Yesterday was quite a day.  It started off with former Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin releasing a 7 minute video on youtube.com.  The video, which was very presidential in tone, refudiated those who blamed her for the actions of Jared Lee Loughner in the Main Street Media, or as a poster on hotair.com suggested, the Blood Libel Media.  I’m pretty sure that the Governor’s rebuff sent the 30 year olds, blogging from their Moms’ basements, running upstairs to the ‘frig to grab some more comfort food.

For those of you who have not seen Governor Palin’s speech yet, here it is:

The Left went absolutely nuts yesterday about her usage of the term Blood Libel.  This term originally referred to the anti-Semitic accusation from the Middle Ages that Jews killed Christian children to use their blood to make matzoh for Passover. 

In an article posted on wsj.com, University of Tennessee Professor Glenn Reynolds used it to reference the rush by Liberals to blame Conservatives for the mass murder committed by the psychopath, Jared Lee Loughner.  Dr. Reynolds wrote:

So as the usual talking heads begin their “have you no decency?” routine aimed at talk radio and Republican politicians, perhaps we should turn the question around. Where is the decency in blood libel?

To paraphrase Justice Cardozo (“proof of negligence in the air, so to speak, will not do”), there is no such thing as responsibility in the air. Those who try to connect Sarah Palin and other political figures with whom they disagree to the shootings in Arizona use attacks on “rhetoric” and a “climate of hate” to obscure their own dishonesty in trying to imply responsibility where none exists. But the dishonesty remains.

The Liberals immediately went into action yesterday, trying to find Jewish spokespeople who were offended by this revision of an ancient term.  However, they were few and far between.  And, several of those that they did find were involved with the Democratic Party in some form or fashion.

My, what a coincidence.

Last night, at the University of Arizona, President Barack Hussein Obama spoke at a memorial service for the victims of Saturday’s tragedy.  The 24,000 students and supporters that attended turned it into a political rally, applauding and cheering, while adorned in the Together We Thrive t-shirts with customized logos that had been draped upon every single chair in the auditorium. 

While Obama’s strived to raise his oratory to a lofty level, the atmosphere seemed surreal and awkwardly inappropriate with shouts of “We love you” when the president took the podium.

The speech itself was very appropriate and measured, running three times longer than George W. Bush’s speech memorializing those lost in the Virgina Tech Massacre.

Some excerpts from the president’s speech:

For the truth is that none of us can know exactly what triggered this vicious attack. None of us can know with any certainty what might have stopped those shots from being fired, or what thoughts lurked in the inner recesses of a violent man’s mind.

So yes, we must examine all the facts behind this tragedy. We cannot and will not be passive in the face of such violence. We should be willing to challenge old assumptions in order to lessen the prospects of violence in the future.

But what we can’t do is use this tragedy as one more occasion to turn on one another. As we discuss these issues, let each of us do so with a good dose of humility. Rather than pointing fingers or assigning blame, let us use this occasion to expand our moral imaginations, to listen to each other more carefully, to sharpen our instincts for empathy, and remind ourselves of all the ways our hopes and dreams are bound together.

He then spoke about all the victims, wrapping up by paying special tribute to Christina Taylor Green, the precious little 9-year-old who was killed by the psychopath:

Christina was given to us on September 11th, 2001, one of 50 babies born that day to be pictured in a book called “Faces of Hope.” On either side of her photo in that book were simple wishes for a child’s life. “I hope you help those in need,” read one. “I hope you know all of the words to the National Anthem and sing it with your hand over your heart. I hope you jump in rain puddles.”

If there are rain puddles in heaven, Christina is jumping in them today. And here on Earth, we place our hands over our hearts, and commit ourselves as Americans to forging a country that is forever worthy of her gentle, happy spirit.

May God bless and keep those we’ve lost in restful and eternal peace. May He love and watch over the survivors. And may He bless the United States of America.

Yesterday, Sarah Palin delivered a well-written speech about an unspeakable tragedy. Yesterday, President Obama also delivered a well-written speech about an unspeakable tragedy.  The most noticeable differences in the speeches were the individuals giving them and the settings in which they were given.

And the second difference was the most notable difference of all.

Four days later, America’s attention is still riveted on the aftermath of Saturday’s massacre in Tuscon Arizona, at the psychopathic hands of Jared Lee Loughner.

Liberals truly believed that their classless use of the tragedy to attack Sarah Palin and the resurgent Conservative movement was going to resonate in the hearts of average Americans.

They were wrong.

According to a CBS poll released yesterday, (yes, CBS) 57% of Americas aren’t buying what the Liberals are selling. The respondents said that “harsh political tone” was not responsible for the massacre.  Americans recognize that Conservatism and Sarah Palin were not to blame for the actions of Jared Lee Loughner. In fact, Americans are taking steps to protect themselves and their families.

That does not seem to matter to the Libs, though.

Rep. Brad Sherman of California said on Fox News:

Whether [political rhetoric] caused what happened in Tucson or not, it’ll cause the next tragedy.

Former President Bill “Bubba” Clinton told the BBC:

No one intends to do anything that encourages this sort of behavior. We just have to be sensitive.

I think this is an occasion for us to reaffirm that our political differences shouldn’t degenerate into demonization.

The third-ranking Democrat in Congress, U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, told the Charleston Post and Courier on Sunday that the Tuscon massacre should get the country thinking about what’s acceptable to say publicly and when people should keep their mouths shut.

Clyburn said he thinks vitriol in public discourse led to Saturday’s tragedy.

The shooting is cause for the country to rethink parameters on free speech, Clyburn said. He wants standards put in place to guarantee balanced media coverage with a reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine, in addition to calling on elected officials and media pundits to use ‘better judgment.’

Free speech is as free speech does. You cannot yell ‘fire’ in a crowded theater and call it free speech and some of what I hear, and is being called free speech, is worse than that.

Clyburn cited a comment made by Sharron Angle, who said the frustrated public may consider turning to ‘Second Amendment remedies’ for political disputes unless Congress changed course.

According to Clyburn, that’s why the Loughner committed his heinous actions:

He saw a Second Amendment remedy and that’s what occurred here and there is no way not to make that connection.

So, the citizens of South Carolina pay you to be this stupid?  Un-buh-lievable.

Hold on.  The stupidity continues…

MSNBC Host Chris Matthews knows exactly why Loughner committed mass murder last Saturday. It was the fault of Conservative Talk Radio Hosts Mark Levin and Michael Savage:

Every time you listen to them, they are furious. Furious at the left. With anger that just builds and builds in their voice and by the time they go to commercial they are just in some rage every night with some ugly talk. Ugly sounding talk and it never changes.

Then why aren’t more of their listeners committing murder, Chrissie?

However, Rep. Bernie Sanders of Vermont wins the Crassness Award.  He plans on making money off the Tuscon Massacre.  Here’s the fundraising letter that he sent out:

Given the recent tragedy in Arizona, as well as the start of the new Congress, I wanted to take this opportunity to share a few words with political friends in Vermont and throughout the country. I also want to thank the very many supporters who have begun contributing online to my 2012 reelection campaign at http://www.bernie.org. There is no question but that the Republican Party, big money corporate interests and right-wing organizations will vigorously oppose me. Your financial support now and in the future is much appreciated.

Stay classy, Bernie.

So, how are average Americans reacting to all this?  Well…

Per bloomberg.com:

One-day sales of handguns in Arizona jumped 60 percent to 263 on Jan. 10 compared with 164 the corresponding Monday a year ago, the second-biggest increase of any state in the country, according to Federal Bureau of Investigation data.

Handgun sales rose 65 percent to 395 in Ohio; 16 percent to 672 in California; 38 percent to 348 in Illinois; and 33 percent to 206 in New York, the FBI data show. Sales increased nationally about 5 percent, to 7,906 guns.

Federally tracked gun sales, which are drawn from sales in gun stores that require a federal background check, also jumped following the 2007 massacre at Virginia Tech, in which 32 people were killed.

“Whenever there is a huge event, especially when it’s close to home, people do tend to run out and buy something to protect their family,” said Don Gallardo, a manager at Arizona Shooter’s World in Phoenix, who said that the number of people signing up for the store’s concealed weapons class doubled over the weekend. Gallardo said he expects handgun sales to climb steadily throughout the week.

Americans are not fooled by political rhetoric anymore.  If those they elected refuse to acknowledge the reality of a national tragedy and, instead, use it in an attempt to achieve political goals, they do so at the risk of losing any chance that they had for re-election.  As proven by the Midterm Elections, Americans are thinking for themselves.

The first thing I saw this morning, as I was surfing the cable channels, was the Today Show on NBC, airing some stupid attempt to make Sarah Palin responsible for the mass murder committed by Jared Lee Loughner in Tuscon, Arizona last Saturday.

Gimme a break.  I’ve had it up to here with this garbage.

Somehow, the Liberals are trying to link a campaign map with targeted cities on it to the acts of a psychopath.    And what’s even slimier is the fact that some of the good ol’ boys in the G.O.P. are using the Tuscon massacre as an opportunity to take their shots at her also.

Former Minnesota Tim Governor Tim Pawlenty backed Palin up…sort of:

There’s no indication at present that those cross hairs, Fox News, any particular commentator or show or set of remarks or person was a motivating factor in his thoughts.

When the Times asked him if he would have produced a similar map, Gov. Pawlenty said:

I wouldn’t have done it.

I’m sure Gov. Palin thanks you for your support, Governor.  Yikes.

Former White House Spokesman for George W. Bush and political pundit Ari Fleischer said:

At a time like this, what the nation wants more than anything else is for people to rise above the nonsense and the politics and to be gracious. There’s nothing like letting people see your heart, your emotion. Facebook and Twitter don’t convey emotion.

Ari, I guess you missed this e-mail that Gov. Palin sent Glenn Beck over the weekend that he read on his show yesterday:

Our children will not have peace if politicos just capitalize on this to succeed in portraying anyone as inciting terror and violence.

Not all of the Republicans have jumped on the Bash Palin Bandwagon. 

The former chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, Rep. Tom Cole (Okla.), yesterday placed the blame on the media for pointing fingers at Palin and the Tea Party over their use of “targets” on Democrats.

This attack on Sarah Palin is outrageous. Give me a break. I’ve made my living in politics, and the word ‘targeting’ is not a new word in the political lexicon. That’s just something that is a normal term in how you are going to prioritize your political efforts.

I’ve never heard the Tea Party preaching violence; I’ve heard them preaching participation.

The London Daily Mail hit the nail squarely on the head when they wrote:

In short, did the killer Jared Loughner – who has a history of mental instability and has made a series of bizarre postings on the internet – go out looking to kill because political voices told him to?

Could the inflammatory ­language used by some Right-wing politicians – in ­particular, Sarah Palin – have encouraged the killer to act as he did?

That’s the question at the heart of a febrile political blame game that started even before the most basic details had emerged about the background and possible motivation of the gunman. Already it has drawn in politicians, commentators, police and even the families of the victims.

Gabrielle Giffords was a Democrat and much – but not all – of the badly spelt, incoherent YouTube jumble that passed for the politics of her attacker was broadly ‘Right-wing’.

As a result, many liberal ­commentators and establishment figures have leapt at the opportunity to blame conservative politicians.

The rush to make political capital out of a mass shooting shows just how nasty U.S. ­politics has become. Under Barack Obama, America is more polarised than it has been for 40 years.

The Dems are ignoring their own history of violent rhetoric.  At a Philadelphia fundraiser on July 14th, 2008, Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Hussein Obama said:

If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun. Because from what I understand folks in Philly like a good brawl.  I’ve seen Eagles fans.

As far as I know, a riot did not ensue in Philadelphia after those comments by Obama.

Meanwhile, yesterday, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) released a statement defending a campaign ad last year in his which he shoots a bullet through the Democratic cap-and-trade bill.

The act of a deranged madman who commits a horrific act should not and cannot be confused with a metaphor about a piece of legislation. I have never targeted an individual, and I never would.

Neither would Gov. Palin, Joe.  However, that did not stop your party, their Media Minions, and even some of the Republican Elite in attempting to make political hay out of the Tuscon Massacre before they even knew the background and ideology of Jared Lee Loughner.

All these political opportunists knew was that this was their opportunity to get back at Palin and the rest of the resurgent Conservative movement, including Tea Party members, for throwing their fellow professional politicians out of office. 

The fact that Americans were killed, including precious little 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green, did not matter to the ideologically-driven politicians, media pundits, or basement-dwelling bloggers. 

And more’s the pity. 

Yesterday, 22-year-old Jared Loughner, opened fire on a public meeting in Tuscon, Arizona, shooting U. S. Representative Gabrielle “Gabby” Giffords in the head, while shooting at least 18 others, killing six of the crowd. Killed in the massacre were Federal Judge John M. Roll, Gabe Zimmerman, Gabby’s Local Director of Community Outreach, 3 70 year olds, and pretty, little 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green, who had been attending the event with neighbors. She was born on September 11, 2001.

Who is this monster?

Loughner was a former military recruit who was obsessed with mind control.

On YouTube, he posted a weird video with a rambling anti-government message, that authorities are still analyzing.  The video has been pulled.  As far as anybody knows, at this point, Loughner still is not cooperating with investigators.

Prima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik said the killer had been in trouble with the law before and had even tried to kill someone before.

According to Dupnik, there had been “difficulties” at Pima Community College where Loughner attended. One student said that Loughner would often act “wildly inappropriate” in a poetry class that they had together.

Classmate Don Coorough told ABC News, referring to a discussion about abortions:

One day he started making comments about terrorism and laughing about killing the baby. The rest of us were looking at him in shock… I thought this young man was troubled.

Another classmate, Lydian Ali, said:

A girl had written a poem about an abortion. It was very emotional and she was teary eyed and he said something about strapping a bomb to the fetus and making a baby bomber.

On his MySpace page, which has also been pulled from the internet, he told his friends:

Please don’t be mad at me…I can not rest.

The psychopath was thrown to the ground by two people in the small crowd that had formed around Gabby while she was speaking. When he was taken into custody, a 9mm Glock handgun with an extended clip was recovered.

Authorities are seeking a second man as a “person of interest” who might have been at the scene with the gunman. However, He is not a suspect in the shooting.

Former U.S. surgeon general Richard Carmona, a family friend of Giffords’s, informed reporters Saturday night that she could need further surgery.

According to Carmona:

This is a very devastating wound.

Gabby, a Blue Dog Democrat, barely won reelection to a third term in November. She was sworn into office Wednesday and was hosting her first “Congress on Your Corner” event of the new Congress.

Per Steven Rayle, a Tucson doctor at the event, Loughner shot Gabby once in the face.

According to Dr. Rayle, after she was shot, the crowd tried to escape but were trapped by a table and a concrete post. The killer then started firing into the crowd.

There was nowhere easy to run. People that were there were just sitting ducks. I don’t think he was even aiming. He was just firing at whatever.

This massacre marks the first attempt on the life of a sitting member of Congress since the 1978 murder of Rep. Leo Ryan (D-Calif.) who was investigating the Peoples Temple cult compound in Jonestown, Guyana. After his murder, psychotic leader Jim Jones made close to 1,000 cultists, including 280 children, commit suicide by drinking cyanide-laced grape Kool-aid.

As soon as word spread about the massacre, Liberals began to try to make political hay by blaming the tea party movement.

They began an internet war by linking to Gov. Sarah Palin’s telling supporters via Twitter, “Don’t Retreat, Instead – RELOAD,” and Nevada GOP Senate candidate Sharron Angle’s advocating “second-amendment remedies” to some of the nation’s problems.

Prominent left-wing bloggers accused Palin, and the resurgence of Conservatism in America of encouraging extremism and being responsible for the massacre that killed 9-year-old Christina and the others.  Gov. Palin responded by calling for “peace” on her Facebook page.

For Liberals to so readily attempt to use an unspeakable tragedy  in order to further their personal and ideological ambitions is beyond classless.  There should be apologies posted all over the internet today from the Liberal so-called pundits posting from their Moms’ basements. 

However, I’m not going to hold my breath waiting for them.

May God send His Holy Spirit to comfort the families of those killed and wounded in this horrible moment in American history and hold them in the hollow of His hand.  Amen.

According to President Barack Hussein Obama’s (mm mmm mmmm) new Chief of Staff, Bill Daley, rumors that he urged Scooter to give Press Secretary Robert (Baghdad Bob) Gibbs the boot from the White House are completely false.

The London Telegraph ran a blog post, linked on the Drudge Report, which referred to a CNN report which said that Daley did not want Gibbs to stay in the White House as a chief adviser.

However, according to a statement released by Daley, Gibbs’s name

…never, ever came up once in any discussion I had with the president or staff about me coming to the White House.

In my view, he has done a great job as press secretary for President Obama, and I look forward to working with him as he continues to help provide advice to the president and our team over the next two years.

Baghdad Bob announced earlier this week that he is stepping down from the podium sometime in February, but he will continue to advise, advocate, and generally be his same ol’ blindly sycophantic self for Obama.

Gibbsy is not the only one that is having trouble with Daley:

Per politico.com, Scooter’s choice of William Daley to be his new chief of staff has the Far Left ideologues whining like they’ve just heard a Rush Limbaugh monologue.  AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka voiced his reservations about Daley:

The president is of course entitled to choose a chief of staff in whom he has complete confidence. We are hopeful that the new chief of staff’s priority is to achieve the strong economy that working people desperately need.

MoveOn.org chief Justin Ruben wasn’t too thrilled, either:

The announcement that William Daley, who has close ties to the Big Banks and Big Business, will now lead the White House staff is troubling and sends the wrong message to the American people.

However, at least some in the Far Left seem to be resigned to the appointment. Neera Tanden, CEO for the George Soros-funded Center for American Progress, and until recently, a senior advisor for health reform inside the Obama White House, said:

There’s a recognition that the president determines his agenda.

The Far Left had better recognize that Obama is loyal to no one except himself and his political cronies from Chicago. And he’ll throw them under the bus, too, without a second thought.

Let’s look at the case of Baghdad Bob Gibbs. 

Do any of you actually believe that Gibbs is stepping down of his own accord?  If you do, I have some commemorative Elvis plates, that the King once ate a peanut butter and ‘nanner sandwich off of, to sell you.

Gibbs style as Press Secretary has been about as soothing as a Gilbert Gottfried monologue.  He’s been abrasive, condescending, and elusive in his answers to simple questions put forth to him by the press.  He has done a horrible job in a position once handled so well by the late, great Tony Snow.

Obama cannot afford to have such a buffoon speaking to the press for him, if he is going to run for a second term.  And I’m sure that William Daley relayed that vital piece of information to him.

Just like Rahmbo before him, Bill Daley knows how to play the game of Chicago-style, cutthroat politics.  The problem is, I’m afraid that ol’ Billy Boy will find himself in the same position that Emmanuel did, surrounded by Far Left bureaucratic and academic pinheads, who are not driven by party loyalty and political necessity, but rather, by an Uber-Liberal ideology and an overwhelming desire to turn America into a Socialist Paradise. 

Scooter learned about Chicago-style politics in 1992, when he went to work for Miner, Barnhill & Galland, a firm specializing in civil rights law and other forms of public advocacy.   Working there provided him with the opportunity to make many contacts in the Chicago Political Machine.   And, of course, the Daley family was a very essential part of that machine.

In fact, according to Lee Cary, in his article posted at americanthinker.com, the Daleys, Tony Rezko, and Obama’s BFF, Valerie Jarrett, had quite a lucrative partnership  with that law firm after Scooter became a Illinois State Senator:

In 1997, [Obama’s former law firm mentor Allison] Davis and Rezko formed New Kenwood L.L.C. and set out to build a seven-story apartment building for seniors called Cottage View Terrace. At the time, Davis was a member of the Chicago Plan Commission, having been appointed by Mayor Richard M. Daley, Richard the 2nd.

Several local elected officials, representing both city and state, wrote letters-of-support citing the need for senior citizen housing. State Senator Obama’s letter was dated October 28, 1998. He still worked as an attorney at Davis’ former firm, renamed Miner Barnhill & Galland. (Judson H. Miner had been Corporate Counsel for the City of Chicago from 1986-1989.) The firm’s clients included companies owned by Davis and Rezko.

New Kenwood L.L.C. hired the law firm of Daley & George –the Daley being the current Mayor Daley’s brother, Michael Daley — to assist in securing city-of-Chicago issued bonds. (Brother Michael is not to be confused with brother John Daley, the Cook County Board finance committee chairman and 11th Ward committeeman. Or, brother William “Bill,” Daley, who [at the time of this article] is contemplating a run for Illinois governor.)

The city owned the two-acre vacant lot targeted for the proposed project. It had once been the site of a gas station and needed an environmental cleanup. Davis and Rezko bought the land for $1, and spent $100,000 for the cleanup.

Here’s what the Chicago Sun Times (June 13, 2007) reported about the project:

“The $14.6 million Cottage View Terrace was funded entirely by city, state and federal taxpayers. The projected included $855,000 in development fees for New Kenwood…In addition to the development fees, a separate Davis-owned company stood to make another $900,000 through federal tax credits.”

In conclusion, the appointment of William Daley, while meant to portray Obama as moving to the middle, is, in reality, nothing more than a continuation of Chicago-style politics at the White House.

Nothing to see here…move along.

Incoming Speaker of the House John Boehner and the rest of the Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have announced plans to pass a bill repealing ObamaCare next week, even though Dinghy Harry Reid and the Senate will reject the attempt.

The 112th Congress hits the ground running on Wednesday with the Republicans now controlling the House after November’s midterm elections. The scheduled vote for the repealing of ObamaCare is the beginning of a plan to fulfill a campaign promise that the Republicans made.

According to Brad Dayspring, a spokesman for incoming House Republican leader Eric Cantor, the House plans to vote on legislation to repeal ObamaCare on Jan. 12.

Even though Republicans control the House, 242-193, the Democrat party retains control of the Senate by 53-47 and will move to block any repeal of the healthcare law.

Dayspring said:

ObamaCare is a job killer for businesses small and large, and the top priority for House Republicans is going to be to cut spending and grow the economy and jobs.

He also said the House will hold a procedural vote on Friday in preparation for the Jan. 12 vote.

The Republicans also plan to use their majority power to defund and starve ObamaCare.

Per foxnews.com:

Senate Democrats Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) joined Reid in signing a letter addressed to Boehner, warning him of the effects a health care repeal would have on Seasoned Citizens who fall into the so-called Medicare “donut hole,” and vowing to block any Republican-led effort aimed at repealing the legislation.

A provision of ObamaCare that just took effect on January 1st give seniors a 50 percent break on the cost of prescription drugs when they’re caught in a gap between basic and catastrophic Medicare coverage. Obamacare is supposed to end the Medicare “donut hole” in 2020.

According to Chuckie Schumer and his colleagues, repealing Obamacare would reopen the loophole, and would seniors thousands of dollars in drug payments.

The letter reads:

The incoming House Republican majority that you lead has made the repeal of the federal health care law one of its chief goals. We urge you to consider the unintended consequences that the law’s repeal would have on a number of popular consumer protections that help middle class Americans.

…If House Republicans move forward with a repeal of the health care law that threatens consumer benefits like the “donut hole” fix, we will block it in the Senate. This proposal deserves a chance to work. It is too important to be treated as collateral damage in a partisan mission to repeal health care.

So, the Dems are trying to paint the Republicans as enemies of Seasoned Citizens, even though the Dems have never read this Obamanation of a Healthcare Reform Law that they are responsible for passing.

Per Rasmussenreports.com:

60% of Likely Voters at least somewhat favor repeal of the national health care law, while the number who expect health care costs to increase is at its highest level since August.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 49% Strongly Favor repeal of the plan. Thirty-eight percent (38%) oppose the law’s repeal, including 29% who Strongly Oppose repeal.

Additionally:

For the first time since Democrats in Congress passed the health care bill in March, a majority of U.S. voters believe the measure is likely to be repealed.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 52% of Likely U.S. Voters think it is at least somewhat likely that the health care plan will be repealed. Thirty-three percent (33%) view repeal as unlikely. Those figures include 16% who believe repeal is Very Likely and 5% who believe it is Not at All Likely.

Most Americans believe, and rightfully so, that the final decision on Obamacare will be made by the United States Supreme Court. 

In his article published on americanthinker.com today, Overturning ObamaCare in the Supreme Court will not be a Slam Dunk, attorney Monte Kuligowski hits the nail on the head:

…Then came the landmark 1942 case of Wickard v. Filburn upon which the Obama administration relies heavily in its healthcare litigation motions.

In the Wickard case, an Ohio farmer was penalized for exceeding the federal quota on wheat production even though the excess was for farm use and not for market.

…The Wickard case opened the door wide for federal overreaching. The 9th and 10th Amendments were successfully shelved as the focus shifted from “the permissibility of state activity” that burdened commerce to the “breadth” of Congress’s Commerce Clause powers.

A key principle of Wickard that has been largely overlooked is that Congress was permitted to regulate non-commercial wheat merely because it was “available for marketing.”

In a sense, storing wheat for personal use was non-activity (non-commercial activity), but the Court nevertheless allowed Congress to extend its powers. That potentially spells trouble for striking down the individual insurance mandate. When it comes to misusing the Commerce Clause anything is possible, including the suggestion that inactivity may be regulated.

Of course, with ObamaCare the feds are geared up to force activity. On that point ObamaCare should fall even under the most liberal interpretation of the law. The federal regulation of wheat production is repugnant to freedom. But that pales in comparison to Congress mandating a citizen endowed by Divinity with unalienable liberty, to purchase a product for her body.

Another point to make, which distinguishes ObamaCare from other cases, is that the “Affordable Health Care Act” is not about regulating the commerce of the healthcare system, but is fundamentally about transforming the system. If it were about regulating interstate commerce, a law allowing health insurance to be purchased across state lines could have been advanced. Such a solution would be consistent with Congress’s actual power to regulate the commerce among the states.

Of course, ObamaCare is more about spreading the wealth around than it is about interstate commerce.

The great thing about the vote on January 12th, is that it forces the Dems to take responsibility for this socialization of the American Healthcare System.  House Republicans should keep on hammering that message home to the American people, until ObamaCare comes before the highest court in the land.

The Dems passed it.  They own it.

The Republican Elite in the Beltway and the Northeast seem bound and determined to slit their own throats and the country’s by nominating another squishy, reach-across-the-aisle, Moderate Republican to go against President Barack Hussein Obama (mm mmm mmm) in 2012.

Per washington times.com:

South Carolina’s Republican Senator, Lindsey Graham, proclaimed on Sunday that Mitt Romney is the party’s leading potential presidential candidate for 2012.

Grahamnesty said on NBC’s Meet the Press:

He’s got his problems, but so does everybody else.

Hey, isn’t that the guy who looks like Lyle Wagonner from the Carol Burnett Show?

Romney, affectionately known to most Conservatives as Mittens, is a former Massachusetts governor and GOP presidential candidate.  As that state’s governor, he was responsible for signing into law a state-run health care plan which is a direct precursor to Obamacare. Recently, this solid conservative (cough) opposed the deal the GOP made with President Obama and congressional Democrats that extended the Bush-era tax rates.

John McCain’s buddy, Grahamnesty, said:

Not only do you have to be conservative, you have to carry the day.

Carry the day? If he runs, he won’t even carry his state.

According to Senator Graham, a good GOP presidential candidate also…

must be focused on immigration issues and the current economic situation, including the price of gas headed toward “$4 a gallon.”

Uh-huh.

Love her or hate her, with Sarah Palin, you always know where she stands.  Mittens?  Not so much.

Even the voice of the squishy Elite, David Frum, admits that you never know what you’re going to get with Mittens:

From his website, frumforum.com:

There are two Mitt Romneys, one bad, one good.

The good Romney is the decisive executive who built a great venture capital business in the 1980s, saved the 2002 Olympic Games and delivered comprehensive health insurance as governor of Massachusetts.

The bad Romney is the Romney who delivered the governor’s last major public address, at the Republican convention in St. Paul in August 2008.

“You know, for decades now, the Washington sun has been rising in the east. You see, Washington has been looking to the eastern elites …. If America really wants to change, it’s time to look for the sun in the west ….” A strange thing to hear from the ex-governor of America’s second most easterly state.

2008 marked the end of a two-term Republican presidency and the recent expiry of 12 years of Republican congressional majorities. Bad Romney disregarded that history to score a crowd-pleasing point:

“Last week, the Democratic convention talked about change. But what do you think? Is Washington now, liberal or conservative? … Is government spending, putting aside inflation, liberal or conservative if it doubles since 1980? It’s liberal.”

Whoa.  Waitasecond.  Was Romney actually trying to hop aboard the Tea Party Express at that point?  Heh.  It sure seems so.  How is Romney standing against Elitism bad, Mr. Frum?  As Vinnie Barbarino used to say:

I’m so confused!

Apparently, so is Romney. 

This is nothing new, as the video showed.

Neither is the animosity between the Mitt Romney camp and Sarah Palin. From spectator.org, posted October 27, 2008:

Former Mitt Romney presidential campaign staffers, some of whom are currently working for Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin’s bid for the White House, have been involved in spreading anti-Palin spin to reporters, seeking to diminish her standing after the election. “Sarah Palin is a lightweight, she won’t be the first, not even the third, person people will think of when it comes to 2012,” says one former Romney aide, now working for McCain-Palin. “The only serious candidate ready to challenge to lead the Republican Party is Mitt Romney. He’s in charge on November 5th.”

Okey-dokey.  No one told the rest of America.

According to publicpolicypolling.blogspot.com, who did a poll in Florida in December, Mittens is not doing so well in the Sunshine State:

The poll we did last week found him at only 21%, behind Huckabee’s 23%, with Gingrich at 18%, Palin at 13%, and others combining for a total of 15%.

That’s a drop of 31 % since a poll  that PPP did last March.

So, evidently, Romney is not going to be able to ride the wave of the national resurgence of Conservatism.  The reason? Tea Partiers have serious doubts about where he stands.

From ksl.com, out of Salt Lake City, Utah:

Republicans might consider Mitt Romney a Presidential contender in 2012, but he may not have the backing of the growing Tea Party movement.

Related: Republicans promise limited government

Republicans are echoing the unrelenting demand of tea party activists whose energy and votes helped to fuel the largest turnover in the House in more than 70 years. Utah Tea Party organizer David Kirkham tells KSL, the problem with Mitt Romney is his record.

“You know, he supported TARP, big supporter of TARP, and of course that’s what took Sen. Bennett down — and Massachusetts Romney-care,” Kirkham said.

The grand old good ol’ boys in the Grand Old Party had better sit up and take notice.  The 2010 Midterm Elections were a refudiation of not just the Democrats, but big government, business as usual politics.  If the Republican party views things from a Beltway/Northeastern Corridor perspective, instead of listening to the Heartland, and paying attention to the lessons that were taught on November 2nd, 2010, they are going to sadly disappointed.