• Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for July 11th on 15:20

    These are my links for July 11th from 15:20 to 18:51:

  • Michele Bachmann,  President 2012

    President 2012: Michele Bachmann and Her Police Reports

    In this June 18, 2011 photo, Republican presidential hopeful Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., is showered with glitter after speaking at the AFP RightOnline Conference in Minneapolis. This year, for some liberal activists, the guerrilla tactic of choice is a shower of glitter tossed from close range

    Totally appropriate responses in my book.

    With a penchant for tough talk and polarizing positions, Republican presidential contender Michele Bachmann is a magnet for controversy — and there’s a trail of police reports to prove it.She and her staff over the years have requested police protection or investigations when her house was egged; when protesters threw glitter on her or held up critical signs; when her campaign yard signs were stolen; when a man wrote an email perceived as a threat; and when she screamed that two women were holding her hostage “against my will” in a city hall restroom.

    Read all of the piece, if you can stomach the left-wing slant.

    But, I hate to tell the writer for the Miami Herald, throwing glitter in someone’s face is an assault and if the glitter actually lands it is a battery. The act is called a CRIME – whether you are a homosexual, righteous in your own mind or otherwise.

    If someone blocks my path out of a restroom, the cops are going to be called and I am going to sue you for false imprisonment. So, don’t stalk people, POLS or otherwise.

    And, if some moron writes a threatening e-mail or eggs my house, the Capitol police and/or the local police are going to be called to investigate the matter.

    I guess I have a history too since I called the cops when someone dumped a bag of manure on my front door steps back in the 1980’s in response to a letter to the editor i wrote in a local newspaper.

    So, Michele Bachmann is some sort of NUTTER because she calls the police?

    Come on…..

  • Amazon Tax,  Internet Sales Taxes

    Amazon.com Files a Referendum to Ask Voters to Overturn California Internet Sales Taxes

    After writing about this issue for months, I really did not see this coming.

    Amazon.com Inc. wants California voters to decide whether to overturn a new law that forces online retailers to collect sales taxes there.

    A petition for a referendum was filed Friday with the state Attorney General’s Office so that voters can decide on the requirement, which was included in a state budget signed into law in late June.

    The new law forces online retailers to collect California sales taxes by expanding the definition of having a physical presence in the state. The requirement now kicks in if an online retailer has a related company, such as a marketing or product-development arm, or affiliates in the state – individuals and companies that earn commissions by referring visitors to Amazon from their websites.

    Passage of the law, which is projected to help the state collect an additional $200 million annually, adds California to a growing list of states that have turned to such measures in hopes of bringing in more tax revenue. Its legislature passed a similar law in 2009, but then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed it.

    Billions of dollars are at stake as a growing number of states look for ways to generate more revenue without violating a 1992 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that prohibits them from forcing businesses to collect sales taxes unless the business has a physical presence, such as a store, in that state. When consumers order from out-of-state retailers, they’re supposed to pay the tax that is due, but they rarely do and it’s difficult to enforce.

    States are trying to get around the Supreme Court restriction by passing laws that broaden the definition of a physical presence. Online retailers, meanwhile, are resisting being deputized as tax collectors.

    Amazon had thousands of affiliates in California, which received fees varying from 4 percent to 15 percent of each sale they brought to the company. Amazon, which is based in Seattle, cut ties with them after the law’s passage.

    Paul Misener, Amazon’s vice president of public policy, said the referendum supports “jobs and investment in California.”

    “At a time when businesses are leaving California, it is important to enact policies that attract and encourage business, not drive it away,” he said.

    I thought Amazon.com et. al. would be headed to court rather than the political arena which in California will certainly be expensive – more expensive to gather signatures for a referendum and then a television, plus direct mail campaign to overturn the law. But, it will certainly give the California GOP an issue to run on in 2012.

    Maybe they will do both?

    I will have the links to the exact language of the referendum and post some updates when they are available.

  • Barack Obama,  Medicare

    President 2012: Obama Offers to Raise Medicare Eligibility Age?

    President Barack Obama talks about the ongoing budget negotiations, Monday, July 11, 2011, in the briefing room of the White House in Washington

    Yeah right.

    In his press conference on Monday morning, President Barack Obama repeatedly insisted that he was willing to tackle some sacred cows as part of a larger package to raise the debt ceiling. Just how sacred, however, may surprise political observers.

    According to five separate sources with knowledge of negotiations — including both Republicans and Democrats — the president offered an increase in the eligibility age for Medicare, from 65 to 67, in exchange for Republican movement on increasing tax revenues.

    The proposal, as discussed, would not go into effect immediately, but rather would be implemented down the road (likely in 2013). The age at which people would be eligible for Medicare benefits would be raised incrementally, not in one fell swoop.

    Sources offered varied accounts regarding the seriousness with which the president had discussed raising the Medicare eligibility age. As the White House is fond of saying, nothing is agreed to until everything is agreed to. And with Republicans having turned down a “grand” deal on the debt ceiling — which would have included $3 trillion in spending cuts, including entitlement reforms, in exchange for up to $1 trillion in revenues — it is unclear whether the proposal remains alive.

    Kabuki theater, folks.

    Move along…..

  • Michele Bachmann,  Mitt Romney,  Polling,  President 2012,  Tim Pawlenty

    President 2012 Iowa GOP Poll Watch: Bachmann 25% Vs Romney 21% Vs Pawlenty 9%

    According to the latest TIR Poll.

    Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has surpassed former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney in a recent Iowa poll that was conducted by TheIowaRepublican.com.  With Bachmann now leading in Iowa, Romney has fallen to second place, but he is still well ahead of third place finisher Tim Pawlenty, who has overtaken Herman Cain my a miniscule margin.

    Bachmann received support from 25 percent of likely Iowa caucus goers in the poll, while Romney is backed by 21 percent.  The poll also shows signs of growth for former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, who now stands in third place in statistical tie with Herman Cain at just under nine percent.  Ron Paul finished with six percent, Newt Gingrich with four percent, Rick Santorum with two percent, and Jon Huntsman rounded out the field with one percent.

    Bachmann’s campaign has taken off like a rocket since participating and announcing her presidential intentions during the CNN debate in New Hampshire last month.  Here in Iowa, Bachmann has been playing up her Iowa roots.  She officially announced her candidacy in Waterloo, the town in which she was born and spent her formative years.  The night before she made her announcement, Bachmann’s campaign hosted a rally for 500 locals who came to welcome her home.

    While Bachmann’s lead over Romney is just within the margin of error, the poll’s cross tabs show how much momentum her campaign has generated in Iowa.  Her favorability is ten points higher than Romney’s, who had the second highest number in that category.  Her unfavorable figure is 14 points lower than Romney’s, giving her a stellar plus 65 favorability margin.  Her numbers suggest that Bachmann has found a very effective way to appeal to caucus goers.

    The conventional wisdom is that Michele Bachmann will win the Iowa Caucuses and that Romney (who is not contesting Iowa) will finish second or third. Then, Romney who has a commanding lead in the New Hampshire polls will win there.

    The only question will whether Tim Pawlenty can finish a close second to Bachmann or whether he will finish a distant third. In all reality, should Pawlenty finish third in Iowa, his campaign may be over.

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for July 11th on 03:02

    These are my links for July 11th from 03:02 to 10:34:

  • Craig Huey,  Janice Hahn,  Polling

    CA-36 Poll Watch: Janice Hahn 52% Vs. Craig Huey 44%

    According to the latest PPP Poll.

    Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn faces off against businessman Craig Huey in tomorrow’s special election runoff to replace Dem ex-Rep. Jane Harman, who resigned from Congress earlier this year to run an organization called the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The 36th District is ordinarily very blue—it voted for Barack Obama by a 30-point margin and for John Kerry by 20—and indeed, most folks expected the runoff to feature two Democrats, thanks to California’s new “top two” primary system.

    But thanks in part to a split in the left-leaning vote, Huey snuck through to face Hahn, creating a traditional D-versus-R matchup. There’s been no public polling until now, leaving observers to read a mess of tea leaves that had offered a very muddy picture. On the one hand, Hahn aired a lot of negative ads targeting Huey’s alleged extremism, suggesting she was worried the race could grow close. On the other hand, Huey never released an internal poll showing the race was close, and no major outside groups ever came to his aid.

    Well, not a partucularly good poll for Craig Huey, but the race is not just about tomorrow, but 2012 as well. The internal GOP polling must have shown a gap and why there has not been a plethora of funding from the establishment GOP .

    If this poll holds up, then there will likely not be a close race tomorrow. But, certainly Huey has performed better in a district that is very blue.

  • Craig Huey,  Janice Hahn

    CA-36: GOP Looking for an Upset in the Craig Huey Vs. Janice Hahn Race?

    Los Angeles City Council Member Janice Hahn and GOP Congressional Nominee and businessman Craig Huey

    Yes, of course and if not tomorrow then in 2012 when the Congressional District boundaries change to include more Republicans.

    Coastal California is Democratic turf, where the party often rolls up landslide victories for its candidates. In 2008, President Barack Obama scored a 31-point win in the 36th Congressional District, which runs from the famous Venice boardwalk through the beaches south of Los Angeles International Airport.

    But this is a different year.

    In a season of turbulent politics, a little-noticed runoff election Tuesday for the House seat vacated by former Democratic Rep. Jane Harman has become unusually competitive.

    Supporters for the Democratic candidate, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn, are jittery, while Republicans see a potential upset in the making for businessman Craig Huey, who owns marketing and advertising companies and has largely bankrolled his campaign with at least $795,000 in personal funds.

    “This is the West Coast’s ‘Scott Brown moment,'” the conservative California Republican Assembly wrote to supporters in an email Friday, referring to the Republican senator’s upset in Massachusetts last year. Brown won a special election for the Senate seat long held by Democratic Party icon Edward M. Kennedy.

    I predict this race will be very close with Huey squeeking out a 2 point victory. But, the reality is the Democrats have a 14 point registration advantage which WILL narrow in a year’s time.

    So, if Huey does not upset Hahn tomorrow, he will be back with MORE GOP Party support in a years time.

    Should Janice Hahn win tomorrow, I would not be buying any real estate back in DC, if I were her.

  • American Economy,  Barack Obama,  President 2012

    President 2012: Obama Says It Is Time to Eat Our Peas



    I mean really how stupid is this?

    “I will not sign a 30-day or a 60-day or a 90-day extension. That is just not an acceptable approach. And if we think it’s hard now, imagine how these guys are going to be thinking six months from now in the middle of election season when they are all up. It’s not going to get easier, it’s going to get harder. So, we might as well do it now. Pull off the band-aid. Eat our peas. Now is the time to do it. If not now, when? We keep on talking about this stuff, and we have these high-minded pronouncements about how we’ve got to get control of the deficit, how we owe it to our children and our grandchildren. Well, let’s step up. Let’s do it,” President Obama said at his press conference today.

    Mr. President, where in the frak have you been the past few years?

    You have greatly expanded the national debt over the life of your administration, a trillion dollars alone on your failed economic stimulus program. Unemployment has increased and you have made the American economy worse.

    Now, you want the Republicans to eat their peas?

    Come on, you are not serious about limiting spending and the debt, you simply want political cover for your failed economic policies. You are not fooling anyone.