BloggeRhythms

Following Leon Panetta’s comments in his new book, regarding his disagreement with the incumbent’s withdrawal of troops from Iraq, Bill Clinton’s wife poured additional fuel on the same fire in Canada yesterday.

 

According to the Ottawa Citizen: “Hillary Clinton said Monday that military action against Islamic extremists in Iraq and Syria is ‘essential’ to stop the growth of ISIL outside the region.”

 

She told several hundred people at a conference hosted by a Canadian think-tank that, “This kind of jihadist extremism is expansionary.” And that, “Overall, there may be 50,000 to 100,000 ‘hard-core jihadists’ in the world right now. I think we turn away from it at our peril. This is a long-term struggle and we just have to be sensible about it, and be smart, and learn the lessons from the past.’’

 

At the same time, although her comments were in direct disagreement with the incumbent's plans for limiting U.S. engagement to airborne bombing missions in Iraq, she went on to answer a question about the stalled Keystone XL pipeline project that would bring Canadian oil to Gulf Coast refineries, by saying, “Well, you know, I can’t really talk about it because I was in the office that has primary responsibility for making the decision. I don’t want to inject myself into what is a continuing process or to in any way undermine my successor as he tries to make this decision.”

 

Which goes to show once again that her answers continually vary, depending on the political points involved. And, just like any other hack, has no real point except getting herself elected.

 

On another matter, it seems that all of the other critical issues being mishandled by the administration has taken the incumbent’s health care tax off the front pages for now.   

 

However, Anne D’Innocenzio, AP Retail Writer, says that, “Wal-Mart Stores Inc. plans to eliminate health insurance coverage for some of its part-time U.S. employees in a move aimed at controlling rising health care costs of the nation's largest private employer.

 

Starting Jan. 1, it will no longer offer health insurance to employees who work less than an average of 30 hours a week. The move affects 30,000 employees, or about 5 percent of Wal-Mart's total part-time workforce, but comes after the company already had scaled back the number of part-time workers who were eligible for health insurance coverage since 2011.”

 

This follows similar decisions by Target, Home Depot and others to completely eliminate health insurance benefits for part-time employees while, “Wal-Mart, like most big companies, also is increasing premiums, or out-of-pocket costs that employees pay, to counter rising health care costs.”

 

Wal-Mart further told Associated Press that “it's raising premiums for all of its full-time and part-time workers: For a basic plan, of which 40 percent of its workers are enrolled, the premiums will go up to $21.90 per pay period, up from $18.40, starting Jan. 1.”

 

Therefore, regardless of how many attempts, diversions or cover-ups are employed to keep actual facts from surfacing, real world events continue to override the continual rhetoric spewed by the current administration. 

 

Which means that with the mid-term elections only about a month away, and very few groups or individual's that haven’t been harmed in one way or another by reams of leftist policies to date, Republicans ought to win both houses of Congress by landslides. 

 

That’s it for today folks.

 

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BloggeRhythms

In USA Today, Susan Page writes about Leon Panetta’s new book, Worthy Fights: A Memoir of Leadership in War and Peace. In the text, the author argues that “decisions made by President Obama over the past three years have made that battle more difficult — an explosive assessment by a respected policymaker of the president he served.”

 

Though not published until tomorrow by Penguin Press, the book’s already provoked rebukes at the State Department and by Vice President Biden. But Panetta says he was determined to write a book that was "honest," including his high regard for the president on some fronts and his deep concern about his leadership on others.

 

Panetta claims that, “By not pushing the Iraqi government harder to allow a residual U.S. force to remain when troops withdrew in 2011, a deal he says could have been negotiated with more effort, that "created a vacuum in terms of the ability of that country to better protect itself, and it's out of that vacuum that ISIS began to breed." 

 

Additionally, “By rejecting the advice of top aides — including Panetta and then-secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton — to begin arming Syrian rebels in 2012. If the U.S. had done so, "I do think we would be in a better position to kind of know whether or not there is some moderate element in the rebel forces that are confronting (Syrian President Bashar) Assad."

 

And finally, “By warning Assad not to use chemical weapons against his own people, then failing to act when that "red line" was crossed in 2013. Before ordering airstrikes, Obama said he wanted to seek congressional authorization, which predictably didn't happen.”

 

After reading Mr. Panetta’s comments, and considering the timing of his book’s release, the question for me becomes: Why do it now, a month before the mid-term elections? 

 

The most logical answer is that, considering Mr. Panetta's background and affiliations, the odds are this may very well be an attempt to help Bill Clinton’s wife in her bid for the presidency of the U.S. Because in addition to mentioning her specifically while discussing the arming of Syrian rebels, he also said in the interview that, “[S]he would be a "great" president. One thing about the Clintons is, they want to get it done," he says, in words that draw an implicit contrast with Obama. "When it comes to being president of the United States, it's one thing to talk a good game. It's another thing to deliver, to make things happen."

 

Now, as far as Mr. Panetta himself goes, “At first a moderate Republican, he worked in the Nixon administration before being pushed out after aggressively enforcing civil rights laws. He changed parties, was elected to nine terms in the House from California as a Democrat and served as chairman of the House Budget Committee. Clinton appointed him Budget director, then moved him to White House chief of staff to impose order in what had been a chaotic operation. After the 2008 election, Obama tapped him as CIA director, then named him to head the Pentagon.”

 

So, he has an extensive and impressive background which makes one think that he might very well have been offered a top job in a Clinton administration next time around if Bill’s wife wins, such as her VP. 

 

The only visible drawback is his age which is 76. However, Bill’s wife is a tired old bag too.

 

That’s it for today folks.

 

Adios

BloggeRhythms

Horrendous problems for the nation continue to mount, in places such as Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, as well as here at home regarding our border’s, Ebola, the Secret Service, the IRS, the Defense Department, rising health care costs, a shrinking job market, growing welfare rolls and the deficit to name a few.

 

Yet, last month at the at the UN Climate Change Summit, according to Levi Winchester of the U.K.’s Sunday Express, US President Barack Obama said global warming was an issue "that will define the contours of this century more dramatically than any other."

 

However, it seems that facts and actual data are suggesting something else completely.

 

Mr. Winchester writes that, “This week saw the 18th anniversary since the Earth's temperature last rose - something that Dr. Benny Peiser, from the Global Warming Policy Forum, says experts are struggling to understand.

 

Scientists from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) once predicted a temperature rise of 0.2 degrees per decade - but are now baffled by the fact our planet's temperature has not increased for almost two decades.

 

Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, Dr. Peiser said: "What has happened is that the public has become more sceptical because they were told we are facing Doomsday, and suddenly they realise ‘Where is the warming that we were promised?’"

 

"They say we can predict the climate and the reality is that they can’t."

 

Because of this so-called "global warming hiatus," Dr. Peiser says climate change is not as pressing of an issue as it once was, a fact that should be embraced by the scientific community.

 

"Climate change used to be a top priority but it has dropped quite significantly - other issues are more important for international meetings," he said.

 

On the same topic, in the incumbent’s home town, nbcchicago.com reports as follows: “Looks like Mother Nature isn’t going to let Chicago forget that winter is coming.

 

The city saw light snow Saturday morning, marking one of the earliest snow sightings on record. The earliest snow spotting in Chicago is Sept. 25, which occurred in 1928 and again in 1944, according to the National Weather Service.

 

The city set a temperature record with O'Hare Airport recording a high of 47 degrees, marking the lowest maximum high temperature in 79 years, the NWS reported. The previous record, set on October 4, 1935, was 48 degrees.

 

The average high temperature in Chicago for the month of October is 62 degrees. The average low temperature is about 43 degrees.

 

So, once again, it appears that Mother Nature’s listening very carefully when mere earthlings take it upon themselves to usurp her powers by claiming they‘re certain about what she’s going to do in the future. She also seems to take umbrage with their smug audacity and doesn't abide by their incontrovertible attitudes. 

 

Which is likely why she chose the leader's home town to set an example of exactly how wrong one can be when claiming to know what an always unpredictable force of nature’s going to do anytime, anywhere or in any way.

 

That’s it for today folks.

 

Adios

BloggeRhythms

The first case of Ebola diagnosed in the U.S., confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday, was a subject of discussion this morning on Fox New’s show Cashin' In.

 

While host, Eric Bolling, panelist Wayne Rogers and two others agreed that a significant part of the problem stemmed from lax government performance in controlling entrants to the nation from known trouble spots, another panel member vehemently disagreed.

 

Jehmu Greene strongly claimed that the problem was due to Republicans in Congress refusing to approve the president’s nominees for Surgeon General. And that had there been someone in that office overseeing the nation's health safety, the incident would not have occurred.

 

In response, opposing panelists began rattling off the names of departments where scandals and significant problems have arisen despite having a director or head. Such as the IRS, Homeland Security, Department of Justice, the State Department, Defense and Health & Human Services to name a few examples.

 

Considering how ridiculous Ms Greene's claim sounded, and in view of the other panelist's ridicule of her stance, I looked her up to find that she’s a Hillary Rodham Clinton advisor, Democratic strategist, former director of the Democratic National Committee Women's Office, former president of the Women's Media Center, Define American co-founder and former President of Rock the Vote who “brought Will.i.am, one of the founding members of the hip hop/pop band, The Black Eyed Peas, and President Barack Obama together for the first meeting at a Rock the Vote event.”

 

Consequently, it’s now quite obvious as to why she took the position on the Ebola subject that she did, because a rational response wouldn’t even occur to her. Because in situations like this one, for Democrats the answer is always political. And additionally, when it comes to problems of any kind at all, for the current POTUS and his constituents, it’s always someone else’s fault.

 

That’s it for today folks.

 

Adios

BloggeRhythms

Flipping channels this morning, I caught a few minutes of Maria Bartiromo’s show on the Fox business network. She was talking to the head of a major Philadelphia bank about his expectations for the economy. Unfortunately, I didn’t catch his name.

 

I mention him, because although his approach was quite casual and completely apolitical, he matter-of-factly expressed his opinion about the economy’s future performance and his plans for his institution's investments.

 

Without making any endorsements of any candidates, or any specific statements about policy, he said he expected the stock-market to rise significantly. He also thinks costs of fuel will greatly reduce stimulating travel, transportation of goods and materials, and leaving consumers more money to spend on other needed items, stimulating the economy even further.

 

He also believes regulation will slacken, making business growth and investment greater which, in turn, will boost the overall economy even further, while helping the government increase tax revenue and lower the deficit.

 

As he continued to paint a picture of the nation’s rebound and all the positive things her guest was predicting, Ms Bartiromo finally asked him why he felt so certain about an economically healthy future. His reply was that he was certain there would be a Republican takeover of the Senate, along with their retaining the House.

 

Therefore, my question for today is that since there’s no doubt that the Philadelphia banker’s correct in his predictions and expected economic results, what is about Democrats that makes them despise success to the extent that they’ll kill the nation’s productivity to bring everyone else down to their level of misery and abject failure?    

 

Then again, although knowing that they’ve decimated the nation’s financial performance, Democrat’s continue trying to convince the voting public that things are better today than they were in 2008.

 

In that regard, Dem’s are touting yesterday’s unemployment rate which reduced to 5.9%, the lowest print since the summer of 2008. However, that’s primarily because the administration changed the formula, eliminating those out of the work force because they’ve simply given up their job search.

 

Therefore, to get a true picture you have to look at what the Bureau of Labor Statistics calls "U-6," which includes the "total unemployed, plus all marginally attached workers plus total employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of all civilian labor force plus all marginally attached workers." And although that rate fell in September to 11.8 percent, double the government's newly devised rate, it’s the first time it was below 12% since October 2008.

 

Furthermore, aside from a politically favorable change in the unemployment rate calculation method producing an artificially lower number, the labor force participation rate has also collapsed. It slid from an already three decade low 62.8% to 62.7% in September, the lowest in over 36 years, matching February 1978 lows. And while according to the Household Survey, 232,000 people found jobs, what is more disturbing is that the people not in the labor force, rose to a new record high, increasing by 315,000 to 92.6 million.

 

So, the problem the Democrats have at the moment is that no matter how they try to manipulate data and statistics, the real-world results indicate something else. And just like the banker from Philadelphia this morning explained, when they go to the voting booths folks aren’t going to think about or remember manipulated political gibberish, they’re going to elect candidates they believe are going to make things better for them in the real world.

 

That’s it for today folks.

 

Adios

BloggeRhythms

Casino magnate Steve Wynn of Wynn Resorts has made most of his money in Macau, China, where he's worked closely with the Chinese government for a dozen years. He’s quite well known for his vociferous complaints about over-regulation of businesses in the U.S., government interference and the difficulties that have arisen particularly from the current administration, major reasons for his concentrating his efforts outside the nation.   

 

I mention him today because in an interview with CNBC’s Jane Wells, he summed up the ills of national leadership briefly, accurately and succinctly, saying: “I am stunned at the immaturity of this administration. ... We elected a man as president who had no experience at anything."

 

And that says it all.

 

That’s it for today folks.

 

Adios

BloggeRhythms

As mentioned yesterday, the incumbent likely made another very big mistake by trying to throw his intelligence people under the bus when trying to dodge responsibility for ISIL' rise in Iraq and Syria. However, errors like that often happen when politicians put themselves and their rhetoric above the facts.

 

Fox News.com reports today that Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, “in a memo to staff sent Tuesday, made clear his officers have been on the case for a while. 

 

"I'm proud of the [intelligence community's] efforts over the past two years to monitor, assess and call attention to the expansion of ISIL, and I know the president has found that work to be critical to developing his strategy." And by doing that, Director Clapper’s establishing that he told the incumbent about the dangers of ISIL at least two years ago. 

 

On a separate issue, factual data has once again proven that the economy–killing Democrat philosophy of tax and spend simply doesn’t work, primarily because it can’t.

 

Paul Bedard writes in The Washington Examiner that: “The Northeast, once the nation’s political engine that produced presidents, House speakers and Senate giants including the late Edward M. Kennedy, is losing clout in Washington as citizens flee the high-tax region, according to experts worried about the trend.

 

The Census Bureau reports that population growth has shifted to the South and the result is that the 11 states that make up the Northeast are being bled dry of representation in Washington.

 

Critics blame rising taxes in states such as Massachusetts and Connecticut for limiting population growth in the Northeast to just 15 percent from 1983 to 2013, while the rest of the nation grew more than 41 percent.”

 

Now, while this population shift directly relates to productive people realizing that they can no longer afford to live in environments where they were being taxed far too greatly, and thus decided to relocate, there’s also a very good chance that it portends how many will vote in the upcoming November elections. And if the vote turns out to be in synch with citizens unhappiness regarding taxation issues, the Democrat losses are going to be historically huge.   

 

And then there’s this commentary from El Rushbo yesterday about the ramifications of the incumbent’s ISIL misjudgments, and his claim that the rapid growth of the terrorist organization was surprising.

 

It’s noteworthy because in drawing a comparison, Rush used climate-change to illustrate how the dialog changes depending upon the point the continually dodging and weaving POTUS is trying to make. 

 

Talking about State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf, Rush quoted her as saying, “Even ISIL itself was probably surprised by how quickly they were able to take territory."

 

Therefore, Rush explained, “ISIS underestimated ISIS! ISIS underestimated itself.  It had no clue how good it was.  Now, keep in mind, these are the same Obama flacks who say they couldn't predict what the Iraqis would do.”

 

However, although, “They couldn't predict how big ISIS was gonna get. ISIS couldn't even predict that, and yet these are the same people that claim to be able to predict the weather and climate change 50 or a hundred years from now.” 

 

And if those aren’t perfect examples of biased political gibberish employed to sell a fable for self-serving purposes, I don’t know what is. Which is why, once again when it comes to getting to the heart of issues and sorting out the facts from the smoke and the hype, there's nobody better at it than Rushbo.

 

That’s it for today folks.

 

Adios