Tim Tebow and Mom Defend Anti-Abortion Ad

Fox News: College football player and mother star in controversial Super Bowl commercial.

‘Overwhelmingly’: Obama Claims Most of Health Care Debate WAS on C-SPAN

"The truth of the matter is that, if you look at the health care process, just over the course of the year, overwhelmingly the majority of it actually was on C-SPAN because it was taking place in Congressional hearings in which you guys were participating. How many committees were that that helped to shape this bill? Countless hearings took place."

'Obama Girl' Losing Love for President

Fox News: Amber Lee Ettinger no longer crushing on Obama.

Doubling Down on Failed Policies

Fox News: Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal criticizes Obama's repeat offenses.

Cafferty: I Hope Hillary Clinton Challenges Obama in 2012

Jack Cafferty: "For her part, Clinton tells PBS she is 'absolutely not interested' in running again for president. But in the same interview, she suggests she is a one-term secretary of state. Clinton says considering the demands of the job, eight years would be very challenging. No doubt all this has helped stoke chatter about Clinton leaving the cabinet sometime in the president's first term - perhaps over a matter of principle - so she could be in place to challenge Mr. Obama in the primaries in 2012. For Hillary's supporters, it might just be wishful thinking, but history suggests it's not a good idea to ever count a Clinton out."

Has Obama Become Bored Being President?

Byron York: This is about the time Barack Obama becomes bored with his job.

He's in his second year as president, and he's discovered that even with all the powers of office, he can't do everything he wants to do, like remake America. Doing stuff is hard. In the past, prosaic work has held little appeal for Obama, and it's prompted him to think about moving on.

Begin with his first serious job, as a community organizer in Chicago. Obama got a little done, but quickly became frustrated with small achievements. "He didn't see organizing making any significant changes in things," Jerry Kellman, the organizer who hired him, told me in 2008.

What Obama wanted was political power, and that is what sent him to Harvard Law School. "He was constantly thinking about his path to significance and power," another organizer, Mike Kruglik, told me. "He said, 'I need to go there [Harvard] to find out more about power. How do powerful people think? What kind of networks do they have? How do they connect to each other?'"

Watch Stossel – January 28, 2010 – The Overweight Edition!

The Right Scoop: Stossel always leaves me very entertained. He’s awesome!

Nick Gillespie from Reason.TV ‘pwns’ Meme the Health Nazi

The Right Scoop: This is a clip from Stossel where Nick Gillespie gets into it with MeMe Roth, primarily because she interjects herself into his segment (she was in previous segments). My favorite part:

Meme – “As long as other people are paying the price, you force all of us to give an opinion on how you live your life.”

Nick – “Then the solution to this crisis then is getting rid of socialized medicine.”

But you really have to see it to get it’s awesomeness. Plus, Nick really goes ‘alpha’ on Meme. I’m impressed!

NASA Remembers Fallen Heroes

NASA Day of Remembrance commemorates the fallen heroes of Apollo 1, Challenger, and Columbia.

2-year shutdown the pick: DOT to repair one-mile section of Business 40

Work on the $70 million upgrade for part of Business 40 is set to begin in 2015.

Winston-Salem Journal: The N.C. Department of Transportation said yesterday that it will close Business 40 through downtown Winston-Salem for two years to make repairs to a one-mile section of the highway that includes 11 bridges.

Work on the $70 million project is scheduled to begin in 2015, said Pat Ivey, the DOT's division engineer in Winston-Salem.

The highway will be closed from east of Church Street to west of Fourth Street. About 100 DOT employees will remove the existing pavement and replace it with new concrete, Ivey said. The section is expected to reopen in 2017.

Atheists continue to win friends, influence people

Atheist Group Blasts Postal Service for Mother Teresa Stamp

Fox News: An atheist organization is blasting the U.S. Postal Service for its plan to honor Mother Teresa with a commemorative stamp, saying it violates postal regulations against honoring "individuals whose principal achievements are associated with religious undertakings."



The Mother Teresa Stamp is set to be issued Aug. 26, 2010, on what would have been her 100th birthday.

"This Isn't the Person I Campaigned With Back Then," Kerry Says of Edwards, Per Source

Political Punch: A source close to Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., says the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee has reacted with sorrow to the scandalous personal behavior of his former running mate, former Sen. John Edwards, D-NC.

“It’s a really sad personal family situation,” the source tells ABC News.

Kerry “reached out and called” Elizabeth Edwards a couple days ago, the source says. “He reached out and called her. He’s very sympathetic to the situation she’s going through, and that’s where his focus is.”

Video: Jon Stewart rips Chris Matthews on “forgot Obama was black” moment

Ed Morrissey: Jon Stewart calls Chris Matthews “a Scotch away from becoming Ron Burgundy,” and that’s not the best line in this clip from Mediaite, where Stewart and Wyatt Cenac tear into Chris Matthews and his “big thinking” on race after the State of the Union speech. In fact, Cenac delivers blow after blow, and Stewart wisely leaves it in his hands:



Stewart seems to have cornered the market on ridiculing the Left in the American comedy world, mainly by default. Of course, Matthews makes himself an easy target — so easy, in fact, that many people on the Left seemed reluctant to come to his defense yesterday. If they’re tiring of Matthews’ schtick, MS-NBC may be left with nothing but Jesse Ventura fans … all three of them.

Sen. Kyl: Dems to Move Forward with ‘Nuclear Option’ to Resurrect ObamaCare

"This is kind of breaking news. As you say, we’re just hearing it. We haven’t been formally advised, but we have it on relatively good authority. And this would be what they call the nuclear option. This would be we can’t do it with 60 votes, because now we have a new Senator from Massachusetts, so we’ll do it with 51. Now it’s called the nuclear option, because it really upsets all of the tradition and precedent within the Senate which on a really big bill on the magnitude of health care, would always have strong bipartisan support, and therefore the 60 vote requirement really doesn’t matter."

Sen. Gregg Calls Out 'Irresponsible' MSNBC News Host

Pelosi: We'll Pole Vault Or Parachute Healthcare In To Get It Passed

Greg Hengler: Remember when she was going to give it to us as a Christmas present? Pelosi now has other ways of "giving" it to us. The Dems in leadership are so blinded by their desperation that they do not see how ridiculous and polarizing they appear:

Shock Switch: Pro-Reconciliation Senator Once Called Process ‘Absolute Abuse’

"It is wrong. It is dead wrong."

FNC’s Bret Baier Reveals Hillary’s Behind-the-Scenes ‘Discontent’ as Secretary of State

"She can say that she's not going to run [for president] all she wants, but I do think that there is something there. There is clearly a discontent in the way that she has been treated as Secretary of State. We get that clearly behind the scenes."

Charles Krauthammer Calls Out Obama on Lack of Terrorism Talk in SOTU Address

"And after a year, and we've had three attacks - the Arkansas murder, the Ft. Hood massacre and the attack on the airliner - and he has almost practically nothing in the State of the Union on terrorism."

Did Obama Confuse the Constitution With the Declaration of Independence?

"We find unity in our incredible diversity, drawing on the promise enshrined in our Constitution: the notion that we are all created equal..."

GatewayPundit: Um, wrong founding document, Mr. President. It is in our Declaration of Independence that we read:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Rush Limbaugh's Morning Update: Rewards

Rush Limbaugh: There was one sentence in the State of Obama show that must have been slipped in by a speechwriter playing a joke on Obama. Describing an education initiative that supposedly promotes competition, Obama said: "The idea here is simple: Instead of rewarding failure, we only reward success."

Yes, it's a simple idea -- an idea that is proven to work -- but it's also runs counter to everything liberals believe. Prime example: We have the greatest private health care system in the world. The "reward" Obama's Democrats have proposed? Destroy it! Punish those with the best health care plans! Turn the whole system into a malignant Big Government bureaucracy.

More examples. We boast the most successful industries in the world. Their "reward"? They're now the prime targets of Democrats, the big enemies of Obama. From Big Oil to your neighborhood Walmart, almost every successful corporation or business sector in this country is under some kind of attack. They are cast as greedy exploiters, not profitable innovators. Democrats hold them up to scorn and ridicule; Obama bullies them. They don't praise them or offer them gratitude for the products and jobs that they produce. They're accused of everything, from destroying the planet to not paying their so-called fair share of taxes. Small businesses -- the engine of our economy -- are rewarded by Democrats with relentless waves of new taxes, regulations, and threats.

The only thing liberals reward in our public schools (and every other government program) is failure! Which is why they get more of it, and why, ultimately, liberalism itself always fails -- every time it's tried.

Read the Background Material on the Morning Update...
• AP FACT CHECK: Obama and a Toothless Commission

The ObamaPrompter

Group Challenges SEIU President to Name ‘Terrorist’ Senators

(Andy Stern) - “There are a lot of terrorists in the Senate who think we are supposed to negotiate with them when they have their particular needs that they want met.”

Palin and Krauthammer React to Obama's Speech

John Edwards Sex Tape: Author Describes Shock Discovery

"It's amazing the tape exists. That's unbelievable."

Weatherproof Wants to Replace Obama Billboard With Palin

(The Washington Post) - The outerwear company that mounted a giant billboard in Times Square showing President Barack Obama in one of its jackets, prompting a call of protest from the White House, says it's finally removing the offending sign on Wednesday - and it hopes Sarah Palin will agree to take Obama's place.

Rush to Obama: ‘Let Me Be the Father You Never Had’

(The Right Scoop) - Rush penned a message to Obama and read it over the air today. It was his heart to heart with Obama after hearing his State of the Union Address last night.

It’s awesome.

State of the Union Fact Check

Budget Freeze Won't Defeat the Debt

(By Garrett Murch, Townhall.com) - A fantastic new video here from the Employment Policies Institute explaining President Obama's spending "freeze" hoax.

John Edwards: 'I know I’m the people’s senator, but do I have to hang out with them?'

(By Jim Geraghty, The Campaign Spot) - Unless former John Edwards aide Andrew Young is making it all up — and at this point, Edwards has forfeited the benefit of the doubt — America came within Ohio's electoral votes of electing a mad, narcissistic, and perhaps psychopathic monster to the vice presidency.

Can't We At Least Get a Toaster?

(By Ann Coulter, Townhall.com) - In the wake of the Massachusetts Miracle last week ("The other Boston Massacre"), President Obama adopted a populist mantle, claiming he was going to "fight" Wall Street. It was either that or win another Nobel Peace Prize.

Now the only question is which Goldman Sachs crony he'll put in charge of this task.

If Obama plans to hold Wall Street accountable for its own bad decisions, it will be a first for the Democrats.

For the past two decades, Democrats have specialized in insulating financial giants from the consequences of their own high-risk bets. Citigroup and Goldman Sachs alone have been rescued from their risky bets by unwitting taxpayers four times in the last 15 years.

'I've had it': Elizabeth and John Edwards legally separate

(Los Angeles Times) - Elizabeth Edwards has had just about enough, thank you -- she and husband John Edwards, the former senator, one-time vice presidential candidate and two-time (and two-timing) presidential hopeful, have legally separated after 32 years of marriage and are living in different homes.

According to Elizabeth's sister Nancy Anania, speaking to People, "She said, 'I've had it. I can't do this. I want my life back.' " Elizabeth is staying in the couple's Chapel Hill, N.C., mansion and John is 160 miles away at their beach house.

"It is an extraordinarily sad moment, but I love my children more than anything and still care deeply about Elizabeth," John Edwards said today in a statement.

AP’s ten whoppers from the SOTU speech

(By Ed Morrissey, Hot Air) - Only ten? Maybe the Associated Press got as tired as everyone else listening to Barack Obama’s lengthy State of the Union speech last night and stopped paying attention after an hour. AP’s headline focuses on the “toothless commission” that Obama demanded, but the other nine fails on their fact-check test are just as interesting and revealing...

Ouch! Halperin Says Obama Sounds Like . . . Dukakis

(Eyeblast.tv) - Reacting to released excerpts from the SOTU, Mark Halperin says it sounds like Mike Dukakis.

ABC’s Terry Moran Laughs at George Will’s Critique of Obama

(Eyeblast.tv) - Nightline anchor Terry Moran started laughing Wednesday night just as George Will finished his critique of President Obama’s State of the Union address as Donna Brazile was also not impressed by Will’s assessment.

Obama Gets Laughs When He Talks About Globaloney

And he should - it's junk science

Charles Krauthammer On Obama's Vanity

Newsweek’s Evan Thomas: Obama ‘Not Fundamentally Honest’

"The chance Obama missed, he really had a chance, alot of people saying ok, you're gonna change government, he was not fundamentally honest, what caught him up, I think, was his dishonesty, he didn't level with the American people."

NPR’s Juan Williams Questions Obama’s Scolding of Supreme Court in SOTU Address

"I'm not sure that it was appropriate for the President of the United States to scold the Supreme Court as the Supreme Court sat there -- allowed members of Congress to applaud in opposition to that recent decision."

Inhofe: Obama Better Liar Than Bill Clinton

“I was thinking back during the first State of the Union Address by Bill Clinton and I thought, 'This guy can say things that aren’t true with greater conviction than anyone I’ve ever seen.' I honestly think that Obama is better."

Harry Reid Caught Yawning on Camera During State of the Union Address

"Tens of thousands are cops, firefighters, correctional officers, first responders..."

Chris Matthews: Are Republicans ‘So Horny For A Victory Right Now?’

"They don’t want to deal with anybody on the Democratic side."

‘BIOB’: McCain Slams ‘Blame it On Bush’ Syndrome in Obama Address

"What we're hearing tonight is the 'BIOB' -- let's call it that from now on -- 'Blame It On Bush.' Whatever has gone wrong, let's blame it on Bush."

Her Arrogance Is ‘Breathtaking’: CNN’s Cafferty Doubles Down on Pelosi Criticism

(Newsbusters) - Two weeks after calling Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) a horrible woman, CNN's Jack Cafferty said the House Speaker's arrogance was breathtaking. During Tuesday's "Situation Room," Cafferty addressed the report the CBS "Evening News" did the previous day on the out of control spending by members of Congress at last month's United Nations climate summit in Copenhagen. "Her arrogance on this subject: breathtaking," said Cafferty of the Speaker's failure to "explain why it was necessary for her and her colleagues to make the trip to Copenhagen in the first place.

Chris Matthews on ‘Forgot He Was Black’ Comment: ‘Maybe I Shouldn’t Talk About It But I Am’

"I was trying to think about who he was tonight. It's interesting: he is post-racial, by all appearances. I forgot he was black tonight for an hour. You know, he's gone a long way to become a leader of this country, and past so much history, in just a year or two. I mean, it's something we don't even think about."

Report: Pelosi Says She Can Get Votes to Pass Health Bill With Senate Changes

(USA Today) - John Harwood of The New York Times and MSNBC says he was told by Pelosi in an interview that she can get the 218 votes needed to get a bill through the House. Part of the deal would be that the Senate would have to pass changes in the bill through the reconciliation process, which would not require overcoming a filibuster.

‘Not True’: Did Justice Alito Have a ‘You Lie’ Moment?

(Politico) - POLITICO's Kasie Hunt, who's in the House chamber, reports that Justice Samuel Alito mouthed the words "not true" when Obama criticized the Supreme Court's campaign finance decision.

Related Material...

• (Breitbart.tv) - Hannity & Palin Watch Close-Up View of Justice Alito’s ‘Not True’ Moment

Rush Limbaugh's Morning Update: Shouting!

Rush Limbaugh: In January 1995, President Bill Clinton was reeling. His signature initiative -- government takeover of the health care sector -- was lying in ruins, and his liberal agenda brought his party a disastrous midterm election, putting Republicans in charge of the House (first time in forty years). In his State of the Union show, Clinton claimed that the same anger which helped elect him, also helped Republicans gain their majority. America was "shouting," he said, and the "American people voted for change in 1992 and 1994."

So he vowed to cut the deficit, deal with illegal immigration, and focus on health insurance reform and portability -- instead of a takeover. He also vowed to stop North Korea from building nukes, and to bring the terrorist who had bombed the World Trade Center to justice. A year later, in the next State of the Union show, Clinton was back with a new promise, declaring: "The era of Big Government is over."

Well, now we have another radical liberal president. He claims the same anger that elected him also propelled the disastrous election results that followed. His signature initiative, a Big Government heath-care takeover, is on life support; Democrats resist pulling the plug, even though it's brain dead. And now, suddenly, Obama claims to "hear America," and he wants to focus on jobs and lowering the deficit, and track down terrorists.

Forgive us, my friends, but we've heard all this before. America has been shouting for decades: Liberalism doesn't work and we don't want it! But you liberals never listen, and you never learn, and it's time you all leared liberalism is bad.

Read the Background Material on the Morning Update...
• FOXNews: Obama's State of the Union Speech Signals Shift From Health Care to Jobs, Education

‘It Stinks to High Heaven’: MA Democrat Rips Secretary Geithner

"It makes me doubt your commitment to the American people."

Requiem for ObamaCare

Keynes vs. Hayek

(By Meredith Jessup, Townhall.com) - In preparation for tonight's State of the Union, a small economics lesson from John Maynard Keynes and F. A. Hayek:

Pre-State of the Union Exposed

(Fox News) - 'Hannity' obtains copy of White House talking points.

Here’s where our newly “fiscally conservative” president has gotten us

(The Wall Street Journal) - Meet President Obama 2.0. Unlike the 2009 version, this 2010 update isn't the spender who has sent the federal deficit to levels unseen since World War II. This new fellow is a fiscal conservative, and Americans will see this major new talent perform tonight as he delivers his State of the Union address.

Whether or not Americans choose to believe him, there's no denying the fiscal reality created by the rollout version of President Obama last year, as detailed in the Congressional Budget Office report released yesterday. For the second year in a row, fiscal 2010 will see a trillion-dollar deficit—an estimated $1.35 trillion, or 9.2% of GDP, which is down slightly from last year's post-World War II record of 9.9%.

McDonald's 'wrong' to fire worker over cheese slice

A McDonald's restaurant was wrong to fire a worker for giving a colleague an extra piece of cheese on a hamburger, a Dutch court ruled on Tuesday.

(U.K. Telegraph) - "The dismissal was too severe a measure," the district court in Leeuwarden, in the north of the Netherlands, said in a written judgment.

"It is just a slice of cheese."

Related Material...

• (U.K. Telegraph) - McDonald's 'Dollar Menu' may be headed for extinction

The Independent Vote Bandwagon

(Fox News) - Examining the critical swing vote in elections.

Democrats woo Snowe, Collins in hope of saving health reform legislation

(By Alexander Bolton, The Hill) - Centrist Democratic senators have circumvented party leadership to approach Maine GOP Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins about reviving healthcare talks.

Democrats such as Sens. Blanche Lincoln (Ark.), Bill Nelson (Fla.) and Max Baucus (Mont.) have approached Snowe within the past week to discuss her potential support for various healthcare proposals.

Tim Geithner Is In Hot Water

(Fox News) - Will Tim Geithner be indicted over AIG scandal?

Former Aide: Edwards Discussed Leaving Wife

Andrew Young also says Edwards asked him to go into hiding with Edwards' mistress, in part because of his wife's health. Elizabeth Edwards has an incurable form of cancer.

WASHINGTON (AP) - A former aide to John Edwards says in a new book that the two-time presidential candidate told him he thought about leaving his wife but also cited his love for her as a reason to keep details of an affair hidden, according to a newspaper report Tuesday night.

The Wall Street Journal reported on its Web site that Andrew Young says Edwards asked him to go into hiding with Edwards' mistress, in part because of his wife's health.

Young wrote that Edwards concluded "that if I helped him, I would make Mrs. Edwards's dying days a bit easier. 'I know you're mad at her, Andrew, but I love her. I can't let her die knowing this."' Elizabeth Edwards has an incurable form of cancer that returned in 2007.

Related Material...

• (Fox News) - John Edwards, Rielle Hunter sex tape made when she was pregnant?

• (The Wall Street Journal) - Book Report: ‘The Politician’ By Andrew Young

Obama to End NASA Constellation Program?

When Obama releases his budget on Monday, there may be a big hole where funding for NASA's Constellation program used to be.

(Fox News) - When Obama releases his budget on Monday, there may be a big hole where funding for NASA's Constellation program used to be. Constellation is the umbrella program that includes the Ares rocket -- the replacement for the aging space shuttles.

According to a report in the Orlando Sentinel, the forthcoming budget -- which the president will announce in detail during tonight's State of the Union address -- will include no funding for lunar landers, no moon bases, and no Constellation program at all. Instead, NASA will outsource space flight to other governments (such as the Russians) and private companies.

NASA's Constellation program aims to create a new generation of spacecraft for human spaceflight, consisting primarily of the Ares I and Ares V launch vehicles, the Orion crew capsule and the Altair Lunar Lander. These spacecraft will be capable of performing a variety of missions, from International Space Station resupply to lunar landings.

Obama’s First Two Years Will Boast Two Biggest Deficits Since World War II, Says CBO

(CNSNews.com) - President Barack Obama’s first two years in office will boast the two biggest annual federal budget deficits since World War II, when measured as a share of GDP, says the Congressional Budget Office.

“Last year’s deficit was the largest as a share of GDP since the end of World War II, and the deficit expected for 2010 would be the second largest,” said CBO.

“The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that if current laws and policies remained unchanged, the federal budget would show a deficit of $1.35 trillion for fiscal year 2010,” said CBO. “At 9.2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), that deficit would be slightly smaller than the shortfall of 9.9 percent of GDP posted in 2009.”

‘Watergate, Jr.’: Olbermann Goes on Tear Over O’Keefe Arrest

"Will it be possible for Republicans to run from this man?"

SEIU Exec VP: Reforming Immigration Could Add 8 Million Democratic Votes

"We will be creating a governing coalition for the long term, not just for an election cycle."

McCain Challenger: Obama ‘Should Come Forward’ With Birth Certificate

"Shouldn't we know exactly that anyone who wants to run for public office is a natural born citizen of the United States?"

Congressman Admits: ‘We’re Told Not to Call it Another STIMULUS Bill — Calling it a JOBS Bill’

"A big chunk of that work is going to be done in 2013, 2014."

ACORN Exposer O’Keefe Arrested in Plot to Tamper With Senator’s Phone

(Big Government) - Statement from Andrew Breitbart:

“We have no knowledge about or connection to any alleged acts and events involving James O’Keefe at Senator Mary Landrieu’s office. We only just learned about the alleged incident this afternoon. We have no information other than what has been reported publicly by the press. Accordingly, we simply are not in a position to make any further comment.”

Stimulus ‘Jobs Created/Saved’ Numbers Not Updated in Months on Government-Run Site

"This was supposed to be a record amount of transparency and accountability with this program. We haven't had it." Note: Steve Moore mentions "recovery.org" but the government-run site is actually "recovery.gov." However, if you visit that site, indeed, the "jobs created" numbers have not been updated since 10/30/2009.

132: The Number of Times Obama Refers to Himself in One Speech

"I've got a very short commute;" "I can't always visit people directly;" "I break out;" "I saw;" "I knew it would be unpopular;" "I ran for this office;" "I had no illusions;" "I had a whole bunch of political advisors"...

Ben Stein: ‘Chameleon’ Obama Is Surrounded by ‘A**kissers’

"The extent of his love of self is absolutely spectacular."

9/11 Commissioner: Obama Doesn’t Have ‘Firm Grasp Yet of the Intelligence Community’

"My impression is that his instincts are probably good but he's still kind of feeling his way," former vice-chairman of the 9/11 Commission Lee Hamilton said Tuesday.

Charles Krauthammer on Obama budget freeze

Charles Krauthammer: Obama is tricking us with his 'freeze' on spending

Marco Rubio: We Shouldn't Abandon The Limited Govt Principles That Made Us Great

Tuesday Funnies :-)

Motivation

Obama's Show and Teleprompter Presentation

President Barack Obama speaks to 6th graders in Virginia Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010, using teleprompters.

Obama SOTU Bingo Card

The Patriot Post: Mark off any words that Obama uses in his State of the Union speech tomorrow night.

Jeffrey Sachs: O's Stimulus To Freezing A "Dereliction Of Duty"

(By Greg Hengler, Townhall.com) - No matter what side of the political isle you sit, when Sachs speaks, it's in your best interest to listen:

'Dr. No' Blasts Proposal to Raise Debt Ceiling

(Fox News) - Sen. Tom Coburn wants Congress to cut spending, redundancies.

'Blame Bush' Strategy Backfiring?

(Fox News) - Former deputy campaign director for President Obama thinks White House should stop targeting previous administration.

DSCC Memo: Marginalize GOP Candidates as Tea Party Candidates

"They're telling their candidates to go very early against republicans, seeing if there is a way to target them as conservative. To marginalize them as tea party candidates."

Libertarians In the Age of Obama

(Fox News) - How will the Libertarian vote influence the midterm elections?

Fox News Has Most Viewers On All Of Cable TV In Prime Time Last Week

(By Steve Krakauer, Mediaite) - Back in July, Fox News SVP Bill Shine told Mediaite the network had a new goal – not just be the best cable news network, but be the top cable network overall. “We have news events that pop up and you never know when that will happen,” said Shine. “It’s difficult but we’ll see if we can do it.”

For the first time since the 2008 Election, Fox News was #1 on all of cable last week.

FNC topped USA Network (the usual #1) in prime time, with FNC averaging 3,213,000 viewers last week and USA averaging 3,194,000. No other network came close. In cable news competition, CNN ranked 22nd (980,000) and MSNBC was 25th (761,000).

In total today, FNC finished 3rd. CNN was 19th and MSNBC 31st.

There were some major news events that contributed to FNC’s big win, with the Massachusetts election Tuesday night and Haiti coverage throughout the week. But the victory was notable – FNC hasn’t been #1 since the week of November 3, 2008, and it shows just how competitive the network can be when going head-to-head with non-news cable entities.

They won’t be able to sustain the #1 spot on a regular basis yet, but this puts them in the discussion. And that’s as impressive as it is surprising.

Jim Cramer Rips Obama 'Lurch Toward Populism': 'Now on an Anti-Shareholder Rampage'

(Eyeblast.tv) - 'Mad Money' host says risk higher now than anytime during Carter administration and President doesn’t realize the harm he is doing to the markets.

MRC's Brent Bozell on Bogus 'Ellie Light' Letters

(By Ken Shepherd, Eyeblast.tv) - MRC's Brent Bozell on Fox News Channel's January 26 "America's Newsroom" reacting to the "Ellie Light" controversy. "Ellie Light" is a letter writer authoring very similar letters to various newspapers, claiming to be resident of the areas served by the newspaper's circulation. An editor using Google discovered the same name appeared in other papers.

Taxman Obama vs Rx

(By Stephen Gutowski, Eyeblast.tv) - From rx2008's Youtube page: "a cutup of obama "singing" taxman, by the beatles - because let's face it, it's a tax."

Wow! NBC News Calls Obama 'Herbert Hoover'

(Mediaite) - If President Obama’s goal this week was to alienate and anger just about everyone then it would seem he has succeeded. Last night’s late-breaking news that the president would announce a three year spending freeze on most domestic programs during tomorrow’s State of the Union has met with angry responses on the left — Obama is the new Hoover! Which is quite a long drop from the other Depression-era president he routinely drew comparisons to last year.

Nate Silver calls the decision “a mistake on par with John McCain’s ‘suspending my campaign’ gaffe.” Marc Ambinder speculates that it could be seen as reactive, though the ‘middle’ may be comforted by the sound of “spending freeze” no doubt a large motivator in this decision. John Carney of Business Insider pointed out to me earlier this morning that “We spent more bailing out AIG than will be saved by Obama’s spending freeze” and that decisions such as these are often “a policy people employ when they lack ideas.” (Carney also dug up a video of Obama arguing against the spending freeze back in 2008.) Already-ticked-off Paul Krugman calls it (among other dire things) “appalling on every level.” But the harshest response thus far came from Rachel Maddow last night who just excoriated the President. Hell hath no fury like a liberal scorned. Whew.

For the First Time Ever Most Union Members Now Work for the US Government

(Gateway Pundit) - Change! For the first time ever most union workers now work in government not in the private sector.

Indonesia Mulls Pulling Down Obama Statue

JAKARTA, Jan 25 (AFP) - Indonesian authorities said Monday they are considering a petition to tear down a statue of US President Barack Obama as a boy, only a month after the bronze was unveiled in Jakarta.

The statue of "Little Barry" -- as Obama was known when he lived in the capital in the late 1960s -- stands in central Jakarta's Menteng Park, a short walk from the US president's former elementary school.

Critics say the site should have been used to honour an Indonesian and 55,000 people have joined a page on social networking website Facebook calling for the statue to be removed.

"We've been discussing for the past two weeks what to do with the statue... whether to take it down, move it elsewhere or retain it. We're finding the best solution," Jakarta parks agency official Dwi Bintarto said.

Obama, who was born in Hawaii, lived for four years as a child in Jakarta from 1967 after his divorced mother married an Indonesian.

Liberals Want to Muzzle Tim Tebow

NEW YORK (The Washington Post) - A national coalition of women's groups called on CBS on Monday to scrap its plan to broadcast an ad during the Super Bowl featuring college football star Tim Tebow and his mother, which critics say is likely to convey an anti-abortion message.

"An ad that uses sports to divide rather than to unite has no place in the biggest national sports event of the year - an event designed to bring Americans together," said Jehmu Greene, president of the New York-based Women's Media Center.

The center was coordinating the protest with backing from the National Organization for Women, the Feminist Majority and other groups.

CBS said it has approved the script for the 30-second ad and has given no indication that the protest would have an impact. A network spokesman, Dana McClintock, said CBS would ensure that any issue-oriented ad was "appropriate for air."

The ad - paid for by the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family - is expected to recount the story of Pam Tebow's pregnancy in 1987 with a theme of "Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life." After getting sick during a mission trip to the Philippines, she ignored a recommendation by doctors to abort her fifth child and gave birth to Tim, who went on to win the 2007 Heisman Trophy while helping his Florida team to two BCS championships.

Video: 'Price Is Right' Not for the Faint of Heart

Fox News Analyst: Republicans the Party of ‘Birthers, Baggers and Blowhards’

"You know, for a party of birthers, baggers and blowhards, you guys have done absolutely nothing to help this country along."

Flashback: Obama Ridicules McCain’s Call for Spending Freeze

(The Washington Post 1-25-10) - President Barack Obama, under pressure from deficit hawks, will seek a three-year freeze on domestic spending in his 2011 budget that would save $250 billion by 2020, administration officials said on Monday.

Fox Business Anchor: Spending Freeze a ‘Political Response to an Economic Problem’

"It is indeed a drop in the bucket if you save $10 billion per year by freezing some of the government spending, well you're still looking at a $1.35 trillion for the year. It is a drop in the bucket. It may or may not actually be imposed. It is, in fact, a political response to an economic problem."

Obama Blames Congress: ‘I Didn’t Make a Bunch of Deals’ to Pass Health Reform

"I think that this gets into a big mush. So, let's just clarify: I didn't make a bunch of deals. There is a legislative process that is taking place in Congress and I am happy to own up to the fact that I have not changed Congress and how it operates the way I would have liked. So, that's point number one. Number two is that, I think, it is important to know that the promises we made about increased transparency we've executed here in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue."

Brit Hume: The Political Ground Has Shifted Dramatically and Obama Appears Oblivious to What Has Happened

Obama Greets Diane Sawyer With Presidential Kiss

(Mediaite) - This was a big moment for Sawyer, certainly her biggest since becoming the World News anchor last month, and it came across slightly un-anchor-like.

Charles Krauthammer: Obama Forgot Option Three – ‘Mediocre One-Term President’

“Well there is a third option he didn’t consider which is that he could be a mediocre one-term president, and that’s what he’s been thus far in his first year.”

MLK’s Niece: Planned Parenthood Wrongly Associates MLK With Their Mission

(Dr. Alveda King) - Please visit www.priestsforlife.org/africanamerican and view the Martin Luther King, Jr. PDF about Planned Parenthood. My uncle didn’t even attend their awards ceremony. He didn’t write the speech. Could a man who warned against the evils of infanticide in his Letter From A Birmingham Jail; who said “the Negro cannot win if he is willing to sacrifice the future of his children for immediate personal comfort and safety,” whose father was staunchly prolife; who said “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere support abortion and killer chemicals called “safe” birth control? Dr. King did support natural family planning. He did teach youth to live purposeful lives. He did not and would not support abortion and sterilization!

$1.1 Million Trip: Lawmakers Went to Denmark, You Got the Bill

(CBS News) - For 15 Democratic and 6 Republican Congressmen, food and rooms for two nights cost $4,406 tax dollars each. That's $2,200 a day - more than most Americans spend on their monthly mortgage payment. CBS News asked members of Congress and staff about whether they're mindful that it's public tax dollars they're spending. Many said they had never even seen the bills or the expense reports.

Jon Stewart Mocks Obama’s Teleprompter Dependence

"Here's what health care means to you..."

Obama: ‘I’d Rather Be a Really Good One-Term President…’

"...than a mediocre two-term president."

Former FOX8 Meteorologist Frank Deal Dead at 84

(By Van Denton, FOX 8 News) - Our man in the Piedmont, Frank Deal, passed away at the age of 84 on Sunday morning, January 24, at 4:30 am. For nearly 30 years, Frank brought the weather to many homes here in the Piedmont and he would close his informative forecast with a joke that would start with "our man in ..."

FOX8 Chief Meteorologist Van Denton worked with Frank from 1990 to 1996. Read Van's thoughts on the passing of the Piedmont legend and share some of your own memories of Frank Deal.

Remembering the Gipper...

"Public servants say, always with the best of intentions, 'What greater service we could render if only we had a little more money and a little more power.' But the truth is that outside of its legitimate function, government does nothing as well or as economically as the private sector."

Ronald Reagan

Monday Funnies :-)

ObamaLogic...

For Obama, a mandate to be moderate

(By George Will, The Washington Post) - Churchill's wife said that his being turned out of office by British voters in July 1945 -- the war in the Pacific still raged, and he was participating in the Potsdam conference -- might be a blessing in disguise. He replied: It is very well disguised.

Barack Obama might not see the silver lining on the loss of the 60th Democratic Senate vote, but it has several dimensions. Consider four of them.

Democrats Still Set on Reform?

(Fox News) - Dr. Bill Frist on Democrats' push for health care reform.

Civilian Rights for Abdulmutallab?

(Fox News) - White House defends decision to Mirandize suspected Christmas Day terrorist.

Bush's Life After the White House

(Fox News) - A look back at former President George W. Bush's first year out of office.

Obama Administration Steers Lucrative No-Bid Contract for Afghan Work to Dem Donor

The Obama administration this month awarded a $25 million federal contract for work in Afghanistan to a company owned by a prominent Democratic campaign contributor without entertaining competitive bids, Fox News has learned.

(By James Rosen, FOXNews.com) - Despite President Obama's long history of criticizing the Bush administration for "sweetheart deals" with favored contractors, the Obama administration this month awarded a $25 million federal contract for work in Afghanistan to a company owned by a Democratic campaign contributor without entertaining competitive bids, Fox News has learned.

The contract, awarded on Jan. 4 to Checchi & Company Consulting, Inc., a Washington-based firm owned by economist and Democratic donor Vincent V. Checchi, will pay the firm $24,673,427 to provide "rule of law stabilization services" in war-torn Afghanistan.

Democrats rethinking “blame Bush” strategy after Massachusetts flop

(By Ed Morrissey, Hot Air) - Democrats have gotten into the habit of running against George W. Bush. They won majorities in both houses of Congress in 2006 by running against Bush, and won a presidential election in 2008 with that strategy despite the fact that Bush wasn’t able to run. Barack Obama has spent most of the past year blaming his own ineffectiveness on his predecessor. So when the special election to replace Ted Kennedy got unexpectedly tight, Democrats figured that a healthy dose of Boogeyman Bush would send Democrats flocking to the polls. Instead, it demonstrated the emptiness of Democratic arguments for leadership...

WH fumbling jobs, ObamaCare messages

Can’t get their stories straight.

(By Ed Morrissey, Hot Air) - The Obama administration sent out its surrogates to the Sunday news shows to argue for the ObamaCare bill that turned Massachusetts red — and to argue that their action had saved a lot of jobs. The problem with this new offensive was that none of them could agree on just how many jobs they’d “saved or created.” In three separate appearances, Obama administration officials offered three different numbers, and Republicans caught them at it...

Berry: Obama said "big difference" between '10 and '94 is "me"

(By Glenn Thrush, Politico) - Rep. Marion Berry's parting shot, published in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette offers a warning to moderate Democrats and border state moderates -- warning of a midterm bloodbath comparable to the 54-seat D-to-R swing in 1994.

But the jaw-dropper is Berry's claim that President Obama personally dismissed any comparison between Democrats now and under Bill Clinton 16 years ago -- by saying his personal popularity would bail everybody out.

The retiring Berry, who doesn't say when the remarks were made, now scoffs at Obama's 50-or-below approval rating...

Dennis Kucinich's Fairness Doctrine Threat To O'Reilly: Quit Celebrating Fox Success

Keith Olbermann Whines about Mainstream Media’s Lack of Outrage over SCOTUS Campaign Finance Decision

Will Electoral Losses Renew Democratic Push for Fairness Doctrine?

"In part because of Drudge...we now have a Republican senator from the state of Massachusetts."

Olympian Nancy Kerrigan’s Brother Arrested in Connection with Dad’s Death

(WFXT) - Police are looking into the sudden death that occurred early Sunday morning at the childhood home of former Olympic figure skater Nancy Kerrigan. Her 70-year-old father was found dead. Mark Kerrigan, the victim's son, remains in police custody. Emergency crews were sent to 7 Cedar Avenue after getting reports of an unresponsive male. Daniel Kerrigan was taken to Winchester Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Nazi Group Adopts One-Mile Stretch of Colorado Highway

"We want to let them know that we're here and we do good things. We're upstanding citizens, try to be good people, and try to portray ourselves that way."

Beau Biden, VP's son, won't seek US Senate seat

DOVER, Del. (AP) - Beau Biden announced Monday that he will not seek election to the U.S. Senate seat long held by his father, Vice President Joe Biden, putting another Democratic-held Senate seat in jeopardy and dealing another blow to President Barack Obama's flailing party.

The Delaware attorney general told supporters in an e-mail that he will run for re-election to his state post instead of running against GOP Rep. Mike Castle for the seat the elder Biden held for 36 years. He cited a need to focus on prosecution of high-profile child molestation case.

"I have a duty to fulfill as attorney general, and the immediate need to focus on a case of great consequence. And that is what I must do," Biden, 40, wrote. "Therefore I cannot and will not run for the United States Senate in 2010."

He left open the door of a candidacy in future years.