, you sure are, Bill.

  • Obama’s Perfect Mate?

    Joe Biden will certainly provide some entertainment before this thing is over but he does address Obama’s glaring weakness in Foreign Relations experience, which is of course, absolutely zero.

    Then again Obama’s glaring weaknesses are numerous. The perfect candidate is very difficult to find. For instance, what governors gain in executive experience is often countered by a lack of foreign policy experience.

    What Barack Obama lacks:

    EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCE – Zero (other than funneling money to Tony Rezco) .
    MILITARY EXPERIENCE – Zero
    FOREIGN POLICY CREDENTIALS – Zero (Grade school Indonesia aside)
    LAW ENFORCEMENT / JUDICIAL EXPERIENCE – Zero
    BUSINESS / ECONOMIC ACUMEN – Zero (other than selling books)
    INTERNATIONAL TRADE – Zero (his advisors told the Canadians otherwise)
    NATIONAL SECURITY – Zero

    What Barack Obama has:

    ARTICULATE
    CLEAN    … and drum roll please…
    AFRICAN AMERICAN

    That is not the opinion of this blog (sometimes called racist).

    That’s the opinion of Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE) and current Obama Vice Presidential running mate.

    Jonn added: According to Kos and MSNBC, Biden’s brand of racism is “refreshing” and “an asset” as reported by Ace of Spades and Allahpundit.

  • It’s Biden

    So Obama has announced…finally…that his VP choice is Biden. Lawhawk calls it the most bizarre rollout in history. Ed Morrissey says they had good reason to wait until Oh-dark-thirty;

    So when did the Magic Text Message come? After last call in every time zone in the lower 48. The people in Hawaii were awake, though.

    Of course, picking Joe Biden would be a fairly good reason to bury the news.

    Michelle Malkin calls them “Smarmy and Smirky ’08” while Beth at Blue Star Chronicles calls them Smug & Plugs.

    The CNN story on the pick says “Biden brings experience to Obama team” [Ed. Note – Ha! They changed it after I screen captured it!] – isn’t that nice? The Democrats picked as their number one choice to lead the country, someone they admit is so inexperienced that he needs someone with experience to fool the rest of the nation into voting for him. I guess it’s too much to ask of them to nominate someone who has their own experience…after all we’re electing a man based on his skin color here.

    obama-biden.jpg

    And what kind of experience does Biden bring? Well, he’s been in the Senate since 1972 – that’s not executive experience. He brings the experience of being one voice in a hundred, just like Obama. Has he ever done anything else? The Associated Press claims that Biden’s only expertise is as a blowhard. Another AP story says that this goes against Obama’s “new politician” image;

    In picking Sen. Joe Biden to be his running mate, Barack Obama sought to shore up his weakness — inexperience in office and on foreign policy — rather than underscore his strength as a new-generation candidate defying political conventions.

    Don Surber writes;

    How do you run as an agent of change when you have a Senate lifer like Biden on the ticket?

    And:

    Net effect: Delaware is now solidly behind Obama. It won’t be a 40-state rout.

    Vodkapundit;

    Change you can believe in — because it’s been in Washington since 1973 already.

    Don’t forget that Biden’s solution to the Iraq war was to divide the country up based on tribal affiliations…right out of the playbook of the old British Empire.

    “There is no possibility in your lifetime or mine of having a strong central government in Iraq that is democratic and is viewed as being able to meet the needs of the Iraqi people,” he said.

    Well, no possibility except…except NOW! Must be that Biden’s lifetime is over.

    Yeah, the Democrats think they’ve won already, but that’s that echo chamber thing they’ve got goin’.

    As DrewM at Ace of Spades wrote;

    On behalf of Republicans and bloggers and co-bloggers everywhere, let me be the first to say…THANK YOU Barack!

    Nice Deb calls them “a barrel of gaffes”

    …the right-wing blogosphere is jumping for joy. This should be good, folks. Both guys are known for their arrogance, verbosity, and tendency towards gaffes, which will make for a very entertaining couple of months.

    Gateway Pundit reminds us Biden is a Plagiarizer and Curt at Flopping Aces and Aunt Agatha remind us of the “clean guy” comment Biden made about Obama – the first of many charges of racism in this campaign.

    From Cigar Mike at Babalu Blog, the latest ad from the McCain campaign;

    [youtube RDVUPqoowf8 nolink]

  • Dems not quite happy with “The One”?

    The New York Observer makes the point that the reason that Obama can’t pull ahead in the polls is because Democrats have lost the fire in their belly;

    It’s also probably a mistake to assume that all, or even most, of Clinton’s 18 million voters feel a sense of personal loyalty to her – and that, by extension, millions of votes will come flowing Obama’s way at the snap of his former opponent’s finger.

    To be sure, many Clinton supporters are fanatically loyal to her…. But their loud noise and on-line activism can be very misleading, as Ron Paul’s supporters proved this year. The “PUMA” crowd represents some of Clinton’s 18 million voters, but their devotion is probably not representative of the attitudes of the 50 percent of Clinton voters not currently backing Obama.

    […]

    Clinton’s primary-season coalition certainly included its share of anti-Obama voters, those who don’t like the Illinois senator or those who didn’t think he’d make a strong fall candidate (or a strong president, for that matter). This didn’t mean they had warm feelings toward Clinton; only that they found her more palatable. Just as significantly, her campaign became the home for much of the old Democratic coalition – less-educated and lower-income white voters, senior citizens, Hispanics and women.

    Wonkette translates;

    Ever since Obama clinched the nomination, all the fun’s gone out of it. And so Clinton voters have by and large returned to their natural habitat, in front of the teevee, eating the last unpopped kernels of popcorn out of their microwave bags. If Hillary Clinton tells them to vote for Obama, they’ll all just say, “But that meerkat show is on Animal Planet,” and then they’ll go back to resentfully scrapbooking.

    Of course, this could all be smoke and mirrors so the media can herald Obama’s defeat of the Democrats’ doldrums with his inspiring and historic speech to the 75,000 supporters (instead of the delegates) and declare his sudden 5-point jump next week proof that he can defeat McCain (and Putin and Il and Ahmadinejad and Chavez, et al.)

    When Democrats start predicting the failure of their candidates in public, I get suspicious.

  • Me? I’m just a spectator.

    Concretebob emailed me a link to his article on some Hillary supporter suing to stop Obama’s nomination.

    Americas Right is reporting that a Philedelphia lawyer with ties to Hillary has filed suit in Federal District Court in Philadelphia to stop the nomination.

    A prominent Philadelphia attorney and Hillary Clinton supporter filed suit this afternoon in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and the Democratic National Committee. The action seeks an injunction preventing the senator from continuing his candidacy and a court order enjoining the DNC from nominating him next week, all on grounds that Sen. Obama is constitutionally ineligible to run for and hold the office of President of the United States.

    Now, I know, from my own experience, that a child born to just one American citizen outside of the United States proper is still an American citizen. I would also assume that a lawyer would know this, too. This is just publicity – and who is committing this publicity stunt? Bob Owens reminds us;

    Berg cites inconsistent accounts of Sen. Obama’s birth, including reports that he was born at two separate hospitals–Kapiolani Hospital and Queens Hospital–in Honolulu, as well a profound lack of birthing records for Stanley Ann Dunham, though simple “registry of birth” records for Barack Obama are available in a Hawaiian public records office.

    And just so we’re clear here: this latest attempt to disqualify Barack Obama is fratricide—sniping done by Hillary Clinton supporters loyal to the Democratic Party, and not by Republicans.

    Just like the rumors of a Michelle Obama “whitey” tape.

    Just like attempts to claim Obama never registered for the Selective Service.

    Just like an attempt to claim Obama is a Muslim, and an Indonesian ineligible for executive office, because of what his step-father wrote on a school registration form when he was a child.

    Yeah, I don’t believe for a minute that Obama is not a citizen and I’m not perpetuating that rumor an iota, especially given the recent attempts to smear Conservative bloggers by the Hillary crowd. I’m just a spectator.

    There are a thousand other reasons to vote against Obama than just worrying about his birth records. Like why won’t he release his Annenberg Challenge records? And what was his real relationship to Rezko?

    But, chasing his birth records around the world looks like it’s just good wholesome entertainment. But Little Green Footballs links to FactCheck.org which claims to have “seen, touched, examined and photographed the original birth certificate”.

  • They’re paying attention now

    In today’s Wall Street Journal, Peggy Noonan, in an opinion piece entitled “They’re paying attention now” explains why John McCain has suddenly surged ahead of Barack Obama in the polls;

    There are many answers, but here I think is an essential one: The American people have begun paying attention.

    Despite the year-and-a-half of the media showing us snippets of Obama from his carefully scripted and directed speeches, Americans really didn’t care – certainly not as much as the rest of us who tear apart every word spoken by any politician.

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