Tag: Lindsey Graham

Obama and the Vichy Republicans

On By kingsjesterIn Politics7 Comments

McCainObamaNews came out yesterday, that President Barack Hussein Obama’s (mm mmm mmmm) popularity had dropped to 41% in the polls. Now, just when Americans are finally waking up to the Manchurian President, he is about to be bailed out…by the “Maverick” and his merry band of Vichy Republicans.

“We have been looking literally for years for someone we can cut deals with, and finally someone has stepped up,” a White House official said. West Wing aides say they now talk with McCain roughly every other day.

McCain, to hear fellow Republicans tell it, has finally found The Two he has needed to make such conversations worth the bother: Sen. Chuck Schumer, a Democrat who can actually get things done in the Senate, and Denis McDonough, a White House chief of staff who actually cares what senators say and think and do.

While Obama and party leaders clash endlessly and hopelessly, these three men are showing it is possible to put aside political and personal grievances to get consequential stuff done, even in Washington’s currently twisted state.

They would never say it this way, but more often than not, they do it by going around those party leaders — their bosses — who seem stuck in fights they will never be able to end.

This new alliance has resulted in an immigration bill and a deal to avoid the nuclear option for confirming nominees, and is in preliminary conversations to avert a government shutdown over the budget. It has created trust — tenuous but real — among these three officials (and others) who can deliver results.

The House no doubt will kill most or all of their compromises. But three men from the three power centers talking, much less agreeing, is something this city hasn’t seen in the Obama years.

The return of McCain the Maverick rankles many Republicans, but he can reliably count on seven to 10 GOP senators to back him, including Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee.

Isn’t it nice to know that we can always count on good ol’ Maverick and his pet dog, Grahamnesty to stab us in the back, y’all?

But wait, they’re not the only members of the Vichy Republican Brigade…There is their Fearless Leader, Mr. Speaker. But, hey, at least the Libs over at slate.com speak of Cryin’ John in glowing terms…

In an interview on “Face the Nation” on Sunday, Boehner said his job was not to dictate to Republican members what legislation they should support but merely to “facilitate” a process where they found their own outcome. He didn’t dare offer an opinion about comprehensive immigration reform because it would interfere. “It’s not about me,” the speaker told Bob Schieffer. “It’s not about what I want. What I’ve committed to, when I became speaker, was to a more open and fair process. And as difficult as this issue is, me taking a hard position for or against some of these issues will make it harder for us to get a bill … If I come out and say, ‘I’m for this’ and ‘I’m for that,’ all I’m doing is making my job harder.”

…Boehner’s constraints are self-imposed. He could make a deal with Democrats to pass immigration reform, and he has done that before on the fiscal cliff deal, the Violence Against Women Act, and Hurricane Sandy relief funding. But those issues were not as volatile in Republican ranks as immigration and did not risk a conservative crack-up. If he cut a deal, would he lose his speakership? There would have to be a viable alternative candidate who wanted to herd the cats. But even if he retained the job, that kind of crack-up would make passing bills, which will require cajoling the same conservatives, that much harder.

There has been a lot of speculation on whether Boehner will stick to the so-called Hastert Rule, allowing no bill to come to the floor unless it can pass with a majority of the majority. He has said he will not break this promise. That may be his heart’s true desire, but we can’t really know right now. Boehner understands that the more Democrats think he needs them for passage of a comprehensive bill, the more they’ll demand from him. So even if Boehner were planning on passing immigration reform with a minority of his party, he will maintain his firm stance on the Hastert Rule until the very last minute.

In the end, the question is not whether John Boehner is a leader. He is—he’s just a leader with modest ambitions. In the study of House speakers, the debate splits along lines familiar to presidential observers. Presidents are either “at liberty … to be as big a man as he can,” as Woodrow Wilson wrote when he was a Princeton political science professor. Or presidents are circumscribed by the political conditions they face, as Wilson discovered when he actually had the job. In congressional studies, the split is over whether a speaker is merely an agent carrying out the will of his conference or whether a powerful speaker can make his own weather.

At a time when the current president is going down in flames, instead of roasting marshmallows over the bonfire, Vichy Republicans are “reaching across the aisle” to help save the Prevaricator-in-Chief.

These RINOs are so consumed by their avarice and quest to be just like their Democratic allies, that they have forgotten why they were elected in the first place. If their constituents had wanted to elect Democrats, they would have pulled the lever marked “DEMOCRAT”.

It’s time for Maverick, Grahamnesty, Cryin’ John, and the rest of the GOP Elite girly-men to put their big boy pants on, and do the job they were elected to do: work for the betterment of this country, not for its destruction at the hands of Barack Hussein Obama. He’s doing fine with that…all by his lonesome.

And, as I’ve said before, if the Vichy Republicans think that the new “Americans” they’re creating will actually vote for them, replacing us worrisome members of the Conservative Base, I have two bridges over the Mississippi River at Memphisa to sell them. 

And, in the spirit of the nickname I’ve given them, and the courage they are showing, I will throw in two French Rifles from World War II….dropped once…never fired.

Until He Comes,

KJ

The Second Civil War: The Beltway Vs. The Heartland

On By kingsjesterIn Politics6 Comments

pailinbiggulp2October before last, one of my bride’s favorite aunts, her namesake, passed away. So, we made the 21 hour drive up to Waterford Township, Michigan, from DeSoto County, Mississippi.  Waterford Township is located right outside of the vast wasteland known as Detroit. Anyway, what struck me while I was up there, was not so much the differences in Northern Culture and my beloved Southern Way of Life, but, rather,  the similarities.

We all spoke, basically, the same language. Although, they couldn’t figure out why I didn’t sound like Jeff Dunham’s redneck mannequin, Bubba Jay. Needless to say, it was an interesting week.

That being said, it struck me, while at lunch with friends, after church on Sunday, just how disconnected the professional politicians, pundits, and prevaricators (but, I repeat myself) up in the Beltway are from all of us average citizens out here in America’s Heartland.

I guess what really triggered this revelation was remembering Sarah Palin’s speech from CPAC’s Saturday Session, in which she spoke just like you or me, having a political discussion with our friends and family. She was bringing up some spot-on political points, when, all of the sudden, she got a mischievous smile on her face and began telling the audience how Todd gave her a wonderful gift the Christmas before last: a gun rack for her ATV. She talked about how cool it was, and then told the crowd that, for this Christmas, she gave Todd a new hunting rifle. She quipped,

Yep, Todd got the rifle and I got the rack.

As the stunned audience quickly broke out in thunderous laughter and applause, Sarah stood there, grinning like the Cheshire Cat, while, at the same time, reaching under the podium to retrieve a 44-ounce Super Big Gulp Diet Coke, which she slowly sipped from, still grinning, then holding it over her head , imitating Lady Liberty holding her torch. The picture of this seminal moment has since gone viral, much to the chagrin of Liberals, on both sides of the political aisle, whose heads have been exploding, like balloons which have blown up beyond their usefulness.

She also got a gig in on professional kingmaker, Karl Rove, he of the whiteboard fame, who was, unfortunately, not a very good prognosticator in the Presidential Election.

Rove made an appearance on yesterday’s Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace, where he basically called Governor Palin a quitter, attacking her like a petulant child , who had been criticized by his Mom, or a Liberal Democrat. Take your pick.

Getting back to the crux of the matter, there is a great divide between those who are supposed to be “the smartest people in the room”, those who are supposed to objectively report to us the news,  those who are supposed to be our civil servants, and us average American Citizens.

We, as Americans, out here in Realityville (as Rush Limbaugh calls it) tend to hold on to our Traditional American Values.  Of course, this Classic American System of Beliefs and Values, is what led Democratic President Candidate Barack Obama, to tell a bunch of donors on a campaign stop in Pennsylvania before the 2008 Election, that “us rednecks” were out here “bitterly clinging to guns or religion”.

That began an animosity between Barack Hussein Obama (mm mmm mmmm) and average Americans, that did not dissipate with time. If, anything, his actions since ascending to the Throne of The Regime, have seemingly been designed to intentionally torque off average Americans, living in “Flyover Country”.

With his minions, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, firmly esconced in their seats of power in our nations legislature, our country continued a downhill spiral which rivals the Fall of the Roman Empire.

Americans rallied in 2010, to take back the House of Representatives, by forming a New American Tea Party, consisting of grassroots groups, which supported Conservative candidates, holding rallies to gin up support and get out the vote.

During all of this upheaval, where has the Republican Party been? I mean, the purpose of our two-party political system, is to have different points-of-view to choose from, right?

Well, evidently the Powers-That-Be of the Grand Old Party have forgotten the reason that they were sent up to Capitol Hill. For example,

House Speaker John Boehner says he ‘‘absolutely’’ trusts President Barack Obama, even though they have their differences.

Boehner told ABC’s ‘‘This Week’’ that the two have a good relationship and that they’re ‘‘open with each other … honest with each other.’’

How precious.

Recently, Senators Rand Paul and Ted Cruz have stood up on their hinds legs, doing their jobs, speaking out for Americans., by holding forth on the Senate Floor, in a spectacular filibuster, protesting the Obama-suggested Sequester.

In response, older patriarchs of the Senate, John McCain, and his faithful dog, Lindsey Graham,  jumped on the Young Freedom Warriors, calling their behavior disrespectful, and these Fighters for Liberty, “Wacko Birds”.

After experiencing blowback from his constituency that made Hurricane Katrina look like one of those battery-operated handheld fans, McCain apologized.

But, the divide remains.

The Beltway continues its willing obliviance to the economic plight of average Americans, and disparaging of the Heartland of America’s System of Beliefs and Values, which have protected and sustained this country since its founding.

Thomas Jefferson, an American Founding Father, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence and the third President of the United States once said,

 When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. When the government fears the people, there is liberty.

If our servants on Capital Hill do not “straighten up” and remember that we are their bosses, and not the other way around, it could lead to civil disobedience, or worse.

I have an idea: Let’s just vote them out, before that happens.

Who’s with me?

Until He Comes,

KJ

The Vichy Republicans Vs. The New Conservatives

On By kingsjesterIn Politics5 Comments

grahamandmccainYesterday, I wrote about Sen. Rand Paul’s 13 hour filibuster he delivered on Wednesday to bring to light President Barack Hussein Obama’s refusal to answer the question of whether he would use unmanned drones to hunt down and kill American Citizens on our soil, and to block the vote on Obama’s nominee for CIA Director, dhimmi John O. Brennan.

Unmanned drones killing American Citizens…sounds like a bad science fiction movie, doesn’t it?

Well, the good news is: He finally received an answer from Attorney General Eric Holder, who wrote him a short message, stating, “No”.

The bad news is: Yesterday morning, Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham, fresh from being treated to an outrageously expensive dinner by Obama on the very evening Sen. Paul was delivering his inspiring filibuster, verbally attacked Rand Paul for his efforts. They mocked him and ridiculed him, saying that he “violated the Rules of the Senate”.

The Washington Times reports that

Mr. McCain quoted from a Wall Street Journal editorial: “The country needs more senators who care about liberty, but if Mr. Paul wants to be taken seriously he needs to do more than pull political stunts that fire up impressionable libertarian kids in their college dorms. He needs to know what he’s talking about.”

The senator went on to say that he didn’t “think that what happened yesterday was helpful to the American people.”

And where Democrats praised Mr. Paul for using Senate rules properly to launch a filibuster, Mr. McCain said it was an abuse of rules that could hurt the GOP in the long run.”What we saw yesterday is going to give ammunition to those who say the rules of the Senate are being abused,” the Arizona Republican said.

Mr. Paul said he was filibustering to get the administration to affirm it won’t kill non-combatant Americans in the U.S. — and his effort was joined by more than a dozen other senators who said they, too, supported his effort to get answers.

Mr. Graham said asking whether the president has the power to kill Americans here at home is a ludicrous question.

“I do not believe that question deserves an answer,” Mr. Graham said.

Mr. Graham and Mr. McCain led a Republican delegation that held a private dinner with President Obama on Wednesday, as Mr. Paul was holding the floor with help from other GOP colleagues.

Mr. McCain even joked about Mr. Graham’s “behavior” at the dinner.

“He was on his best manners and everyone was impressed,” Mr. McCain said.

Speaking to reporters after he came off the floor Wednesday, Mr. Graham said he defends Mr. Paul’s right to ask questions and seek answers, but said the filibuster has actually pushed him to now support Mr. Brennan.

Mr. Graham said he had been inclined to oppose the nomination because he’d found Brennan to be qualified for the job but also “arrogant, kind of a bit shifty.” He said he wasn’t going to filibuster him but would have voted against him on final passage, but now he’ll vote for him.

“I am going to vote for Brennan now because it’s become a referendum on the drone program,” he said.

Later in the day, Sen. “Grahamesty” did just that, helping to  bring about the approval of Brennan’s nomination.

Why did “The Sunshine Boys” attack Sen. Paul like that?

Rush Limbaugh, as he always does, had the answer:

It’s just that there’s nobody that we see that has any courage to stand up to the people who are doing the damage. Even when we have the White House, there’s no standing up to the people assaulting the country. Even when we’re campaigning, the candidate doesn’t stand up. Now, I know the president’s race frightens a lot of people away from criticizing him. (No two ways about that. It’s just the way it is.) But Rand Paul did it last night, and nobody’s calling him a racist today. Nobody’s calling him an extremist, and nobody’s calling him names — and he doesn’t care anyway.

But he [Sen. Rand Paul] stood up for freedom. Last night people finally had somebody to rally around. Somebody finally spoke up and reflected what you all think and what you all fear. And somebody, in addition to speaking up, was actually trying to put the brakes on the direction this country’s being taken. So, yeah, it made perfect sense for people to rally behind it and rally to it. And then today after that we get the old guard, the ruling class, Republican establishment types belittling what happened last night. Casting it aside. It’s insignificant. Violated the rules of the Senate. Bad image. Silly to say that the president wants to launch drone strikes on America. Why do we even have to answer that question. That’s so absurd, it’s silly. Why, it was embarrassing last night.

…You cannot have this many millions of Americans continually ignored and unrepresented in a representative democracy without a price to pay for it.

So Rand Paul does his filibuster, and people flock to it. Even Democrats flocked to it, all over Twitter, which is normally owned, run, and operated by the Democrats. All over Twitter last night, Rand Paul had people saying, “Well, wait a minute, I understand this.” I mean, the left, this should be a natural for them. This is the kind of stuff, this is why Code Pink exists, for example, among other things.

The administration ought to be just taking it on the chin over this. And they may be. Time will tell. My whole point here is I understand why people are rallying to Rand Paul and Rubio and Ted Cruz. And that’s going to continue. And the Republican establishment, as long as they continue to pretend this is 1990, ’98, 2000, as long as the old rules which guarantee defeat continue to dominate, then at some point something’s gotta give.

Rush is right, as usual.

Sen. Graham actually made the arrangements for the swanky meal, enjoyed by 12 Republican Senators Wednesday Night, which was hosted and paid for by Obama (which means you and I actually footed the bill). For them to be snuggling with the Manchurian President, while Rand Paul and others held the Senate Floor in defense of our Constitution, is despicable. Their love for their Capital Hill way of life took precedence over their service to their constituents and their Constitutional Duty.

McCain and Graham attacking Rand Paul reminded me of “Blazing Saddles”:

We must protect our phony baloney jobs, gentlemen! Hrumph!

The greatest U.S. President of our Generation, Ronald Wilson Reagan, once said,

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.

Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, and other “New Conservatives” seem to be willing to do just that.

If the old guard Vichy Republicans care more about their Capitol Hill way of life than their country and their constituents, then it is time for them to get out of the way, and allow Sen. Paul, and his allies to lead the battle against this corrupt anti-American Administration.

Because, as the old saying goes,

If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.

Until He Comes,

KJ

Rice Seeks to Avoid Questioning By Dropping Out

On By kingsjesterIn Politics3 Comments

susanriceThe Beltway has been buzzing, concerning the announcement that Dr. Susan Rice, the “face” of Benghazigate, has withdrawn from the candidate list for Secretary of State.

Fox News reports

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice has removed her name from consideration for secretary of state, saying she does not want to put the administration through a “lengthy, disruptive and costly” confirmation process.

The move followed weeks of controversy on Capitol Hill over the possibility of her nomination, with Republicans threatening to block Rice from the post over concerns about her September comments on the Libya terror attack. Some lawmakers continue to charge that Rice misled the American people when she said on Sept. 16 that the attack was the result of a “spontaneous” demonstration spun out of control.

President Obama, in a written statement Thursday, called those claims “unfair and misleading” but said he accepts her decision.

“Her decision demonstrates the strength of her character, and an admirable commitment to rise above the politics of the moment to put our national interests first,” Obama said.

Rice, in a letter to Obama on Thursday, said she remains “fully confident” she could have served as an effective secretary of state but suggested the confirmation process would have hurt the administration.

“That trade-off is simply not worth it to our country,” Rice wrote. She went on to say “I am saddened that we have reached this point, even before you have decided whom to nominate.”

Some of Rice’s biggest critics, in response, said they would continue to probe the Benghazi attacks — even if Rice may not come before them to answer questions in a confirmation hearing.

“When it comes to Benghazi I am determined to find out what happened — before, during and after the attack,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said in a statement.

Given Sen. Graham’s legendary reach-across-the-aisle squishiness, excuse me if  I take his pronouncement with a grain of salt.

About that letter to the Preezy…Dr. Rice also wrote,

When discussing Benghazi, I relied on fully cleared, unclassified points provided by the intelligence community, which encapsulated their best current assessment. These unclassified points were consistent with the classified assessments I received as a senior policymaker. It would have been irresponsible for me to substitute any personal judgment for our government’s and wrong to reveal classified material. I made clear in each interview that the information I was providing was preliminary and that ongoing investigations would give us definitive answers. I have tremendous appreciation for our intelligence professionals, who work hard to provide their best assessments based on the information available. Long experience shows that our first accounts of terrorist attacks and other tragedies often evolve over time. The intelligence community did its job in good faith. And so did I.

I have never sought in any way, shape or form to mislead the American people. To do so would run counter to my character and my life of public service. But in recent weeks, new lines of attack have been raised to malign my character and my career. Even before I was nominated for any new position, a steady drip of manufactured charges painted a wholly false picture of me. This has interfered increasingly with my work on behalf of the United States at the United Nations and with America’s agenda.

I grew up in Washington, D.C., and I’ve seen plenty of battles over politics and policy. But a national security appointment, much less a potential one, should never be turned into a political football. There are far bigger issues at stake. So I concluded this distraction has to stop.

Translation: “Not only we’re they going to make me tell the truth about Benghazi, they would also find out my history of being a Muslim sympathizer.”

While Dr. Rice was working at the Brookings Institute, she co-authored a paper published in 2005, titled Can “Freedom Only” Secure Our Future? In this paper, she wrote,

…Some scholars argue that the absence of political freedoms, rather than lack of educational opportunity, motivate young men to join terrorist networks.

…Others hold that poverty and under-development create breeding grounds for terrorist foot soldiers.

…More significant is poverty’s contribution to fueling civil conflict and state weakness that terrorist networks and other predators can exploit.

…Absent conflict, low levels of income and development, particularly in countries with significant, but not necessarily majority Muslim populations may also facilitate terrorist operations.

…Promoting both development and democracy in faraway countries is a 21st century security imperative. We need a dual strategy. We must combine effective formulas for fostering freedom through building civil society and transparent democratic institutions with a determination to “make poverty history”.

Notice the terms “Jihad” or Radical Islamic Ideology are never mentioned.

Now, if she remains as UN Ambassador, as Obama expressed in his reaction to her announcement, that’s one thing. However, there is a serious rumor going around that she will be the next National Security Adviser.

The NSA is not a cabinet-level post, and those who fill it are neither appointed nor confirmed by Congress. The only constraints on the National Security Adviser are budgetary; there are very few statutes or laws regarding the position. In terms of a job description for the position of National Security Adviser, the reality seems to be: Whatever the president wants it to be.

So, this woman who lied to the nation, and the world, concerning the truth about the murders of four Americans, including an Ambassador, could be given a position answerable only to her buddy, the “Preezy”.

Now, doesn’t that make you feel safe and secure?

Until He comes,

KJ