Redstate

Posted at 2:45pm on Jul. 11, 2008 Rep. Capuano's Newspeak for Censorship

By Erick

As the Obama candidacy gains momentum, we should all become more accustomed to "newspeak." Out is the word "censorship" to be replaced with the phrase "freedom of speech." The former phrase "freedom of speech' will be prohibited except in classical texts until such texts can be reprinted wherein all references to actual free speech will be deleted.

That, of course, seems the natural progression from Rep. Mick Capuano (D-MA), who calls the internet a "necessary evil."

Rep. Capuano is proposing regulations that would prohibit Members of Congress from contributing content to any site that has commercial advertising. Likewise, Rep. Capuano, though he's peddling furiously away from it, has proposed Congressional approval of new technologies that Members of Congress could only embrace after Congress issues a blessing.

The same thing is happening in the Senate, though Senators are being less vocal about Senator Diane Feinstein's similar proposal.

Congressman John Boehner's office has a post up on this subject. His staff points out that under Congressman Capuano's proposal, members of the House of Representatives could be prohibited from having op-eds in newspapers because those op-eds also appear online.

And it's not just Congressman Boehner and his staff. The Sunlight Foundation disagrees with Rep. Capuano's spin, as do other outside groups.

This has very little to do with actually making sure congressmen are not using their office to endorse commercial advertising and everything to do with Democrats being routinely out-gamed by Republicans in floor fights that are highlighted by Republican congressman on blogs and in YouTube mocking the insanity of the Democrats' congressional track record.

America's Mother-in-Law claims Congress has a "responsibility to ensure that Members and the public understand the need to prevent the misuse of public funds, while at the same time ensuring access to emerging online means of communication." Bridges to nowhere are apparently an acceptable use of public funds while connecting with constituents via YouTube has been perverted to be a misuse of public funds.

Get used to newspeak.

Posted in Congress | Franking | Internet Censorship | John Boehner | Massachusetts | Michael Capuano | Nancy Pelosi — Comments (5)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 3:03pm on Jul. 10, 2008 McCotter in the alley broadcasting a message America's Mother-in-Law doesn't want you to hear

By Erick

Congressman McCotter has a message for you and the Democrats. Of course, he'll have to resort to this method of communication if the Democrats have their way.

Posted in Blogging | Congress | Fairness Doctrine | Michigan | Nancy Pelosi | Thaddeus McCotter — Comments (8)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 4:46pm on Jul. 9, 2008 Culberson is mad as hell about the prospect of losing his Twitter

By Ben Domenech

Following up on the Directors post on this issue, Rep. John Culberson is staying on top of the Congressional online authorization fallout, and sharing his outrage via his very active Twitter feed.

You can read the letter that started the whole process here, focused primarily on video content, but stretches to more than that, covering all content produced by members that appears on outside websites. As Culberson summarizes it: "my post would have to meet "existing content rules" and would need a disclaimer (140 characters at least!)"

This is just silly, people. A Congressman shouldn't have to put a disclaimer on YouTube: the American people know it's YouTube. They're not going to call up and say "How dare you link to some videotape of a dog on a skateboard! That's against the laws of nature! Dog on a skateboard - I swear, this whole planet's going to heck in a handbasket."

Let's hope the transparency groups like Sunlight and OpenCongress start talking about this...they've been disturbingly silent thus far.

Posted at 9:48am on Jun. 16, 2008 Time to Call Mitch McConnell

By Erick

Your must read of the morning is this editorial at the Wall Street Journal.

This week, the Senate takes up the Mortgage Bailout Bill.

We have known Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) received preferential treatment from Countrywide Financial.

We now know that the legislation will mostly benefit mortgage lenders like Countrywide Financial.

We now know that the two Senate leaders pushing this legislation, Chris Dodd (D-CN) and Kent Conrad (D-ND), received preferential treatment from Countrywide Financial, in addition to Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA).

Kent Conrad, on Friday, issued a statement saying he "never met Angelo Mozilo," the CEO of Countrywide Financial. But, the Wall Street Journal reports Senator Conrad now admits he "called Mr. Mozilo and asked for a loan. The result was a discounted loan on his million-dollar beach house and a separate commercial loan of a type that residential lender Countrywide did not even offer to other customers, regardless of the rate."

Call your Senator at (202) 224-3121 and tell him we should not be bailing out mortgagors as payback for Senators.

Call the Republican Leader, Senator Mitch McConnell, at (202) 224-2541 and tell him that in light of apparent Democrat indiscretions with Countrywide, he should not agree to limit debate on the mortgage bailout.

Posted in Chris Dodd | Congress | Corrupt Democrat Watch | Kent Conrad | Mitch McConnell | Mortgage Bailout | Nancy Pelosi — Comments (4)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 8:40pm on May 29, 2008 Nancy Pelosi praises the goodwill of the Iranians.

Because I suppose that it's a *wrench* for their regime to stop murdering Iraqis and Americans.

By Moe Lane

Note by Jeff: I just want to add to the portion of Moe's final paragraph that reads, "They promote to power people who do things like praise regimes actively trying to get our troops killed..."

Make no mistake about it -- Iran has long since passed the "actively trying to get our troops killed" stage. They are the sole provider of the weapon responsible for the literal majority of U.S. troop deaths in Iraq.

That's right, read that again: Iran is directly responsible for the majority of the deaths of the young service men and women who have perished in Iraq.

And Nancy Pelosi just called those men and women, and their battlefield commanders, absolute failures, while specifically praising the "goodwill" of the exact regime that is directly responsible for the majority of the deaths of our young men and women serving there.

Just chew on that for a few minutes. How does that make you feel? Hm?

-JE

-----------------------------------

In the course of condemning and explaining away a military policy that has inconveniently turned out to be successful, Speak...

God help us, she really is, isn't she?

...Speaker of the House Pelosi made this statement:

Well, the purpose of the surge was to provide a secure space, a time for the political change to occur to accomplish the reconciliation. That didn’t happen. Whatever the military success, and progress that may have been made, the surge didn’t accomplish its goal.

... [There's a bit more in here wrt Petraeus: I've listened to the recording, but I don't have a full transcript yet.]

And some of the success of the surge is that the goodwill of the Iranians-they decided in Basra when the fighting would end, they negotiated that cessation of hostilities-the Iranians...

Coalition forces capture key Special Groups financier (Baghdad)

Keep reading.

Posted in Iraq | Liberals | Nancy Pelosi | The Surge — Comments (18)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 11:37am on May 7, 2008 I think that I need to have the Netroots clarify something for me.

Not to interrupt their paeans of joy over the Obama win, of course.

By Moe Lane

I'll wait.

(pause)

All right?

OK, explain something to me. Obama's the inevitable nominee, yes, yes, the GOP is doomed, yadda, yadda, the Democrats are going to take the White House, consolidate Congress, cut and run from Iraq, start war crimes trials against the Bush administration, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. Oh, yes, by now we over here on the Right can sing along; you folks haven't been shy about blaring these - and one other - discordant tunes in our weary, weary ears. 2007 might have been a lowered-expectations disaster for your crowd, but with the new wave of Red-to-Blue (or whatever you're calling it) we should be on the brink of the Glorious People's Progressive Future. Why, we're even hearing about how Nancy Pelosi is going to stand up to the administration with the new war supplemental bill (H/t: Hot Air). All in all: this is supposed to be your time.

So why are you letting the Democratic leadership set you up?

Democrats Unveil War Supplemental Plans

House Democratic leaders outlined a war supplemental spending plan to their rank and file Tuesday that will give members a chance to vote separately on Iraq policy riders and various spending add-ons.

The bill, to be brought directly to the floor later this week, would set a Dec. 31, 2009, goal for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. It also would ban permanent U.S. bases in Iraq, limit interrogation techniques to those included in the current Army field manual, bar a status of forces agreement that would obligate the U.S. to defend Iraq without congressional approval, and require Iraq to match U.S. reconstruction funding dollar for dollar. And it would call for U.S. forces to pay the same fuel prices in Iraq as the Iraqis.

The bill will be divided into three sections — for war money, policy riders and domestic spending. That will permit House Democrats to vote for or against each section while still getting the measure through that chamber.

Read on.

Posted in Congress | GWOT | Liberals | Nancy Pelosi | Netroots — Comments (12)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 11:44pm on Apr. 29, 2008 The Pelosi Power Grab

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

I trust that those who worry about an imperial Presidency will strive to remember that we face the threat of an imperial Speakership as well. Of course, this maneuver should backfire; Senate Republicans will likely serve as a backstop to any legislation that circumvents the committee process in order to support their House colleagues. But let it be noted that there is no reason whatsoever to do this save Nancy Pelosi's desire to stick it to Republicans. And as I have noted before, all of this represents yet another broken campaign promise.

Posted in Congress | Nancy Pelosi | The Imperial Speakership — Comments (0)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 2:36pm on Apr. 29, 2008 Nancy Pelosi: Price of gas is $2.56/gallon

Does she support a gas tax holiday?

By Soren Dayton

Nancy Pelosi blames Bush:

But she has no idea what she's talking about. (BTW, 1.70 x 3 is 5 .10 not 2.56, but math probably isn't her strong point either)

Oh yeah. Weren't they going to lower gas prices?

Posted in 2008 | Energy Policy | Gas | Nancy Pelosi — Comments (4)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 12:43pm on Apr. 25, 2008 What's the price of gasoline, Nancy?

She doesn't have a clue.

By Mark Kilmer

From where I sit and type these words, gasoline is $3.59/gallon at the nearest Sheetz. The Speaker of the People's House – to whom we fondly refer with her given name, Nancy – just told TV talkshow host Larry King that it was $2.59 on average but higher in California. King corrected her: the national average is $3.50. She said, "Oh, it's $3.50. It's down 6-cents."

In orbit without a clue, Nancy soldiers on.

Here'a the vid:

Posted in clueless | Congress | Nancy Pelosi — Comments (40)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 12:24am on Apr. 11, 2008 The *Real* War On Terror Is In Afghanistan

By haystack

If you do enough acid, I suppose, you *too* can see tomcats in tophats..like that Pelosi babe...

Let's make this brief, shall we? (before my hair catches fire)

Terrorism is a means to an end. Scare the beejeebus out of enough people, making them believe horrible things will happen to their children and their aging mother if they don't do what they're TOLD to do...and terrorists will "move" a generation of people to do any number of things antithetical to what one might expect from a human being with any fundamental decency.

Posted in Alice in Wonderland | Harry Reid | Liberals | Nancy Pelosi — Comments (9) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 1:16am on Mar. 27, 2008 "Nice Congress You Got Here. Too Bad If Anything Should Happen To It."

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

Not content with the current state of internecine (it's just such a good word) warfare currently going on in the Democratic Party between the Clintonites and the Obamaniacs, various Clintonites have decided that Nancy Pelosi deserves a talking to:

A group of prominent Hillary Clinton donors sent a letter to House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday asking her to retract her comments on superdelegates and stay out of the Democratic fight over their role in the presidential race.

The 20 prominent Clinton supporters told Pelosi she should "clarify" recent statements to make it clear superdelegates -- nearly 800 party insiders and elected officials who are free to back any candidate -- could support the candidate they think would be the best nominee.

Pelosi has not publicly endorsed either Clinton or Barack Obama in their hotly contested White House battle, but she recently said superdelegates should support whoever emerges from the nomination contests with the most pledged delegates -- which appears almost certain to be Obama.

"This is an untenable position that runs counter to the party's intent in establishing superdelegates in 1984," the letter from the wealthy Clinton backers said.

"Superdelegates, like all delegates, have an obligation to make an informed, individual decision about whom to support and who would be the party's strongest nominee," said the letter signed by some of Clinton's biggest fund raisers.

And in the event that the letter is not sufficiently clear about matters:

The signees reminded the House leader from California of their support for the party's House campaign committee and said "therefore" she should "reflect in your comments a more open view" about superdelegates.

"We appreciate your activities in support of the Democratic Party and your leadership role in the party and hope you will be responsive to some of your major enthusiastic supporters," the letter said.

In related news, Republicans are debating what is the best brand of popcorn to pop and munch on while this spectacle unfolds.

Posted in 2008 | Hillary Clinton | Kneel Before Zod | Nancy Pelosi | Rooting For Injuries | The Clinton Mafia — Comments (5)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 1:10pm on Feb. 11, 2008 Nuancing Neville - Democrat Style

By haystack

There has been much mention of Pelosi's remarks on CNN's late Edition this week (10 February, 2008). Read one HERE, another HERE, and another HERE, and many of these based on stories HERE, HERE, and HERE. Pelosi has a well-enough established track record of trashing or outright denying success in Iraq, so there's nothing wildly newsworthy about her performance on CNN. However, if I might be so bold, I suggest we need just a wee bit o' context and historical perspective so that the larger point...that of our Democrat friends insisting they not learn from history, so that we might be reminded of what blindness in the face of evil might bring us. As Chamberlain de-planed after capitulating to Hitler, he said this:

"We, the German Führer and Chancellor, and the British Prime Minister, have had a further meeting today and are agreed in recognizing that the question of Anglo-German relations is of the first importance for our two countries and for Europe.

We regard the agreement signed last night and the Anglo-German Naval Agreement as symbolic of the desire of our two peoples never to go to war with one another again. We are resolved that the method of consultation shall be the method adopted to deal with any other questions that may concern our two countries, and we are determined to continue our efforts to remove possible sources of difference, and thus to contribute to assure the peace of Europe."

And before going in the house, all snuggly and warm and unwilling to "see" what he would later become (unwittingly) complicit with helping to cause:

"My good friends, for the second time in our history, a British Prime Minister has returned from Germany bringing peace with honour. I believe it is peace for our time...Go home and get a nice quiet sleep."

The Democrats, too, want us to enjoy a nice quiet sleep...apparently.

More below the fold...

Posted in Harry Reid | Liberals | Nancy Pelosi | War on Terror — Comments (13)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 3:42pm on Dec. 18, 2007 An Act Of haystack Contrition: I Apologize Madam Speaker

Because I believe in being fair and balanced, and "squaring with the House"

By haystack

I recently wrote an article taking the Speaker to task over a grocery list of complaints including her having remarked that "Republicans like this war." I also spoke strongly and in negative terms about her capabilities, her accomplishments, and the degree to which I am embarrassed by her performance in running MY house.

Nearly 1200 words in length, it offered a rather long list of grievances, provided links to a few sources, and added the customary level and calculated degree of calm and reasoned commentary and analysis that everyone has grown accustomed to as things emanate from my keyboard.

Someone playing over at Nancy's sand castle had a problem with it, however, and after having been contacted by one of her peeps (whose name I'll kindly and graciously omit here) to point out where I erred in my article, and who further provided links to prove "his" righteousness in these matters, I return here to offer my sincerest and most heartfelt apologies for being wrong on 3 items. Although I listed some 20 examples of her miserable failure(s) during her reign to this point, these 3 seemed worthy of outreach in order to set the record straight. It must be safe to assume, then, that these are the only 3:

I was wrong when I said she didn't get the 9/11 recommendations implemented. I was wrong when I said she hadn't come up with the money to fix the bridges "Bush broke in Minneapolis and elsewhere"...well, half wrong-she DID get the cash for Minneapolis-we're still waiting for the dough to fix the others.

And I was wrong when I said that the Walter Reed Building 18 fiasco happened on her watch. Interestingly enough, I was corrected on the merits of that statement by being told it was the Republicans who were to blame...wait for it...because they removed Rep. Chris Smith as chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee...back in 2005. Can't quite wrap my brain around how this proves that the Building 18 fiasco didn't happen under Nancy's watch, given she was speaker when the story broke, but I digress.

Nance, babes? I apologize. No REALLY.

You might want to talk to your folks though. If they're going to challenge we obscure little writers out here in the netherworld about accuracy of content, don't ya think they should have offered proof that THIS statement was wrong?

[T]he most pathetically incompetent Speaker of the House in American history.

I know I sure would have...but what do I know?

Posted in Democrats R Dumb | Liberals | Nancy Pelosi | Picking Bad Battles — Comments (12)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 10:30am on Dec. 17, 2007 He Said It, Not Me

By Dan McLaughlin

John McCain on Harry and Nancy:

John McCain sits across the table from the editorial board of The Wall Street Journal, fielding questions on everything from taxes to torture to terror. He's asked what surprised him the most about the behavior [of] House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid with regard to Iraq. His answer--"their lack of patriotism"--is of the characteristically impolitic kind that often defines his personality. . .

+++

When asked whether he would tag Hillary Clinton as well with a "lack of patriotism," Mr. McCain does dial it down a notch. "Maybe 'lack of patriotism' is too harsh," he allows. "'Putting political ambitions ahead of the national interest' may be a more subtle way" of putting it. He then adds, with a chuckle, "And we all know how subtle I am."

McCain also acknowledges that "If I lose this election, it will be on the immigration issue. There's no question in my mind." But just when you are warming to McCain, you get tone-deaf responses like this one: "In South Carolina we've got the base this time. The Attorney General, the Speaker of the House, Lindsay Graham, most of the base."

Read the whole thing.