• Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links for February 24th from 08:07 to 08:55

    These are my links for February 24th from 08:07 to 08:55:

    • Romney antes up for Wisconsin GOP – As Does Pawlenty – Mitt Romney is sending cash to Wisconsin Republicans in a show of solidarity with Gov. Scott Walker’s push to end collective bargaining for state employees.

      “Liberal big government interests are fighting efforts to rein in out-of-control public employee pay and benefits in Wisconsin," Romney said in a Thursday statement. "It is critical that we stand with the Wisconsin GOP as it stands up for the rights of the taxpayer."

      Continue Reading
      His Free and Strong America PAC is sending the maximum $5,000 contribution to the Republican Party of Wisconsin.

      The fight is part of Walker’s battle to solve the state’s budget woes, and union protestors have come out in force to oppose his plan.

      Romney isn’t the only 2012-er to jump into the Wisconsin fray: Tim Pawlenty launched a website to back Walker’s push.

      ++++++

      As they should

    • Mitch Daniels addresses right-to-work bill — in Ohio – With Indiana House Democrats lodged in a hotel in Illinois, Gov. Mitch Daniels headed the other direction — to Ohio.

      Daniels spoke Wednesday at the Duke Energy Convention Center for the Hamilton County Republican Party's annual Lincoln-Reagan Dinner fundraiser.

      Though he is the 10th possible GOP presidential contender to make the pilgrimage to Southwest Ohio, a Republican stronghold that will be key to the 2012 Ohio presidential primary, Daniels stressed the visit was not a "stump speech." He praised Ohio Republicans, who this year took over control of the governor's office and the House of Representatives.

      +++++++

      Mitch Daniels realizes his initial response to the Wisconsin/Indiana Union Legislation was a non-starter and will try to crawl back.

    • Mitch Daniels ’71: Into the spotlight – Daniels’ classmates said they do not envision any future political ambitions being affected by the drug incident from 40 years ago.

      “It’s certainly ancient history by now. Mitch has made lots of public statements about not being involved with [the incident] for a long, long time,” Stuart said.

      Daniels said that he is not in an appropriate place to say whether the drug incident will impact any political hopes.

      “Since I became an elected officer, I have not suggested to any voter what they shouldn’t use as a criterion,” Daniels said.

      Engel, meanwhile, said Daniels’ past is unlikely to raise unease among potential voters.

      “He’s really competent and I would have no concern,” Engel said. “No one would take him to the cleaners. He’s too smart.”

      +++++++

      Mitch Daniel's drug coinviction will not affect a Presidential run.

      But, running away from conservative principles will

  • Polling,  Scott Walker

    Poll Watch: 67% Disapprove of Legislators Fleeing Wisconsin to Avoid Vote

    This is according to the latest Rasmussen Poll on the issue.

    Half of America’s voters favor public sector unions for government workers, but they strongly oppose the tactic by Wisconsin state senators to flee their state to prevent a vote that would limit the rights of such unions.

    The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that only 25% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of this tactic, while 67% disapprove. State legislators in Indiana have used the same approach to avoid a vote in their state.

    Not surprising and could you imagine if the GOP had done this during other contentious issues over the years what the media response would have been?

    What is interesting is that even Democrats are about evenly split on the issue.

    Sizable majorities of Republicans and voters not affiliated with either major party reject such a strategy. Democrats are fairly evenly divided, with 48% approving and 44% disapproving.

    Until the Democratic senators return, there will not be quorum allowing a vote on Republican Governor Scott Walker’s proposal to have public employees pay more for their health and pension benefits and to limit their collective bargaining rights. The Republican majorities in both chambers of the Wisconsin legislature are expected to pass the governor’s proposal which has been the subject of major protests in the state for several days now. 

    Now, whether Wisconsin allows collective bargaining for its public employees is an issue to be decided by the Wisconsin Legislature. If Wisconsin voters do not like it, they can replace their representatives at the next election. This is how American government works.

    Voters continue to be closely divided over the question of public employee unions themselves. Fifty percent (50%) at least somewhat favor such unions, while 44% oppose them. These figures include 25% who Strongly Favor the unions and 25% who are Strongly Opposed.

    Last month in a survey of American Adults as opposed to Likely Voters, 45% supported public employee unions, while 45% opposed them. Support for the unions was down from 53% in May of last year.

    Eighty-one percent (81%) of Democrats now favor public employee unions, while 66% of Republicans and 54% of unaffiliated voters oppose them.

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links for February 24th from 05:58 to 06:22

    These are my links for February 24th from 05:58 to 06:22:

    • Why Does Walmart Get a Pass? Re: Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker – Indeed, the Center for American Progress goes on (in this post and several others) to indict pretty much every major organization, company, or individual who ever gave to Walker—and even some of the organizations that gave to organizations that supported Walker.

      Never mind that Walker has devoted his entire career in public service to reducing government spending, reforming budget processes, and reining in public-sector unions—this is about wild conspiracy theories, not the impressive, smart, likable young governor taking on an entrenched, corrupt and incestuous relationship between public-sector unions and public officials.

      But there is, oddly, at least one major corporate donor to the Walker for governor campaign that the Center for American Progress has given a pass. Walmart, one of only two corporations to fall in the top ten list of donors to Walker’s campaign, has never been mentioned in connection with Walker by the intrepid Googlers at the Center for American Progress. Not even once.

      Coincidentally, Walmart has been, and by every indication continues to be, a major donor to … the Center for American Progress. John Hinderaker notes this connection in his own post at Powerline, picking apart the shameless hypocrisy of the corporate-funded Center for American Progress's attacks on corporate money in politics.

      You'd think Walmart, with its long record of hostility to unions (which just maybe has something to do with the million-plus jobs the company has created), would be a top target for the group. Or could it be that the Center for American Progress reserves its ire for individuals and entities that do not contribute to the Center for American Progress?

      +++++++

      Hypocrites all

    • The Left’s War on the Kochs – The most extraordinary story in the news these days is the all-out assault that the Left is mounting against Charles and David Koch and their company, Koch Enterprises. A day doesn't go buy–hardly an hour goes by–without some new attack being launched against these two lonely libertarians.

      Why? Simply because they are rich–their company is one of the best-run and most successful in the world–and conservative. The Left is trying to drive them out of politics and, more important, to deter any other people of means from daring to support conservative politicians or causes.

      Understand, the Left has nothing against rich people participating in politics. Most rich people who are politically active are liberals, and the Democratic Party gets much more of its support from the wealthy than the GOP. George Soros is only the most famous of a battalion of sugar daddies who fund every left-wing cause. But the Left wants a monopoly. They want wealthy people to be barred from political participation unless they toe the liberal line. Hence their increasingly vicious attacks on the Koch brothers; they are trying to make an example of them.

      ++++++++++++++++++

      Read the entire piece

    • Right Turn – Mitch Daniels’s Damage Control – I asked a Daniels spokeswoman repeatedly why Daniels had to throw in the towel on right-to-work legislation since he got two school reform measures through the state senate with only Repubican votes. She never answered. The question remains: What was the purpose of his capitulation last night?

      Daniels, in essence, has admitted he screwed up. Whether his apology will allay the conservatives who will be Republican primary voters in 2012 remains to be seen. But one longtime Republican observer e-mailed me, "The right to work free of compulsory association with, and dues paid to, any particular group, is as close to a basic liberty as can be imagined. If Daniels won't stand up for that, he can't be counted on for ANY subject aside from green-eyeshade accounting." I suspect that sentiment is rather widespread.

      ++++++++++

      Yes, pretty weak sauce from Mitch Daniels

  • President 2012,  Sarah Palin

    President 2012: Sarah Palin’s Standing in the Polls = Not So Much

    Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin looks down during the Pledge of Allegiance before speaking to the LIA (Long Island Association) Annual Meeting & Luncheon at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury, New York, February 17, 2011

    According to the PPP Poling group (A Democratic Pollster) not very well.

    • In 15 states where we polled the 2012 Presidential race between November and the incident in Tucson Palin trailed by an average of 14 points. Barack Obama had won those states by an average of 8 points, so Palin was running 6 points behind John McCain’s performance in 2008.
    • In 12 states where we’ve polled the 2012 Presidential since the Tucson incident Palin has trailed by an average of 10 points in states that John McCain actually won on average by 3. So she’s now running an average of 13 points behind McCain’s 2008 showing.

    Certainly before Tucson it appeared Palin would suffer a crushing defeat if she somehow snagged the 2012 Presidential nomination. But now it looks more like that would be a loss of historical proportions.

    As you know, I have been posting most of the head to head polls here and Sarah Palin when facing President Barack Obama has not done well.

    Without a doubt, Sarah Palin would be a formidable candidate in the GOP primaries and would possibly win. But, to what end?

    2012 is NOT the year for a Sarah Palin Presidential run – and I thinks she knows it.

  • Day By Day,  Tabitha Hale

    Day by Day February 24, 2011 – Call It

    Day by Day by Chris Muir

    Dem Rep Michael Capuano is a MORON but his statement is indicative of the union thugs that assaulted FreedomWorks employee Tabitha Hale yesterday.

    The LEFT talks about “CIVILITY” but have hypocritically gone on the attack – just like Saul Alinsky taught them.

    Democratic strategists believe their Tea Party moment has arrived.
     
    Working with labor unions and liberal groups, they are using the Presidents Day congressional recess to organize a public backlash against billions of dollars in cuts to federal programs.

    One labor organizer said that members have been urged to attend congressional town hall meetings to ask Republican lawmakers “pointed questions” about the cuts they supported last week.
     
    “We are targeting various House Republicans in town hall meetings during the recess to let them know these budget cuts are beyond the pale,” said the labor source, who added that it has been difficult to mobilize supporters to public question-and-answer sessions with lawmakers because “they’ve been pretty circumspect in giving out information about the meetings.”
     
    Justin Ruben, the executive director of MoveOn.org, a progressive advocacy group, has also encouraged members to grill lawmakers at town hall meetings.
     
    “Whenever we hear about a town hall meeting we encourage them to go and ask pointed questions about what is happening,” he said. 

    Pointed questions, right. More like disruptions, chanting, and violence – otherwise how will they be noticed?

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