People of the year…

Time and all the other publications which selected a   “Person of the Year”  missed the boat,  because in 2010 it should have been We the People as represented by the Tea Party.   Have  some photos and commentary from the Washington Times.

Janus…

National Review Online has  a symposium of predictions for 2011.   Brad O’Leary  just wants AG Eric Holder to resign.   Tom Korologos offers  some predictions at Politico.

 

Rep. Henry Waxman,  one of Nancy Pelosi’s chief allies and  man who always makes me think of a pig,  foresees more rancor in politics  — gee,  ya think?   Of course,  it will mostly be on the part of Democrats,  as it generally is.   Politico offers the 10 worst political decisions.

The Boston Phoenix makes  some political prognostications.  Jim Antle bravely  —  and amusingly  —  points out some that he got wrong last year.  The Center for American Progress insists that Washington  won’t determine the success of His Oneness in 2011.

The WaPo has a  list of what’s in and what’s out for the new year.   It struck me as rather strange.   The Washington Times made more sense with its  likely and not so likely  news of 2011.   Peggy Noonan has  a sweet piece on  the origins of  “Auld Lang Syne”,  our unofficial New Year’s song and seldom heard at any other time.

Michael Ramirez has a  year-end cartoon which ties neatly into my title of the god who looks both back and forward.   Here’s one that’s rather  more hopeful.

I’m cooking black-eyed peas and turnip greens and ham for New Years,  keeping up the old Southern traditions.  Throw in some fresh cornbread and it’s a tasty meal any time of year.  But the slow cooking lets me watch the Rose Bowl Parade and clear away Christmas and start on my next box of items for the Salvation Army,  one of the few charities worth its salt in my book.

It looks like rain,  so Big Girl and I probably won’t be outside much — for a beast who’s half Great Pyrenees,   she sure hates getting her head wet.   She’s not much help inside,  having to inspect every item which is moved from one spot to another,  but if any of them dare transmogrify into sabre-toothed tigers,  I’ll be very well protected.

Happy New Year to all,  and may 2011 be more prosperous and fulfilling for all of us and those who matter to us.

Why he quit…

Read this  remarkable letter from a man on the rise in the Air Force,  and why he quit.   He did his job,  and some of us began doing our job November 2nd.   But there is a hell of a lot more to be done,   and our window is narrower than you think.

Frank Miele has a  typically thoughtful editorial explaining why.

No one can watch them all,  but you can assign yourselves,  your families,  certain politicians or segments to watch.   You have the most clout with your local officials,   even in hideously corrupt places like Chicago.   You have more pull than you think with your Congressman,   for the simple reason they have to stand for review every 2 years.

Inform yourself and tell them what you expect of them.    Be as specific as possible  — not just  “create more jobs”,   but  “make job creation by the private sector easier by extending all the Bush tax cuts for 10 years.”     If you are too general,   you’re giving them wiggle room.  You want to box them in.   A good quarter horse can focus on the head steer and control the whole group,  just as a Border Collie can put his eye on a group of sheep and move them as need be.

If numbers make your head hurt,   select a freedom issue  — speech,  arms,  etc.    If you view numbers as fun playthings,  use the great resources at Cato and Heritage and elsewhere.

You are now the Border Collie,   and it is your job to put the eye on as many as you can manage,   and keep it there.

What Dems have….

Personal attacks,  and little else.

McClatchy Newspapers is portraying concerns about fraud as even across the board.   One Nevada  County registrar is claiming he has done an audit and there’s no fraud,  but if you read his comments carefully,  his claim that machines couldn’t be programmed to register one way or another is a very leaky bucket.

John Lott has  an update on all the fake Tea Party candidates desperate Dems have put up in hopes of siphoning off enough Republican votes to squeak out wins.

Rich Lowry has a whacking  good piece on Pelosi using moderate Dems for cannon fodder.

A ton of Fresno Co.  ballots  on Prop. 23 in California contain illegal language which was ruled illegal by a judge because of its terminology.

DoJ is sending teams to monitor Arizona voting,  due to fears that minorities will be intimidated I expect,  rather than because there is  already evidence of voter fraud.    Sheila Jackson Lee’s tactic will probably backfire.   We’ll see  more Black Panthers at the polls,  along with other  groups.   We’ll see  more voter fraud,  too.

NAACP report…

One tea bag panicked the NAACP,  so you can imagine that the mere thought of hundreds of thousands of people agreeing with Tea Party principles made it easy for the group to publish a  “report” linking the Tea Party to various extremist groups.

Lloyd Marcus  gives it the short shrift it merits,   as does Doug Powers at Michelle Malkin’s site.   Not even the WaPo’s Dana Milbank,  after an obligatory  poke at Ginni Thomas,   seems too excited by it.

The report’s authors are very left-wing,  and the report is essentially their interpretation of things.   For example,  the Minutemen are characterized as an “anti-immigrant vigilante”  group.

Dems caught…

Shannen Coffin points us to Democrats  being caught putting fake Tea Party candidates in play to try to hold seats.

National debt…

Congratulations to His Oneness —  3 months ago,  the  national debt reached the highest level it has seen since World War II.    The Recovery Summer tour consisted mostly of telling us how bad George W.  Bush and the Republicans made the economy and how heroic His Oneness has been in making it better.

We have endured an Attack Summer of Obama speeches flailing at Republicans for not cooperating with his agenda and insisting that even more of the profligate spending which hasn’t worked is necessary.   The speeches have been full of partisan hackery and a number of whoppers.  Obama has gone after Wall Street,  the Tea Party,  and indirectly the stupidity of the loutish,  untutored electorate.

We have been treated to nearly 4 months of the real Obama,  petulant,  thin-skinned,  arrogant,  and,  in the case of  now-famous Velma Hart,  unresponsive.    The character deficit may be why he began losing independents back in June and continues to hemorrhage them now.

Tea Party growing…

The MSM won’t like this  new poll showing that the Tea Party is increasing in strength.   Even worse is  another poll showing that blacks support Tea Party principles.   There will be hate all ’round for this Nile Gardiner  piece on His Oneness vs. the Tea Party.

Winners and others…

American Spectator has a nice  selection of comments on the primary results from Tuesday.  I think part of the GOP is beginning to catch on,  but  only part.

How come….

If the Tea Party isn’t a threat,  why is the Left  going after it with guns a-blazing?