God's Own Crunk

CNN, though, deserves serious criticism. These four men have put themselves forward as candidates to replace President Barack Obama as commander in chief. The economy is soft, gas prices are skyrocketing, the border is a violent mess and the world awaits the inevitable news that either Israel has launched a military strike on Iran’s nuclear program, or Iran has conducted a nuclear test. That’s the binary choice the world is looking at. Whichever event happens, and one of them will, the world will change drastically and immediately. If Israel strikes, will Iran move to close the Strait of Hormuz? Will it activate Hizballah not just in Lebanon, but in South America and Mexico? Will the resulting oil shock from either event drive the economy over the brink into depression? If Iran is allowed to complete a nuclear weapon, will the rest of the Middle East follow suit? Instead of exploring these serious issues at a length that respects the gravity, CNN chose instead to waste time asking the candidates to define themselves with one word. Moderator John King teased that inane question both before and after a break, to make it the climax of the night.

via The PJ Tatler » Arizona Debate Score: The Candidates Were Fine, but CNN is a Joke.

This header at Drudge is getting a lot of attention, and the story - also by Drudge – discusses Santorum’s comments about Satan taking hold of American circa 2008.

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Sarah Palin would make a more credible president of the World Bank than Mrs. Clinton. Laugh not. We understand that no one (leastwise, President Obama) is going to nominate her and she wouldn’t take the job, anyhow. But she’s a radical, pro-growth politician. She understands natural resources policy, she is a leader on energy policy, she knows fishing down to the ground (so to speak), and she came up through a fight against corruption. She is prepared to lead on sound money, as her demarche against the quantitative easing of the Federal Reserve — made before the other politicians woke up to the issue — shows. And feature the rock-star receptions she got in such places as Hong Kong and India. Sarah Palin is exactly the kind of spark-plug one would need at the World Bank — if one needed the World Bank at all.

via Sarah Palin for the World Bank? – The New York Sun.

This piece has been gaining traction all day – I’ve seen a dozen references to it since I read it earlier, so I thought I’d share a bit:

No wonder CPAC saved Sarah for last. And adjourned the conference during her applause.

No one in their right mind would go on-stage after Palin’s political palaver. People who dislike or fear her are incapable of seeing or admitting it. But that doesn’t diminish the reality that Palin is a rare political celebrity and, therefore, an unharnessed power to be reckoned with within the GOP for the foreseeable future.

We’re not talking about her running for any office. We’re talking about her influence, her enduring proven ability to attract and then ignite a crowd — even before anyone sees her. The CPAC buzz was electric all-day. Impatient “Sar-ah! Sar-ah!” chants broke out during preceding speakers.

She has the ability to speak about issues that profoundly bother the audience in common ways and words that listeners instantly recognize and wish they had thought to say just that way. Watch in the video below of her full CPAC speech for how this church-going mother of five mocks Obama’s Winning the Future program with an almost off-color aside. And prompts shared laughter, not shock.

via Sarah Palin’s style touches conservative crowds like no one actually running by Andrew Malcolm – Investors.com.

If not, I should have. Continuing her pithy series on CPAC speeches in 20 words:

Ann Coulter: Ignore my speech last year.

Scott Walker: Big Labor won’t break me.

Bobby Jindal: Louisiana won’t forget Obama’s jackboot-ism.

Sarah Palin: I know you want me.

via Michelle Malkin » More CPAC speeches in 20 words.

Doug Brady knocks one out of the park:

But, for me, the fact that his comments will get him in trouble with Democrats is irrelevant. Despite the assurances of the Republican Establishment that Mitt can get moderates and liberals to vote for him, he can’t. At least not in significant enough numbers to matter. If offered a choice between Democrat and Democrat Lite, they’ll go with the Democrat every time. What really struck me about Romney’s remarks, though, is that they’ll further alienate conservatives who are already deeply suspicious of the Mittster.I say this for two reasons. First, in trying to justify his comments, Romney’s suggested the social safety net needed to be strengthened. This should be alarming to all conservatives. The social safety net has become a way of life for far too many people. One half of Americans pay no income taxes. The percentage of Americans on food stamps is at a record level under Obama. Jim DeMint notes “we’re at a point in America where about half of the people are getting something from government, and the other half are paying for it.” And Romney is suggesting that we’re not doing enough? Leaving aside the fact that we’re broke and can’t afford to throw any more money at these failed programs, how is creating more dependency a good thing? How is this a conservative idea?

via Romney’s Comments About the Poor Are Revealing | Conservatives4Palin.

I have no idea how much faith to put in this AP piece, as there’s more bizarro bias going on than I can keep straight, but as an Okie, I’m all for eliminating the state income tax. So there’s that.

As one way to compensate for the lost revenue, the Oklahoma governor and others have suggested eliminating other kinds of tax breaks and incentives, specifically transferrable tax credits offered to certain businesses. But that would still fall woefully short in Oklahoma, where the income tax provides more than one-third of all state spending.Still, 23 Republicans in the Oklahoma House have signed up as sponsors of a measure to abolish the income tax over the next decade without raising any other taxes.”Our goal is to transform Oklahoma into the best place to do business, the best place to live, find a quality job, raise a family and retire in all of the United States. Not just better than average, but the very best,” state Rep. Leslie Osborn said.Lower taxes appeal to many voters, but some wonder how the state could get by if lawmakers abandon a major source of money.”I personally would favor paying less taxes, but to me, its like where are we going to make up the difference?” said Steve Schlegel, a bicycle shop owner in Oklahoma City. “I already feel like government is underfunded at the moment.”Roger Garner, a letter courier, said he would accept higher property taxes if it meant eliminating the income tax.”Get rid of it,” Garner said. “Florida doesnt have it. Texas doesnt have it. We dont need it. If something is needed, we can figure out a way to pay for it at the local level.”

via Emboldened GOP wants to abolish state income taxes – Yahoo!.

I like it. I really like it. 

Gov. Palin’s latest Facebook Note:

Back in May 2009, during the controversy over Notre Dame’s decision to have President Obama as their commencement speaker and honorary degree recipient, I gave a short statement to the Boston Herald: “My favorite grandpa, Clem James Sheeran, was Catholic. Irish to the core, his favorite place (other than church) was Notre Dame. I can’t imagine what he would think as the university recognizes someone who contradicts the core values of the Catholic faith by promoting an anti-life agenda.”

In his latest Washington Post column, Michael Gerson writes about the Obama administration’s war on Catholic institutions with President Obama’s decision to strip conscience protections from Catholic universities, hospitals and charities.

As Gershon points out, the timing of Obama’s most recent slap won’t go unnoticed by the faithful: “In politics, the timing is often the message. On Jan. 20 — three days before the annual March for Life — the Obama administration announced its final decision that Catholic universities, hospitals and charities will be compelled to pay for health insurance that covers sterilization, contraceptives and abortifacients. Preparing for the march, Catholic students gathered for Mass at Verizon Center. The faithful held vigil at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Knights of Columbus and bishops arrived to trudge in the cold along the Mall. All came to Washington in time for their mocking.”

via How Obama Repaid Notre Dame | Facebook.

“I almost feel as though there needs to be a new party, a truly conservative party, that really represents us. Sometimes I feel like the GOP is more interested in protecting their jobs than in promoting conservative ideals. At least, thats what Boehner and McConnell make me think,” Rebecca said.  “Why cant we have a party full of Rubios – candidates who believe in American exceptionalism and limited government, and do so unapologetically? Why do we have to have so many squishes?”

via The Conversation With a Florida Tea Partier That Should Scare Every Republican – Ricochet.com.