QUESTION: Is there anything you can tell us about the bus tour the President plans to take -- where he’s going and why?
JAY CARNEY: Well, I can tell you that it will be from August 15th through the 17th, and that it will be through the Midwest. Further details will be forthcoming later. That’s all I have for you now.
QUESTION: But in terms of the --
CARNEY: I mean, he will get out -- very happily getting out in the country again, after a sustained period here in Washington. And he will -- he looks forward to talking to folks about growing the economy, creating jobs. And we’ll have more details, again, as I said, about the specifics of the trip later.
QUESTION: Did you say out of the country or out of --
CARNEY: Out in the country.
QUESTION: Oh, in the country. I’m sorry.
CARNEY: The Midwest.
QUESTION: I’m sorry.
CARNEY: Yes.
QUESTION: Is that a campaign event or --
CARNEY: Negative. It is an official event.
QUESTION: Okay, so it will be funded by taxpayers?
CARNEY: He’s the President of the United States.
Yes.
QUESTION: The bus tour -- it’s certainly a visual, but what are the tangibles?
CARNEY: Again, we’ll have more specifics about this trip itself. The air of cynicism is quite thick. The idea that the President of the United States should not venture forth into the country is ridiculous.
QUESTION: I didn't suggest that.
CARNEY: No, but you implied it in your question. And it is absolutely important for the President, whoever that person is, in the past and in the future, to get out and hear from people in different communities. And the President -- this is a trip that we’ve had on our books for quite a long time, and he very much looks forward to taking it.
Carney was extremely defensive.
He certainly has trouble maintaining his cool when he's trying to defend the indefensible. ___________________
Johnson Controls Inc. will host President Barack Obama next week at its advanced battery factory in Holland, Mich.
The factory was opened to make lithium-ion batteries for hybrid electric vehicles that were developed at the company’s battery laboratory in Glendale, as part of the company’s joint venture with the French battery developer Saft.
The visit will take place Thursday at the factory that Johnson Controls opened as part of its $598 million investment in advanced battery technology — half of which was funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The $299 million stimulus grant to Johnson Controls was the biggest project funded in 2009 by the Obama administration awarded as part of a $2.4 billion investment in advanced batteries, which the administration aims to help the U.S. reduce reliance on imported oil, boost fuel economy of vehicles and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
During a briefing to reporters at the White House Thursday, Obama’s press secretary, Jay Carney said, “While at Johnson Controls, the President will highlight the key role innovative technologies will play in helping automakers achieve the historic fuel-economy standards, establishing U.S. leadership in advanced vehicle manufacturing, spurring economic growth and creating high-quality domestic jobs in cutting-edge industries across America.”
Obama will be spending quite a bit of time in the Midwest next week.
Taxpayers will be spending a lot of money, stuck with paying the expenses for Obama's campaign events.
Kenosha, WI- The taxpayers of the 22nd Senate District have spoken, and they are very clear when they say that political games will not be tolerated. Bob Wirch owes the taxpayers over $10,000 for his trip to Illinois that lasted nearly a month because he still accepted wages and benefits while vacationing. He also found a way to "fight for the working class" by raising nearly $130,000 for his recall election war chest.
"It seems like Bob Wirch is more interested in obeying his party and union overlords than serving the public," says Jonathan Steitz, state senate candidate for District 22.
"With our state in economic recovery the citizens of Wisconsin expect their legislators to be working on improving the climate for jobs, not having their Senators steal from them by not showing up for work. The taxpayers of the 22nd Senate District demand that Wirch return the money that is owed to them." says Steitz.
Of course, Wirch is a union lapdog.
Vote for Jonathan Steitz, for an economically healthy Wisconsin, for prosperity.
Why did NBC, ABC, and CBS preempt prime time programming to carry Obama's political shtick on Sunday evening?
FOX didn't let Obama hijack its normal schedule. The Cleveland Show continued to air as usual while the other networks showed Obama's address.
That was a good call by FOX. Obama's remarks didn't contain any information so pressing that it required him to seize the airwaves.
The votes haven't been taken. It's not a done deal. Nonetheless, Obama announced that the debt crisis was essentially over. What was the rush?
Here's video:
Here's the complete White House transcript of Obama's remarks:
8:40 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Good evening. There are still some very important votes to be taken by members of Congress, but I want to announce that the leaders of both parties, in both chambers, have reached an agreement that will reduce the deficit and avoid default -- a default that would have had a devastating effect on our economy.
The first part of this agreement will cut about $1 trillion in spending over the next 10 years -- cuts that both parties had agreed to early on in this process. The result would be the lowest level of annual domestic spending since Dwight Eisenhower was President -- but at a level that still allows us to make job-creating investments in things like education and research. We also made sure that these cuts wouldn’t happen so abruptly that they’d be a drag on a fragile economy.
Now, I've said from the beginning that the ultimate solution to our deficit problem must be balanced. Despite what some Republicans have argued, I believe that we have to ask the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations to pay their fair share by giving up tax breaks and special deductions. Despite what some in my own party have argued, I believe that we need to make some modest adjustments to programs like Medicare to ensure that they’re still around for future generations.
That's why the second part of this agreement is so important. It establishes a bipartisan committee of Congress to report back by November with a proposal to further reduce the deficit, which will then be put before the entire Congress for an up or down vote. In this stage, everything will be on the table. To hold us all accountable for making these reforms, tough cuts that both parties would find objectionable would automatically go into effect if we don’t act. And over the next few months, I’ll continue to make a detailed case to these lawmakers about why I believe a balanced approach is necessary to finish the job.
Now, is this the deal I would have preferred? No. I believe that we could have made the tough choices required -- on entitlement reform and tax reform -- right now, rather than through a special congressional committee process. But this compromise does make a serious down payment on the deficit reduction we need, and gives each party a strong incentive to get a balanced plan done before the end of the year.
Most importantly, it will allow us to avoid default and end the crisis that Washington imposed on the rest of America. It ensures also that we will not face this same kind of crisis again in six months, or eight months, or 12 months. And it will begin to lift the cloud of debt and the cloud of uncertainty that hangs over our economy.
Now, this process has been messy; it’s taken far too long. I've been concerned about the impact that it has had on business confidence and consumer confidence and the economy as a whole over the last month. Nevertheless, ultimately, the leaders of both parties have found their way toward compromise. And I want to thank them for that.
Most of all, I want to thank the American people. It’s been your voices -- your letters, your emails, your tweets, your phone calls -- that have compelled Washington to act in the final days. And the American people's voice is a very, very powerful thing.
We’re not done yet. I want to urge members of both parties to do the right thing and support this deal with your votes over the next few days. It will allow us to avoid default. It will allow us to pay our bills. It will allow us to start reducing our deficit in a responsible way. And it will allow us to turn to the very important business of doing everything we can to create jobs, boost wages, and grow this economy faster than it's currently growing.
That’s what the American people sent us here to do, and that’s what we should be devoting all of our time to accomplishing in the months ahead.
Thank you very much, everybody.
END 8:44 P.M. EDT
Obama's acting as if he's the master negotiator, while at the same time distancing himself from the negotiations.
He praises members of both parties for arriving at an agreement, but chastises them for their haggling, for taking "far too long" to arrive at a deal.
Obama is still relying on the "balanced approach" talking point, giving Americans what he thinks they want to hear. But then, he asserts his belief that raising taxes is the answer to manage his wild, historically reckless spending. That's not the kind of "balance" that makes sense in this mess of an economy. It's impossible to raise taxes high enough to keep pace with the Obama astronomical spending spree.
Obama doesn't mention that Democrats failed to pass a budget when they had total control of Congress. It's disingenuous for Obama to express his concern about the impact of recent uncertainty on business confidence and consumer confidence when he's been screwing up the economy for years and making disastrous policy moves.
Way to go, Democrats!
Obama also doesn't mention that this deal doesn't mean the U.S. government will retain its perfect credit rating.
And of course, America needed Obama to take over programming to thank the people for their tweets.
Good grief.
I'm sick of Obama's political posturing and campaigning being sold to the public as Obama carrying out his presidential responsibilities.
REP. KEVIN McCARTHY: The President, to me, has been somewhat... Look, you cannot be the leader of the Free World and sit on the sidelines and tweet and think you're going to get the job done.
OBAMA: But — but here’s — here’s the more basic point: Never in our history has the United States defaulted on its debt. The debt ceiling should not be something that is used as a gun against the heads of the American people to extract tax breaks for corporate jet owners, for oil and gas companies that are making billions of dollars because the price of gasoline has gone up so high.
I mean, I’m happy to have those debates. I think the American people are on my side on this. What we need to do is to have a balanced approach where everything’s on the table. We need to reduce corporate loopholes. We need to reduce discretionary spending on programs that aren’t working.
"The debt ceiling should not be something that is used as a gun against the heads of the American people to extract tax breaks for corporate jet owners, for oil and gas companies that are making billions of dollars because the price of gasoline has gone up so high."
A "gun against the heads of the American people"?
Obama doesn't sound like the president. He sounds like a partisan hack.
Yesterday, at a private ceremony in Green Bay, Governor Scott Walker made good on his promise to balance the budget, eliminating a $3.6 billion deficit without raising taxes.
It's not perfect. Nothing is. But it's good.
Of course, the Leftists are saying it's a disaster.
I think that's the clearest indication that the budget is good for the state, putting Wisconsin on a path to prosperity.
Gov. Scott Walker signed a two-year $66 billion budget Sunday that will cut nearly $800 million from public schools, expand taxpayer support for private voucher schools, cut taxes for investors and businesses, clamp down on property taxes and put the state's finances in better shape than they've been in for more than a decade.
Using the vast veto powers of Wisconsin governors, Walker struck out dozens of budget provisions, including one that would have allowed bail bondsmen in Wisconsin. He also used his veto pen to bar public employees from collecting pensions unless they work for a state or local government for five years or more, set up new possible limits on a family-planning program and allow state officials to do more no-bid contracts.
As previously announced, the GOP governor also vetoed a provision that would have allowed most fired Milwaukee police officers to continue to receive pay while they appealed their dismissals.
Walker's 50 vetoes were less extensive compared with those issued by previous governors, but that's due largely to the fact that Walker's fellow Republicans run both houses of the Legislature and worked closely with the governor in crafting the legislation. Walker has the broadest veto powers of any governor nationwide, allowing him to strike out entire provisions of the budget or rewrite sections by selectively crossing out words.
Wearing khakis, a blue shirt and no tie, Walker signed the budget Sunday afternoon before a crowd of about 100 at Fox Valley Metal-Tech - a site chosen to highlight a tax cut for manufacturers included in the budget.
...A few hundred protesters gathered outside Fox Valley Metal-Tech, chanting "Shame!" as Walker's guests drove into the parking lot. They held signs decrying budget cuts and chanted, "Recall Walker!"
The budget - Walker's first since taking office in January - closes a $3 billion shortfall over the next two years largely without relying on tax increases. It raises spending by $1.1 billion, or 1.8% over two years, and leaves the state with an estimated $300 million surplus in its main account by June 2013. Republicans in the Legislature passed the budget earlier this month on party-line votes.
"Our balanced budget makes tough choices while also providing a path to prosperity for our state and our people," Walker said in a 20-minute speech. "Through honest budgeting, we are providing an alternative to the reckless tricks and gimmicks of the past. To move forward together, we are acknowledging that we have to make sacrifices to protect the next generation by decreasing the serious debt that they would otherwise inherit."
In a meeting with House Democrats on Thursday, President Obama stressed that his administration would draw a firm line on taxes and revenues both in the deficit- and debt-reduction debates and in the buildup to the 2012 elections.
According to multiple meeting attendees, the president reiterated on several occasions that a deal to raise the country's debt ceiling would include revenue increases, even as Republican lawmakers insist that such a deal should be restricted to spending cuts and entitlement reforms.
"I've been very clear about revenues as a part of a balanced package, and I will continue to be," said Obama.
Underscoring his commitment, Obama noted taxes would be a defining area of contrast with Republicans on the campaign trail. He insisted that he would not compromise again on his position that the tax rates for the top earners be raised to pre-Bush levels.
Here's the full video of JoAnne Kloppenburg's statement announcing her decision to request that the taxpayers of Wisconsin pay for a recount in her failed election bid against Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser.
JoAnne Kloppenburg certainly had the right to ask for a statewide recount on Wednesday.
But we had hoped that she wouldn't - and the state would be better off if she hadn't.
We understand the motivation. The final county-by-county canvassing of the state Supreme Court election revealed that Justice David Prosser won a narrow victory, a reflection of how polarizing the new governor and his policies have become. The heat generated by the controversy over those policies most likely spurred the significant turnout for a spring nonpartisan election and a 7,316-vote win for Prosser - less than 0.5% of the 1.5 million votes cast.
That's slim, but it's not likely that a statewide recount will change the outcome. Were it a margin in the hundreds of votes, perhaps, but Kloppenburg has to recognize that it's not.
The state Government Accountability Board says it is ready for a recount; the board had anticipated that one would be requested. But it is already requesting some $40,000 extra to deal with a possible 16 recall elections anticipated as a result of some senators leaving the state to avoid a vote on Gov. Scott Walker's collective bargaining proposals and other senators voting for them.
Earlier, the GAB said a statewide recount in the Supreme Court race might cost as much as $1 million. Given that the state is already scrambling in its current budget to make ends meet and that the next budget won't be any prettier, this is an expense the state can ill afford.
...Kloppenburg might have simply narrowed her recount request to Waukesha County.
But, again, this is her right. We urge the GAB to conduct the recount openly, transparently and in such a fashion that there is no room for doubt. And we urge all the parties involved to allow the GAB to do its job efficiently and without undue interference.
Kloppenburg's decision to burden the state with the cost of what the Journal Sentinel calls an "unnecessary" recount, meaning the Democrats/unions' decision to burden the taxpayers, is utterly irresponsible.
Think of all the ways that money could be better spent.
Kloppenburg's incredibly poor judgment is on display.
It was there when she made her laughable victory speech. Here it is again.
It's unfortunate that Kloppenburg doesn't have the strength of character and the decency to do the right thing.
Having the right to do something doesn't make it right.
Taxpayers of Wisconsin, please join me in a resounding "SHAME, SHAME, SHAME!"
He and wife Michelle reported income of $1.73 million last year, mostly from the books he's written, according to his just-filed tax return. That was down from the $5.5 million of a year earlier.
The president, who has been campaigning to raise taxes on the wealthy, paid the government $453,770 in federal taxes, about a quarter of the income. Just last week, he renewed his push to end Bush-era tax cuts for households with annual incomes above $250,000 — noting that that would include him.
The White House released tax returns for the Obamas and for Vice President Joe Biden and his wife on Monday, the deadline for Americans to file.
The president for the first time drew his full $400,000 salary in 2010, since in 2009 he didn't start drawing pay until after his inauguration in late January.
Through withholding and estimated tax payments during the year, the Obamas paid $466,104 to the Internal Revenue Service. That was an overpayment, so they are getting a $12,334 refund.
The first family's adjusted gross income for 2010 was $1.728 million. Their taxable income after deductions was $1.34 million.
TAX THE RICH! TAX THE RICH! TAX THE RICH!
Spread Obama's wealth around. Why should he get to have all that money?
Obama's class warfare rhetoric is at odds with his personal wealth.
When he demonizes the rich, he's demonizing himself.
He should volunteer to give the government more of his money, more than he owes.
He should set an example by showing Americans how great it is to pay more in taxes. He should refuse to accept his refund. Instead of pocketing the $12,334, he should let the government have it. Let the government spend it.
What were Obama's charitable donations in 2010?
They were much more generous than they were before Obama became a national figure.
In 2009, the Los Angeles Times reported:
The Obamas have only recently dug deeply into their own pockets to support charitable causes. In 2002, the year before Obama launched his U.S. Senate campaign, the couple reported income of $259,394 and $1,050 in deductions for gifts to charity, below the national average of $1,872.
So the Obamas gave well below the national average to charities even when their income placed them among rich Americans, by Obama's own definition. Not good.
The Obamas' charitable giving seems to be much more of a political move than a choice based on values.
The president and first lady donated $245,075 — about 14.2 percent of their adjusted gross income — to 36 different charities. The largest was a contribution of $131,075 to the Fisher House Foundation, which provides humanitarian support to members of the United States Armed Forces and their families.
They also made a $15,000 contribution to the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund and a $10,000 gift to the Boys and Girls Club of America.
Their contributions were below the $329,100 they gave to charities in 2009. That year, Obama also donated his entire $1.4 million Nobel Peace Prize award, which wasn't counted as income since it went directly to 10 charities.
Joe Biden and his wife, though paupers compared to the Obamas, are rich.
Vice President Biden and his wife, Jill, reported more modest earnings, a combined adjusted gross income of $379,178, on which they paid $86,626 in federal taxes for 2010.
Withholding from their salaries came to just $79,446 — so they had a tax bill of $7,180 to settle.
In all, the Obamas paid 26 percent of their adjusted gross income in federal income taxes. The Bidens paid 23 percent.
The Bidens paid $14,479 in Delaware income taxes and $3,515 in Virginia income taxes. Jill Biden is an adjunct professor at Northern Virginia Community College. The Bidens contributed $5,360 to charities.
I'm glad to see the Bidens giving more to charities than they did in the past.
Their record of charitable contributions is pathetic.
On this day, Tea Party tax-day, Sarah Palin walked into the heart of this nation’s battle, stared down a gallery of Leftist union goons with poise and grace, and articulated our message as well as anyone ever could. Let’s hope this is just the beginning.
SARAH PALIN: Hello, Madison, Wisconsin! You look good. I feel like I’m at home. This is beautiful. Madison, I am proud to get to be with you today. Madison, these are the frontlines in the battle for the future of our country. This is where the line has been drawn in the sand. And I am proud to stand with you today in solidarity.
I am here today as a patriot, as a taxpayer, as a former union member, and as the wife of a union member. What I have to say today I say it to our good patriotic brothers and sisters who are in unions. I say this, too, proudly standing here as the daughter of a family full of school teachers. My parents, my grandparents, aunt, cousins, brother, sister – so many of these good folks are living on teachers’ pensions, having worked or are still working in education.
A pension is a promise that must be kept. Now, your Governor Scott Walker understands this. He understands that states must be solvent in order to keep their promises. And that’s what he’s trying to do. He’s not trying to hurt union members. Hey, folks, he’s trying to save your jobs and your pensions! But unfortunately some of your union bosses don’t understand this, and they don’t care if union members have to be laid off. No, they want to protect their own power, and if that means forcing a governor to lay off union workers, then so be it; they’ve proven that that is fine with them. But that’s not real solidarity! Real solidarity means coming together for the common good. This Tea Party movement is real solidarity!
Well, I am in Madison today because this is where real courage and real integrity can be found. Courage is your governor and your legislators standing strong in the face of death threats and thug tactics. Courage is you all standing strong with them! You saw the forces aligned against fiscal reform. You saw the obstruction and the destruction. You saw these violent rent-a-mobs trash your capital and vandalize businesses.
Madison, you held your ground. Your governor did the right thing. And you won. Your beautiful state won. And you know what – people still have their jobs because of it! That’s courage. And that’s integrity. And that’s something that’s sorely missing in the Beltway today.
Because let me tell you what isn’t courageous: It’s politicians promising the American voters that, as we drown in $14.5 trillion debt, that they’re going to cut $100 billion out of this year’s budget. But then they cave on that and they reduce it down to $61 billion after they get elected. Then they get in there and they strike a deal and decide, nah, they will reduce that down to $38 billion. And then after some politics-as-usual and accounting gimmicks, we find out it’s not $38 billion in cuts. You know that $38 billion – we don’t have it; we’re borrowing it. We borrow from foreign countries to give to foreign countries, and that’s insanity. We find out it’s not even $38 billion; it’s less than $1 billion in real cuts. Folks, that $352 million in real cuts – that’s no more than the federal government is going to spend in the time it takes us to hold this rally today! That is not courage; that’s capitulation!
Now, there’s a lesson here for the Beltway politicos, something they need to understand; the lesson comes from here in Madison. So, our lesson is to the GOP establishment first. And yeah, I’ll take on the GOP establishment. What more can they say about us, you know?
So, to the GOP establishment: if you stand on the platform, if you stand by your pledges, we will stand with you. We will fight with you, GOP. We have your back. Together we will win because America will win!
We didn’t elect you just to re-arrange the deck chairs on a sinking Titanic. We didn’t elect you to just stand back and watch Obama re-distribute those deck chairs. What we need is for you to stand up, GOP, and fight. Maybe I should ask some of the Badger women’s hockey team—those champions—maybe I should ask them if we should be suggesting to GOP leaders they need to learn how to fight like a girl!
And speaking of President Obama, I think we ought to pay tribute to him today at this Tax Day Tea Party because really he’s the inspiration for why we’re here today.
That’s right. The Tea Party Movement wouldn’t exist without Barack Obama.
You see, Candidate Obama didn’t have a record while he was in office; but President Obama certainly has a record, and that’s why we’re here. And hey, media, it’s not inciting violence and it’s not hateful rhetoric to call someone out on their record, so that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to do it to be clear. That’s right: we’re here, we’re clear, get used to it!
Candidate Obama promised to be fiscally responsible. He promised to cut the deficit; but President Obama tripled it!
Candidate Obama promised that fiscal responsibility; but President Obama flushed a trillion dollars down the drain on a useless “stimulus” package and then he bragged about the jobs he “created” in congressional districts that don’t even exist! That’s right; on this, White House, you lie. The only thing that trillion-dollar travesty stimulated was a debt-crisis and a Tea Party!
Now, the left’s irresponsible and radical policies awakened a sleeping America so that we understood finally what it was that we were about to lose. We were about to lose the blessings of liberty and prosperity. They caused the working men and women of this country to get up off their sofas, to come down from the deer stand, get out of the duck blind, and hit the streets, come to the town halls, and finally to the ballot box. And Tea Party Americans won an electoral victory of historic proportions last November. We the people, we rose up and we decisively rejected the left’s big government agenda. We don’t want it. We can’t afford it. And we are unwilling to pay for it.
But what was the president’s reaction to this mandate for fiscal sanity?
Less than 90 days after the election, in his State of the Union address, President Obama told us, nah, the era of big government is here to stay, and we’re going to pay for it whether we want to or not. Instead of reducing spending, they’re going to “Win The Future” by “investing” more of your hard-earned money in some cockamamie harebrained ideas like more solar shingles, more really fast trains – some things that venture capitalists will tell you are non-starters. We’re flat broke, but he thinks these solar shingles and really fast trains will magically save us. So now he’s shouting “all aboard” his bullet train to bankruptcy. "Win The Future"? W.T.F. is about right.
And when Wisconsin’s own Paul Ryan presented a plan for fiscal reform, what was Obama’s response? He demonized the voices of responsibility with class warfare and with fearmongering. And I say personally to our president: Hey, parent to parent, Barack Obama, for shame for you to suggest that the heart of the commonsense conservative movement would do anything to harm our esteemed elders, to harm our children with Down syndrome, to harm those most in need. No, see, in our book, you prioritize appropriately and those who need the help will get the help. The only way we do that is to be wise and prudent and to budget according to the right priorities.
Now, our president isn’t leading, he’s punting on this debt crisis. The only future Barack Obama is trying to win is his own re-election! He’s willing to mortgage your children’s future to ensure his own. And that is not the audacity of hope. That’s cynicism!
Piling more debt onto our children and grandchildren is not courage. No, that’s cowardice!
But did you notice when he gave that polarizing speech last week there was a little gem in the speech. Maybe you missed it. But he spoke about the social contract and the “social compact.” Well, Mr. President, the most basic tenet in that social compact is adhering to the consent of the governed. That would be “We the People. President Obama, you do not have our consent. You didn’t have it in November. And you certainly don’t have it now. You willfully ignored the will of the American people.
You ignored it when you rammed through Obamacare.
You ignored it when you drove up the debt to $14.5 trillion.
You ignored it when you misrepresented your deficit spending.
You ignored it when you proposed massive tax increases on the middle class and our job creators.
You ignored is when you went to bat for government-funded abortions and yet you threw our brave men and women in uniform under the bus, Mr. Commander in Chief.
You ignored it when you got us into a third war for fuzzy and inconsistent reasons, a third war that we cannot afford.
You ignore it when you apologize for America while you bow and kowtow to our enemies, and you snub our allies like Israel.
And you ignore when you manipulate the U.S. oil supply. You cut off oil development here and then you hypocritically praise foreign countries for their drilling.
And when hardworking families are hit with $4 and $5 a gallon gas and your skyrocketing energy and food prices as you set out to fundamentally transform America, you ignore our concerns and you tell us we just better get used to it.
Well, Mr. President, we’re not going to get used to it. Not now. Not ever. You ignored us in 2010. But you cannot ignore us in 2012.
Mr. President, you and your cohorts threw all the hatred and all the violence you could at these good folks in Madison, Wisconsin. But you lost here.
And Madison, you defended the 2010 electoral mandate. You are heroes, you are patriots, and when the history of this Tea Party Movement is written, what you accomplished here will not be forgotten.
Your historic stand brought down the curtain on the last election. And the 2012 election begins here.
We will take the courage and the integrity that you showed all of America. We will take it and we will win back our country!
God has shed His grace on thee, America. We will not squander what we have.
We will fight for America! And it starts here in Madison, Wisconsin!
It starts here! It starts now! What better place than the state that hosts the Super Bowl champs, to call out the liberal left and let them know: Mr. President, game on!
Andrew Breitbart was in Madison today at the Tax Day rally.
While introducing Sarah Palin, he delivers blistering comments, taking on union thug and remarkably frequent visitor to the White House, Richard Trumka.
The TV cameras showing the speech caught little of this phalanx of thugs that we had to walk through. Middle fingers flew and the trendy talking point insult of “Koch Suckers!” was everywhere. Sarah Palin was called names that made me wonder if Bill Maher was writing for this mob. Apparently, women-hating sexual mockery is acceptable if directed at the right, even if that woman’s children are present.
The Wisconsin Tea Party supporters made it all worthwhile. These are men and women who have braved a battle and come through victorious not by bullying but by being part of the silent majority willing to support tough-minded, adult decision making. The message from speaker after speaker was that Wisconsin’s example of not being intimidated by the bankrupt tactics of the left is something that all Americans need to hear.
Of course, don’t expect that message to come from the mainstream media, whose sentiments are more with the union driven threat machine than the taxpayers.
As I took to the stage, the shouting from those trying to disrupt the Tea Party intensified. Inarticulate shouting becomes their last weapon as their policies crumble. I thought of the hypocritical calls for civility amidst the dishonestly cynical opportunism of blaming Sarah Palin who shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. I thought of the smug entitlement of government workers demanding to keep their gold and benefits packages while the nation tightens its belt. I thought of the business owners and politicians being bullied in an official capacity by the unions and then actually threatened by zealots who took the union policies to their only logical conclusion.
I’m proud of what I said. I told the sanctimonious shouters promoting class warfare to go to hell.
There may be those on the left who really want civil discourse. It’s possible there are some who realize that our national debt is, in fact, out of control. There’s a chance that sane debate is the actual goal of a number of self-proclaimed liberal activists.
But I didn’t see any of those people in Madison on Saturday morning. I’m not going to pretend that I did. It was a mob, whipped up by the divider-in-chief and his cronies who live off of union dues and taxpayer funded handouts. And in case any of you in the back row missed it, I repeat – go to hell.
Breitbart is not apologizing for responding to the thugs and their tactics by saying, "go to hell."
War is hell. And as so many union bosses and other assorted Leftists, like Michael Moore, have said, "This is war." Obama and his agitators are waging class warfare.
If the union members and Leftists want to go there, that's their choice.
The Milwaukee Journal has a short, inadequate report on the happenings in Madison at the Tax Day Rally.
It is cold and windy in Madison, but still mostly dry - making it easier for thousands of people to attend a tea party rally and a smaller counter demonstration outside of the state capitol.
The Wisconsin Capitol Police estimated that about 6,500 people were outside on the Capitol grounds and vicinity at 12:30 p.m. Saturday. There is no way to accurately determine how many people were attending any specific event, they said.
As of 12:30 p.m. there were no law enforcement incidents or arrests on the Capitol grounds and vicinity, police reported.
Darryl Krejci of Lake Mills, a former police union president, wore a green "Scott Walker my hero" T-shirt. He said he backs Walker for taking a tough stand with the state's fiscal problems.
"Something needed to be done," he said.
Cheryl MacMiller of Madison wore a sign saying "Union thug with lipstick." She said she supports public employees because "Gov. Walker is just trying to make a name for himself on the backs of workers."
The behavior of the Leftists at the counter rally was not fully reported.
Given the Journal Sentinel's Leftist agenda, I can understand why.
According to reports on Twitter, the counter protesters chanted and booed during the National Anthem.
Christian Schneider: Crowd chants SHAME and RECALL WALKER during the National Anthem.
Chelsea Gruenwald: Booing during the national anthem - wisc libs at their best
Video.
Showing such a lack of respect for the National Anthem is a disgrace. It certainly doesn't put the Leftists in a good light.
[L]abor supporters still smarting from the passage of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's polarizing bill eliminating most public employees' collective bargaining rights have been drowning out Palin's supporters, shouting, "Hey, hey, ho, ho, Scott Walker's got to go."
Tomorrow, former Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin will speak at a Tea Party rally in Madison, Wisconsin. Unless you’ve been asleep for the past few months, you know that right now Madison is Ground Zero in the ongoing political battle to take our country back from corrupt public unions and the Democratic politicians corrupted by them. This battle represents the very heart of what the Tea Party is about, where the national spotlight should be, and yet I don’t see a long line of political types heading to my home state to take advantage of that spotlight.
Palin’s going, though, and so is the Wall Street Journal’s John Fund. And this is exactly where we should be going, and not just because this is where the heart of the fight for our country currently is, but also to make very clear to pro-union types that we will not be intimidated by their thuggishness.
Yesterday, upon hearing of Palin’s decision,, I immediately tweeted something to the effect of, “If there’s violence, Palin will get the blame from the MSM. She had it coming for showing up.” That wasn’t a joke, either. Fact 1: We’ve already seen a campaign of violence in Wisconsin at the hands of pro-union types. Fact 2: We’ve already seen the corrupt MSM blame Palin for Tucson.
Sarah Palin To Be Pelted With Cheese Curds In Wisconsin Saturday
The Koch Brothers think it’s hilarious when their dumb puppets have to go face huge, angry crowds of political opponents. Remember the movie Trading Places? It’s the same idea: Incredibly rich old white creeps just torture their own lackeys whenever it gets dull oppressing the faceless poor and destroying the Earth to make Dixie Cups and Brawny paper douche towels. So the Koch Brothers are bringing Sarah Palin to Madison, right there at the State Capitol, for an “Americans For Prosperity” rally. Haha the union people and college kids are going to pelt her with a million pounds of Wisconsin’s famous Fried Cheese Turds. Or curds, whatever. Curdle Rain. Poor snowbilly grifter! …
It’s a shame this country has turned into such an evil socialist toilet that midwesterners would stoop so low as to stoop down and get a handful of cheese curds and hurl them at Sarah Palin, the Koch Brothers’ latest human prank on Wisconsin.
Nolte concludes:
If there’s violence in Madison tomorrow — and I pray to God there isn’t – will the MSM’s response be Wonkette-ish? Tucson-ish? Or you reap-what-you-sow-ish?
If you’re hoping for a righteous response, you haven’t been paying attention.
Why is it apparently acceptable for the Left to 'joke' about violence?
Nolte points out that the founder of Wonkette is Ana Marie Cox. She's currently the Washington correspondent for GQ.
Cox is a hateful woman.
On White House Press Secretary Tony Snow:
"Snow, despite being fairly smarmy, is not actually one of the individuals currently f---ing everything up that we’d happily say cancer is too good for, so we wish him a speedy and full recovery."
Truly disgusting.
The Left/liberal media have no shame.
I, like Nolte, pray no one is harmed at the rally in Madison tomorrow.
I don't think there will be physical violence, but I know there will be violence.
Violence isn't just hurling cheese curds at someone. Words and images can be violent as well.
I'm certain the counter rally being staged by the Left will be violent.
Sarah Palin is coming to town. She's set to attend a tea party rally at the capitol on Saturday. But a counter-rally is also in the works.
The former governor of Alaska and vice presidential candidate is the keynote speaker at the Americans for Prosperity annual tax day rally. And love her or hate her, Sarah Palin is sure to draw a big crowd on Saturday.
“Obviously governor Palin is a large draw. She gets crowds everywhere she goes and people want to hear her speak,” said Matt Seaholm, the state director for Americans for Prosperity.
It should be another busy weekend in downtown Madison.
“Our folks are still fired up,” said Seaholm.
Sarah Palin will address fellow conservatives from the capitol steps on Saturday.
“Wisconsin is really the center of the political battles right now and she wanted to come show her support for what we're doing,” he added.
Seaholm helped organize the tea party rally and says their message is simple.
“We're the taxpayers, we're the bosses. Smaller government, lower taxes, and getting Wisconsin and American back on the path towards fiscal sanity and job growth.”
The tea party rally starts at noon and at the same time, a counter rally will be held on the other side of the capitol.
“Yeah, sure, we welcome Sarah Palin to come to town, but the majority of Americans don't take Sarah Palin seriously,” said Tag Evers, who is organizing the counter rally.
“We are expecting a turnout in the thousands. Sarah Palin is a polarizing person,” said Patrick Depula, also organizing the counter rally.
Evers and Depula say Palin's visit is a joke.
“Live from Madison, Wisconsin, it's Saturday night live!” said Depula.
If Sarah Palin isn't taken seriously, then why is her appearance drawing so much attention?
Why is it news?
If they consider Palin irrelevant, then I assume there will be no mention of her presence in Madison.
That, of course, isn't happening.
If Palin is such a joke, why are Evers and Depula taking her seriously?
Why are supposedly "thousands" showing up to protest?
Are they staging their counter rally to protest "smaller government, lower taxes, and getting Wisconsin and American back on the path towards fiscal sanity and job growth"?
Are they really against those goals?
Is the counter rally meant to be an event supporting bigger government, higher taxes, fiscal insanity, and job loss?
It seems to me that the counter rally is the joke.
Description: Vicki McKenna, James T. Harris, and Wall Street Journal’s John Fund, will be in Madison this Saturday for AFP’s Tax Day Rally! Please join us Saturday, April 16th at 12 PM at the State Capitol (East wing of Capitol and King Street) as we rally for limited government, lower taxes, and economic freedom for our great state.
The liberals are planning to drown us out, claiming that it is “their house.” Let’s show them that it’s the taxpayers-NOT the tax spenders who actually pay the bills to keep the Capitol running.
We are also providing bus transportation from various locations around Wisconsin. For more information and to sign up click here.
If you plan on driving to Madison, we will have remote parking with shuttles at the MATC parking lot at 1702 Hoffman St. For directions and to learn more, click here.
This is a chance to celebrate our recent victories and to rededicate ourselves to the work that remains to turn our state and country around. I hope that you can make it.
One point of a document as subversive as Paul Ryan's 2012 budget is to provoke debate, and has it ever. But amid the thoughtful musings about starving orphans and grandma in a snowbank, could his critics at least get their facts right?
Let's unpack the distortions.
The WSJ proceeds to go through the attacks being launched against Paul Ryan's plan, covering five areas:
• Deficits and debt • Tax cuts for "the rich" • Medicare "cuts" • Real health-care reform • Health-care inflation
These attacks amount to false fronts for the real objection, which is over the role of government. Mr. Ryan's critics understand very well that he wants to substitute markets for bureaucratic central planning. What he would dismantle isn't Medicare, but its system of one-size-fits-all coverage and price controls. The liberal answer to runaway costs, passed as part of ObamaCare, is the Independent Payment Advisory Board that will decide how much the government will pay for what treatments and was deliberately shielded from Congressional supervision.
Medicare "as we know it" will change because it must. The only issue is how. Mr. Ryan is offering Americans a reform rooted in consumer choice and private competition, rather than political control and bureaucratic rationing. This is why he is under such ferocious liberal assault.
Keep this information in mind when Obama delivers his budget address tonight.
You can't buy what Obama's selling, not if you believe in liberty and choice and the private sector.
On the other hand, if you want excessive government control in your life and you don't mind giving up your freedom, reject Paul Ryan's plan. ________________
