Cruz, an emerging conservative star whose father emigrated to the United States from Cuba, has drawn comparisons to Sen. Marco Rubio
(R-Fla.) and has been lauded by national conservative political pundits
and groups for over a year. His victory is a major blow to the
Republican establishment in Texas, which lined up squarely behind
Dewhurst. It’s also a victory for the tea party and national
conservatives who lined up behind Cruz even when a surprise win appeared
unlikely.
Cruz is considered a lock in the general election: The state leans
heavily to the GOP and Democrats failed to recruit a serious candidate
for the seat.
He congratulated Dewhurst for a hard-fought race and thanked him for his public service.
"In
the heat of the campaign there have been harsh words spoken but I am
hopeful that all of us can work together and put them behind us going
forward," he said, and told a raucous crowd that Dewhurst had promised
to back him in the general election. Dewhurst had refused to say whether
he would in a conversation with The Hill last week.
Cruz then
name-checked conservative economist Milton Friedman, whose 100th
birthday would have been Tuesday, before warning of the country's rising
deficit.
"Our crushing debt threatens our future. Every
generation of Americans has given to their kids and grandkids a brighter
future and brighter economic prosperity, and our generation will be no
different. That is why we are rising up to take our country, to preserve
liberty, to restore the Constitution," he said as the crowd exploded.
Liberals are up in arms over a new Restore Our Future ad, simply named "Olympics" and the predictable comments coming out of liberals toward Romey supporter Kristi Yamaguchi, who won a gold medal in the 1992 and was an ambassador for the 2002 games and is featured in the video, have been what everyone has come to expect from libs toward conservative women, as Twitchy documents.
[WATCH]
This is the second ad seen in two days, one from the Romney campaign and this one from Restore Our Future SuperPACthat has been 100% positive for Romney vs negative in nature towards Barack Obama.
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, in the video below, says he has two problems with Barack Obama: 1.) "We have the most incompetent president since Jimmy Carter was in the White House." 2.) "My second problem is that he is the most liberal president since Jimmy Carter was in the White House."
MITT ROMNEY: “My own experience was I got the chance
to start my own business. I know what it’s like to hire people and to
wonder whether you’re going to be able to make ends meet down the road.
Freedom and free enterprise are what create jobs, not government. From
those experiences, I went off to have the chance at running the Olympics
in Salt Lake City in 2002. I came in and found that we had not only a
scandal to deal with, but also a financial crisis to deal with. By the
time the games were over, we had about a hundred million dollars that we
put into an endowment there for the future of Olympic sport.
The real
experience was in Massachusetts. I found a budget that was badly out of
balance. We cut our spending. Our legislature was 85 percent Democrat
and every one of the four years I was governor, we balanced the budget.
I
want to use those experiences to help Americans have a better future.
We believe in our future. We believe in ourselves.
We believe the
greatest days of America are ahead.”
VOICEOVER: “Believe in the America you built. Believe we can build it again.”
Romney needs positive ads like this which clearly contrast his views with Obama's without even having to mention Obama's name in the ads, as well as providing information for voters that do not know enough about his business experience.
"You bet and until we change the tempo and the conversation from Washington, it's not going to change. And those of us who have business opportunities
and the capital to do it are going to sit in fear of the President. And
a lot of people don't want to say that. They'll say, God, don't be
attacking Obama. Well, this is Obama's deal and it's Obama that's
responsible for this fear in America."--- Steve Wynn, the CEO of casino company Wynn Resorts
A couple quotes from different equity strategists in a CNBC article show how Wall Street could already be betting on a Mitt Romney win in November 2012.
The first quotes comes from Morgan Stanley chief U.S. equity strategist Adam S. Parker:
The conclusion Parker draws is that investors are betting that Romney will unseat President Obamaand bring a more business-friendly environment to the White House.
"At
the end of the day, we are not really worried that Europe is going to
be 'solved' or that its economy will strongly grow. We also don’t think
strong corporate profitability relative to expectations will save the
day," he said.
"To
us, the biggest bull case for US equities is based on the huge cash
balances and the potential belief that they will be more actively and
productively deployed. The biggest possibility here would be Romney
winning the presidential election."
The second set of statements come from Sam Stovall, chief equity strategist at S&P, who says "Many investors I have spoken with believe that if the S&P 500 should
rise between July 31 and Oct. 31, it would signal an impending Romney
victory."
"The recovering market would be a sign that the
perceived anti-Wall Street policies of the current administration will
soon come to an end, as the incumbent would be replaced and that a
plurality on the Potomac might even return as a result of the early
November outcome," he added. "Unfortunately for these presumptive
prognosticators, history indicates, but does not guarantee, that the
opposite has usually been true."
The trend, Stovall said, has been accurate 82 percent of the time over the past century.
Back in June it was reported that Wall Street was putting it's money where it's mouth is, and making their preference Mitt Romney very clear, even former 2008 Obama donors and supporters have walked away from him and are donating to Romney.
Despite Barack Obama's all out war on Wall Street over the last nearly four years, and liberals jumping on the anti-Wall Street bandwagon, (RE: Occupy Wall Street), they will be a very large part of bringing U.S. economic growth back online which will happen much faster if they believe the next administration will be more economy and growth friendly.
According to Gallup, the the top issues, federal budget deficit, economy, creating jobs and taxes all show Americans favoring Mitt Romney as being "better able to handle" those key issues than Obama, with 63 percent of Americans saying Romney's business background would
cause him to make good decisions about how to deal with economic
problems the U.S. would face, while 29 percent say it would cause him to make
bad decisions. A majority of independents say Romney would make good
decisions.
92 percent of Americans believe job creation, which is the overriding theme of Mitt Romney's campaign and stump speeches, is the single most important issue and raising taxes on the wealthy, which is Obama's overriding campaign theme and mentioned in almost all his stump speeches, is the least important of the 12 key issues Gallup asked about in their interviews.
Add all that together and it makes sense that Wall Street would place their bets on Romney.
Last but not least, an answer to Hot Air's exit question via Ace: Wouldn’t a market rally just before the election actually help … Obama?
Yes, unless of course Wall Street strategists and analysts explained the reason for it was their belief that Mitt Romney would be elected president in 2012...... oh, that's right, they just did.
Hammering Barack Obama for what some consider the worst gaffe uttered in the 2012 presidential election, when Obama said the words "If you’ve got a
business—you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.” Mitt Romney follows up his "These Hands" campaign ad with another named "These Hands: Ohio"
Business owner, Denny Sollmann, stars in this ad, admonishes Obama for having "no idea "how we here in Midwestern Ohio have to try to run a small business from daylight till night."
[WATCH]
Transcript and H/T to Gateway Pundit:
VIDEO TEXT: “Sidney, Ohio”
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: “If you’ve been successful, you didn’t get there on your own.”
· PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: “If you’ve been successful, you
didn’t get there on your own.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks,
Roanoke, VA, 7/13/12)
VIDEO TEXT: “Denny Sollmann, Owner”
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: “You didn’t get there on your own. I’m always
struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so
smart.”
· PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: “You didn’t get there on your own.
I’m always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was
just so smart.”(President Barack Obama, Remarks, Roanoke, VA, 7/13/12)
VIDEO TEXT: “Sollmann Electric Company”
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: “There are a lot of smart people out there.
It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let me tell you
something. If you’ve got a business—you didn’t build that. Somebody else
made that happen.”
· PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: “There are a lot of smart people
out there. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let
me tell you something. If you’ve got a business—you didn’t build that.
Somebody else made that happen.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks,
Roanoke, VA, 7/13/12)
DENNY SOLLMANN: “I mean, I’m thinking, ‘You’ve got
to be kidding me.’ He was trying to say: ‘Hey, you didn’t build that
business on your own. The government helped you build it.’ And that’s
what ticked me off more than anything. Mr. President,
unfortunately you have no idea how we here in Midwestern Ohio have to
try to run a small business from daylight till night. Not only my business, but other small businesses around here they’re all scared to death that the path that we’re headed with the current administration is not the path for America.
We need a new path so that my son and my grandson can prosper like I
did. What we need is a leader who truly understands, truly understands,
how business works. My name’s Dennis Sollmann, President of Sollman
Electric and I built this."
MITT ROMNEY: “The idea, to say that Steve Jobs didn’t build Apple,
that Henry Ford didn’t build Ford Motor…to say something like that is
not just foolishness, it’s insulting to every entrepreneur, every
innovator in America, and it’s wrong.”
· MITT ROMNEY: “The idea to say that Steve Jobs didn’t build
Apple, that Henry Ford didn’t build Ford Motor, that Papa John didn’t
build Papa John Pizza, that Ray Kroc didn’t build McDonald’s, that Bill
Gates didn’t build Microsoft, you go on the list, that Joe and his
colleagues didn’t build this enterprise, to say something like that is
not just foolishness, it is insulting to every entrepreneur, every
innovator in America and it’s wrong.” (Mitt Romney, Remarks, Irwin, PA,
7/17/12)
The first video shown below is of White House Press Secretary Jay Carney's, stumbling, bumbling and refusal to answer, when asked the question "What city does this Administration consider to be the capital of Israel? Jerusalem or Tel Aviv?"
White House press briefing, July 26, 2012:
[WATCH]
Now compare that to remarks Mitt Romney made in Jerusalem:
Reporter: What city does this Administration consider to be the capital of Israel? Jerusalem or Tel Aviv?
Jay Carney, White House press secretary: Um... I haven't had that
question in a while. Our position has not changed. Can we, uh...
Reporter: What is the capital [of Israel]?
Jay Carney: You know our position.
Reporter: I don't.
Lester Kinsolving, World Net Daily: No, no. She doesn't know, that's why she asked.
Carney: She does know.
Reporter: I don't.
Kinsolving: She does not know. She just said that she does not know. I don't know.
Carney: We have long, lets not call on...
Kinsolving: Tel Aviv or Jerusalem?
Carney: You know the answer to that.
Kinsolving: I don't know the answer. We don't know the answer. Could you
just give us an answer? What do you recognize? What does the
administration recognize?
Carney: Our position has not changed.
Kinsolving: What position?
Carney then moved on to another question.
Contrast it to Romney's statement:
"It is a deeply moving experience to be in Jerusalem, the Capital of Israel."
12 people died and 58 injured in the Aurora Colorado massacre when a shooter entered the premiere showing of "Dark Knight Rises," and brutally opened fired on the attendees.
The murder charges included one count of 1st degree "murder with
deliberation" and another count of 1st degree murder of "extreme
indifference to the value of human life" for each victim.
Holmes was also charged with 116 counts of attempted murder, according to court documents, as well as one count of illegal possession of explosives.
Pages 7 of the court document that will be embedded below shows count 141 that Holmes is charged with is "possession of explosive or incendiary device" and count 142 is "crime of violence."
Despite Barack Obama, Democrats and Liberals constant harping on "taxing the rich" in the name of so-called fairness, Americans rate that issue last on the list of 12 that Gallup asked about in their July 19-22, 2012 interviews.
The top three issues are creating jobs, reducing corruption in the federal government, and reducing the federal budget deficit.
Looking at the chart above, raising taxes on the wealthy is the only issue listed that when adding those who call it "extremely important" and those that list it as "very important", doesn't even top 50 percent.
Raising taxes, especially on the wealthy, has been Barack Obama reelection campaign theme and was used aggressively to help incite the now, all-but-gone, Occupy Wall Street protests last year, yet it has not resonated with Americans, showing an extreme disconnect between Obama and voters who think there are far more important issues to focus on and want the next president to prioritize as it captured in Gallup's headline, "Americans Want Next President to Prioritize Jobs, Corruption"
According to another Gallup release, from interviews conducted in the same time-frame, July 19-22, 2012, the top issues, federal budget deficit, economy, creating jobs and taxes all show Americans favoring Mitt Romney as being "better able to handle" those key issues than Obama.
But Obama is more likeable, according to that same survey.
Romney's advantage on economic issues likely stems from Americans'
generally negative assessment of Obama's economic stewardship as well as
Romney's own business background. Americans continue to be more
pessimistic than optimistic about the economy, and President Obama has
gotten low marks for his handling of the economy for most of his presidency.
And while the Obama campaign has tried to criticize Romney's business
record, particularly his time as head of Bain Capital, the public by a
wide margin sees his background as a plus. Specifically, the July 19-22 USA Today/Gallup
poll finds 63% of Americans saying Romney's business background would
cause him to make good decisions about how to deal with economic
problems the U.S. would face, while 29% say it would cause him to make
bad decisions. A majority of independents say Romney would make good
decisions.
In November, voters will make their choice of Mitt Romney or Barack Obama and much will depend on what the candidate's see as priorities. While Romney has suffered criticisms from plodding through with a narrowed focus on the economy and jobs and largely ignoring the side issues that come up throughout the campaign, with a mention or some weekend interviews, then singlemindedly going right back to the issues he wants to focus on, that may, in the end, be exactly what hands him the presidency in 2012.
In November, American voters are going to choose the candidate that prioritizes what those voters think is most important.
According to The Daily Caller, who was granted access to a portion of the book revealing this nugget of information, "Obama canceled the “kill” mission in January 2011, again in February,
and a third time in March. Obama’s close adviser Valerie Jarrett
persuaded him to hold off each time, according to the book. "
The writer of "Leading from Behind: The Reluctant President and the Advisors Who Decide for Him
" is Richard Miniter, author of two top-ten New York Times bestsellers, Losing Bin Laden and Shadow War, as well as Mastermind, the first biography of 9/11 planner Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. He writes a column for Forbes.com. A former editorial writer for The Wall Street Journal in Brussels, member of the investigative team at The Sunday Times in London, and editorial-page editor of the Washington Times.
Miniter has also written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, as well as The Atlantic, Reader’s Digest, Newsweek, The New Republic, and National Review.
He has appeared on CNN, C-SPAN, Fox News Channel, and MSNBC.
He has won awards from the National Press Club and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (shared).
Let me say now before showing one of his more recent interview portions and quotes.... Thank you Mitt.
The video below is just a small portion of the Romney's speaking to CNN’s Piers Morgan, but in a nutshell, Romney just clearly contrasted the differences between Barack Obama and himself.
[WATCH]
You can watch the full video over at Real Clear Politics as well as seeing the relevant portions of the transcript.
Bottomline for Romney is that the Obama campaign's attacks against Romney's success will not be successful because "people don't want less success," they want more.
Another key quote:
The idea that somehow making a business profitable is different than helping people is really a foreign idea. Because the whole American free enterprise system is associated with creating success, making businesses profitable. That means they can hire more people and grow.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney met with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday morning in Jerusalem and by all accounts Romney received a warm reception as Netanyahu spoke of "their close personal friendship" at a press conference held before the meeting.
A couple of headline declarations were made, one of which where Netanyahu made it clear that sanctions against Iran — largely pushed by President Barack Obama — have failed to stop that country's nuclear program.
Speaking with presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney at his side,
Netanyahu said a "strong and credible military threat" was needed on
top of the sanctions to get Iran to make a change.
“I think it’s
important to do everything in our power to prevent the Ayatollahs from
possessing that capability," Netanyahu said. "We have to be honest and
say that all the sanctions and diplomacy so far have not set back the
Iranian program by one iota. And that's why I believe that we need a
strong and credible military threat coupled with the sanctions to have a
chance to change that situation."
In an article by Haaretz it is reported that Netanyahu agrees wholeheartedly with Mitt Romney's stance on Iran.
Presumptive Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney
was warmly received Sunday morning by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,
who emphasized the need for a credible military threat against Iran.
"You said the greatest danger facing the world is of the ayatollah
regime possessing a nuclear capability," Netanyahu told Romney. "Mitt, I
couldn't agree with you more."
"All the sanctions and diplomacy so far have not set back the Iranian
program by one iota. We need a strong and credible military threat
coupled with sanctions" in order to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear
weapon,” said Netanyahu.
At a short press conference before their meeting, Netanyahu mentioned
their close personal friendship, stating that it was a pleasure to
receive the former Massachusetts governor in Israel.
With the November elections nearing, the Jewish American vote, which has traditional favored Democrats by large margin, is a voting demographic that Republicans are targeting for support.
Some prominent, outspoken Jewish Americans are also speaking up on what is described as "buyer's remorse" for their 2008 support of Obama and recently the Republican Jewish Coalition has kicked of a $6.5 million ad campaign to highlight those former Obama supporters. One of which is Michael Goldstein, lifetime Democrat and former Obama supporter, in the first of the RJC's ads who states that he has never voted for a Republican, but this time he plans to vote for a Republican. (Video ad can be seen here)
“I was a big Obama supporter. I had a fundraiser in my home, gave
money to his campaign. I really believed in him and believed in what he
stood for. When he gave the speech about the ‘67 borders, it was nothing
that had come up in his campaign originally. That really changed my
mind about him. When he had the prime minister of Israel, [Benjamin]
Netanyahu, to the White House…he was disrespectful to him to the point
that I’d never seen.”
— Disillusioned Obama voter Michael Goldstein, in an ad by the Republican Jewish Coalition
Other recent headlines also include a press conference where White House press secretary refused to name the capital of Israel, five different times. (Video and transcript here and here)
[Update]The Right Scoop has Romney's 17 minute speech from Jerusalem and he, unlike Obama and his administration, states "unequivocally that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel." [End Update]
July 27, 2012, Gallup reported that Americans have a more positive view of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu than negative and in mid-June, The Hill reported that support for Obama among Jewish voters was still significantly higher than support for Romney but that Obama's support has dropped by double digits among Jewish voters from 2008.
A drop in Jewish support for Obama and a gain for Romney in key Jewish areas of Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida, can make a large difference in how those states tally up in the November 2012 presidential election.
Politically speaking, the visit between Mitt Romney and Benjamin Netanyahu could not have gone any better.
Harper expressed profound disappointment after Keystone was rejected, three years after it submitted it's application for approval, saying "I think what's happened around the Keystone is a wake-up call, the
degree to which we are dependent or possibly held hostage to decisions
in the United States, and especially decisions that may be made for very
bad political reasons," he told Canadian TV."
Now, with China's state-run oil company CNOOC poised to cut a $15.1
billion deal--the largest ever foreign acquisition for a Chinese
company--with Canadian oil company Nexen, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY)
and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) are in full backpedal mode.
In a draft letter to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), Sen. Schumer writes:
I respectfully urge you, in your capacity as chairman of the
Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), to
withhold approval of this transaction to ensure U.S. companies
reciprocal treatment.
Similarly, Rep. Pelosi is now sounding alarms of concern. In a statement, Pelosi spokesperson Drew Hamill said:
This deal prompts great concern about the Chinese government's
continued attempts to use its state-owned enterprises to acquire global
energy resources.
Saying "I told you so" offers little solace to concerned Republican lawmakers.
"Do we really want to be buying our oil or Canadian oil back from the
Chinese?" said Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND). "If we don't take action to
develop our resources and work with our closest friend and ally Canada,
that's exactly what's going to happen."
Canada's Foreign Minister John Baird is taking Schumer, Obama and Pelosi down a peg as well, as he makes it very clear to reporters in Ottawa, "Decisions about the Canadian economy, about our
relationship - our economic relationship with China - will be made in
Ottawa and not in Washington or New York."
The quote that everyone should be concerned with comes from Indiana based Cook Medical spokesperson who states "In reality, we're not looking at the U.S. to build factories anymore as
long as this tax is in place. We can't, to be competitive."
The tax he refers to is the medical device tax written into the Democrats and Barack Obama's health care law aka Obamacare, which is one of 20 taxes associated with the law.
12. Tax on Medical Device Manufacturers
($20 bil/Jan 2013): Medical device manufacturers employ360,000 people in 6000 plants across the country. This law imposes a new 2.3% excise tax. Exempts items retailing for < $100.
Bill: PPACA; Page: 1,980-1,986
Five manufacturing plants, each plant would have employed up to 300 people, for a total of up to 1,500 jobs that could have been created by one company, but will not be created because of this Obamacare tax.
An Indiana-based medical equipment manufacturer says it's scrapping
plans to open five new plants in the coming years because of a looming
tax tied to President Obama's health care overhaul law.
Cook Medical claims the tax on medical devices, set to take effect
next year, will cost the company roughly $20 million a year, cutting
into money that would otherwise go toward expanding into new facilities
over the next five years.
"This is the equivalent of about a plant a year that we're not going
to be able to build," a company spokesman told FoxNews.com.
He said the original plan was to build factories in "hard-pressed"
Midwestern communities, each employing up to 300 people. But those
factories cost roughly the same amount as the projected cost of the new
tax.
"In reality, we're not looking at the U.S. to build factories anymore
as long as this tax is in place. We can't, to be competitive," he said.
Cook Medical produces medical devices for surgery, obstetrics, gynecology and other fields.
Conservatives have maintained consistently that Obamacare, taxes, and Obama's onerous regulations, would harm job creation and Cook Medical is just one example of how many jobs are being lost from Obama's policies and agenda.
In mid-July, President Matthew Shay of National Retail Federation predicted "This law will have a dramatic, negative impact on every employer and
employee in the U.S. and further constrain job creation and economic
growth."
• Employment: By this point, the average job growth in the past 10
recoveries was 6.9%. Under Obama, jobs have grown by just 1.9%,
according to data from the Minneapolis Federal Reserve.
• GDP growth: The Obama recovery has also performed far worse than average
when it comes to GDP growth. After 11 quarters, the economy is still
only 6.8% bigger than it was when the recession ended. In contrast, GDP
was 16% bigger, on average, by this point in the previous 10 recoveries,
the Minneapolis Fed data show.
• Incomes: By the third year of the past five recoveries, real median household incomes climbed an average 2.8%, according to the Census Bureau, which only has household income data back to 1967.
But in the current recovery, real household incomes dropped 5.4% during the recovery, according to Sentier Research, which compiles a monthly household income index using Census data.
• Deficits: The current recovery also doesn't stack up well when it comes
to annual federal deficits. By this point in previous recoveries,
deficits were running an average 2.2% of GDP. This year, they're
expected to be 7.6%, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
• National debt: Although Obama claims that he's cleaning up after the
"wild debts" Republicans ran up, the national debt has climbed much
faster during Obama's economic recovery than the typical recovery in the
past.
On average, federal debt climbed 9.5% in the first three years of
those recoveries, after adjusting for inflation. Under Obama, debt has
climbed $4 trillion since the recovery started, a 28% increase in real
terms.
Obama, this last week, stated that his policies were working. In November the American electorate will have to decide if they agree with him, whether the data confirms his belief or contradicts it, and whether we need an administration that encourages job growth and economic growth or an administration that will continue to implement the polices that have job creators like Cook Medical saying "In reality, we're not looking at the U.S. to build factories anymore...."
The terrible drought and unwise energy and agriculture programs have combined to create a perfect storm of skyrocketing food prices and civil unrest. How will this work into the progressive's political game-plan this election season?
WhoIsAdamBoys writes: "The Largest Natural Disaster In U.S. History: The Endless Drought Of 2012 Will Bake America Well Into August"
Why is the heartland of the United States experiencing such a horrific drought right now? At the moment, approximately 61 percent of the entire nation is experiencing drought conditions, and this is absolutely devastating farmers and ranchers all over the country. . .
. . .In a previous article, I included a quote from a recent article by Holly Deyo about why the price of corn affects the price of so many other products….
"Since 75% of grocery store products use corn as a key ingredient, expect food prices to skyrocket. Corn is also a staple in many fast foods. Corn is in ethanol and the main food source or chickens. In addition to this, maize is in many things that aren’t obvious like adhesives, aluminum, aspirin, clothing starch, cosmetics, cough syrup, dry cell batteries, envelopes, fiberglass insulation, gelatin capsules, ink, insecticides, paint, penicillin, powders, rugs and carpets, stamps, talcum, toothpaste, wallpaper, and vitamins. That’s just for starters…
This is a huge heads up for you to purchase corn-using products NOW before these conditions reflect in grocery goods. It will be a narrow window of opportunity.
An excerpt End the Lie "US drought might lead to food shortages and global unrest "
Rising food prices and global unrest might ensue from this month’s worst US drought since the 1934 Dust Bowl, with 64 per cent of the country desperately hoping for rain. . . .
“The drought is clearly going to kick prices up. It already has,”said NECSI president Yaneer Bar-Yam.“We’ve created an unstable system. Globally, we are very vulnerable.”
Food Prices:Since Obama Became President, The Monthly Price Of A Moderate-Cost Food Plan For A Family Of Four With Young Children Has Increased From $819.40 To $858.50. (“Official USDA Food Plans: Cost Of Food At Home At Four Levels, U.S. Average, January 2009,” USDA , 2/09; “Official USDA Food Plans: Cost Of Food At Home At Four Levels, U.S. Average, May 2012,” USDA, 6/12)
And excellent article by the Madison Project confirms what we've all been suspecting.
After a year full of victories for big government legislation in Congress, the forces of statism seemed to have met their Waterloo with the farm/food stamp bill. The more people learned of the profligate food stamp spending and the market distorting, risk-inducing agriculture programs contained in the bill, the more they spoke out against this monstrosity. Speaker Boehner has refused to bring the bill to the floor so far.
Seeing their political stock rapidly diminish, the bipartisan coalition of government-run agriculture took a page out of Rahm Emanuel’s playbook and decided not to let the crisis of the summer drought go to waste. They are using evocative imagery of dead crops and the fear of higher food prices to shove this $957 billion behemoth through Congress. Amazingly enough, the Washington Post of all news outlets has injected some much-needed clarity into this narrative:
"But keep the potential hardship to producers and consumers in perspective. “U.S. farmers face this drought in their strongest financial position in history, buoyed by less debt, record-high grain and land prices, plus greater production and exports,” reported Christine Stebbins of Reuters, after a thorough canvassing of industry and government experts. Farm losses should be far smaller than those suffered in the last big drought 24 years ago.
In fact, the Agriculture Department estimates that government-subsidized crop insurance covers more than 80 percent of farmland planted with major field crops — at least two of which, wheat and cotton, appear pretty much unaffected by the dry weather anyway. Dairy farms are the least likely to be in drought-ravaged areas, the USDA reports. And many of them enjoy federally subsidized insurance against rising feed costs. […]
And before Congress rushes through the farm bill, it’s worth reflecting on all the ways existing policies worsen the drought’s impact. More corn would be available for animals if not for federal ethanol mandates. One reason for drought- and flood-related crop losses is that federally subsidized crop insurance encourages farmers to cultivate marginal land and engage in other risky practices, knowing that taxpayers will, in effect, bail them out. Both the House and Senate versions of the farm bill would increase subsidized crop insurance, thus accentuating this moral hazard."
I’m not sure whether the Washington Post is only supportive of urban welfare or whether they stumbled upon a random appreciation for market forces. Either way, they are 100% correct. . . .
And another excerpt from End the Lie points to the possible result of these policies. "DHS gears up for civil unrest prior to presidential elections"
The Department of Homeland Security has ordered masses of riot gear equipment to prepare for potential significant domestic riots at the Republican National Convention, Democratic National Convention and next year’s presidential inauguration.
The DHS submitted a rushed solicitation to the Federal Business Opportunities site on Wednesday, which is a portal for Federal government procurement requisitions over $25,000. The request gave the potential suppliers only one day to submit their proposals and a 15-day delivery requirement to Alexandria, Virginia.
As the brief explains, “the objective of this effort is to procure riot gear to prepare for the 2012 Democratic and Republican National Conventions, the 2013 Presidential Inauguration and other future similar activities.”
While a separate lawsuit filed by seven states saw court ruling that did not favor their argument against the Obama's HHS mandate, which requires religious organizations to provide access to insurance that provides contraception, sterilization procedures and abortion-inducing drugs, because the judge in that case found the the plaintiffs did not face any immediate harm from the law, a far different outcome occurred when Catholic business owners filed for an injunction preventing the Obama administration from enforcing the mandate.
The Catholic family that owns a Colorado-based company won a court
victory in their battle to stop the Obama administration from requiring
them to provide insurance coverage for abortion-inducing drugs,
sterilization and contraception, a mandate they say violates their
religious beliefs and First Amendment rights.
Hercules Industries, a Denver-based heating ventilation and air
conditioning manufacturer that employs nearly 300 full-time workers, got
an injunction in federal court which stops enforcement of the
controversial ObamaCare mandate. The company's lawyers said they needed
the injunction immediately because if the mandate is enforced, it must
begin immediately making changes to its health plan, which renews on
Nov. 1.
The case is similar to ones brought by Catholic-based colleges that
have refused to provide employee insurance with such coverage, except
this time, it is a secular corporation.
In his order, Colorado District Judge John Kane said that the
government’s arguments “are countered, and indeed outweighed, by the
public interest in the free exercise of religion."
There are currently over 20 lawsuits pending around the country against the HHS mandate.
The RNC is releasing a 35 second ad titled "Again" which will be shown in battleground states of North Carolina, Ohio, Wisconsin, Colorado, Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and Virginia, during the Olympics.
[WATCH AD]
The ad focuses on Obama's economic performance and his $800+ billion stimulus plan.
"President Obama may think his economic plan worked, but looking at
today's GDP numbers, it's clear the president is out of touch," RNC
Chairman Reince Priebus said in a statement.
"Instead of helping
23 million Americans struggling under a slow economy, Obama's stimulus
plan ... did everything except do what President Obama promised it
would: create jobs for the American people."
White House Press Secretary, who has the job of speaking to the press and answering questions, received a question "What city does this Administration consider to be the capital of Israel? Jerusalem or Tel Aviv?"
He refuses to answer and keeps saying "our position has not changed", then goes on to insist the reports hammering him already know the answer to that questions.
Reporter: What city does this Administration consider to be the capital of Israel? Jerusalem or Tel Aviv?
Jay Carney, White House press secretary: Um... I haven't had that
question in a while. Our position has not changed. Can we, uh...
Reporter: What is the capital [of Israel]?
Jay Carney: You know our position.
Reporter: I don't.
Lester Kinsolving, World Net Daily: No, no. She doesn't know, that's why she asked.
Carney: She does know.
Reporter: I don't.
Kinsolving: She does not know. She just said that she does not know. I don't know.
Carney: We have long, lets not call on...
Kinsolving: Tel Aviv or Jerusalem?
Carney: You know the answer to that.
Kinsolving: I don't know the answer. We don't know the answer. Could you
just give us an answer? What do you recognize? What does the
administration recognize?
Carney: Our position has not changed.
Kinsolving: What position?
Carney then moved on to another question.
With the recent news of the massive $6.5 million Buyer's Remorse ad
campaign that the Republican Jewish Coalition is launching against
Barack Obama, refusing to answer this question in such a public forum
and manner, is akin to helping the RJC peel away Jewish votes from
Obama.
It’s a fact—not an opinion—that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital. Anyone
who insists otherwise is in denial. You may wish Tel Aviv was its
capital. You may even wish a united Al Quds was the capital of the Arab
state of Palestine. But those things can only be true in an alternate
universe or in the future. In this universe, in 2012, Israel exists and
Jerusalem is its capital.
Only one of Israel’s national government buildings—the ministry of
defense—is in Tel Aviv. All the others are in Jerusalem. And all of them
are on the western side of the city inside the internationally
recognized borders. The only people who dispute Israel’s right to exist
in west Jerusalem are those who dispute Israel’s right to exist
anywhere.
I can understand why Carney sighed when he first heard the question
and preferred not to answer. He doesn’t want Arab governments to have a
conniption fit.
Former Obama supporter, Michael Goldstein, has lent his voice to the Republican Jewish Coalition in an ad that will be used in a $6.5 million "Buyer's Remorse" campaign that will be aimed at key Jewish areas in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida.
As Mr. Goldstein makes very clear at the end of the ad, he is a lifetime Democrat who has never voted for a Republican and he says "this time I am going to vote for a Republican."
[WATCH]
Other than Mr. Goldstein's criticism of Obama's disrespect for Israel and Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, he also sites Obama's economic failures as a reason he will not voter for Obama in 2012 and why he is suffering from Buyer's Remorse for his 2008 support of Obama.
“I was a big Obama supporter. I had a fundraiser in my home, gave
money to his campaign. I really believed in him and believed in what he
stood for. When he gave the speech about the ‘67 borders, it was nothing
that had come up in his campaign originally. That really changed my
mind about him. When he had the prime minister of Israel, [Benjamin]
Netanyahu, to the White House…he was disrespectful to him to the point
that I’d never seen.”
— Disillusioned Obama voter Michael Goldstein, in an ad by the Republican Jewish Coalition
They also point to an interview where Mr. Goldstein once said about Obama "That was not the man I voted for. I thought I was voting for a better version of Bill Clinton."
Democratic pollsters are on record as having acknowledged that any loss of Jewish support for Obama could create problems in states like Florida, one of the states the ad above and others like it, will be aired.
A nearly five minute blistering attack on Washington's regulatory red tape and how it prevents job creation, given on the floor of the House by Representative Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania, received ovations ending with the chant of USA.!!! USA!! USA!!!
Quote of the day goes to Congressman Kelly for the line "Take the heavy boot off the throat of America's job creators and let them breathe!!!"
On July 23, 2012, Barack Obama attended a fundraiser in Oakland California and claimed "We tried our plan... and it worked."
[WATCH]
It worked?
Four days later, July 27, 2012, the U.S. Department of Commerce issues the National Income and Product Accounts Gross Domestic Product, 2nd quarter 2012 report which shows that "U.S. economic growth slows to 1.5 percent annual rate from April-June, consumer spending weakens." (Source- Associated Press headline)
Gross domestic product, the value of all goods and services produced, rose at a 1.5 percent annual rate after a revised 2 percent gain in the prior quarter, Commerce Department figures showed today in Washington. The median forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News called for a 1.4 percent increase. Household purchases, which account for about 70 percent of the world’s largest economy, grew at the slowest pace in a year.
What does Obama think worked?
His $800 billion stimulus where he pumped money into the economy without addressing the underlying issues that caused the recession? That gave off the illusion that the economy was getting better, but as was predicted, that illusion faded and now the economy is stalling again?
Obama is right about something working but it wasn't their plan, the "illusion" worked but the plan did not.
What is their answer?
Via Bloomberg again:
Consumers are cutting back just as Europe’s debt crisis and looming U.S. tax-policy changes dent confidence, hurting sales at companies from United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) to Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) Cooling growth makes it harder to reduce unemployment, helping explain why Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke has said policy makers stand ready with more stimulus if needed.
Yes, more stimulus because the first round worked in so well that three years later the economy is sputtering and growth is slowing.
Let us not forget that Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer wants the Fed to artificially stimulate the economy before the November elections so voters are tricked into thinking the economy is getting better before the electorate hands their referendum down on Obama's economic job performance.
Manufacturing is down, unemployment is up, retail sales are down and the economy's growth is going in the wrong direction, but the Obama administration, like a two-trick pony show, thinks more stimulus and more debt, and raising taxes is a good plan?
The revised numbers from previous quarters tells us that the slowest recovery in memory is actually weaker and slower than was previously thought as recently as April 2012. The U.S. economy has never been so sluggish this long into a recovery. (Source- USA Today)
Yet Obama says, with a straight face, "We tried our plan... and it worked."
The only way to assure a healthy recovery is to get job creators to start creating jobs again, that will bring in more revenue because there will be new taxpayers in the system. To get small businesses to start growing again because that will help create more jobs and again, more workers means more taxpayers and more revenue. To get investors feeling secure enough to start investing their money into new businesses, expanding and pumping their money, not money the U.S. has to borrow, creating more debt, into the economy again.
Bert Atkinson Jr. over at Independent Journal says this is not a big deal, but staging supposedly unscheduled visits "doesn’t give Americans a fair chance to say what they want. If the President is choosing his audience in his favor .his discussions with veterans about their interests and concerns will
not cover the whole gamut necessary for the proper progression of
politics."
Every politician sets up photo ops or uses real life stories from people that work in their favor. It is not rare, in fact, it is a common practice, but the dishonesty of publicly calling an event a "surprise" or "unscheduled", when it clearly was staged with Team Obama knowing who would be present ahead of time, makes every Obama event, every Obama claim and every story repeated by Obama, suspect.
Mr. Atkinson is correct, it isn't a big deal, in and of itself, but it goes to character and many would see this type of false narrative as lacking in character.
The GOP has come up with a campaign ad that strikes the at the very heart of the argument for electing Mitt Romney and voting against Barack Obama.
The economy and unemployment. The two issues that Americans, registered and likely voters, say will be their top influence in the 2012 presidential election.
[WATCH] - "It's OK"
Transcript:
President Obama came to the White House with big plans. He’d halve the deficit. Strengthen the economy. Lower unemployment. What did we get? National Debt over 15 trillion and climbing. Unemployment above 8 percent for 40 straight months. An ongoing economic crisis with no end in sight. He tried. You tried. It’s OK to make a change.
Undeniably factual.
PS- This ad spoken of with fear by some liberals, and is somehow racist, according to one Wapo writer, which means it must be good because when they cannot address an issue, they always scream racism.
"..........And every time I have seen it, I get an uneasy feeling. The same
feeling you get when you think you hear water dripping somewhere but
can’t find it. To ignore it is to risk disaster, which is exactly what
will happen to Democrats if they ignore the power of this ad."
[...]
By telling potential voters “It’s OK to make a change,” the RNC is
acknowledging all that I mention above. It’s OK to like the guy
personally but not vote for him again. This is not a popularity contest.
It’s OK to vote against the black guy. You gave him a shot. He gave it
his best shot. He failed. And the most effective message is: “It’s OK
to make a change” — and not be thought of as a racist. --- Jonathan Capehart, Wapo
We all know that in a liberal's mind, holding Obama accountable for his failure to bring about an economic recovery because of his policies, and voting against him because of that, is racist!!!!!!!!!!
The timing of the Gallup release is fortuitous for Republicans and Conservatives but even more damaging to Barack Obama considering the Gallup survey was conducted and tallied before his controversial "You didn't build that" remarks, which have offended business owners across the country.
Results are based on telephone interviews conducted as part of the
Gallup Daily tracking April 1-June 30, 2012, with a random sample of
25,464 employed adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states
and the District of Columbia.
Obama approval among business owners dropped 6 percentage points from the first quarter findings and is now the second lowest approval for Obama among occupational groups.
Via Gallup "Implications":
Although business owners represent just a small subset of the U.S.
population, they are of course a critical component of the economy and
overall economic optimism in the country. If business owners become more
positive about Obama and his plans for the economy, that could potentially boost his approval ratings and broader U.S. economic confidence closer to the levels necessary
for him to be well positioned for re-election. Conversely, further
deterioration in his approval rating among business owners could
certainly add to the perception that Obama is not doing enough to
bolster small businesses in the country.
Since that survey was conducted, Barack Obama has made some controversial remarks that has offended business owners. Full quote below, in context, from the White House transcript:
Look, if you’ve been successful, you didn’t get there on your
own. You didn’t get there on your own. I’m always struck by people who
think, well, it must be because I was just so smart. There are a lot
of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than
everybody else. Let me tell you something — there are a whole bunch of
hardworking people out there.
If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help.
There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to
create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you
to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a
business — you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.
Since that ill-chosen comment, Mitt Romney, the RNC, Conservatives and business owners have all responded aggressively.
One example of that comes from a Raleigh, North Carolina business owner, Juan Ponce, who said "It's almost like someone just slapped me in the face, it was me that built this company."
Another Raleigh business owner, Steve Webb, took it a step further and put a sign in front of his business that read "MR. OBAMA I DID CREATE THIS BUSINESS, STEVE WEBB."
Mr. Webb is not the only business owner that took offense.
With the Gallup findings tallied before Obama's remarks, it is not likely that business owners, "a critical component of the economy and
overall economic optimism in the country," as Gallup describes them, are going become any more positive about Obama and will, most likely, become more critical.
[Update] Via Mitt Romney.com, who compiled the list with relevant links.
More Business Owners Have A Message For President Obama: We Built Our Businesses, Not Government:
McKees Rocks’ David Cranston: “It Was The First Time I Was Really Angry At The President.” “David
Cranston of McKees Rocks agreed. He said his company, Cranston Material
Handling Equipment Corporation, has struggled with business regulations
and taxes. … Asked if the comments had changed his opinion of Obama,
Cranston acknowledged that the two had always held opposing views, but
that, ‘It was the first time I was really angry at the President.’”
(Keegan Gibson, “PA Republicans Did Build That Meme,” PoliticsPA.com, 7/25/12)
Delia Meier, Whose Family Founded The Iowa-80 Truck Stop, Said She Felt “Dismissed” By President Obama’s Remarks. “The
businesspeople — Mark Ross, a partner at the consulting firm IGO
Partners, and Delia Meier, whose family founded the Iowa-80 Truck Stop —
both took issue with the president Wednesday. … Meier said Wednesday
she felt ‘dismissed’ by the president’s remarks.” (Ed Tibbetts, “Iowa
GOP Leaders Continue Focus On Obama ‘You Didn’t Build That’ Remark,” Quad-City Times, 7/25/12)
Business Owner Kevin Ressler – A
Registered Democrat From Florida – Said He “Took Offense” At President
Obama’s Remarks And Would Not Vote For Him In November. “In
West Palm Beach, registered Democrat Kevin Ressler, who owns a marble
restoration and maintenance business in Boca Raton, said he ‘took
offense’ to the president’s remarks and won’t be voting for him this
year after doing so in 2008.” (George Bennett, “‘You Didn’t Build That’
Fight Heats Up In Florida With Romney Attacks, New Obama Ad,” Palm Beach Post, 7/25/12)
Small-Business Owner Chris Head:
“It’s Really An Exposure, An Opportunity To See That Our President
Doesn’t Know What It Means To Build A Business.” “In Roanoke,
Pete Snyder, the director of the GOP’s coordinated Virginia campaign,
and state Del. Chris Head, R-Botetourt County, stood before a campaign
banner for Republican Mitt Romney bearing the phrase ‘We Did Build It!’
and condemned the president’s remarks about businesses. … But Head, who
owns Home Instead Senior Care, said he’s disturbed by the underlying
thrust of the speech. ‘It’s really an exposure, an opportunity to see
that our president doesn’t know what it means to build a business,’ Head
said.” (Mason Adams And Michael Sluss, “Republicans Step Up Attack On
Obama’s Roanoke Speech,” The Roanoke Times, 7/25/12)
Tom McAneny Of McAneny Brothers In
Pennsylvania: “I Don’t Remember Any Government Employees Standing There
Saying We’re Behind You And We’ve Got Your Back.” TOM MCANENY,
MCANENY BROTHERS: “I don’t remember any government employees standing
there saying we’re behind you and we’ve got your back. I remember
signing those papers and knowing full well what I was signing and I was
risking everything that we owned.” (WTAJ-TV, 7/25/12)
Ball Office Products’ Melissa Ball: “Americans Do Build Their Own Business, And We Need A President Who Believes That As Well.” “McDonnell
was joined by a pair of small business owners, including Melissa Ball
of Ball Office Products who said she was insulted by the president’s
comments. ‘President Obama is wrong,’ Ball said. ‘Americans do build
their own business, and we need a president who believes that as well.’”
(Anita Kumar, “McDonnell Blasts Obama On ‘You Didn’t Build That’
Comment,” The Washington Post, 7/25/12)
Midwest Tape President John Eldred:“The
Man Has No Idea About What It Is To Run A Business, What It Is To Put
Everything That You Have On The Line, To Risk Your Home For What You
Believe In.” (WTOL-TV, 7/25/12)
Alexis Calleja, A Founder Of A Boutique Law Firm In Florida: “I Was Insulted When I Heard President Obama's Comment…” “‘I
take pride in my work to build my business, and that of my employees to
grow it,’ said Alexis Calleja, founding partner of Hudson & Calleja
LLC, a boutique law firm in Florida. ‘I was insulted when I heard
President Obama's comment that, ‘If you've got a business, you didn't
build that.’” (Press Release, MittRomney.com, 7/25/12)
, New York Times best selling author Richard Miniter, claims that Barack Obama canceled the operation against Osama bin Laden three times before finally giving the go ahead to raid his compound, resulting in the death of bin Laden.
