News and Views is a twice-weekly column containing an assortment of interesting state, national and international political and financial information, opinions, candidate reviews, scheduled events, Tea Party information, meetings and press releases that we hope will interest you. We will now offer a special section segregating media bias and Hollywood bias to give the reader a better idea of how prevalent it is.
Texans Stand Up For Fallen Serviceman: Last week, the abominable Fred Phelps and his miserable band of Westboro Baptist Church idiots made noises about bringing their caravan of crazies to College Station, Texas, in order to let their freak flags fly near the funeral of fallen Lt. Col. Roy Tisdale. As word leaked out, some enterprising Texas A&M students took to social networking sites to organize a gathering to counter the Westboro lunatics’ planned desecration of the solemn event.
The students’ plan worked with flying colors. Hundreds of Aggies lined the road to shield mourners from whatever verbal manure Phelps and his cretins might try to spew. A “maroon wall” of Aggies of all shapes and sizes showed up. One participant tweeted that there were more than 650 people in attendance. The Texas A&M response was so successful that Phelps pulled the plug on his planned sideshow and skipped the Tisdale funeral entirely.
Roskam on Fox News Discussing Full Repeal of Obamacare
Yesterday, Congressman Peter Roskam (IL-06) discussed the importance of repealing the president’s health care law and preventing the law’s tax increases that will negatively affect Americans from small business owners and job creators to middle class families. To watch the video, click here.
Roskam on Voting to Repeal the Health Care Law: “The message is simple, there were false promises that were made, it was characterized not as a tax hike, and the [Supreme Court] has said without any ambiguity it is a tax hike and the remedy is to remove this as an obstacle to job creation, and let’s move forward on something that’s new and fresh, and not be stuck in this thing that really is increasingly unpopular. I think ultimately the public will have the last word on this in November.”
Roskam on the Increasingly Unpopular Health Care Law: “What I’m hearing from my District in suburban Chicago is they have no interest in having a tax hike hoisted upon, particularly when the economy is in such tough shape right now. You’re going to see House GOP continue to fight to repeal this bad law. It’s increasingly unpopular with independent voters that the president desperately needs in his reelection campaign, and it’s increasingly unpopular with women voters who make 85 percent of health care decisions in this country.”
On the Potential for Better Health Care Reform: “So we’re going to continue to push for those types of things we can remove as obstacles to job creation and move toward patient-centered health care options that drive the costs down and deal cumulatively with pre-existing conditions.
“Look, this could be great. We could have a system that is rational again, and where the cost drivers that don’t add any value to this equation are removed. That’s where the country I think, wants us to be going instead of a lot of other political drama and dogma that the White House insists on.”
On the Health Care Law’s Impact on the Economy:“I don’t think with a straight face anyone can say that we’re better off from a jobs and competitiveness and growth agenda point of view with [the health care law] as an albatross around the neck of the economy. We should shed it and move on.”
‘Chorus of Democrats’ and NBC Want to Make Romney Wealth a ‘Central Issue’ in Campaign: In a report on Monday’s NBC Today that could have been written by the Obama campaign, correspondent Peter Alexander helpfully touted the Democratic line of attack against Mitt Romney: “…pictures of Romney’s week-long family vacation in New Hampshire illustrate his wealth. But it’s reports of Romney’s offshore accounts that the President’s team wants to make a central issue. On Sunday, a chorus of Democrats slammed Romney for lack of transparency regarding his finances.”
Alexander made sure to depict Romney as out of touch for holding fundraisers on Long Island:
Greeted by protesters Sunday as he returned to the campaign trail, Mitt Romney hit the Hamptons, scooping up another several million dollars during a series of campaign fundraisers. Among the elite venues, a $75,000 a couple dinner at the ocean-front home of conservative power broker David Koch. And the lavish 57-acre, 40-room estate of Revlon’s billionaire chairman Ron Pearlman. The reported ticket price there, up to $25,000 a head.
In contrast, when President Obama attended a series of equally “elite” Los Angeles fundraisers in May, NBC gushed over him “cashing in” with a “boost” to his campaign from “the financial might of Hollywood.”
On Thursday, correspondent Ron Mott cited a Vanity Fair hit piece about Romney’s wealth at the end of a campaign report.
In addition to furthering Democratic talking points against Romney, Alexander also touted criticism of the Republican presidential candidate from the Right: “…some prominent conservatives are questioning the play-it-safe nature of Romney’s campaign. Just days after the Wall Street Journal blasted the Republican’s team for potentially ‘squandering an historic opportunity.’”
Alexander wrapped up the segment by promoting pro-Obama poll numbers
Holder Plays Race Card, Says Civil Rights ‘Under Renewed Threat’ From Conservatives: In an address to the National Council of La Raza convention in Las Vegas on Saturday, Attorney General Eric Holder told the Hispanic advocacy group that the gains of the Civil Rights era were coming “under renewed threat,” and touted the administration’s efforts in protecting the rights of minority groups and immigrants.
“Many of you know this firsthand – and have felt the impact of division, and even discrimination, in your own lives,” said Holder in his address, according to prepared remarks released by the Justice Department.”
The attorney general pledged that the civil rights advocacy group would “never have a more committed partner than the United States Department of Justice” and touted the administration’s record on those issues.
Eric Holder and the Obama administration will say and do virtually anything to induce Blacks, Hispanics and other minorities in America to flock blindly to the Democratic Party this November.
Unfortunately, far too many are convinced by the lies and distortions spewing from the mouth of Democrats. Black and Hispanics are hardest hit by Democratic fiscal policies of the past five years – remember, the final two years of George Bush’s presidency were restricted by the Democrat’s control of the U.S. Senate and House.
Congressman Joe Walsh Statement on Latest Jobs Statistics: Friday the Bureau of Labor Statistics released figures indicating the private sector added only 80,000 jobs in June and unemployment remained at 8.2%. In response, Congressman Joe Walsh issued the following the statement:
“It’s clear the tax and spend policies of Washington Democrats and Tammy Duckworth are failing Americans who are eager to get back to work. Their excessive spending and heavy taxes on small businesses are keeping the engine of our economy in neutral. What’s worse is when ObamaCare and its 21 new taxes come into effect, it will throw us in reverse.
“Democrats like Duckworth have made it clear they see no reason to ease the tax burden or stop the spending. Tammy would serve as a rubber stamp for the unchecked growth of government that is crippling our economy. In Congress, I have fought to balance the budget, end overregulation and get those hurting in the 8th district back to work.
“As we move forward, I will continue to serve as a check to the overgrowth of government. I hope with this sobering reminder that his policies aren’t working, the President will work with Republicans in the House to change course, get America on the right track and get Americans back to work.”
Sway the Vote!
The Huntley Illinois Tea Party: Every American has a stake, skin in the game, in the outcome of the election of November 2012. Now is the time for us to start talking to our fellow stakeholders, our network of contacts, to share information with them and help them make sound decisions about candidates. Become a Center of Influence for your network of contacts and sway the vote!
We meet on July 17th to:
-Review a process for helping you become a center of Influence with your network of contacts
-Develop a game plan to talk to your contacts about issues they care about and influence their vote decisions
-Prepare email and face to face messages to sway the vote
See you at the Cosman Center July 17th! 6:30 PM meet and greet, 7:00 PM start
Iran: Tensions Brewing as Nuclear Talks Go Nowhere
A new round of Iranian missile tests and Iranian threats to attack U.S. bases and Israel has again increased tensions and could lead to a military confrontation. The new provocations come the same week a new round of international talks were held with Iran on its nuclear program. However, mixed signals by the United States could encourage Iran to avoid precipitating a military incident and instead try to drag out nuclear talks to buy more time to continue its nuclear weapons research.
CNN Asks La Raza If New Voter ID Laws Are ‘War on Minority Voters’: CNN’s Carol Costello teed up a La Raza chairman on Monday by asking him if some new voter ID laws are tantamount to a “war on minority voters.” A CNN headline later blared “Voting Rights on Trial,” as if the laws were going after people’s rights.
After playing a clip of Attorney General Eric Holder promising legal action against any discriminatory voter laws, Costello asked her guest Jorge Plasencia “Is there a war on minority voters in this country?” The two were discussing a new Texas voter ID law being challenged by the Justice Department.
Later on during the 1 p.m. hour, anchor Suzanne Malveaux teed up Ryan Haygood of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund to explain the “core issue” at stake. The NAACP has vowed to fight the new Texas voter ID law.
And Malveaux also relayed Eric Holder’s attack on his critics to Haygood, asking him if Holder “has a point” that the supporters of the voter law against the Justice Department are “politically motivated.”
Earlier in the morning, anchor Christine Romans was much less friendly to GOP Congressman Kevin Brady (Tex.). Romans threw a study from the liberal Brennan Center at Brady, citing that 11 percent of Americans – or 21 million citizens – do not possess a government issued photo ID.
“The Obama administration blocked the law because they say it’s unfair to minority voters who are more likely to not have any identification. That’s a significant number of people,” Romans insisted, giving credence to the Obama talking points.
La Raza board chairman Jorge Plasencia danced around the issue during his interview with Costello, not condemning or praising the law. However, he did commend Eric Holder for speaking at the National Council of La Raza Convention on Saturday.
Shades of Obama. France: Hollande’s New Economic Policies Will Kill Growth
France’s new socialist government has announced it is moving forward with plans to raise taxes on corporations and on the rich, which is almost certain to hurt job creation and plunge France into crisis. The announcement of the tax increase follows France’s move to lower the retirement age to 60, which will saddle the government with billions in new commitments. Expanding the social welfare program and raising taxes on those who create jobs is likely to kill economic growth in France. In a worst-case scenario, these new policies will throw the country into a debt crisis from which it will need to be rescued.
CNN, Unlike ABC, Nails Obama’s ‘False Attack Ads’ Against Romney: CNN’s Candy Crowley on Sunday actually pressed a senior Barack Obama adviser on the campaign’s “false” claim that Mitt Romney was responsible for outsourcing while at Bain Capital. Unlike ABC, which credulously parroted Obama’s attacks, Crowley reminded Robert Gibbs that “this particular ad got four Pinocchios from the Washington Post.” The Obama operative dodged, huffing, “Factcheck.org ought to read the Washington Post, which is the one that came up with a report that said…Mitt Romney and Bain Capital were pioneers in outsourcing.” Crowley wouldn’t let go of the point, reminding, “Mitt Romney was not running Bain. He had cut ties and gone off.” CNN’s graphic for the segment boldly knocked the “false attack ads.”
In comparison, on the July 1 edition of World News, Rick Klein uncritically trumpeted, “Democrats are definitely breaking through by calling into question what Romney wants to be his biggest strength.” He failed to explain or challange the Obama complaints.
Crowley hit Gibbs on a number of economic topics, at one point wondering, “But the jobs are not flourishing now, and folks don’t actually seem to think that the president would handle it better than Mitt Romney, so I’m just trying to figure out what the sales pitch is here.”
London Olympics: Massive Security Investment Lessens Threat: The summer Olympics will open on July 27 in London with an unprecedented level of security in place to deter a terrorist attack. Although it is impossible to guarantee perfect security, al Qaeda and its affiliates in the past have relied heavily on the element of surprise to hit soft targets which will be hard to achieve given the extensive security of the London games.
UK Spy Chief Says Level of Cyber Espionage ‘Astonishing’
UK domestic security chief said last month that the extent and magnitude of foreign, state-sponsored cyber espionage attacks against the United Kingdom is “astonishing.” It was a rare public statement for a senior intelligence official, indicating the seriousness of the threat the UK is facing and mounting fears that China, in particular, is now capable of dealing significant blows to Britain’s economic and security infrastructure.
‘Remarkable’ Protests in Hong Kong Challenging China
Mark Groombridge, deputy editor of LIGNET.com, says the popular protests seen in Hong Kong over the last month have been “remarkable” given that one in fourteen residents of Hong Kong have taken to the streets — and that China is certainly worried.
Japan: Party Realignment Won’t End Stagnation
Ichiro Ozawa, who some call Japan’s most influential politician since the days of the Cold War, sent shockwaves through the country when he recently announced that he was leaving the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) and forming his own party. The news produced big headlines, but unfortunately for Japan, Ozawa’s action will do little to bring about the reforms needed to fix its dysfunctional political system and jumpstart its stagnant economy.
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