Hey, remember when we would have ONE cartoon every Sunday? Well, this week we have an all-time high of FIVE political cartoons for you! Call it rewarding a faithful audience. Besides, this will be the only Christmas present you get from us...
Like we remind you from time to time, these 'toons are on a one week delay. No doubt next week's will be very somber, but it gives you an idea of what we were thinking about before Newtown. Basically, it was two things: Christmas and the Fiscal Cliff. So, when you can combine both, chances are you will make SC6. You can go the Elf On the Shelf route..
The Basketball Season Route....
Or the Three Wise Men Route - or is that One Wise Man, and the Other Two?
But Life is not all Fiscal Cliffs and Basketball... With Pot being legalized in some Western States, even Santa has to be careful with munching on certain goodies.
Meanwhile, North Korean Doughboy Kim Jong Un was able to shoot a satellite into Outer Space, where it's bouncing around aimlessly - but far enough to worry everyone in the Pacific. It's always every son's goal to show up his old man...
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"As our president bears no resemblance to a king so we shall see the Senate has no similitude to nobles. First, not being hereditary, their collective knowledge, wisdom, and virtue are not precarious. For by these qualities alone are they to obtain their offices, and they will have none of the peculiar qualities and vices of those men who possess power merely because their father held it before them."
- Tench Coxe, from An American Citizen, 1787.
This quote may seem a bit out of place today, but in two years, when the voters of the 6th Congressional District of South Carolina are faced with a second generation of Clyburns in Congress, you'll be looking for this quote. We've seen it in the car business a million times: Dad works hard and builds a successful business from nothing - then he retires and leaves it all to his know-nothing idiot son. Soon, said business goes belly up, or is sold to a corporation to avoid that fate. Here is one piece of good advice today: NEVER work for a guy named Skip, Chip or Trey... You're just asking for trouble.
Congress is no different, but we seem to think that the only person who can keep up the 'legacy' of a man or woman is their dolt of an offspring.... Anyone else hear the whispers of Chelsea Clinton getting into politics? F**king please !!! No, Congress is not the House of Lords, and it's not a lifetime appointment. It's where the best our district has to offer is sent to represent all of us - and every two years, there should be a choice of at least two qualified people to pick from. Remember this in two years, when we say "I told you so".... and get ready!
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Welcome back to the return of SC6.. We thought Irony took us over this week, when we posted our "We're Not Dead Yet" comment - then got pretty sick this week. Such are withdrawals from medications. Anyway, we tried to rest up after work this week, and we're feeling a tad better. What better way to celebrate our return than with our usual Sunday Morning fare - Cartoons and Hot Chicks with Founders Quotes!
Like ourselves, the Fiscal Cliff (formerly known as Taxmaggedon) is on the minds of most people not stuck in a fog - even poltical cartoonists. There were a few, but we chose this one... Why? Because Obama and the GOP are being a bunch of clowns. Ass Clowns, if you asked Bobby for his opinion... Anyone want to bet that when these politicians in DC were in High School and College, they all did their studying and projects the night before it was due? I wouldn't take that bet either..
But, not all of life is politics.... So, in the rest of the world segment, we note the conception of Prince William and Duchess Kate's SuperWASP offspring, soon to be known as the future King/Queen of England! Kate was suffering from extreme morning sickness (re: she was puking so much, she got dehydrated), and the announcement that YES, she was preggers sent the media into a tizzy... That stork better haul ass, or he's gonna get sucked into a CNN jet turbo engine. Either that, or he should go back to selling Vlasic Pickles. 'Prince William? That's the silliest accent I ever heard!"...
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We're Back ! Why? Because America NEEDS Us ...
No, you are not seeing a Ghost, or even one of those Zombies from The Walking Dead.... This is a new post from SC6! Yeah, it's been a while, but life has been much more of a priority for us lately than politics. While a Presidential election season may seem to be a odd time to walk away from the game, it's a common practice for us. Why? Because there IS such a thing as political overload, and even though we consider ourselves more informed than most people, we choose not to contribute to it..
Yes, the last few weeks of an election are torture, even to us. It drives us crazy to hear opinions on Facebook and Twitter from people who don't follow it except for the last 90 days of a campaign. Sure, they're entitled to their opinions..... we just wish they wouldn't. We admit it - this is about all we have. We don't work for campaigns, we don't knock on doors or make phone calls. Why? Because anxiety problems keep us from being able to get out often. We quietly sit by, listen intently, then give the best solutions to our country's problems - and we're pretty damned good at it!
Really though, there were two reasons we took a break: first, we changed jobs and moved. Yes, we are now in Laurinburg, North Carolina full time. We went though a home sale (14 months - Thank God it's over!), a home purchase, and learning a new industry. Like we said, life took a big priority. Work is going great, and the past 2 months have been spent doing minor renovations on the new casa. There's more we'd like to do on the house, but the budget is wiped out for now, so there's time to blog now! Lucky You..
More importantly, our health has been a concern in 2012. Ever since we got back to Florence, we seemed to have troubles. We thought we had allergies, and other problems have dogged us all year. It was easy to blog when we weren't working. We basically sat around, blogged when we could, and rested if we felt less than 100%, which occured a lot. Adding work to the mix made blogging almost impossible. We're starting to feel better, and there is more free time, so we're going to give it a shot...
Honestly, we thought we might be done if Mitt Romney won the election. Like Moses leading his people to the promised land, we view ourselves as the messenger of what our country needs to do to move forward - and it hasn't. We thought Mitt Romney would have been a very good President. But Barack Obama won , which was no surprise. What stunned us a bit more was the American People voted back a Democratic Senate and a Republican House.. So, we have all the same players that brought us here. Clearly, voters didn't get the message, so we had an epiphany - America Needs Us.
Given the circumstances we're in right now, there is little option except for us to get back to guiding you and the country to a better place. Is that a cocky view? Hell yeah, but it's true. We always take others opinions into consideration, and it helps us come up with strong, bipartisan solutions... Like it or not, SC6 is back, and we're still keeping the SC6 name. Our 7th anniversary will be here in a few weeks, and we know how important a baby's 7th year is - and this is our baby! We appreciate your support through the years, and we'll try to keep it going at a high level...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quyB8PMTD3o
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Unfortunately, The Gear For This Jobs Report Isn't Hooked Onto a Machine to Produce ANYTHING..... Much Less Jobs.
Yes, we're back.... Even if only for a day. Truth is, there has been way too much more important things going on with us than politics. Although we are kinda political junkies here, we still are grounded enough to know that it IS just politics. Yes, we watched some of the DNC and RNC Conventions, but to us, it's all a pile of BS. Football season is finally here, so if we want to watch cheerleaders in front of tens of thousands of Kool-Aid drinkers, we'll catch a game between the goalposts..
Nope, it was REAL news that got us back on our old Dell Inspiron 6000 - The Economy. Namely, jobs - or lack of them. We'll be honest, we got a bit fooled by this one. Yesterday, we got a false alarm that maybe things had finally turned Barack Obama's way. ADP had reported that payrolls increased by 200,000 jobs, which helped spike the Dow Jones up 244 points. So, when we got out for lunch and heard that the unemployment rate had dropped from 8.3% to 8.1%, we thought maybe that 200,000 had been underestimated. We even had a theory for it - the Supreme Court ruling on Obamacare may have led some employers to just go ahead and start hiring. But, that had nothing to do with it...The fact was that in the wonderfully complicated world of the Unemployment Rate, there was nowhere near that amount of new jobs - yet Obama may have moved closer to getting re-elected despite it. Such is politics.....
You may have heard by now, but only 96,000 jobs were created, about 25% less than is needed just to keep up with population growth. So, how does the unemployment rate go down 2/10th of a point, much less at all? Here is the big stat: the number of people who quit looking for work. That number was a scarily astonishing 368,000 people - in a month. Yep, school was out, and once they realized the Summer gigs were dried up, people flat out gave up. To put it in terms South Carolinians can wrap their brains around, enough people left the job market to equal the populations of Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, Spartanburg and Rock Hill....... COMBINED! The job participation rate is at it's lowest point in 30 years.
Yep, for every person who got a job, almost four said 'F**k It', and quit.... So by now, you're probably asking 'Hey Reino, how can 368,000 people leaving the job market possibly be good news for Barack Obama??'. Here's how. Like we said, politics makes no sense, but there are many statistics that have been reliable in elections - and the unemployment rate is one of them. If you haven't read this post before, take a minute or two to do so, and then rejoin us.... We'll wait.
OK, 15 out of 16 elections, with the only exception being the disastrous 1968 for the Dems, are pretty solid stats. The important number is what April was, and the answer to that is 8.1%... So, where the rate had jumped 2/10th since April, we are now back at Square One. There are two jobs reports between now and Election Day, so the change in unemployment could be as tight as the race between Obama and Mitt Romney. It's pretty simple: if Barack Obama is able to convince America that is headed in the right direction - even if it's only by 1/10th of a point - the undecideds that will determine a President could likely go his way.
We're not saying that is how it's going to go... But last month, we were pretty sure that Barack Obama was going down based on the same evidence. Now it's all up in the air. Do we think people will continue to leave by the hundreds of thousands into the Fall, thus improving Obama's chances? We doubt it. However, with so many variables that play into the rate in flux, we don't know if we'll be at 8.1, 8.2 or 8.0% or under on November 6th..... It may not seem like a big deal, but every tenth of a point counts.
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The Numbers Show That Right Now Is THE TIME To Buy, Becuase It Isn't Going to Get Any Better - And We Put Our Money Where Our Mouth Is..
Having a few friends who are Real Estate agents, you often hear that now is the best time to buy... The truth generally is there are better times to buy, and worse times to buy. Generally. Then, very rarely, everything falls into place that if you can afford it, you will NEVER do better than now. From what we've seen in the Real Estate market, this may quite possibly be the best opportunity to buy a home in our lifetime. In short, if you've been on the fence, get off it..
Yes, not only are we telling you to do something if needed, just like a Stock Analyst who tells you he personally owns, we are taking our own advice. After finally selling our home here in Florence, we just bought a home in Laurinburg, North Carolina. Cheap - and at a rate that would make you puke a few years ago. But why now? Easy.. The fear is always that people buy a house at a price before they've hit rock bottom, and at a higher interest rate. The housing numbers released in the past few weeks tell us that the housing bubble burst has ended for the most part. Here are a few factors that gave us the green light...
1. Interest Rates at an All-Time Low.
This is the obvious one.. Back in the 80's I couldn't believe my Dad got a 4% VA loan when he bought his house in the 1950's. His mortgage back then? About $20 per month.... Well, rates have gone even lower than that now - but they're pretty much done. I started at 3.75% rate, but during the process, it actually dropped another 1/8 point to 3.625%, or 2.75 full points less than my last mortgage in 2007, when prices and rates peaked. The difference between the two in interest? About $300 per month! A key to fixing the housing crisis is right there - refinancing. But, credit is very tight, so who knows?
2. The Price Freefall is Over
Yes, it always depends on what market you live in, but nationally, prices are beginning to recover slowly. In major cities all across the US, selling prices have risen, in part due to the lower interest rates (lower interest rate = lower payments = more house for your money). If you're waiting it out to wait til home prices hit absolute rock bottom, we have advice for you - it's there, and may actually have passed. Jump on that house now, or live in regret.
3. New Permits Are Up.
It's been a buyer's market for years. My agent told me that a recent seller she had ended up bringing $14,000 in cash to the table to sell their house. To us, that' batshit crazy, but some do what they have to do.. There was a glut of available homes, but that is evening out at long last. That has given the sign to home builders that it's finally time to dust off the sawsall, and start making homes again. While it could cause a glut of available houses again, new homes and preowned homes don't always directly compete against each other. Time will tell, but it's a real good sign.
4. Renting is a Crappy Deal
Again, it depends on where you live. If you live in Manhattan, and can't afford $600,000 for a 700 square foot condo, you may want to rent. In most other locations, renting is no longer a deal. My house for example has a mortgage cost of $450 per month. This is for a 4BR/2BA, 2259 sq ft home that needs NO updating or repairs, unless I want to. To rent a home in the same area would be in the $750-800 a month range (and that's conservative). Most rentals in Laurinburg are pretty bad, so it's a no-brainer. Basing the $350 per month savings with the $3500 down payment on it, and my house will break even in a mere TEN MONTHS. After that, it's all gravy... The tight credit market caused many to be forced into the rental market, resulting in skyrocketing rental rates. Buying is way smarter than renting right now...
I'm sure there are other factors that play into all of this as well - and my Realtor buddies will be glad to 'list' them. Sorry, just a little Real Estate humor. We don't overblow things when it comes to buying or selling stuff, unlike the guys on TV, pushing Gold every five minutes... We're conservative fiscally, so when we say it's the Best Time Ever - much less a good time to buy - that's ringing the dinner bell.... Getting financing isn't the easiest thing right now. But if you can qualify, and have been thinking about buying a home, stop thinking and act..
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Welcome again to our usual Sunday lineup. Yes, it's all we've been doing lately, but there hasn't been time to do much else. We'll explain very shortly... Luckily, the campaigns have started to heat back up, so we do have a few things to review in the political cartoon world. With Paul Ryan being selected as Mitt Romney's VP choice, the discussion turned instantly, geared mostly by a coordinated talking points memo by the Democrats through Twitter. But, at least he has taken the time to make a budget - something the Democrat controlled Senate hasn't done in three years plus..
Is there anything more pathetic than a old white guy in his 70's from Delaware saying Y'all? Not to us. We've been here 15 years, and the looks I got the first time I called someone 'Beau' was hilarious. Rule of Thumb: If you were born above the Mason-Dixon line, don't ever use Y'all, Yonders or the like....
And what's the penalty for saying dumb stuff? They send you home for a week or two, and even let your wife campaign before you do... Apparently, there is a VP Time Out area - thought 'potatoe' doesn't appear to be scrawled on the wall....
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Welcome again to our usual Sunday lineup... It's been a huge weekend, but the cartoonists work on a delay. So, you'll have to wait until next week to see their opinion on Paul Ryan's selection as Vice-President. We don't expect much positive thoughts from them, but we always hope... We did like this one to start off with. Barack Obama does seem to be conjuring the ghost of Bill Clinton a lot lately, including putting him as a speaker at the upcoming convention. Problem is, everything changes after 20 years. It's kind of like thinking I picked up women a lot better when I was in college, so I should just dress like I did back then - except that I don't have a 32 inch waist anymore! Times change, Mr. President.....
This one also caught our eye... To us, this lady seems like an Ann Romney fan. Not being one to discuss social issues, we kind of agree with her. It's still the economy, stupid....
But, Top Prize goes to this one... We feel really bad for all those people who live in tose swing states. Getting barraged with all those commercials for the next 12 1/2 weeks must be like being stuck in the 7th circle of Hell... We're not 'curious' about that at all.
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On Friday night at about 900pm, we hit a big mark for blogging statistics when we had our 500,000th hit.... We have no way of knowing exactly who it was, but it was likely a spam hit for Canadian Viagra or someone using the photo of the Budweiser girls we posted a last year (it's our top read post at 3400+ hits). It's actually much more than that, but Blogger only started keeping stats since 2009 - 4 years after we started...
We've seen a lot along the way - two presidents, two governors, three Lt. Governors and a new Congressional district. With our readership steadily increasing 15-20% per year, the only thing that can stop us is us - and we're very close to closing the tent on this puppy. We expect after tomorrow night, we'll explain a bit more, but you never know what'll happen. Thanks to our loyal readers for making us a success - although that total is approximately 1/3rd of what Will Folks claims to get in a single month! But, as you know, we go for quality and giving well-thought out solutions. Once again, thanks for checking in!
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"It is the manners and spirit of a people which preserve a republic in vigor. A degeneracy in these is a canker which soon eats to the heart of its laws and constitution."
- Thomas Jefferson, 1781.
TJ is right on the money again... As much as the media and political machines control the debate, it is the people who control what is acceptable in our country, and how it operates. The Chik-Fil-A situation was a great example of that. No matter how much sides may disagree, most of us tried to respect each other's view, and their right to air them... When we fail to do that, we fail our country.
One thing that doesn't fail us is Olivia Munn's beauty. The Newsroom star is canker-free, with the most flawless skin you ever saw.... Vigorous indeed!
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It's another Sunday, and that means it's time for our usual Sunday fare... That is, if my laptop holds out. Yes, I dumped an entire Pepsi smackdab on the keyboard about an hour ago. So far, so good - no sticky buttons yet. For a week where Congress went on vacation (and did nothing, surprise), there were a few layover topics to cartoon about. Yeah, the Olympics are going on, but aside from the badminton scandal (???), nothing THAT interestingly snarky occurred... However, Mitt Romney did finish up his tour in Poland - and as you can see, what we thought might happen did: no one paid attention. Lucky him...
As for things that ACTUALLY affect your life, the drought continues across the Midwest and Deep South, though we seem in better shape here. Expect higher food prices by Spring, if not sooner - and gas seems to already have followed..
Lastly, Chik-Fil-A Gate Rounds Two and Three took place this week... Everything has already been said - except that the cows are the only ones happy about everything. As for Camilla.... She's dealing with it.
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Unless you've been living under a very large rock the past few months, you're well aware that seemingly anyone and everyone has been pressuring Mitt Romney to release his tax returns for the past ten years. It's gotten so bad, Democrat punks like Harry Reid and former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland (who got thumped by John Kasich in 2010, after Ohio's economy went down the toilet) are intimating without proof that Romney may have actually NOT paid taxes.... It's getting out of hand, but for those of you Republicans hoping to end the pressure by releasing the returns, don't hold your breath - it's probably not happening.
Yes, Romney might have been able to diffuse this back in January by releasing all of those tax returns, but he wasn't a lead pipe lock to win the nomination, so he was likely worried it could cost him. By the way, as usual, this whole mess was started by ourselves - namely Newt Gingrich. One day, we'll stop eating our own during primary races, but this wasn't the year... If Romney were psychic, and knew he would have won the nomination anyway, we're sure he would have let them out back then. Now, it's too late. Why? Because no matter what Romney does, he can't win...
What do we mean? Simple. While Republicans would be happy with Romney's fortrightness, it doesn't earn him any votes. However, he would not be treated so nicely by the Democrats.. It's a fact when it comes to taxes - rich guys can't win. Whatever numbers come out, the Democrats will manipulate them however it makes him look bad. Say, Mitt paid $25 million in taxes at an overall rate of 33% in 2001... Will they say that? No way - they will only point out that he made $75 million that year, and that is EVIL... Yes, making money is a crime to some.
Do we think that is what it'll look like on his returns? We don't know, we're not his accountant. But, we do know that superrich people - whether they earned it or not - are vilified by the political machine out of sheer jealously and the blind will to win at all costs. We don't think Romney can win in this scenario at all, and if we were him, we'd ingore it as well. Eventually, the 'where are the tax records?' calls will die down again, as REAL issues in an election take precedence. We've heard the theory that Romney's taxes are like Obama's Birth Certificate. We agree totally... BOTH are non-issues. Thank God, Summer is flying by, and Labor Day - aka Election Ramp Up - will soon be here.....
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For Or Against Gay Marriage, You Have to Like This Week's Chik-Fil-A Debate That Played Out Across the Country....
Just a quick note to mark Chik-Fil-A Day.. Not from the political perspective, because we try to avoid social issues. But more so to celebrate as an American, and the display of our First Amendment rights. Now, to get semi-political.... Our favorite comment was from Dana Moody-Shriver, who mused 'It would be nice to see lines at the polling stations like there were at Chik-Fil-A today in November.' If only we got as excited about voting as we did about Chicken Filet Biscuits.....
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When You Resemble a Sheep Dog, You Might Consider NOT Picking On Mitt Romney, Because It Does Have It's Consequences....
You want to know why we generally stay away from attacking people? Remember, we said attack, not criticize - there is a difference. It's because when you are nasty outwardly towards others, there is payback. It's called Karma, and she is one mean bitch..
Ask London Mayor, Boris Johnson.. The guy with the hair that makes even Donald Trump ask 'WTF is with the Doo?', took a potshot at Mitt Romney last week before his city began it's hosting of the Olympics.. You've probably already heard it, so we won't review. What he found out today is that anyone, anywhere can end up looking like an idiot..
Mayor Johnson (why do we keep typing 'Major Johnson' by accident?) was the special guest at an event in London, where he agreed to run across the park on a zipline - like the pig in that GEICO commercial. Well, instead of saying 'Pure Adrenaline' while squealing, Johnson's plus-sized posterior apparently was a bit too much to keep the zipline taught... He bowed the line to the point that it got stuck about 3/4 of the way across, leaving him stranded about 20 feet in the air...
Johnson eventually got across, but he hopefully learned his lesson: at one time of another, we ALL look dumb. Usually, it takes a bit longer.... but when you do such a good job of starting shit, God makes it easier for you to realize that for every negative action, there is an equal and opposite reaction... If you want to look at Hizzoner on the Highwire, here is the link.
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While Having to Endure Nancy Pelosi's Partisan BS Will Make Anyone Cringe, There's One Thing That The Whipper Hates Even More....
Time for one of those interesting little stories that we used to do all the time - you know, the ones you miss..... Not much is going on in politics right now, so we're left with amusing anecdotes. Sometimes it's better that way.
Listening to POTUS this week, we heard a neat little national clip of our own soon-to-be-former Congressman. In an interview, he admitted that when it comes to Election Day, Clyburn can't bear watching the results.... At least not in public. We hate to say it, but we apparently have ONE thing in common with each other. Aside from that, we share nothing.
No, he doesn't skip the returns altogether - he just prefers to be alone in a room, watching TV (MSNBC, no doubt - he's on there weekly!). Why? He says he doesn't like all the distractions, but we think it's because you can't drink Jack Daniels & Diet Cokes all night in the Radisson Hotel Enchantment Room....
Otherwise, we don't understand it. Maybe he's being a team player, and can't tolerate watching his fellow Democrats getting their butts waxed every four years in South Carolina. He sure can't be worried about himself losing. If there's anyone who has a guaranteed seat, it's Jim Clyburn. There is some bad news to it all.... as of this posting, everytime he has locked himself into that room, he's always walked out! Maybe we'll get lucky this Fall....
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Word Is Sasha and Malia Aren't Speaking to the WH Press Secretary After He Mentions Raising Justin's Taxes Next Year....
There's a saying - watch what you say, because you NEVER know who you're going to offend... This week's boo-boo (aside from both Presidential candidates) came from White House Press Secretary and James Spader clone Jay Carney, who apparently forgot that you don't mention the president's friends when talking about taxes and millionaires...
It occurred at Friday's WH Press Corps daily briefing. Carney was going on his usual line to continue the Bush Tax Cuts, except for those making over $250,000 a year. As usual, he mentioned various rich people who can afford paying more taxes, including Mitt Romney and Barack Obama, along with a very strange addition - teen heartthrob Justin Bieber. Carney, who used to work for Joe Biden, seems to have inherited his old boss' penchant for not thinking on his feet..
You see, Bieber is a not-so-secret crush of Sasha and Malia Obama. He's even met a few times with the President. Oh, and we forgot another thing..... Bieber is CANADIAN!!! We're not even positive he pays taxes in America, though we suspect he does. Still, of all the people in the world to name, Bieber is certainly an odd choice.... Nice going, Skippy. It did make us wonder one thing: while we're discussing millionaires and billionaires, did anyone else notice we don't hear about Warren Buffett or his secretary anymore???
However, we will give kudos to Carney on on point. To finish, he was asked to comment on Mitt Romney's rough first day in London, but he refused. It's an unwritten rule that you don't comment on candidates while they are overseas, and Carney kept it, but that wasn't good enough for the White House reporter. About four times, she badgered Carney for a comment, stating that it applied to the campaign, and he owed it to them to comment. Carney stood his ground, leaving the reporter without her red meat. Think that there aren't reporters covering the White House that don't have their own agendas? Think again....
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This Quarter's Pathetic GDP Numbers Are Making Obama Wince...
This week, we got more confirmation of what we already knew.... The economy is grinding to a halt. The Commerce Department gave it's quarterly estimates for Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It basically is a value of all goods and services produced in the United States - and it grew at an annual rate of a meager 1.5%... Clearly, Americans aren't getting out of this weak economy.
Like we often say, all of these things are related, and neither camp seems to grasp HOW to fix an economic downturn. Republicans think priming the pump from the top down 'job creators' start recovery. Meanwhile, Democrats are more correct that middle class consumption is what fuels growth - but they falsely think that government spending is what will kickstart it. Add to that the BS claim that continuing the Bush Tax Cuts for 98% of Americans is a TAX CUT! Wrong - not raising taxes is not the same as cutting taxes. It's doing nothing. Only in DC can you say you did nothing, and claim you did something positive...
Again, the slowing GDP is a sure sign that job creation will soon fizzle out to almost nothing, and certainly not enough to sustain a recovery. We need to create 125,000 jobs a month to keep up with population growth. That correlates generally to a 3.0% growth in GDP. Common sense would dictate then that we could expect the upcoming job creation numbers to continue in the 60,000 per month range. In short, there are less resources and jobs available for more people - and that translates into either a rise in the unemployment rate, or a continuation of jobseekers leaving the market. In any scenario, it's not good - unless you're Mitt Romney.
Though the electoral map hasn't shown it yet, another three months of this bad news cannot be good for Barack Obama in November. If he wants to create a long-term recovery, he needs to create a long-term tax plan that business can read and react to. Right now, it's a quagmire, like a bowl of pea soup.. Some businesses would hire, but there is no clear plan from DC. Without it, American Business will stand pat until all the mess of 2013 plays out, and they can see what the landscape with Taxmageddon and Obamacare is like. That means we are in for a stalled economy until at least 2014. It's going to be a long year and a half...
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Since Congress has effectively taken off even before they take a five-week vacation, the cartoonists had little/nothing to speak of in DC. Sometimes, that's a good thing.. The less they work, the less damage they do! Last week's top story in Colorado spilled over a bit into this week, as both presidential camps stopped airing negative ads out of respect for the Aurora victims. Of course, by Monday, it was back to business..
Outside of politics, there was plenty to talk about. We didn't know The Muppets worked with Chick-Fil-A, but not anymore. So far, the 'Eat Mor Chikin' cows are still working for them...It's funny how people seemed stunned that a company that is closed on Sunday to allow it's employees to attend church is socially conservative... We'll see you there on August 1st...
And we pause a moment to remember Sally Ride.. Her being the first woman in space was a big deal back in 1983, and we remember it well... It's another case where today's young girls who have all the options open to them have a hero to look up to for breaking that barrier down....
Lastly, congrats to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un on his recent marriage... You can't blame his wife - we wouldn't be advertising the fact we married an ugly tyrant either.. Where do we send the gifts?
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For a little while here, we've been wondering - along with a lot of political insiders - why Mitt Romney has been pretty quiet during the recent barrage of attack ads from the Obama camp. After much contemplation, we seemed to have gotten confirmation that we were right: it's Summertime, and no one is listening, so why bother? Yessiree, like a tree falling in the woods, if no one is there to hear it, it didn't really happen.
We ran across an article from Real Clear Politics' Robert Tracinski, and it pretty much confirms what we thought: Team Obama needs to try and label Romney now, while Romney cools his heels until next month... Then, Mitt kicks it into overdrive for what looms to be his best month yet.
Two big problems for a challenger is being labeled by the incumbent, and not ever looking Presidential. Obama overcame both of those in 2008 - the second one with his trip to Europe. As far as labeling, Romney seems to be in good shape.. After two weeks of endless attacks that even inferred he might have committed a felony, Obama is still stuck in a statistical dead heat at 47%. Not a good sign. Meanwhile, Romney is about to go on a month-long juggetnaut of good press...
It all starts next week, when he will attend the London Olympics - something he knows a little bit about. Obama can stop by and look important, but Romney's actually organized one of these, so it's hard to get any bad press from that. He continues his tour around Europe, which will lead right into making his VP pick. Lastly, comes the GOP Convention in Tampa before Labor Day kicks in.... Not a bad run, is it.
Of course, there are lots of variables to this... Just like Obama's ads, all of this could slide under the radar of voters obsessed with Back to School and one last vacation before Summer ends. Then what? There's a good chance that Romney's campaign could fall flat the same as Obama's try did. Add to that Obama has the last go around with the Democratic convention, so if Romney is still stuck in a dead heat after the GOP convention, he's in a lot of trouble once Obama riles up America with another of his hopeful missives... Not everyone's gonna buy it like 2008, but many will.
The big problem for Romney is not the nationwide vote - it's the Electoral College, which determines the winner. A 2-3 point swing will not win him the election. RCP has Obama with 250 votes in the bag, to Romney's 181. He needs to capture all the swing states, and maybe one or two not in play now. Florida, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Wisconsin ALL have to turn, and somehow snatching Michigan wouldn't hurt... Still, it all has to start somewhere - and Romney is banking on it beginning next week. If it doesn't, he is in a lot of trouble. Start your clocks............... NOW!
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The House Decides It Needs to 'Go-Go' On a Five-Week Break....
In case you ever wondered why people run for Congress, you have another explanation... Easy work hours. Five day work weeks? Nope. Most are three - if they actually attend hearings. Usually they're just hanging out in the office. And if you want to talk vacation time, you can't beat Congress... Two weeks a year? Hell, they have that beat in August alone - by TWICE that....
Yes, in the ultimate example of shoving insult to injury in the face of taxpayers, Congress - which already has spent most of 2012 doing nothing - is making it official... They're going on a five-week break starting August 3rd! Yes, the rigors of filibustering and spewing party-line talking points DOES take it's toll..
Of course, they won't be hanging on the Pavilion, or going to an exotic island somewhere or the London Olympics - at least not the whole time. Their main focus will be raising money and getting re-elected. They'll bullshit you into believing they've saved a billion jobs and really done something, so you'll vote them back in... Then it all starts over again in January. It doesn't get much better when they return after Labor Day... In the final five months of 2012, Congress will be in session a total or 42 days - barely more than 8 days a month! In that limited time, they need to address about $494 Billion in impending tax hikes, in addition to tons of other issues that they haven't taken on yet.
No, you shouldn't be insulted or angry at DC for doing nothing at $174,000 a year.. After all, they do this every year - and you keep re-electing them every two years, because we NEED them in that spot eight years from now, when they finally get a committee spot. See, it's all your fault anyway....
Our apologies to P-Luv for stealing one of his longtime themes.
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And then there are week's like this, where one story tops all of them... We've been a bit quiet on Friday's tragedy in Colorado - partly because we've been busy with other things that we'll talk about soon, so we haven't read all the details. But partly also because when these things occur, the same old argument ensues, and neither group seems to ever ackowledge, much less listen, to the other side. It must be nice to be so closed-minded...
The main problem is that we have two groups who are both part right and part wrong... Yes, almost all gun owners are responsible, normal people. Then, we have cities and towns that have problems with gun crimes, and need to find ways to address them. Things like these happen, and it's always a single, twisted stressed out nutjob who goes nuts and rehashes the argument over again. Second Amendment rights are important, but do people need automatic weapons for protection and hunting? No. Of course, gun laws generally restrict access to lawful gun owners only.. Is there a perfect solution? Nope... if there was, we'd have done it by now.
Of course, we did have politics still... With nothing else to do, we're left waiting for Romney's choice for Vice-President. Outsourcing might not be a bad idea.. Hmmmm...... VP Merkel? We could do worse.
Lastly, with the Boy Scouts not allowing Gays - but still keeping the fruity uniforms - we give you this cartoon, straight outta 'Queer Eye For the Straight Guy'.... Looks like they're staying slacker, and bypassing the Metrosexual Look.
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Mitt Romney May Have Condi Rice On His Wishlist, But She Ain't Coming
Perhaps the most intruiging news of the week was the Drudge Report's story that former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was a leading candidate for Mitt Romney's VP spot.... While there are a lot of positives, and it sure would shake things up a bit, we have a pretty solid statement to say about it - it AIN'T happening!
This is the down season right now.... The primaries are done, and it's Summertime. Most of us, meaning normal people - not junkies like you or me - are taking the Summer off from politics. That forces us to try and find something big to talk about. Unfortunately, that leads us to prognosticating upcoming events, like the Romney Veepstakes. Drudge Report's story on the Rice frontrunner status could be true, but our guess it's more of a wishlist - if anything at all.
Yes, there are some compelling reasons Condi Rice would boost Mitt Romney's campaign, among them:
Name Recognition
Added Buzz to a Dull Campaign
Help from weak demographic areas
Strengthening Romney's weak Foreign Policy
It'd be a lot of fun to see Condi Rice's name in the Number two slot.. Some are even working on the duo.... like this one. But, the fact is Condi Rice is a pipedream.... She's not running for VP. Added to that is there are some negatives as well. If you haven't been thinking about them, we'll give you a few just off the top of our head here.
What States Will She Pull?
Rice was born in Alabama, but that's already in Romney's bag. Where else does she help Romney? Nowhere. She's more of a national figure, so regional or actual states she will assist are up for dispute.
Do We Really Want to Bring Up Dubya This Year?
She was Bush 43's Nationla Security Advisor, then his Secretary of State, when Colin Powell had enough of dealing with Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld. Bringing Rice back into the fold recalls what killed us in 2008 - the Dubya Years. We need to move forward in 2012. We see a slew of attack ads shwoign Rice and GW Bush all over the airwaves...
No Economic Experience
Do you need some policy reasons for not adding Rice as Veep? We have a couple. She has no economic experience, and in this year of 'It's the Economy, Stupid', she brings nothing to the table to help Romney - or the economy.
She's Pro-Choice
We saw in 2008 what having a VP candidate that disagrees with you on Abortion can do internally to a campaign. Romney is Pro-Life, and the base sure is. Rice is not, and that could cause problems for him... Unless of course, Romney flipped a bit on that. We could live with it, because we don't care much about social issues, but the base doesn't..
It's WAAAAAYYY Better Outside of DC
Of all the reasons, this is the biggest by far... Condileezza Rice is having an absolute blast since she left in 2009. She works in thinktanks, writes books, does speaking engagements and was the object of Moammar Qaddafi's affection for years! Compare that to the mess and crappy weather in DC, and it's no choice. Yeah, you could try to make her feel guilty by talking about duty to country, but Rice has an easy answer to that - I already gave at the office. Twice.... Cut her some slack.
That leads us to our basic conclusion: If she doesn't want to do the job, she will do a crappy job of it, so let her off the hook. Enough with the demographic data and surveys..... Just find a solid if not spectacular choice, and move on. Condi Rice would get a lot of chatter, but it isn't gonna happen....
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Perhaps the best thing about when Congress goes away for vacation is that the cartoons seem to be funnier.... That, and we can be sure that nothing else will be wrecked, unlike when they're in session. It kinda frees them up to look all over, rather than just DC, for intreresting fodder. The first big recent event was the House passing a bill to end Obamacare for the 33rd time. Yeah, it's all political, but hopefully this will be the last time in this term they bother with it - the Serenity Prayer would be good advice right now...
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The other big deal - just from the other end - was Barack Obama pushing to continue the Bush Tax cut, which isn't a cut, just avoiding a hike - except to those making over $250,000 per year. It's a tough sell when even Chuck Schumer is against it, because in New York, 250k isn't a lot of money... The bigger problem is there is still no LONG TERM tax policy. Argue over Middle Class cuts, job creators or both, but until they make the picture clearer for more than 12 months at a time, nothing will work - especially raising taxes on anyone. We need to spend less.....
This week's WTF moment was the US Olympic Committee's acceptance of Ralph Lauren's making the team's uniforms in China... Nevermind that, we want to know what the hell is up with those fruity berets???? Harry Reid was right, but he needs to jump in the fiery trash can with them!
The saddest news was the Freeh Report on the Sandusky scandal at Penn State.... It's sad, but no surprise, that Joe Paterno knew what was going on, and he made some bad decisions in the attempt to protect his friend. The Nittany Lion football program is wounded, but likely not mortally... They might be battling Indiana and Northwestern for the cellar in the Big Ten for now, but they'll bounce back eventually...
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OK, it's been about a week since the news broke that I would be running for Florence County's State Executive Committee position. Honestly, we weren't expecting much positive to come of it, but we've really been pleasantly surprised by the good reviews of my doing so. Yeah, we would expect Earl Capps to endorse me, but even I wasn't sure he would recommend my running. I don't run for the sake of running. Getting beaten 25-0 or having 4% of a primary vote isn't my idea of fun. So, the question needs to be asked - why run? It's easy: at this point in time, I am the best combination of qualifications and attitude for this job.
The term is only filling out the eight months of Julian Young's term, but right now, the relationship between the FCGOP and many other counties in the state is pretty ugly. While I don't blame the FCGOP for the SEI mess, it was apparent to anyone looking at it objectively that they purposely disregarded the SC Supreme Court's ruling, and allowed candidates on the ballot that they shouldn't have. Not that I don't sympathize with why they did, but law is law - and when this happened, another 45 or so candidates came off the ballot. Many counties blame them for this. I don't, but it is what it is..
For this short eight month period, the FCGOP needs to bridge the gulf between themselves and the other counties. Putting one of their own in the EC spot will not do it. They need to take this opportunity to tell everyone 'OK, we get it' - whether they feel it's right or not. We know Tommy Phillips is qualified, but they would never pick him, so I put my hat in the ring once I saw that no one with better qualifications than me would.. Maybe they do hate me. Honestly, I don't know why. All I can say is that I've never suggested they need to go, and despite all the lies they have told others about me, it hasn't let me feel the same ill will. They have strengths, and like me, weaknesses. If I had a dollar for everytime I've heard 'You're not at all like the FCGOP says you are' this year, I'd be pretty well off...
Tom Phillips and I both have promised the same thing: we will only serve the eight months, while taking prospective successors around to ensure the fences will be mended by 2013. It's what's needed right now, but certain members of the leadership seem to think the only ones with any skills are them...
The control of literally all things in the FCGOP is concentrated within about 4-5 people. It's frustrating to hear from some of the members of the FCGOP leadership complain how hard they work for nothing, but yet they refuse to include others in assisting. Here's a great example: when I renewed my membership, the application listed about a dozen things we would be willing to get involved in. I checked off poll watcher - one of the most needed spots - and no one ever called. Apparently, I'm not even qualified for that in their minds. Why? Because I'm their worst nightmare - a guy who manages to point out when they make mistakes everytime they screw up, and be right on every occasion. And I was one of five people who voted for Tommy Phillips in 2009 under a sense of loyalty. It was 104-5, and they still hold a grudge over it..
Not everyone is a fan of The Four Horsemen, but we're pretty darned good at what we do. Each of us have different skills, and while we don't love everyone (especially Tom), we generally manage to work with anyone we have to. If those in the FCGOP weren't on a 'With Us or Against Us' kick, they'd have more support... The takeover was actually pretty beautiful - a group looking to include those who wanted back in the party. What happened? They're all gone. Given weeks ahead to prepare for Monday's meeting, only 14 of the 39 EC members showed.... Stunning. The bird has certainly turned. Bill Pickle did his best to keep it positive, but the attitude of a couple of the elected party leaders was embarrassing. Some of the members have questions - 'Just Trust Us' isn't always good enough.
Nothing against Elijah Jones, but he is two months into the 7th District Chairman gig - which encompasses eight counties in the FIRST election for that seat - and he wants to handle the EC job as well.. Why? I don't know, but I remember him saying how exhausted he was doing the Chairman duties and trying to work at the same time. Maybe he's recovered, but there is a far more worrisome reason he shouldn't have both jobs at the same time...
Yes, there are county chairs who have statewide offices, as well as District jobs. But, there is a particular problem of being District Chair and Executive Committeeman together. District Chair is a speaking only position, but being both lends confusion at the EC meetings... At what point are you speaking as District Chair, and when are you speaking as EC? Are you exclusively Chair until you get to vote as EC? It puts too much power into one person, and there is the unavoidable fact that whatever you are doing at the EC meeting , you CAN'T do both at the same time. Therefore, for the entire duration of any meetings, you are abandoning one job or the other. It's a fact...
No, there is no rule that states you can't be both. However, it's probably because no one fathomed the thought that one person would feel that they are the only person who can or should do both jobs... There are plenty of talented people out there. I just happen to be one of them. I didn't talk anyone into not running... I fact, I asked one to stay in, so the possibility of a friendly race might exist. But that's gone. I'm sorry, but Tommy Phillips' or my political resume - along with what it needed at this moment - trounces the need to let anyone from the FCGOP leadership to hold this position right now. They have enough work to do....
The Executive Committeeman is much like the consigliere in a Mafia family. He/She is the conscience of the party who sits back, watches intently, and when a sage-like voice of reason needs to pipe up to steer the party back for it's own good, he does it. They might look at me as a negative force, but they have misjudged me from Day One, when I prevented them from bumrushing the county convention. I made them do it fairly... It was for the better of the party - it was honest. That's what I do. I get things in the open, let them be discussed fairly and honestly, and when it's over, I move on - without keeping score. It's why I have a good reputation in SC politics. No pretense, no bullshit - just honesty and respect. Maybe they don't respect me, but that's their problem. Most do, and that's why I might surprise a few people on the 23rd - or whenever they can scrounge up the committee again.
If you know anyone in the Florence GOP, try to make them see the light - that I'm doing this for the right reason, and we will ALL be better off for it. It might still not work, but it's worth a try...
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Welcome to another Sunday morning, and our usual weekend lineup! With the Congress on Independence Day vacation, nothing happened in DC, so the cartoonists had little politically. But they made the best of it, because we have four toons for you today. Our top pick is this one, which combines the recent SCOTUS ruling on Obamacare, but looks at it from a baseball perspective. It's not easy being the umpire, is it?
Speaking of not easy, this July 4th, it was probably not the easiest task to explain to kids about freedoms - but at least he can teach his kid about time management. Get ready for the most jaded generation ever...
Even science can't get away from politics either these days... We have no idea what a 'God Particle' is, but we doubt it has anything to do with religion. You never know though....
If you were looking for something totally apolitical, here is your nugget..... Mission Impossible - that pretty damned cold!
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