8/17/09

Monday wrap

Obama: Stiffened by union thugs, whiffs on curveballs, hoisted by Alinsky, proves prolific, hearts slippery slopes, starves Dogs, H8s dissent, mongers LatAm war.

Mismanagement: Union-hall tactics go global, U.S. meets the new boss, ruled by radicals, ACORN exposed, not-broken-enough, endless terms corrupt endlessly, ACORN v. Constitution, Teamsters on strike, Gore oxed, P2P lives.

International: Unions oppress S.A., Venezuela threatened, Africa unlimited.

Obama's backbone: Organized Labor thugs ... Members of the nation's labor unions have made up a hefty segment of the audiences that flocked to town halls Mr. Obama held in the past week, and they have played an even larger role in a nationwide campaign for an insurance overhaul. Financially, and with boots on the ground, unions have become the backbone of the president's effort. Last week, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) was part of a group, largely funded by the pharmaceutical industry's lobby, that launched $12 million in television ads to support the president's health care push, and the coalition Americans for Stable Quality Care could spend tens of millions of dollars more this fall. The AFL-CIO, the American Federation of Teachers and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees are among the partners in another group, Health Care for America Now, which has committed millions more dollars to advertising that is running now in a half-dozen states. (washingtontimes.com)


In case you missed it: The Union News weekend
Sunday: O'Tripped up by Marxist hubris
Saturday: Obamunist SEIU thugs enjoy wealth, power


Scouting report: Feed Obama a steady diet of curveballs ... There's more than justice to the nationwide backlash against President Obama's healthcare putsch. There's a delicious irony. The President, a down-to-his-toes rabble-rouser, has admirably roused the American rabble. Except not quite as intended. He and the rest of the statist vanguard have run headlong into a cosmic law: the Law of Unintended Consequences. Not even the late master rabble-rouser and con artist extraordinaire, Saul Alinsky, could account for the unaccountable. But the gaping difference between the President and the rascally Alinsky is that Alinsky had sort of a genius for playing the angles. In other words, Alinsky could hit curveballs. Mr. Obama is a dead-on fastball hitter. If all you can hit are fastballs, chances are, you won't make it to the big leagues, or, if you do, you won't last long. Fastball hitters whiff a lot. (americanthinker.com)

Bonus links:
Summary of Saul Alinsky's 'Rules for Radicals'
• More Saul Alinsky stories: here
'Rules for Radicals' at amazon.com


Turnabout: Leftwing, in power, hoisted by Saul Alinsky's petard ... Opponents of Barack Obama's healthcare proposals are using the tactics of Saul Alinsky, the renowned leftwing activist who helped inspire the US president when he was a young community organiser, says Dick Armey, head of Freedom Works, a group fighting against universal healthcare. Mr Armey, who was the Republican majority leader in the House of Representatives for most of the 1990s, said his group, which is behind many of the "tea party" protests that have disrupted town-hall meetings in the past two weeks, draws consciously on the forms of agitation pioneered by Mr Alinsky. Mr Obama, who worked as a community organiser among unemployed steel workers on Chicago's South Side in the late 1980s, was heavily influenced by Mr Alinsky, who inspired a generation of radicals in the 1960s. Mr Alinsky believed that packing public meetings with highly vocal activists would sway their outcomes and give people a taste of the power they could exercise when they showed up in numbers. "What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander," said Mr Armey, who was one of the leaders of the "Contract with America" Republican landslide in 1994. (ft.com)


Dem union hall tactics disgruntle U.S. public ... The Oministration's attempt to silence dissent is chilling. The San Francisco limonene-liberals led by the multi-millionaire Nancy Pelosi claim the protesters are carrying swastikas clearly trying to label them Nazis without being so crass as to use the word. Do you think if there were pictures of any of these protestors carrying Nazi flags the Poodle Press would've missed the chance to loop it continuously? The only demonstrator shown with a swastika was a person with a sign that showed one in a red circle with a line through it, which everyone knows is the international symbol for "No." And in this instance for "N Thanks. You can take these tactics back to the union hall or city hall, but not in my country you don't." (enterstageright.com)


Meet the new boss ... An Oklahoma senator says the angry tone of the health care debate is the result of people losing confidence in government. Republican Sen. Tom Coburn says the government has earned that loss of confidence. At times during protests, critics of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul have likened him to Adolf Hitler. Coburn calls health care a symptom of the debate over an uncontrolled federal government. He says unchecked spending by Congress has raised the question of whether lawmakers are legitimately thinking about the American people and their long-term best interests. (sfexaminer.com)


Who is Barack Obama? ... That, most of us didn’t have to be told; if ever there was a prolific liar as a candidate contest, Mr. Obama would have to rank as the undisputed champion. His multiple swings away from the reality of his deep rooted Islamic background to his outright adoration of that religion as well as his haughty disavowal of any influence his so-called Christian minister, Rev. Wright, yet steady and loyally attending and heeding of that man’s outwardly stated hatred for America, leaves no doubt that Obama practices are different from his faith absorption. Obama is an unconventional, very far leftist having been mentored by radicals some of whom are considered to be among America’s greatest enemies even while enjoying the fruits and luxurious living standards that his country provides. Having close advisers such as Rahm Emanuel, David Alexrod, Eric Holder, Saul Alinsky, and Bill Ayers there is little or no chance for America to get a fair break. (canadafreepress.com)


Radicals Rule! ... If we didn't go to our town hall meetings and voice our opinions about the government, then we would truly be stupid as you suggested. But if you like the word “stupid,” let’s look at your side for a minute. You have elected a socialist president who can't prove his citizenship. The president takes his orders from a teleprompter that gets its input from some guy behind the curtain. He recently has used the word “stupidly” stupidly. He is so far left that the Russians won't even shake his hand. Now he is getting back at America by trying to turn us into a one-world, third-rate nation. He doesn’t care that we were the generation that wanted him to be able to run for president. Reality! Now here is Leonard Pitts, blindly backing the Democratic talking point supplied by Pelosi, Reid, Frank and Dodd. The Saul Alinsky “Rules for Radicals” is now your bible. My father was killed in World War II protecting this country against our enemies. Now you and the media are promoting the radical takeover of the world’s last bastion of freedom. (hattiesburgamerican.com)


Is Obamacare a Step in the Right Direction? ... It's very difficult to see, but the tiny sign at the bottom of "Slippery Slope" reads "Single Payer".

(washingtonexaminer.com)


Investigators close in on ACORN ... Citizens Consulting Inc. (CCI), the shadowy financial nerve center of the embattled radical activist group ACORN, has filed false lobbying disclosure reports with Congress, according to Ron Sykes, a former ACORN employee. This revelation is important because, as former ACORN national board member Charles Turner said earlier this year on "The Glenn Beck Program," CCI "is where the shell game begins." "ACORN has over 200 different entities that the money gets moved around to - for this purpose to that purpose, this organization to that organization," said Turner. "We believe the way the money has been moved around, they've been laundering money." When former ACORN activist Ron Sykes was informed by this reporter that ACORN affiliate CCI registered him as a lobbyist, he was angry. "It's like identity theft," said Sykes in an interview. "I have no idea why they registered me. I didn't register myself and was not aware that they were doing it." Whether this reflects ACORN's institutional carelessness or a calculated effort to deceive, the discovery throws some light on how ACORN treats its employees, moves money around the ACORN network, and deals with the federal government. Federal lawmakers have known for years about ACORN's unorthodox and possibly illegal practices, including its use of government resources to promote legislation and its extensive commingling of funds within its network of affiliates. (spectator.org)


Gov't-run health care is not broken enough ... Well, maybe it is not so shocking, but the existing government controlled healthcare system is already badly broken. If it rose to the efficiency level of the Postal Service, it actually would be a vast improvement. The three major existing federal government-run medical systems — Medicare, Medicaid, and the VA — are disastrous failures, both medically and financially. The fourth major government system works fine, because it our tax money, and buys premium medical care for federal, state, and local bureaucrats in perpetuity. Oh, that we would have the privilege of using our own money similarly under Obama's plan, but alas, we may not. (thenewamerican.com)


Obama H8s disagreement ... Barack Obama worked with ACORN and served it well as a means of gaining political power so he could run for state office. The "community organizer's" administration now wants to complain that others are either organized or sort of organized against what he wants to put forth as a solution to health care in this nation. So far, some questions have never been answered, not the least of which is whether we need such a change. Remember, Barack Obama does not do dissent very well, and his usual reaction is to try to remove the dissenters, which, in Chicago, sometimes meant exerting "cultural pressure," which you can read as "racial threats" as weapons. Does it seem that it might only be a matter of time before we see ACORN or Black Panther enforcers at these meetings — only to keep order, you understand — or ultimately the National Guard or the local cops? (sun-sentinel.com)


Obama throws Blue Dogs under the bus ... The big question for President Barack Obama right now isn't about health care, but his own political survival. If he fails to deliver health legislation, Obama will prove right those who said he was in over his head. That would make him something of a lame duck after only seven months in office. But if he does manage to squeeze a bill out of Congress, it would be a Pyrrhic victory. By delivering unwanted changes to unwilling voters on a life-or-death issue, the president would squander the goodwill he earned during the campaign. Voters now say passing nothing would be better than any of the plans stewing in Congress, so it's hard to imagine that lawmakers will return from their recess ready to take political risks. (washingtonexaminer.com)


Enough is enough! ... With all due respect for the office of U.S. senator or representative, I do believe that they have forgotten, neglected and ignored their constituents. I have been following the bailouts, stimulus packages, pork, cap and trade, and health care. I see power and greed, but I do not see America or capitalism or selfless leadership. Enough is enough. Do they not hear the very American citizens who put them in Washington, and whose tax dollars they so frivolously spend? Change is needed! And I now believe it starts with term limits for all of Congress. Four years is enough time to be a statesman rather than a politician. I say get the job done (or not), and then come back to the districts to work with the rest of us. (stargazette.com)


Union-backed, tax-funded fraud group takes on 2nd Amendment ... ACORN -- the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now -- a publicly funded national organization linked to voter fraud in several states, is now actively interfering with the exercise of firearm civil rights in New Jersey, and the Second Amendment Foundation is calling for an immediate federal investigation. One example of ACORN's gun control activism is when its officials intervened in an unsuccessful attempt to defend Jersey City, New Jersey's local gun control ordinance, which was struck down by the New Jersey state court as a violation of state law preempting stronger local gun ordinances. "ACORN has, since 1998, received an estimated $31 million in government funding," said SAF founder Alan Gottlieb. "Now they have intervened in a New Jersey gun rights case in defense of an illegal Jersey City one-gun-a-month ordinance that violates the state preemption statute." (examiner.com)


Authorities fear violence as Teamsters go out on strike ... Teamsters Local 533 drivers went on strike against Granite Construction in California and Nevada at 5 p.m. today. Picket lines went up at Granite’s Nevada headquarters, 1900 Glendale Ave. in Sparks and at the Interstate 80 rehabilitation project at Floriston, Calif., just west of the Nevada border, union officials said. The drivers deliver concrete and asphalt to construction sites and haul away debris. Their contracts expired July 31 and an extension expired at midnight Saturday. Union officials said members voted unanimously Friday night to reject Granite’s final offer and twice have voted unanimously to strike. (rgj.com)


AlGore's big misadventure exposed ... A new documentary on climate change is highly critical of the claims made by former Vice President Al Gore in his film, “An Inconvenient Truth,” and seeks to refute the main points Gore made. “Policy Peril: Why Global Warming Policies are More Dangerous than Global Warming Itself,” is a 40-minute documentary produced by the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), a free market group, which can be viewed online. The movie was screened last week at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Narrated by CEI Senior Fellow Marlo Lewis, the film criticizes Gore on both the scientific and policy fronts, attacking the assumptions cited as fact in “An Inconvenient Truth” and the solutions Gore proposed to combat the alleged disastrous consequences of global warming. (cnsnews.com)


Rep. Tim Holden placed on Dirty Money Watch ... WHO: Rep. Tim Holden, D-Pa. WHAT: Holden received the following dirty money: PMA Group (PAC) $4,000 in 2008 election cycle; $4,000 in 2006 election cycle WHY IT'S DIRTY: PMA Group (Paul Magliocchetti and Associates) was a defense lobbying group that is now the focus of multiple federal investigations concerning allegations of influence peddling and other corrupt activities, mostly associated with earmarks. Before it was disbanded earlier this year, PMA Group's employees and its political action committee gave current members of Congress $3.4 million between 1989 and 2008, with 79 percent of that going to Democrats, according to OpenSecrets.org. WILL HOLDEN GIVE IT BACK: Holden did not respond to The Examiner's request for comment. THE SCORE: Number of Democrats who have given it back: 0 • Number of Republicans who have given it back: 0 • Gave donation to charity: Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y. YOUR TURN: You can reach Holden's Washington office at 202-225-5546. (washingtonexaminer.com)


International Collectivism

Analyst: Obama Drug War to revive sagging Presidency ... In a recent move in order to combat drug trafficking in the region, United States military personnel will be stationed in scattered parts of the South American nation Colombia, according to published reports released on Saturday and Time Magazine. This new mission has Venezuela and its President, Hugo Chávez, worried; Colombia does not feel the same way. Pres. Chávez said in front of the Union of South American Nations, according to the Telegraph, "The winds of war [are] beginning to blow." Chávez, and the Honduran de-facto President Rafael Correa, believe that as soon as the new initiative is finalized between the two parties, the United States will target Colombia's neighbors. (digitaljournal.com)

Related article: Eva Golinger: US will attack Venezuela



Chávez: Obama just doesn't get it ... U.S. President Barack Obama is "lost in the Andromeda" galaxy on Latin American policy, his chief critic in the region, Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez, said on Sunday, while demanding the closure of U.S. military bases. Last week Obama said critics of U.S. involvement in Latin America who are now asking Washington to do more to restore the ousted president of Honduras "can't have it both ways." "We are not asking you to intervene in Honduras, Obama. On the contrary, we are asking that "the empire" get its hands off Honduras and get its claws out of Latin America," Chávez said in a rambling weekly television and radio show. "President Obama is lost in the Andromeda Nebula, he has lost his bearings, he doesn't get it," he said. (reuters.com)


No Choice: Forced tribute plagues South Africa workers ... Minister Trevor Manuel, with regard to your statement that industry and commerce are scared of the trade unions, commerce and industry are forced by government decree to deduct from employees’ wages their union dues and pass same on to the trade unions. These unions are minions of Cosatu, which gets its share of these spoils. Cosatu, being a political entity, is the only one being financed by commerce and industry. Every month. Picture this: your streets and yards being trashed by striking trade unionists, and you, the employer, must sit down and write a cheque to the trade union. Nice, hey! Now let us see who is the coward. Let the ANC, the ruling party, have the law pertaining to payment of union dues rescinded. Let the unions themselves collect their dues outside of the work premises. See how many workers gladly hand over their contributions to them. Cosatu will shrink in no time. (weekendpost.co.za)


We don't need no stinkin' term limits ... President Mamadou Tandja of Niger has joined the club of leaders who have overturned constitutions to overstay their welcome in recent years. Following victory in a referendum held on August 4, he is the twelfth African leader in a decade to engineer a third term of office. Has the tide turned against the “third wave” of democratization in Africa? Term limits were introduced by more than half of the continent’s states between 1990 and 1994. They came as part of a “democracy package” that included multi-party competitive elections, freedom of the press and constitutionalism. They were meant to end the practice of presidency for life, when dictators were ousted only by a coup d’etat or death, or both. (allafrica.com)
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