May I ask y’all something?  Whose side are the Beltway Republicans on?  You know who I’m talking about.  The I’m smarter-than-you, reach-across-the aisle RINOs whose go along to get along embracing of Liberalism resulted in the 2006 election of the worst Congress in history and the horrible first two years of this national nightmare called the Obama Presidency.

I’m not just talking about politicians.  I’m also talking about the squishy national so-called Conservative Pundits, whose Conservatism bends to the Left with the prevailing D.C. political winds.

In his latest column, published in the Philadelphia Enquirer, A Triple Crown for Obama, Dr. Charles Krauthammer seems to be singing the praises of Harry Reid and the Lame Duck Session while chastising those same Beltway Elite Republicans whose cocktail parties he attends:

The great liberal ascendancy of 2008, destined to last 40 years (predicted James Carville), lasted less than two. Yet, the great Republican ascendancy of 2010 lasted less than two months. Republicans will enter the 112th Congress with larger numbers, but no longer with the wind – the overwhelming Nov. 2 repudiation of Obama’s social-democratic agenda – at their backs.

“Harry Reid has eaten our lunch,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), lamenting his side’s “capitulation” in the lame-duck session. Yes, but it was less Harry than Barry. Obama came back with a vengeance. His string of lame-duck successes is a singular political achievement. Because of it, the epic battles of the 112th Congress begin on what would have seemed impossible just one month ago: a level playing field.

Last night, on Fox News Special Report, Dr. Krauthammer said that the Republicans should not take away the funding from Obamacare:

I am skeptical about taking away the funds because what it will do, it will poke holes in the system. It will make it more chaotic. It will allow some things to be enacted, others to be more slowly or clumsily enacted. In the end, if healthcare collapses or if it becomes utterly unworkable, the Democrats will have a way of saying ‘well, it was all these injuries inflicted by the Republicans that made it not work.

I think the smarter approach is to simply expose to the American people what is in the bill.

The problem with giving people entitlements, Dr. K, comes when you try to take them back.

Better to starve the beast, as Republicans plan, than to enable it.

Krauthammer worked for President Jimmy Carter as a Psychiatric Research Planner and, later, for Vice-President Walter Mondale as a speechwriter.

The other thing that both fascinates me and frustrates me about Elitists in the Republican Party is their Psychotic fear/hatred of former Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin.  Krauthammer has spoken against her on several occasions, as have several other Conservative (i.e. squishy)  pundits, like Fox News’ Bill Kristol and Pundit Peggy Noonan, who, last week, seemed very eager to suppress the notion that she might run in 2012.  Even former WH Press Secretary Dana Perino has gotten into the act, suggesting that Palin doesn’t speak in the same manner in which she tweets.  Huh?

What are they afraid of?  After all, wouldn’t their boy, Mitt Romney, take Gov. Palin in the primaries?  Why, I bet he even has a bigger Facebook following than her.  Let’s see:

Mitt Romney – 734,942

Sarah Palin – 2,546,920

But…but…I thought he was supposed to be more popular than Gov. Palin?

Beltway politicians and Pundits live in a bubble.  They have disassociated themselves from the common people.  The only time the Beltway Elite Republicans seem to pay attention to the wishes of Americans in the Heartland is when we melt the Congressional Phone Lines down and threaten their well-paying jobs. 

That’s why the rise of the Tea Party movement and America’s return to Conservatism, which resulted in the political massacre known as the Midterm Elections, was such a surprise to them.  In their self-imposed isolation, they actually thought that the America people wanted them to continue their deal-making, soul-selling, business-as-usual politics.

Now, Republicans are scrambling, trying to figure out how to appease an angry electorate and keep their cushy jobs.  Pundits are trying give them all the cover they can, while offering criticism in columns specifically written as to not cost the pundit their place on the Broadcast television networks’ Sunday morning shows or to cause them to be left off the invitation list for all the cool Beltway cocktail parties.

In summation, there is still an us and them mentality in the Beltway, even among the resurgent Republican Party.  If the Republicans don’t legislate as Conservatives, and ignore the message sent to them by American voters on November 2nd, 2010, it won’t matter if the Pundits praise them or criticize them, they will be out of a job.

After all, there is much more to America than just the Beltway.  And there are a lot more American voters than there are Conservative pundits.

The big news over the weekend, besides the blizzard that has blanketed the Northeast, concerns plans by President Barack Hussein Obama (mm mmm mmmm) to do an end run around our system of checks and balances and the wishes of the American people.

As I reported yesterday, Obama plans to have his minions at the Environmental Protection Agency place new restrictions on greenhouse emissions, additionally announcing plans for new power plants and oil refinery emission standards over the next year. 

Cap ‘n Trade, anyone?

Also, do you remember when former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin touched off a firestorm when she suggested that Obamacare would lead to bureaucratic “Death Panels”, deciding when someone’s life was worth living?

Democrats responded by dropping end-of-life planning from Obamacare. However, the our benevolent dictator has ignored our system of checks and balances by hiding end of life planning is some Medicare regulation, which begins Jan. 1.

Under the new policy, the government will pay doctors who advise patients on options for end-of-life care, which may include advance directives to forgo aggressive life-sustaining treatment.

Obama’s sycophants in the 111th Congress kept their mouths shut, even though they knew what was happening. They were afraid, and with good reason, of the righteous indignation of Americans, like they experienced in 2009 when they were forced to drop it from Obamacare.

The final version of Obamacare, which became the law of the land in March, authorized Medicare coverage of yearly physical examinations, or wellness visits.

The new, hidden policy in the Medicare regulation says Medicare will cover “voluntary advance care planning,” to discuss end-of-life treatment, as part of the annual visit.

Under the rule, doctors can provide information to patients on how to prepare an “advance directive,” stating how aggressively they wish to be treated if they are so sick that they cannot make health care decisions for themselves.

While “Advance Directives” have been around for a while, this government policy seems to be attempting to bypass the family’s wishes and replace the counsel of family members with that of government-funded doctors.

Americans should have seen this coming.  Remember Obama’s Recess Appointment of Dr. Donald Berwick to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, bypassing Senate confirmation, in July of this year? 

Dr. Berwick, a big fan of the British government-run Health Care System, said this in a prep talk to a British audience:

You could have let an unaccountable system play out in the darkness of the private enterprise instead of accepting that a politically accountable system must act in the harsh and admittedly sometimes very unfair daylight of the press, public debate, and political campaigning.

You could have had a monstrous insurance industry of claims and rules and paper-pushing instead of using your tax base to provide a single route of finance.

He has also said:

Any health care funding plan that is just, equitable, civilized and humane must — must — redistribute wealth from the richer among us to the poorer and the less fortunate. Excellent healthcare is by definition re-distributional.

And, here’s the money quote:

The decision is not whether or not we will ration care — the decision is whether we will ration with our eyes open. And right now, we are doing it blindly.

You can say, ‘Well, we shouldn’t even look.’ But that would be irrational. The social budget is limited — we have a limited resource pool. It makes terribly good sense to at least know the price of an added benefit, and at some point we might say nationally, regionally, or locally that we wish we could afford it, but we can’t. We have to be realistic about the knowledge base.

Translation:  Grandma – Ice Floe – Buh Bye

What a charmer.  He fits right in with this administration of aloof, academic pinheads. 

What these two clandestine operations emphasize is Obama’s dogged determination to follow through with his dream to radically change America into a Socialist Utopia, regardless of the wishes of the American people.

On November 2nd, 2010, Americans spoke in a loud voice, using the ballot box to voice their displeasure in the leadership of President Barack Hussein Obama, and his ideology of big government, and the financial socialization of America. 

The problem is, Obama seems to view himself as possessing better judgement that the American people.  He seems to believe that we exist to be the lab rats in his experiments to turn the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave into just another country practicing a failed socialist ideology.

He also seems to be a firm believer in the Malcolm X quote:

By any means necessary.

As exemplified by actions of the Lame Duck Congress, Obama and his minions are doubling-down on their Alisnky-inspired plans, doing as much damage to the country as they can before someone actually stands up like the wizards in the Lord of the Rings and says:

Thou shalt not pass!

Republicans of the 112th Congress, I’m speaking to you.  You had better grow a collective spine and show Americans that you understand what happened on November 2nd, 2010.  If you decide that you are going to act in your own self-interests, instead of acting in accordance with the mandate given to you with the Midterm Election, then, come 2013, you had better have a trade to fall back on.

Sitting here this morning, reviewing the news headlines, a few have caught my eye that I thought that I would expand upon this morning.

From mediabistro.com:

“Meet the Press with David Gregory” was the #1 Sunday public affairs show again last week, with a 660K Total Viewer lead over #2 CBS’ “Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer.”

But the bigger story is the loss of viewers of ABC’s #3“This Week with Christiane Amanpour.” A year ago (Dec. 20, 2009) as the show was preparing for a host change, “This Week” drew 2.79M Total Viewers. Last Sunday it drew 1.91M — down -46% in one year. NBC and CBS were up year-over-year. “FOX News Sunday with Chris Wallace“, was down slightly year-over year.

Network Program Total Viewers A25-54

NBC “Meet the Press” 3.37M 1.20M

CBS “Face the Nation” 2.71M 670K

ABC “This Week” 1.91M 610K

FOX “Fox News Sunday” 1.310M 430K

Amanpour, an  Iranian Brit, whose family fled Iran in 1979, was hired by ABC after 18 years on the International Beat for CNN.  She has absolutely no clue with regard to domestic issues. and has been roundly criticized for her anti-Israel bias.  ABC’s President David Westin, chose her over Jake Tapper in what has proven to be a very, poor decision.

Of course, America-haters around the world were in total agreement with Mr. Westin on his selection.

From yahoo.com:

Russia’s lower house of parliament gave preliminary approval Friday to a U.S.-Russian arms treaty, but decided to delay the final vote until next month.

The Kremlin-controlled State Duma voted 350-58 to approve the New START treaty in the first of three readings. The legislators said they would proceed further after returning from the New Year’s vacation that lasts until Jan. 11.

I thought Obama said that the world would come to an end, or sumpin’, if the START Treaty did not get passed during the Lame Duck Session.

According to Russian legislators, they need extra time in order to study the Treaty.  Why couldn’t Congress do that?

Scooter, you just got dissed.

A moment of clarity.  Compare…contrast…and cry:

From news10.net in Sacramento:

Big Sis Janet Napalitano and her TSA are disciplining an airline pilot for posting video on YouTube pointing out what he believes are serious flaws in airport security.

The anonymous 50-year-old pilot, who is also a helicopter test pilot in the Army Reserve and flew missions for the United Nations in Macedonia, lives outside Sacramento. asked that neither he nor his airline be identified. He has worked for the airline for more than a decade and was deputized by the TSA to carry a gun in the cockpit.

Three days after he posted a series of six video clips recorded with a cell phone camera at San Francisco International Airport, four federal air marshals and two sheriff’s deputies arrived at his house to confiscate his federally-issued firearm. Video of all of this has been provided to News10.

The federal marshals took the pilot’s gun and a deputy sheriff asked him to surrender his state-issued permit to carry a concealed weapon.

Welcome to the U.S.S.A., Comrade Pilot.

Speaking of a certain dictorial Regime:

Before that mean ol’ Democratically-controlled Congress wouldn’t do what he wanted them to do, and because he knows that the 112th Congress sure won’t pass the legislation he wants, Obama and his administration are going around our country’s system of checks and balances in order to stifle America’s energy production by placing new restrictions on greenhouse emissions, announcing plans for new power plants and oil refinery emission standards over the next year.

In an announcement posted on the agency’s website late Thursday, Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa Jackson said the aim was to better cope with pollution contributing to climate change.

According to Jackson’s statement:

We are following through on our commitment to proceed in a measured and careful way to reduce GHG pollution that threatens the health and welfare of Americans.

This professional bureaucrat claims that emissions from power plants and oil refineries constitute about 40 percent of the greenhouse gas pollution in this country.

Obama had cryptically warned us, two days after the midterm elections, that he was disappointed Congress hadn’t acted on legislation achieving the same end, signaling that other options were under consideration.

Elections?  We don’t need no stinkin’ elections!

From the moment Barack Hussein Obama rose to national prominence, it has been quite clear that he views himself as an entity about your average politicians.  He views himself as a benevolent ruler, whose vision for the country transcends the American political system of checks and balances, and whose innate brilliance rises far above that of all of us ignorant Americans, like me, still clinging to their guns and Bibles. 

You know, those ignorant Americans who showed how they feel about Obama by producing the most remarkable refudiation of the political party that was in power in decades.  A real electoral mandate that Obama seems determined to ignore.

When the new Congress convenes after the holidays, the GOP-controlled House has promised a reading of the Constitution on the House Floor on January 6th, 2011.  That’s a good start.  Now, the folks on Capitol Hill just need to be sure that they understand and follow it, regardless of the wishes of the Regime.

‘Twas the day before the night before Christmas,

And up in D.C.,

Not a Congresscritter was stirring,

They all had to flee.

After 2 years in session,

Americans would like to forget,

They doubled-down on tone-deafness,

Like Beethoven writing a minuet.

From Obamacare to Bailouts,

From Porkulous to Ft. Hood,

They paid us no attention,

It was for our own good.

So, how did this happen?

From whence did this start?

It seems like a bad dream,

Like Christmas traffic at Walmart.

While we were sleeping,

Our country was sold,

Idiots elected Obama,

Like Alinsky, he was bold.

He came in on a promise,

Of needed hope and change.

Americans bought this malarkey,

Thus began the Regime’s reign.

The Sleeping Giant woke up,

The Tea Parties were formed,

They stood up for our freedom,

And Townhalls were stormed.

Rallies were held,

Americans spoke out,

Obama got angry,

And started to pout.

The Midterms got here,

Americans did vote,

The results were historic,

Shocked Libs took note.

“Let’s act like nothing happened!”

Obama said with a grin.

“We’ll ignore this mandate,

That way we’ll still win.”

A strategy was formed,

And a plan was set.

They said, “Up yours, America!

We ain’t done, yet!”

“Pass this bill!  Pass that bill!

Pass all that you can.

Our time here is short.

We must finish our scam.”

From Zadroga to START,

And Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,

All these got passed,

The Public, go to…, well…

They added Food Safety,

An unnecessary bill,

Like wearing pink camouflage,

While storming a hill.

So, now they are gone,

Like thieves in the night,

Having damaged our country,

Convinced they were right.

Leave Grayson, Leave Harry,

Leave Steny and Mitch.

Flee Weiner, Flee Lindsey,

Run Nancy, you witch.

Run, all you cowards,

Your damage is done.

The deficit expanded,

We know you had fun.

But, with a New Year comes hope,

For good men and true,

Founded this country,

Not losers like you.

Our Free Republic remains,

Freedom’s bells still ring,

America will survive,

Of Thee I Sing.

Your ideology has failed,

Every place it has been.

Your cowardice failed epically,

Gaining not gold, but tin.

So, this Congress is over,

And America is glad.

On Santa’s Naughty or Nice List,

You’ve been marked down as BAD.

**Based upon the poem by Clement Clarke Moore, with my humble apologies.**

Congress will be considering passage of H.R. 847, the Zadroga Bill today.

Per opencongress.org:

This bill is designed to improve health services and provide financial compensation for 9/11 first responders who were exposed to dangerous toxins and are now sick as a result. It would establish a federal program to provide medical monitoring and treatment for first responders, provide initial health screenings for people who were in the area at the time of the attack and may be at risk, and reopen the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund to provide compensation for losses and harm as an alternative to the current litigation system.

The White House has relied on its Top Gun to get this bill passed. Who’s that, you ask? Joe Biden? Nancy Pelosi? Steny Hoyer? Michelle (ma belle)?  Nope.

The WH has called on culturally hip comedian and host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, John Stewart. You know, the guy who put together that failed rally that was supposed to be the answer to Glenn beck’s Restoring Honor Rally, held on the Washington Mall.

Stewart picked up the cause of the Zadroga Bill and snarkily attacked Republicans for days on his show. In fact, his whole season finale last week was devoted to the bill, which raised awareness of the Zadroga bill among the young socially hip Moderates and Liberals who watch Stewart’s program.

WH Press Secretary Baghdad Bob Gibbs lavished press on Stewart at Tuesday’s Daily press briefing for his efforts.

I think he has put the awareness around this legislation — he’s put that awareness into what you guys cover each day, and I think that’s good.

Gibbs danced around questions concerning whether President Barack Hussein Obama (peace be upon him) was making calls or doing anything at all, beyond releasing statements supporting the Zadroga Bill.

Gibbsby and his dear leader want the hipster to do more, though. Baghdad Bob added:

I hope he can convince two Republicans to support taking care of those that took care of so many on that awful day in our history.

One of the bill’s supporters, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan), was not pleased with this strategy:

Jon Stewart has done his part for the 9/11 health bill — now it’s the President’s turn to speak up and get personally involved in the effort to pass the legislation.

Time is running out on this bill and on our opportunity to help tens of thousands of Americans who are suffering because of 9/11. President Obama should use the bully pulpit of the presidency to urge the Senate Republican leadership not to try to run out the clock on this bill.

It’s the ninth inning and we need a good closer to win the game. Mr. President, please step up to the mound for those who worked on the Pile. We need to work together to rescue the 9/11 rescuers. Let’s do the right and patriotic thing and pass the Zadroga bill now.

This is not the first time that this Administration has relied on the political acumen of this marginal comedian.

Per bloomberg.com:

Last April, Tim Geithner held a secret, never-before-disclosed meeting with TV host Jon Stewart, according to the Treasury Secretary’s calendar.

The reason, according to a Treasury spokesperson:

Jon Stewart is influential in America, so we took the opportunity for the two to meet and to discuss the economy.

At the time, the administration was in the middle of debates on Financial Regulation and China’s currency. 

I can tell, just by the short, painful moments that I have tried to listen to this goof, that these are his areas of expertise.  Although, this does help to explain the cluelessness of Obama’s economic policies.

On the day of April 2nd, when he met with Stewart, Geithner spoke by phone with Democratic lawmakers including Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, according to the appointments calendar.

Geithner also held phone conversations with House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank of Massachusetts and Senators Charles Schumer of New York and Max Baucus of Montana, all Democrats.

Wow. That’s more clowns than come out of the little car at the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus.

Actually, when I think about the actions of this lame Duck Session of Congress and their blatant disregard for the wishes of the majority of Americans and their view of our Armed Forces as a bunch of lab rats to be socially experimented upon, I could use a good laugh. 

The problem is, the actions of this clueless Administration and its minions are so harmful to our country, laughter is the last thing that I and other Americans who are getting beat down by Obama’s economic policies are thinking about.

All of my fellow internet news junkies need to perk up your ears, sit up, and take notice.  The professional bozos (not just your average, amateur bozos) at the United Nations are deep into discussions about regulating the Worldwide Web.  And ,our very own Government, under the leadership of President Barack Hussein Obama (mm mmm mmmm) has undertaken a  holy jihad, err, I mean mission, to regulate online news and information content.

Welcome to the U.S.S.A., Komrades!

The official line from the UN is that they are:

…considering whether to set up an inter-governmental working group to harmonize global efforts by policy makers to regulate the Internet.

The U.N. is using the excuse of the WikiLeaks debacle to attempt to form a group among world governments that would “attempt to create global standards for policing the Internet.”

According to Australia’s iTnews, the meeting delegate from Brazil, which is pushing the proposal, the plan isn’t to take over the Web.

Uh huh. Remember, this is the same bunch who has North Korea on their Human Rights Committee.

So, while the UN is trying to figure out how to take over the Web, our own bunch of Marxists within Obama’s Administration, the Federal Communications Commission, will vote on net neutrality today, December 21. This will allow the Obama Administration to dictate how Internet service providers handle the traffic that flows over their infrastructure.

The fact that this policy would violate free speech and property rights does not seem to bother Obama and his minions at all.

After all, it’s for our own good.

According to Rep. Mike Rogers, a Republican from Michigan who is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet,FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski’s push for the passage of net neutrality gives “the federal government control over all aspects of the Internet.”

Gee, DiNozzo. Ya think?

Rogers has awakened to complains that today’s vote is poorly timed and gives “Congress and the public little time to review a regulation that will ultimately impact one-sixth of the nation’s economy.”

This is S.O.P. for the Obama Administration.

Another Michigan Republican and the incoming chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Fred Upton, has written a letter to the FCC requesting asking it “to cease and desist” in its effort to regulate the Web, which it “does not have authority” to do.

Who is FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski?

He is a longtime Obama friend and a top 2008 campaign fundraiser.

He urged Obama to harness the power of the Internet in the 2008 presidential campaign, which the candidate did in unprecedented ways that will seriously affect future political campaigns. As head of the Obama campaign’s technology-policy advisers group, he supported an open Internet and the creation of a nationwide network of wireless emergency contacts.

During his first two years on the job, Genachowski has addressed the creation of a national broadband strategy and, now, net neutrality.

According to excerpts from his opening statement for Tuesday’s meeting, which were supplied by the chairman’s office Monday night to broadcastingcable.com, Genachowski said that the choice was between doing nothing and

…a set of detailed and rigid regulations….I reject both extremes in favor of a strong and sensible framework – one that protects Internet freedom and openness and promotes robust innovation and investment.

We’re adopting a framework that will increase certainty for businesses, investors, and entrepreneurs. We’re taking an approach that will help foster a cycle of massive investment, innovation and consumer demand both at the edge and in the core of our broadband networks.

[T]hese rules fulfill many promises, including a promise to the future. A promise to the companies that don’t yet exist, the entrepreneurs that haven’t yet started work in the dorm rooms or garages.

Genachowski is supposed to cite some of the net neutrality fans who support the move, including the Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, the Center for Democracy and Technology, and the Communications Workers of America.

• The Consumer Federation for America (CFA) was founded in 1968, based in Washington, DC.  It describes itself as an “advocacy, research, education, and service organization” on issues affecting consumers and “looks out for those who have the greatest needs, especially the least affluent.” CFA’s membership comprises approximately 280 nonprofit consumer organizations from around the U.S.  It receives its funding from unions and corporations, especially the Rockefeller Foundation.   Per activistcash.com, in the year between 1999-2000, CFA received $266,700 From George Soros’ Open Society Institute.
• The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) is a 501(c) “non-profit public policy organization dedicated to promoting the democratic potential of today’s open, decentralized global Internet,” per its website. CDT’s stated mission is “to conceptualize, develop, and implement public policies to preserve and enhance free expression, privacy, open access, and other democratic values in the new and increasingly integrated communications medium.” It was founded in 1994 by Jonah Seiger who also served as its Communications Director.  Per Forbes.com, George Soros gave the Center $300,000 this year.
• Communication Workers of America (CWA) is the largest telecommunications union in the world and represents over 700,000 men and women in both private and public sectors, including over half a million workers who are building the Information Highway.CWA was founded in 1938 at meetings in Chicago and New Orleans. First known as the National Federation of Telephone Workers, the union became the Communications Workers of America in 1947.   The CWA is aligned with the Communist ideology-driven Working Families Party and the SEIU, who are in turn aligned with, you guessed it, George Soros.

You know, if I were the paranoid type, I would see some sort of conspiracy behind this push to control the Web.

Nah, couldn’t be.  Hey, what’s that black helicopter doing hovering over my roof?