Showing posts with label US Senate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label US Senate. Show all posts

In Debate, Mandela Barnes Dismissed Union Members in 49 Other States (Analyzing the Lie)

I couldn't let this go without comment. In last night's election debate (October 13, 2022) between U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R) and challenger Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes (D), Barnes began his opening statement with a lie. 

"My story is a Wisconsin story, only possible here, being raised in a union household."  (Emphasis mine; video below.)

Mandela Barnes: "Only in Wisconsin"

WAIT, WHAT? Let's get this straight. NOWHERE ELSE in America, but "ONLY IN WISCONSIN," can someone be raised in a union household? Really? Is it possible that there are no "union households" in other states? Well, no, it's not.

Barnes's lie might seem like an innocent exaggeration. But it's not, really. It shows a willingness on his part to distort the truth, to fabricate his own version of reality, and to knowingly mislead voters. Perhaps the most disturbing thing about it is that some Wisconsin voters heard that lie, raised their clenched their fists in the air over their couches, and screamed, "Yeah, man, only in Wisconsin!"

According to a January 2022 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

"In 2021, the number of men who were union members, at 7.5 million, changed little, while the number of women who were union members declined by 182,000 to 6.5 million. The unionization rate for men decreased by 0.4 percentage point over the year to 10.6 percent." 

New White House Petition Asks Sen. Diane Feinstein Be Tried For Treason

Dec. 28, 2012 - A new petition to the White House asks that U.S. Senatrix Diane Feinstein (D-Calif) be tried in federal court "for treason to the Constitution." 

Feinstein, says the petition, "has made it clear she does not believe in the Constitution or the inalienable rights of Americans to keep and bear arms." (See full text below.)

The petition is undoubtedly inspired by an anti-assault weapon bill that Feinstein will introduce at the start of the next Congress. Equally certain is that Feinstein is doing this to make political hay out of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14. And just how do we know an "assault weapon" ban would NOT have stopped Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza? Because it didn't, points out Reason.com.

Diane Feinstein hates
the U.S. Constitution
There is confusion over whether Lanza used a Bushmaster AR-15 rifle at the school, but a report by NBC News (watch this video) says that state and federal officials said that while four handguns were found in the school, no long gun seemed to have been used. Lanza's Bushmaster AR-15 was still in the trunk of his car, where police found it unused at the scene. By the way: The Bushmaster AR-15 is not an "assault weapon." The video even shows police removing Lanza's Bushmaster from the car trunk.

The anti-Feinstein petition was posted on Dec. 27.  As of 4:50 p.m. EST today, it had garnered 4,741 signatures, needing another 20,259 to reach the required 25,000 for the White House staff will review it, "ensure it’s sent to the appropriate policy experts, and issue an official response." The petition is non-binding and will probably just be laughed off by anti-gun White House staffers, sympathetic to Feinstein, when they "review" it.

Peter Ferrara, contributor at Forbes, has a few words to say today about Feinstein's pending bill and the nonsensical hysteria about "assault weapons" in general.

Ferrara wrote that "assault weapon" is a term that "is just a PR stunt that fools the gullible and easily deluded. It is defined in legislation by cosmetic features that frighten white bread suburbanites, but do not involve any functionality of any gun. We tried it, conservatives said it wouldn’t work, and it didn’t work. Yet, it is the liberal answer to the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown, Conn." Ferrara adds, "A Connecticut state law already banned assault weapons. The difference that made in stopping the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary: zero, zilch, nada, as the saying goes."

Cunning Stunt: Feinstein and some scary props.
Jacob Sullum at RedState points out that "the term assault weapon was invented by the anti-gun lobby as a way of blurring the distinction between military-style semiautomatics, which fire once per trigger pull, and selective-fire assault rifles, which can be set to fire continuously (a distinction that President Obama, who wants to bring back the 'assault weapon' ban, either does not grasp or deliberately obscures).... Guns are not 'assault weapons' until legislators arbitrarily decide they are."

Of course, none of these inconvenient facts matter to the anti-gun folks because they want all guns to be banned. A.W.R. Hawkins, lately of Breitbart.com, would agree with me. The attack on so-called "assault weapons" is a clever emotional use of language that allows them, as Peter Ferrara wrote, to "fool the gullible and easily deluded."

Watch the video above, in which Feinstein discusses her treasonous, anti-Constitution, anti-Bill of Rights assault weapons legislation bill in a guest appearance on PBS Newshour, Dec. 17.

In a scholarly thesis titled "Rational Basis Analysis of 'Assault Weapon' Prohibition," David B. Kopel examined the constitutionality and justification for banning such guns. His conclusion, in part (with my emphasis added):
"The demand for 'assault weapon' prohibition is often accompanied by a self-righteous insistence that only a criminal or a maniac would oppose prohibiting extremely dangerous firearms which have no legitimate use and are the criminal weapon of choice. But the closer one looks at the reasons given for 'assault weapon' bans the less one sees. The prohibition is no more rational than a prohibition on beer based on legislative 'findings' that beer grows on trees, that a single sip always causes instant physical addiction, and that beer is more dangerous than other alcohol because it is stored in aluminum containers. If the rational basis test means anything, it means that an 'assault weapon' prohibition is unlawful."
The full text of the petition against Diane Feinstein:

WE PETITION THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO:

Try Senator Dianne Feinstein in a Federal Court For Treason To The Constitution

The Constitution was written to restrain the government. No amendment is more important for this purpose than the 2nd amendment. The 2nd amendment was written so the power could be kept with the citizenry in the face of a tyrannical government. It was well understood the Constitution acknowledged certain rights that could not be limited by government.

Senator Dianne Feinstein has made it clear she does not believe in the Constitution or the inalienable rights of Americans to keep and bear arms. She is actively working to destroy the 2nd amendment with her 2013 assault weapons ban. For this reason we the people of the united States petition for her to be tried in Federal Court for treason to the Constitution.

An outline of her bill may be found here:

http://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public

Created: Dec 27, 2012
Issues: Firearms

Related:

UPDATED: Sen. Mark Kirk Suffers Stroke, Recovering Nicely

English: Official portrait of United States Se...Image via Wikipedia
UPDATE, JAN. 24, 2012 - We are happy to report that Mark Kirk is recovering quickly from the stroke he suffered last weekend. He is breathing on his own after undergoing three hours of surgery - and he's already asking for his Blackberry phone.

January 23, 2012 - Chicago - U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois was hospitalized over this past weekend after he suffered a stroke. Doctors performed surgery on the senator today to remove a four-inch-by-eight-inch portion of his skull to relieve pressure on the brain.

Sen. Kirk's said that he checked himself into Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital, where doctors discovered a "carotid artery dissection in the right side of his neck." He was then moved to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

Kirk, 52, "is expected to recover cognitive functions but could have some physical impairment," reports the Chicago Tribune today, "following a weekend stroke, the neurosurgeon who operated on the senator said today following three-hour surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital."

The Tribune quotes Dr. Richard Fessler as saying that the stroke may leave Sen. Kirk with limited movement of his left arm and/or leg, and could cause some facial paralysis.

"Fortunately," said Dr. Fessler, "the stroke was not on the left side of his brain, in which case it would affect his ability to speak, understand and think."

Sen. Kirk, a Republican, is the junior Senator from Illinois and a former member of the House of Representatives. He currently holds the U.S. Senate seat in Chicago that was once held by Barack Obama. He beat Democrat Alexi Giannoulias in 2010. Giannoulias is a former Illinois State Treasurer.

Chicago News Bench has been harshly critical of Mark Kirk's politics in the past, but we wish him a full and speedy. We also wish courage and strength for his family.
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Libertarians Protesting WTTW For Debate Exclusion

Are the media favoring the two big political parties over others such as the Greens and Libertarians? Mike Labno, an Illinois Libertarian candidate for U.S. Senate is not happy with the fact that he was excluded from a debate last week on WLS 890 AM, which included only Mark Kirk (R) and Alexi Giannoulias (D). Now, Labno and other Libertarians are upset with WTTW (Channel 11) and the City Club of Chicago for not including them in upcoming debates. They stage a protest tonight at 6:00 p.m. (Oct. 27) at WTTW studios, 5400 N. St. Louis Avenue, Chicago (see map). Here is Labno's October 27 press release: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Mike Labno, Libertarian Candidate for US Senate (IL) Responds to Partial Senatorial Debate Organizes Protest of Debate The Mike Labno, Libertarian candidate for the U.S. Senate and Lex Green, Libertarian candidate for Illinois Governor, as well as Green Party and Independent candidates are being excluded from the WTTW "Chicago Tonight" candidate forums for Senator and Governor, tonight and tomorrow evenings, hosted by the City Club of Chicago. We believe that WTTW, as a public station, is in breach of it's statutory mandate regarding "strict adherence to objectivity and balance in all programs or series of programs of a controversial nature." [Labno cited the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, as amended] Further, we believe that sponsor of the forums, the City Club of Chicago, is in violation of it's 501(c)(3) non-profit status by funding a forum which "has the effect of favoring a candidate or group of candidates." [Labno cited the IRS's Restriction of Political Campaign Intervention by Section 501(c)(3) Tax-Exempt Organizations] We are organizing a demonstration for 6:00 p.m. Wednesday 10/27/10 outside of WTTW studios, 5400 St. Louis Ave. All excluded candidates have been invited to participate. Neither the producers of WTTW's Chicago Tonight or board members of the City Club of Chicago have responded yet to inquiries made by Mike Labno's representatives. Mike Labno is the Libertarian candidate for US Senate. He resides in Oak Brook, IL. He is the only pro-life, pro-second amendment, fiscal and constitutional conservative on the ballot. For more information visit https://www.labno4senate.com. NOTE: In citing the IRS's Restriction of Political Campaign Intervention by Section 501(c)(3) Tax-Exempt Organizations, I believe Labno was most concerned with this sentence: "Under the Internal Revenue Code, all section 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office." Labno's got a good argument against the City Club. By inviting only the Republican and Democrat candidates to participate in their debates, they are effectively participating in opposition to other such as Libertarians, Greens, etc. It is an intentional act on the part of the City Club and WTTW. Perhaps they feel that having more than two candidates debating would be messy, but running a democratic republic is messy business. A monarchy or dictatorship would be much easier in the way of stage arrangements and ticket sales for an evening of political indoctrination, but we live in a political system that demands that all voices be heard. WTTW and the City Club of Chicago are ignoring those voices, and shunning the ears that long to hear what they have to say. Shame on them.

WLS's Incomplete Senate Debate

Chicago - Last night, WLS 890 AM broadcast a live debate between Mark Kirk (R) and Alexi Giannoulias (D), two of the candidates for U.S. Senate in northern Illinois. Two out of three ain't bad -- if you're playing horseshoes. But there is a third candidate in that race. He is Mike Labno, the Libertarian running for U.S. Senate. Today, Labno sent out his response to what he calls the "Partial Senatorial Debate" in the press release below. Labno has a valid point: WLS did the voters a real disservice by not including him in the debate between Kirk and Giannoulias. For Immediate Release - Oct. 20, 2010 - Last night, two of the four candidates for the US Senate were invited to debate before the cameras by The League of Women voters which, to its discredit, prevented viewers from hearing all the options that will be available to them on the ballot, Nov 2. The two candidates who were allowed to appear mostly traded jibes and misleading half-truths, which gave voters no real idea of their positions on the issues, which are clearly less important to them than their images. While Mark Kirk's views are hard to pin down, Alexi Giannoulias' mistaken idea that the Constitution of the United States, and the principles of strictly limited Federal power and checks and balances central to it, are open to review and revision was alarming. It is hard to say whose interests are served by "debates" like this one, but it is clearly not the Illinois voter's. Mike Labno is the Libertarian candidate for US Senate. He resides in Oak Brook, IL. He is the only pro-life, pro-second amendment, fiscal and constitutional conservative on the ballot.

Mike Labno, Libertarian Candidate for US Senate (IL) Responds to Chicago Newspaper Endorsements

October 11, 2010 - It's Giannoulias versus Kirk, right? Yes, but that's only two of the three candidates. There's also Mike Labno, the Libertarian candidate, and he's not happy with the Chicago newspaper endorsements - or with the way he's been ignored. His press release today: "Mike Labno, Libertarian candidate for the US Senate, expressed disappointment today that the two major Chicago newspapers had endorsed his opponents. "I'm really not surprised, Labno said, "considering the Tribune's consistent Republican slant, and the SunTimes enduring Democrat tilt ; but considering the political mess that Illinois finds itself in from the unchallenged dominance of the those two parties, I had hoped that Libertarian principles of sound, small government, enthusiastic tax reduction, and vastly increased personal liberties would have received greater attention - particularly with the Tea Parties getting larger, and louder on these very issues." "What really gets me, though, Labno went on, "is that both papers are right in the criticisms that they level against the major party candidate that they did not endorse. The Tribune came out for Kirk, and, in so doing, said that Giannoulias was strictly a party-line man who would vote with Democratic leaders nearly 100% of the time, and that is correct. Giannoulias supports the recent "small jobs" legislation in Congress which is a repeat of the same policies that destroyed the housing market by providing implicitly backed loans, ultimately putting us - the taxpayers - at risk...again An economy grows when there are savings, wise investments, and innovation. Creating more public debt and burdening taxpayers does the exact opposite. Giannoulias will unquestioningly aid in continuing the policies of the Obama regime, which will just perpetuate the same problems we already have. " About his ethical problems, probably the less said, the better. "On the other hand, Mike Labno continued, "in endorsing Giannoulias, the SunTimes noted that in the past few years Kirk has become something of a '...mystery, exaggerating his resume, flip-flopping on some issues and refusing to take a stand on others for fear of offending any segment of voters...We no longer know who Kirk is, where he stands, or what he would do', and that, too, is correct. Kirk voted for, but now opposes TARP and Cap & Trade. He invites us to judge him on his record, but refuses to stand behind it. "About his veracity problems, probably the less said, the better. "I am not a politician, nor a banker. I work in construction, and was compelled to run out of my outrage over the spending spree that the Republicans and Democrats have been engaged in that leverages the future of my daughter and her entire generation. The people are screaming for legislators who are willing to change the outcomes by discarding the policies of the Republicans and Democrats that have grown this government to unsustainable proportions and continue to ignore the Constitution by abandoning the principal of individual rights. Both Kirk and Giannoulias promise more of the same old policies", stated Mike Labno. Mike Labno is the Libertarian candidate for US Senate. He resides in Oak Brook, IL. He is the only pro-life, pro-second amendment, fiscal and constitutional conservative on the ballot. Also See: http://www.facebook.com/labno4senate

New Video of John McCain With Felon Fundraiser

NEVER-BEFORE RELEASED VIDEO (BELOW) OF McCAIN AND CONVICTED FELON FUNDRAISER DISCOVERED: "McCain - Do You Recognize Rothstein Now?" Posted on YouTube by JDforSenate (J.D. Hayworth) on July 1, 2010. Hayworth is running against McCain in Arizona's Republican primary election for U.S. Senate. The Tucson Citizen writes: Sen. John McCain is caught on tape at two Florida fundraisers hosted by a convicted felon – who will spend the rest of his life in prison for a Ponzi scheme that helped finance McCain’s 2008 Presidential campaign – who raised more money for McCain than anyone else – and who McCain now says he “can’t pick out of a lineup.” The Hayworth campaign wrote this on their YouTube site: Scott Rothstein was Sen. John McCain's #1 Fundraiser for his presidential campaign who used campaign finance loopholes to bundle more than $1.1 million dollars. As it turns out, most, if not all of that money, came from investors who Rothstein swindled out of billions of dollars in an elaborate Ponzi scheme, much like Bernie Madoff. Despite his close ties to Rothstein, Senator John McCain's spokesman said that McCain "couldn't pick [Rothstein] out of a line up." These never before seen home tapes tell a different story.

Robert Byrd, Ku Klux Klan Recruiter, Finally Dies

The trash known as U.S. Senator Robert Byrd was finally been dropped into history's dumpster after 92 years of life. Byrd was a U. S. Senator since 1959, making him the longest serving senator ever. Before that, Byrd was elected to the U. S. House of Representatives in 1953. West Virginia's Governor Joe Manchin III can name someone to replace him temporarily, but the state's law requires that a special election be held. "A quirk in West Virginia's laws," reports the Washington Post, "appears to state that the replacement will likely hold the seat for the remainder of the late senator's record ninth term, through 2012." Good riddance to Byrd, a stinking piece of garbage and former Klan member. That's right, the Democrat from West Virginia was, for many years, a recruiter and officer in the Ku Klux Klan. I would join in the knee-jerk chorus and say "rest in piece," but I cannot bring myself to say it. Frankly, I hope Byrd rots in Hell. He was a racist before he was elected to the Senate, and undoubtedly remained one until he expelled his last foul breath. Oh, liberals will be offended by these disrespectful words for the dearly departed, but were they offended by Byrd's disrespect for so many of the living? "I shall never fight in the armed forces with a Negro by my side… Rather I should die a thousand times, and see Old Glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again, than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds." ~ Letter from Robert C. Byrd, to Sen. Theodore Bilbo (D-MS), 1944 In March, 2001 Michelle Malkin wrote that Byrd, an "ex-Klansman," "allegedly ended his ties with the group in 1943. He may have stopped paying dues, but he continued to pay homage to the KKK. Republicans in West Virginia discovered a letter Sen. Byrd had written to the Imperial Wizard of the KKK three years after he says he abandoned the group. He wrote: 'The Klan is needed today as never before and I am anxious to see its rebirth here in West Virginia' and 'in every state in the Union'." (Source: Capitalism Magazine) Malkin went on to note that Byrd filibustered the 1964 Civil Rights Act (which was supported by a majority of Republicans) for more than 14 hours. What a guy, huh? The Democrat Party's presence in the Senate, as explained by The Badger Herald, will not be changed by Byrd's long overdue departure: "The balance of power will remain the same, as West Virginia has a Democrat Governor that will name Byrd’s replacement. However, the Democratic party has lost a huge Socialist leader and one of the most prolific producers of pork barrel spending this nation has ever seen. You can’t drive down a road or walk into a government building in W.Va. without it being named after Byrd." The liberal-leaning Mainstream Media has always downplayed Byrd's KKK membership, and continues to do so today. In a laughable piece on cbsnews.com today, we read that "After six years in the West Virginia legislature, Byrd was elected to the U.S. House in 1952 in a race in which his brief Klan membership became an issue. He said he joined because of its anti-communism." Really? Anti-communism? Then how does CBS account for Byrd writing about "race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds?" The man was clearly a racist who hated non-whites. He may or may not have been "anti-communist," but that doesn't explain his vile attitude towards "race mongrels" or his neo-communist pattern of voting in Washington. All that racism can be forgiven by liberals, of course, because Byrd was a useful tool who voted their way. His politics, you'll be told by the MSM, "evolved" and he was redeemed. That only applies to those on the Left, of course -- no conservative would ever be described as "evolving" by liberals, much less forgiven for past transgressions. Byrd joined the Ku Klux Klan when he was 24 in 1942. His local chapter unanimously elected him the top officer of their unit.According to Byrd, a Klan official told him, "You have a talent for leadership, Bob... The country needs young men like you in the leadership of the nation." Byrd later recalled, "suddenly lights flashed in my mind! Someone important had recognized my abilities! I was only 23 or 24 years old, and the thought of a political career had never really hit me. But strike me that night, it did." Byrd held the titles Kleagle (recruiter) and Exalted Cyclops. (Source: Main Street Monroe [Ohio]) RELATED: MSM Can't Bring Itself to Mention Robert Byrd's KKK Past…‎Weasel Zippers The Kleagle Who Killed the Civil Rights Workers Impious Digest

"Let Candidates Endorse The Tea Party Movement"

A wise and measured statement from Tea Party Nation about the U.S. Senate race in Nevada. This was sent as an email to TPN members on May 21, 2010 (emphasis added): Our friends at Tea Party Express a few weeks ago chose to endorse Sharon Angle in the Republican Senate Primary in Nevada. This morning, I read where they are now citing a poll, claiming that Danny Tarkanian, another great conservative candidate is in third place and calling for him to leave the race. At Tea Party Nation, we have taken the position that where there are multiple conservative candidates, we should not make an endorsement. We should have the candidates endorse the Tea Party Movement. At Tea Party Nation, we do not consider asking a conservative candidate to quit a race to be an appropriate thing to do. Especially when this comes from a national group. Nevada has many good Tea Party groups and any call for a candidate to withdraw should come from those groups who are familiar with local politics, not a national group. The citizens of Nevada are fortunate to have a number of good choices to replace Harry Reid. These include Danny Tarkanian, Sharon Angle, Chad Christiansen, and Bill Parsons. This statement should not be read as a civil war in the Tea Party Movement. The folks over at Tea Party Express are our friends. They were kind enough to invite Tea Party Nation to join them at the huge event in Searchlight, NV and we believe their hearts are in the right place, just not their strategy. Our theme at Tea Party Nation, as we go into the convention, is unity. This movement must be united to win this fall. We do not think having a national Tea Party group come in and pick someone as “the tea party candidate” is the right way to go about this. Let the people decide for themselves who is the best “tea party candidate” and once that decision is made, then we can all rally behind them in unity. Visit Tea Party Nation's website.

Why Is Roland Burris Running For US Senate?

Kirk and Giannoulias are competing to replace Sen. Roland Burris, who was appointed by former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich to fill the seat once held by Comrade Barack Obama. Roland Burris promised to not run for that seat, didn't he? Yes, he did, back in July, 2009. So, then why does Burris have a 2010 Senate campaign website? Has Burris gone back on his word? Or is he just trying to scam campaign donations that will end up as personal income after paying taxes on them? Just asking.

Jesse Jackson Jr's Trojan Horse For Mark Kirk

Suppose a well known Black, loyal Democrat member of the U.S. Congress endorsed the White Republican candidate who's running for U.S. Senate. Why would he do that? And should the Republican welcome it? "Now, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., who did not endorse anyone in the Democratic primary, is flirting with the idea of backing Republican nominee Mark Kirk in the general election," writes Jonathan Allen at Politico.com. If true, this would be earth shattering - and confusing - for Democrats and Republicans alike. Jackson, of course, is a Democrat. Kirk is (for the most part) a Republican. Kirk is running against Democrat Alexi Giannoulias. If Jackson does come out and back Mark Kirk, that will convince some Democrat voters to abandon Giannoulias. Consider the race factor here: Jackson is Black, Giannoulias is White. Black voters have no ethnic horse in this race, as both Kirk and Giannoulias are White. However, if a Black Congressman like Jackson were to endorse Kirk, it would carry some sway. Kirk currently represents the 10th Congressional District in Illinois. Giannoulias is currently the failed Illinois State Treasure. Jackson has the stench of corruption about him with regards to the Blagojevich Affair. Additionally, more Republican voters would be turned off to Kirk. Many already are upset with him for his vote for Cap And Trade. In fact, some call him "Cap'n Trade." They also call him a RINO (Republican In Name Only). “I like Alexi Giannoulias, but I have great respect for Mark Kirk and his service to the people of Illinois,” Jackson told Politico. Jonathan Allen points out in his article that Jackson and Kirk work together on the House Appropriations Committee, "on which both are senior members of the subcommittee that provides foreign aid." Trojan Horse Endorsement: Jackson may be willing to take some heat for "endorsing" Kirk. Why? Consider the possible effects that I noted above. Consider that Jackson's endorsement would probably drive more voters away from Kirk than from Giannoulias, thereby helping Giannoulias to win. In other words, an endorsement by Jackson would be a kind of Trojan Horse, and it smacks of covert DNC marching orders. Kirk and Giannoulias are competing to replace Sen. Roland Burris, who was appointed by former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich to fill the seat once held by Comrade Barack Obama. Roland Burris promised to not run for that seat, didn't he? Yes, he did, back in July, 2009. So, then why does Burris have a 2010 Senate campaign website? Has Burris gone back on his word? Or is he just trying to scam campaign donations that will end up as personal income after paying taxes on them?

Bye Bye, Arlen Specter, Nobody Will Miss You

A video report tonight from Conservative New Media about the defeat of U.S. Senator Arlen Specter, Democrat of Pennsylvania. The five-term Senator left the Republican Party to join the Democrats and became an ally of the Obama Regime. Is this also a referendum on Obama himself? Well, yes it will. Duh. Also see "Specter rejected by Pa. Dems in bid for 6th term" and "Message of Tuesday's Elections: F*ck Washington, Obama, DNC, DSCC, GOP, Unions."

MUST-SEE VIDEO - Health Care Bill Ripped Point by Painful Point

On April 27, 2010, U.S. Senator Johnn Barrasso (R-Wyoming) ripped apart the recently passed health care bill on the floor of the U.S. Senate. He did not shy away from rubbing Democrat noses in the stinking heap of lies and failures.
xx"A month after the health care bill was signed into law, Americans continue to learn the impacts of this bad legislation.

On April 22, 2010, the Chief Actuary of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released a report that confirms that the law will increase health care costs, raise federal spending, threaten access to care for our seniors and result in higher premiums for Americans."

~ U.S. Sen. John Barrasso web site

Barrasso gave a shocking and concise diagnosis of the health care bill, detailing its major failures in the clearest critique I've heard yet. Barrasso is also an orthopaedic surgeon and knows medicine like Comrade Barack Obama never will. He cited specific provisions of the bill and used quotes and figures from the Obama Regime's own agencies to show just how the bill falls short of living up to Comrade Obama's false promises and lies.

The Hartford Courrant sums it up well:
"The government's own Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has reported that health care costs will rise under President Barack Obama's health care bill. The unpopular law passed just a month ago through one of the most twisted and corrupt legislative processes the American people have ever seen. And now the government is admitting it will fail in one of its primary objectives: to reduce health care costs for the American people. The president and the Democrats are spending $1 trillion that we do not have and our costs will still go up."
Do you still like that "change" thing, Democrats?  We tried to warn you. You didn't listen.

Giannoulias, Obama and The Mob

Pay attention, people. Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias has a sordid past. Even Scott Lee Cohen recently said that Giannoulias has a many more skeletons in his closet than he does, yet the Democrat Party has not asked him to quit the race for U.S. Senate. That's the same Illinois Democrat Party, by the way, that forced Cohen out of the Lt. Governor's race because.... uhm, were still not sure why.

Via his family's deeply troubled Broadway Bank in Chicago, Giannoulias has connections to mobsters and alleged mobsters, including Tony Rezko, Michael "Jaws" Giorango, and Boston Blackie's owne Nick Giannis.

In an April 2 post titled "The Obama-Giannoulias-Mob Connection," we get a good synopsis of the Giannoulias cesspool of corruption and vile connections. Excerpts from TakingSides.com (emphasis added):

For years there have been under-reported connections between organized crime, Illinois Senate Candidate Alexi Giannoulias and President Barack Obama. But it has just gotten tougher for the president’s main stream media accomplices to keep under reporting and Mr. Giannoulias may be the next Jeremiah Wright or Bill Ayers for the administration.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the bank owned by the Giannoulias family loaned a pair of Chicago crime figures about $20 million during a 14-month period when Giannoulias was a senior loan officer. Broadway Bank had already lent millions to Michael Giorango when he and a new business partner, Demitri Stavropoulos, came to the bank in mid-2004. Although both men were preparing to serve federal prison terms, the bank embarked on a series of loans to them.

Like many of us in late 2008, Ross Kaminsky tried to warn the nation about both Giannoulias and Obama (you did not listen then, perhaps you'll listen now). Kamisky's August 2008 post "Is Alexi Giannoulias Obama's next 'not the man I knew'?" brings attention to the close Obama-Giannoulias relationship, which is much deeper than their well-known basketball-based friendship. Excerpts Kaminsky's post at politicswest.com (Denver Post) (emphasis added):

Giannoulias also hosted a fund-raiser for Obama in Chicago in September, 2007, omitting it from his public schedule and keeping it closed to the press. Could it be that Obama didn’t want the press asking questions about a New York Post article published that same morning entitled “Obama's Mob-Tie $idekick”? ....Obama endorsed Giannoulias for State Treasurer when the latter was just 29 years old, but the NY Post reported that “Giannoulias is so tainted by reputed mob links that several top Illinois Dems, including the state's speaker of the House and party chairman, refused to endorse him even after he won the Democratic nomination with Obama's help.” Obama remained a big supporter and is credited with having been an important factor in Giannoulias’s victory....

Kaminsky closed that post with this:

The close association of Obama with a man who seems clearly to be involved in some shady deals with convicted criminals is yet another example of questionable judgment at best and typical dirty Chicago politics at worst. I wonder if Giannoulias will turn out to be the next in Obama’s never-ending series of “He’s not the man I knew”.  You know, like Obama did with Jeremiah Wright.

Now here we are, in April of 2010, asking the same question about Obama possibly abandoning the tainted Giannoulias.

Add another, more current question: Will the Democrat Party of Illinois wake up and smell the stench, and ask him to step down? Perhaps, for now, but considering the stench of corruption that engulfs the states' Democrats, that may only be wishful thinking.

RELATED:
Giannoulias Bank Made Loans to Felons‎ MyFox Chicago
Barack Obama and campaign contributor Alexi Giannoulias SourceWatch
Giannoulias Bank Made Loans to Felons (video) FoxNews via redlasso.com 
Kirk: Giannoulias 'reckless' with bank‎ Chicago Sun-Times
The Obama-Giannoulias Mob Connection - Pat Dollard
David Hoffman Attacks Alexi Giannoulias For Rezko Ties (Video) Huffington Post
Feds and Rezko Piecing together Ayers, Giannoulias, Obama Chicago Daily Observer
Major Giannoulias Donor Arrested‎ Frum Forum
Obama Pal Alexi Giannoulias and his Hinky Broadway Bank... BigJournalism
A miserable week for Illinois Dems‎ Crain's Chicago Business
Rev. Jeremiah Wright apologizes about blaming "them Jews" ... Chicago Sun-Times

Hat tip: Pat Dollard
"Alexi the Mob Banker" graphic by Warner T. Huston

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Evan Bayh Does Not Love Congress - Who does?

by Brian Williams February 15, 2010 - The United States Junior Senator from Indiana shocked the political world today. Evan Bayh, a centrist who was considered an easy win for Democrats in November, announced this afternoon that he would not seek reelection to Congress. "My decision should not reflect adversely upon our president," said Bayh. How accurate is that statement? Bayh - a big time Clinton supporter - was never a fan of the President, although he was on the short list for Veep. However, Bayh's retirement announcement today is the biggest slap in the face to Liberals and Barack Obama that he could give without actually doing so. Bayh's waiting until the last week for candidates to file before dropping out is the one of the biggest insults to the White House possible (the filing deadline according to the Indiana Secretary of State's website is Friday the 19th at noon). The only thing missing was a one finger salute to the Democratic Party. What else should be interpreted from Bayh's announcement? Check out this line from the former Indiana two-term governor, "I am an executive at heart." Bayh has $13 million dollars in his war chest. Is this retirement announcement merely foreshadowing to a second run for the Governor's office? More inquisitive: is Bayh going to take a shot at the liberal wing of his party and challenge the president in 2012? In December of '06, Bayh had his own exploratory committee for the '08 election. Maybe that came from the encouragement provided in 2000 by President Clinton, "I hope and expect some day I'll be voting for Evan Bayh for President of the United States." As a conservative from the "Crossroads of America", I can only hold open the door for Bayh as he walks out. I only ask one question of the soon to be former Senator: Why, at the expense of fellow Hoosiers, did it take you over a decade to discern your distaste for Congress? Crossposted at: Loyola Republicans RELATED: Bayh's No-Run Press Release Leave a Comment * Conservative T-Shirts * Follow CNB on Twitter * RSS Feed

Alexi Giannoulias' $19 Million Crime Loans

When will Alexi Giannoulias come clean? His mob ties and mismanagement of Broadway Bank stink like rotten fish, yet Senator Dick Durbin not only embraces him - he recently became Giannoulias' campaign manager. Consider the hypocrisy of Durbin and the Illinois Democrat Party: Giannoulias and his family have played funny money games with the family's Broadway Bank in Chicago, with ties to organized crime. Even so, Durbin, Pat Quinn and the Illinios Democrat Party forced Scott Lee Cohen to step out of the Lt. Governor's race, based on rumor and innuendo, none of which involved organized crime. Compared to Giannoulias, Scott Cohen is a saint. Under the FDIC's January 25th consent decree for Broadway Bank, Alexi Giannoulias and his family were required to put at least $19 million back into the bank within 10 days to cover the bank’s allowance for loan and lease losses. By April 24th, the Giannoulias family must recapitalize roughly $94 million in order to raise the bank’s tier one leverage capital ratio to at least 9% (Consent Order DB No. 2009-DB-92). Despite Alexi Giannoulias' promise to answer questions about his banking practices if he won the Democratic primary, Giannoulias now enters his 12th day of silence. Even his new campaign chairman Senator Dick Durbin is calling on Alexi to "come clean" about his shady past. * The Illinois Republican Party asks, "Did the Giannoulias family meet the FDIC’s deadline to replenish $19 million (the deadline was February 4, 2010)? Did Alexi contribute to the replenishment? Why did Alexi and his family withdraw $70 million from the bank just before the institution incurred heavy loan and lease losses -- ultimately leading to the FDIC consent decree? (“Alexi Kin Cash In At Broadway,” Crain’s Chicago Business, 9/7/09). How many of the bank’s losses were from loans and leases Alexi Giannoulias approved when he served as the bank’s Chief Loan Officer from 2002-2006? Giannoulias has not answered these questions. Just in case Alexi Giannoulias is still scrambling to find money to replenish the family bank, the National Republican Senatorial Committee would like to help. They have successfully located $12.9 million in losses that we think voters should know about – loans Alexi Giannoulias personally approved as the bank’s Chief Loan Officer. “Broadway Bank is trying to recoup $12.9 million from two Chicago crime figures, rekindling a controversy as the bank’s former chief loan officer, state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, gears up to run for the U.S. Senate. In recently filed foreclosure suits, the Giannoulias family-owned North Side bank alleges loan defaults by four companies whose owners include two convicted Chicago bookmakers—one also convicted of promoting a nationwide prostitution ring. The loans are on a hodgepodge of properties, including a SouthBeach hotel and a South Side shopping center that has lost its grocery anchor. The defendants include 1201 South Western LLC, a Berwyn-based company whose activities include making short-term real estate loans at interest rates of 1% a week, property records show.” (“Suits Awaken Old Ghosts For Giannoulias,” Crain’s Chicago Business, 7/13/09) * “Questions about Mr. Giannoulias’ role in the loans surfaced in 2006, when he overcame concerns about his youth and inexperience to be elected treasurer. He defended the loans as sound business decisions, a claim undermined by the foreclosures.” (“Suits Awaken Old Ghosts For Giannoulias,” Crain’s Chicago Business, 7/13/09) * ‘“The borrowers were worthy at the time these loans were issued,’ Broadway Bank says in a statement. ‘However, when they failed to make their loan payments, the bank took legal action . . . just as it would do in any situation involving a customer who did not repay a loan.’ Broadway alleges $2.9 million in loans are in default on the Lorraine Hotel in Miami Beach. The property is owned by a venture that includes Michael Giorango, 56, who was convicted in 1991 of federal bookmaking charges in Chicago. He also was convicted in 2004 in Miami of promoting a nationwide prostitution operation. Broadway also alleges that a nearly $6-million loan is in default on a shuttered restaurant along the Intracoastal Waterway in Hollywood, Fla. The potential development site is owned by a venture that includes Mr. Giorango and Demitri Stavropoulos, 41, who was convicted in 2004 in Chicago of running a betting operation that grossed more than $3 million in about three years.” (“Suits Awaken Old Ghosts For Giannoulias,” Crain’s Chicago Business, 7/13/09) * That’s $13 million down - $81 million to go. * Source: Illinois Republican Party press release, February 9, 2010 info@ilgop.org Leave a Comment * Conservative T-Shirts * Follow CNB on Twitter * RSS Feed

Mark Kirk Afraid to Debate Patrick Hughes? (Yep)

January 30, 2010 - Patrick Hughes is running for the U.S. Senate against Congressman Mark Kirk. Both are Republicans, but only Hughes is a true conservative. Kirk has been widely derided as a RINO, especially for his yes vote on Cap and Trade. 

Today, with the primary election next Tuesday, February 2, Hughes challenges Kirk to a debate - again. 

The following is from the Hughes Campaign: 

In Early September of 2009 I kicked off my campaign for U.S. Senate in Illinois. I knew that Illinois needed a Conservative option on the ballot and Mark Kirk is no Conservative. So I began to travel the state and go wherever Republican voters had gathered. I went to township meetings, county party meetings, voter education fairs, candidate forums, debates, and whatever else you can think of. I traveled the Chicago suburbs, Rockford, Peoria, Bloomington, Champaign, Springfield, Alton, Effingham, Shelbyville, and anywhere else in the state that I could. I did it all for the voters of Illinois because I understood how important for them to know who the candidates are before they go vote on February 2nd. 

Today we are just days away from the primary election and I can't help but wonder, "Where has Mark Kirk been." Of all the events that I have been to, I have only seen him a few times. He has had no problem going to editorial board meetings and running commercials full of deceit, but he has refused to face the voters of Illinois and answer their questions of Illinois? 

Illinois voters want to know why Mark Kirk voted for Cap and Trade, why he sponsors over $81 million in earmarks for his campaign donors and voted for billions in other earmark projects, why he bailed out the banks that have now contributed nearly $800,000 to his campaign, why he supports partial birth abortion, why he opposed the Iraq troop surge, why he threatens our national security by forcing us to depend on foreign oil and not drill for our own, and on and on. These are questions Mark Kirk has dodged, and the time for dodging has come to an end.

Mark Kirk has ignored the voters of Illinois by refusing to attend candidate forums and debates. He has turned his back to the voters of this state and the democratic process as a whole. 

That is why I am publicly calling on Mark Kirk to accept an invitation to debate me before the Tuesday primary. I understand the hectic schedule of the finals days of a campaign, but the people of Illinois deserve a chance to hear a debate. So the question is, does Mark Kirk actually respect the voters of Illinois? Will he debate me and show the voters of Illinois that he is ready to stand up for them in the U.S. Senate? How can we trust a guy to stand up for all of Illinois as a Senator if he won't stand up for himself in a debate? 

Call Mark Kirk's office today, 847-498-0300, ask him why he won't face Illinois voters and tell him to accept my debate challenge. Help me find Mark Kirk. Patrick Hughes 

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Brown Calls Coakley MLK Day Speech Inappropriate

January 18, 2010 NECN: Boston, Mass. - "I thought it was inappropriate to be politicking when we are trying to honor Martin Luther King today," said Republican Scott Brown after his opponent Martha Coakley's speech at the Martin Luther King breakfast in Boston this morning." NECN has a good video (below) of Brown making this statement. "It was all about politics. I don't remember hearing anything about Martin Luther King," said Brown. "If Dr. King were here today, he'd be standing with us," Coakley said to the mostly Black audience. "And I know that he would be standing with us on the front line for health care, not as a privilege, but as a right," reports NECN today (see video). "The Massachusetts attorney general also laid blame for thecountry's current economic problems not with Obama, but hisRepublican predecessor, George W. Bush." It seems a bit cowardly to put self-serving words into the mouth of dead man, but Coakley had no problem doing so. (One wonders what Dr. King would have thought of Coakley's willingness to impose higher taxes on the poor.)

Not everyone is unhappy with Coakley asking for votes at what should have been a solemn ceremony to honor Martin Luther King Jr.

One of King's children "this morning defended Democrat Attorney General Martha Coakley after her GOP U.S. Senate rival took a swipe at her for asking for votes during an annual breakfast honoring the slain civil rights leader," reports the Boston Herald.

Consider this however: The King Family has long been criticized, as the LA Times pointed out, "for insisting on payment for the use of their father's name, image, speeches and virtually anything that they can claim for themselves or their foundation." So is it any surprise that Dr. King's son should whore himself for Coakley and Obama? Nah. Leave a Comment * Conservative T-Shirts * Follow CNB on Twitter * RSS Feed