Good people all, this Christmas time

Made in the Shade

It's a balmy 40 so these snowmen are hiding out.

Pawlenty Distinguishes Himself

Getting play in Politico:

He’s received the most attention this year for fighting the new health care law. He refused an early expansion of Medicaid and issued an executive order in August that barred Minnesota state agencies from pursuing federal money, even for cost studies, without his approval. Earlier this month, Pawlenty signed onto the lawsuit challenging the law’s constitutionality.

This issue, more than others he talks about, helps Pawlenty differentiate himself from another blue-state governor, Mitt Romney, who worked with his Democratic legislature to create a mandate on individuals to purchase insurance.

Gets good marks from Cato but did fall for the eco-Kool-Aid on cap and tax in the states, initially.

I still remember the frozen windmills.

Related post: Lutefisking The One in Minnesota

On the way to the Messiah

Time to Make History in MN

Smart Politics: History Gives Klobuchar a 2 in 3 Chance to Win Reelection in 2012:

And while Klobuchar has enjoyed approval ratings in the high 50s to low 60s for most of her first four years in office, the 2010 election cycle demonstrated the vulnerability of moderately popular incumbents in her backyard (e.g. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin).

So what are the odds of Senator Klobuchar winning a second term in 2012?

PPP is going to do a poll this weekend. Who will challenge Amy.

I still remember her stupidity on the bridge.

Missouri's Claire McCaskill Under 50%:)

Via KC Prime Buzz, the Dem PPP poll says she's doing pretty well considering how unpopular Obama is. Hahaha. It's a dead heat already.

I'd say damning with faint praise.

The last time she ran she got in with the help of ACORN and her spouse was a big AH (slum landlord) beneficiary. She might have a little trouble with that this time.

More. Her GOP opponent Sarah Steelman is a former state legislator and state Treasurer. Steelman on the right:) She's a Club for Growth supporter and TEA party favorite.

McCaskill was a big surrogate spokesman for Obama. Lately she's been on FoxNews distancing herself and touting her independence.

Will she run ads bashing Obama as Dems did this last election with House Speaker Pelosi?

Claire will have a lot to answer for to the Show Me state.

More. The Fix. The Hill.

This is why the people have thrown you out

Indiana’s Own Steve Buyer (R- Of Course) Sheds Light On The Stupidity Of Laura Richardson (D-CA)

...Oh, and this: Video: Democratic Senator complains lame-duck agenda “rigged” on hot mic

Afternoon Tea. Top TEA Party Blogs.

Find me in the Midwest:)

More tea, turning to local issues. WSJ. Running for local school and town boards. Why are those property taxes so high. Ask to see the checkbook, for a start:)

Following up to prevent vote fraud for the next time. Milwaukee's the latest in the ACORN hall of shame. Working to purge those dead voters from the rolls.

Some notice from the Brits on the TEA party impact.

And here's a new one:

It is called the Repeal Amendment. Brainchild of Georgetown Constitutional Law Professor Randy Barnett, the proposal has gotten legs with the help of Florida attorney Marianne Moran, Executive Director of RepealAmendment.org.

The proposal calls for a constitutional amendment that would allow the states, by a two-thirds majority vote, to repeal objectionable federal legislation and regulations. Virginia Representative Eric Cantor, slated to be Majority Leader in the upcoming Congress, has gotten behind the movement, as has Virginia’s governor, and lieutenant governor, leaders in the state legislature and Virginia’s Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli.

Have a cuppa tea. My choice? Constant Comment:)

--crossposted at BackyardConservative

Giving Thanks

Noem in the leadership:)

A fresh start, America.

Field and Sky

How bout strip search those MN Dem students

Put TSA at the polls in Hennepin County. (Or Cook County, IL for that matter)

DNC-Affiliated Students Accused of Felony Voter Fraud in Minnesota

TINA FEY: I would be a liar and an idiot

Tina Fey Thanks Sarah Palin for Comedy Award, Mocks Conservative Women. Newsbusters

Tina Fey, have you read this? Tina Fey, do you really care about the children?

Really Tina?

TINA FEY: I would be a liar and an idiot...

Smug Tina. Where's your intellectual curiosity? Where's your tolerance? Where's your respect for freedom itself?

What if you're wrong, Tina. What if this is not funny.

What of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?

...Where's your base, Tina.

...

A man is never more truthful than when he acknowledges himself a liar.

God made the Idiot for practice, and then He made the School Board.

A person with a new idea is a crank until the idea succeeds.

Related: Hollywood: Republicans Want ‘Breeder' TV Shows. The American Thinker

More. I see Pundit & Pundette comment on this. I used to watch SNL religiously but no more. 30 Rock is not my thing--hey I'm in my 50's, but unlike most leftists, most conservatives can laugh at themselves. Our shining star, Ronald Reagan, had in my book the most wonderful sense of humor--self-deprecating.

More. TWS: Pudd’nhead Kaminsky

--crossposted at BackyardConservative

Right Turn:)

Montana Messes Up

New at Reason: Katherine Mangu-Ward on Montana's Payday Loan Vote

Grab your coat and get your hat.

Bachmann Victory Speech

Here.

TEA Party triumph.

"I choose liberty".

Republicans win the north country

Dr. Dan Benishek in Michigan

Sean Duffy in Wisconsin

Chip Cravaack in Minnesota: (well I hope with this one) It needs to be said.

And God Bless America.

...Oh and Sen. Russ Feingold is toast.

God Bless America.

--crossposted at BackyardConservative

VOTE Your Guts Out

VOTE your guts out.

American Heart.

Unopposed Thune hits trail for Noem

Politico takes note. Dakota Dreaming big and on the stump.

More. SDWC predicts a Kristi Noem victory:

As opposed to past campaign tactics of ducking as many debates and forums as possible, Herseth Sandlin showed some fire this year and pressed for them, thinking that Kristi Noem would wilt or make a fatal flub during them. No such luck. Noem held her own, and often took some good shots, including making Stephanie squirm uncomfortably on the Nancy Pelosi issue.

RCP polling here.

More on the race:)

RC Journal Endorses Republican Kristi Noem for US House

Dakota Voice - Bob Ellis - ‎Oct 31, 2010‎

Will wonders never cease!? The Rapid City Journal has endorsed Republican Kristi Noem in South Dakota's US House race. ...

Split over stimulus defines candidates Rapid City Journal

Her closer ad:
More. Despite throwing the opening punches, Herseth Sandlin trying to blame her opponent for going negative.

Previous posts: Kristi vs. "Evil Princess" Stephanie, Dems Cut Sandlin Loo$e, South Dakota's Kristi Noem: Sorry Nancy, Herseth Sandlin Stiffs Truckers in South Dakota

Vote Out Peterson, Gitmo Flip-Flopper

Vote Republican Lee Byberg, Minnesota 7.

From 9/11 Families for a Safe & Strong America The war against sharia is a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity:

President Barack Obama has indicated he will again attempt to bring Khalid Sheikh Mohammed into the U.S. for a federal trial after the midterm elections. The good news is the House Armed Services Committee cut off the funding this past spring when poll after poll showed a strong majority of the American people are opposed to the plan. If the House shifts to a Republican majority, it is unlikely the funding will be restored. We will be watching for the reelection results of those Democrats who first voted, in a non-binding vote on October 1, 2009, against authorizing the President to bring Guantanamo detainees into the U.S. for trial and then, when it counted a mere two weeks later, they switched their votes.

...we will be watching the Gitmo flip-floppers listed below (on the left). We urge our fellow Americans to vote for their opponents (listed on the right)...

Collin Peterson, MN-7, versus Lee Byberg

Peterson may talk a good game, but you can't trust him on national security.

Byberg spoke at a GOTV rally yesterday in Bemidji. Bemidji Pioneer:

Runaway spending in Washington, D.C., has to stop, says Lee Byberg, who wants to be the generation that stops it.

Increasing tax revenue and reducing costs are the only two ways to reach a balanced federal budget, Byberg said Saturday morning at a Beltrami Republicans pancake breakfast rally.

And the way to increase revenue is “by reducing individual and corporate taxes,” he said. “That will allow more of the economic engine to retain its profits to invest more into expansion, so you can do more R and D, so the risk takers will take more risk and develop,”

Reducing taxes will lead to more jobs, and then more tax revenue, Byberg said.

“I believe in free enterprise,” Byberg said. “That means is that I have to bring policy that will allow the most efficient dollars to stay in the economic engine or sending them to the federal government where they will be wasted.”

We can't afford this. Byberg pointed out "moderate" Peterson's voting record has shifted 30 points in favor of the Pelosi agenda--93% now-- during the last several years.

Another reason Peterson can't be trusted. VOTE for responsible governance--Lee Byberg.

Collin Peterson has been in Congress too long

Collin Peterson 101 (Video) here.

Lee Byberg for Congress. Minnesota 7. P.S. Collin Peterson skipped debates and went hunting with Mark Dayton and Al Franken?

Tom Emmer. The Jobs Governor We Need

Emmer for a Better Minnesota: An admirable person. Sister’s positive attitude in face of death inspired Emmer to pursue public service

IP Opponent Endorses Chip Cravaack vs. Oberstar

Let Freedom Ring:)

Cravaack raking in big bucks in Minnesota Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Reader's view: Oberstar set the tone for negative debate‎ - Duluth News Tribune

Chip Cravaack for Congress. Minnesota 8

ChipCravaack Chip Cravaack

We were told the stimulus would create 66,000 jobs in MN but since it was passed, we have lost 44,500. DC has added 18,900 jobs. #stribpol

This is a very, very effective ad:

Poooor Earl

Geraghty scores the ad:
You had warning Earl Pomeroy.

Even the local lib papers have dropped you. Here's one of my favorite Rick Berg ads. Apparently your negative campaigning hasn't worked:

Anti-Catholic Ad Minnesota DFL

Gateway Pundit.

The Quiet Courage of Our Choice

The president said he's not king, he can't do it alone. Then he refers to Americans as enemies to be punished.

Imagine any other president saying this. Imagine Abraham Lincoln, whose mantle Obama has openly and repeatedly sought to claim, whose words he has twisted, even thinking these thoughts.

As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.

Imagine Ronald Reagan saying he's not king. No:

In a 1978 radio commentary that he wrote while overlooking traffic from a hotel room window, Reagan distilled the populist belief in individual ability. "They are not 'the masses,' or as the elitists would have it, 'the common man,' " Reagan said of the people driving cars on the highway below. "They are very uncommon. Individuals, each with his or her own hopes and dreams, plans and problems, and the kind of quiet courage that makes this whole country run better than just about any other place on earth." Reagan's mission was to remove the obstacles that prevented these men and women with "quiet courage" from realizing their potential.

And so we have Americans with quiet courage, young and old, men and women, making their choice next Tuesday. A choice that could well determine the future of this country for generations to come. Pray to God we will be wise. --crossposted at BackyardConservative

Lutefisking The One in Minnesota

Gov. Tim Pawlenty schools the President Minnesota Nicely. Video via HotAir.

More. On Pawlenty's presidential prospects. George Will via The Hill. HT Memeorandum.

On the face of it, more easy-going than Daniels of Indiana, but give him credit, he had to overcome a recalcitrant legislature. An Uff Da moment. (Plus he's got height, like Sen. Thune)

No question, the heartland is key. Seems to encompass the country:)

--crossposted at BackyardConservative

Kristi vs. "Evil Princess" Stephanie

Noem inches ahead as “evil princess” Stephanie gets nasty. Noem increases lead in Rassmussen poll.

NRO with the dueling videos. (Looks like not much of a contest.)

Now that Noem has national stature she's even more of a force:) To Noem is to Love 'Em

Previous posts: Dems Cut Sandlin Loo$e, South Dakota's Kristi Noem: Sorry Nancy, Herseth Sandlin Stiffs Truckers in South Dakota

National Contempt for the Public Radio

There's no fig leaf for you any more, your intellects have shriveled. You're not non-partisan and you don't serve the public. James Taranto, WSJ. Public Radio vs. the Public. The comment that got Juan Williams fired--and the one that didn't.:

But it is highly revealing that a hostile expression of prejudice against ordinary Americans is apparently consistent with whatever standards and practices supposedly govern NPR. On the other hand a pained expression of a prejudice shared by ordinary Americans and rooted in the reality of war, we are told, violates those ineffable standards and is a firing offense.

National Public Radio appears to be an institution that operates in opposition to, rather than service of, the public.

You don't deserve our respect and you don't have any reputable claim to taxpayer funding.

You're an intolerant, malicious and profoundly silly elitist entity.

More. Yes. Emphasize craven. Matt Welch, Reason:

Williams’ firing is a clarifying moment in media mores. You can be Islamophobic, in the form of refusing to run the most innocuous imaginable political cartoons out of a broad-brush fear of Muslims, but you can’t admit it, even when the fear is expressed as a personal feeling and not a group description, winnowed down to the very specific and nightmare-exhuming act of riding on an airplane, and uttered in a context of otherwise repudiating collective guilt and overbroad fearmongering.

Related posts: A Dance for Allah. On the Altar of the Basilica in Florence, Freedom Dims. Toward Dhimmitude

--crossposted at BackyardConservative

The Patriot's Toolbox

For what comes next. The Heartland via RedState.

We have our work cut out for us:

JammieWearingFool

Foreign Money in Politics: Soros Donates $1 Million to Media Matters

Jihad Watch

If Islam were treated equally, Muhammad would be fair game, and Wilders would be exonerated

Say Anything

Obamacare Will Require HSA Participants To Get A Prescription For Tylenol

Oberstar Global Warming Flat Earther

Well, actually he accuses his Iron Range constituents who are understandably opposed to Cap and Tax of being Flat Earthers. Brilliant, given the total credibility fail of global warming "science".

Even if it were true, who can afford to fool with it now--something that is a century down the road and would barely move the thermometer.

Go Cravaack.

Take Cover, Toto

The Carville Hurricane Scale of Dem Devastation. At Ruby Slippers.

It's more than a tornado. Take cover, Toto.

RCP House here.

Spacious Sky, Amber Waves

House Sleepers that May Go GOP--Byberg over Peterson

Note the race looks to be tightening, but yes, it's off the radar. RCP doesn't even have it listed.

I've always thought Republican Lee Byberg was a superlative candidate, especially for this year.

Henry Olsen, NRO: House Sleepers

SDGOP calls for investigation into the Oats for Votes scandal

Dem Herseth-Sandlin dirty tricks in the face of Kristi Noem's remarkable surge?

Byberg Closing in 7th Congressional

An ag businessman who believes in the American Dream, in real jobs, not big government, Lee Byberg has had good fundraising numbers and the race is tight. MinnPost:

Almost every single indicator in Minnesota’s 7^th District points to a razor-tight race, or perhaps a GOP upset victory. The challenger’s fundraising numbers have closed to within $22,000 of the incumbent over the last quarter. The district voted for John McCain over Barack Obama, and this is shaping up to be a very Republican year. [snip]

“Well, Collin Peterson has been fairly good in the past but I think now his true colors have shown,” Byberg said. “He has been able to successfully place himself as a moderate, but our district is fairly conservative.”

Those “true colors,” Byberg says, include voting for Pelosi as speaker of the House, a vote for the cap-and-trade climate bill and a refusal to endorse completely overturning the health care bill. In addition, he said, Peterson’s 20 years in Congress make him partly responsible for the ballooning national debt, which is now more than $13 trillion and climbing.

“People in the 7^th district, they’re recognizing that he’s not who he says he is.

Someone like Peterson who votes for a costly energy tax like cap and trade in this shaky economy is not a moderate. Someone like Collin Peterson who left D.C. without passing a budget and voted to adjourn without addressing the largest tax increase in American history coming down the pike on Jan.1 is not responsible.

Byberg is not the only Minnesota Republican poised to knock off an old Dem dinosaur--Chip Cravaack is challenging Jim Oberstar in the 8th. Powerline with more.

Former Sen. Norm Coleman is campaigning with Byberg tomorrow in Alexandria.

Air Force Family Finds Lost Michelangelo Masterpiece

"The Mike" behind the couch in Buffalo.

The Axis of Fedorables links to another work of art. The Great Depression Series.

More desperate marketing...more bogus narratives, but

Ruby Slippers pulls back the curtain.

Americans are discovering the truth.

Americans are discovering the truth, in spite of the opposition's best efforts.

Because we know what is happening in our communities. And we can't rely on the Mike behind the couch.

We've got to rely on ourselves. --Crossposted at BackyardConservative

Dems Cut Sandlin Loo$e

National Dems cut funding for Sandlin Rapid City Journal

Love the local blog header: Message from the Democrats: Abandon Stephanie – All hands ABANDON STEPHANIE!

A look at polls here and here.

Go Noem go:)

KristiNoem Kristi Noem

Our campaign raised $1.1 million in the third quarter. Thank you to all who have invested in our effort

Previous posts: South Dakota's Kristi Noem: Sorry Nancy, Herseth Sandlin Stiffs Truckers in South Dakota

By the gate

Building the Next Bailout...and BUST

TWS:

In July, Illinois went to market with a $900 million BAB issue that attracted 93 investors, including 17 from overseas. The international investors accounted for about 30 percent of the offering. Illinois state officials even joined their underwriters, Citigroup, on a road show through Europe and Asia to drum up interest in the sale.

Setting up the next bust in Illinois and around the country.

Screwing up the current one. From e21 Morning eBrief:

In Foreclosure Controversy, Problems Run Deeper Than Flawed Paperwork (Round Up)

Millions of U.S. mortgages have been shuttled around the global financial system - sold and resold by firms - without the documents that traditionally prove who legally owns the loans. Now, as many of these loans have fallen into default and banks have sought to seize homes, judges around the country have increasingly ruled that lenders had no right to foreclose, because they lacked clear title. The court decisions, should they continue to spread, could call into doubt the ownership of mortgages throughout the country, raising urgent challenges for both the real estate market and the wider financial system. The White House has announced that President Obama will pocket veto H.R. 3808 which would have allowed banks to shortcut the current notarization process. See Alphaville for and the Washington Post for more more.

Goldman Sachs: The US Economy Is Weaker Than You Think (Seeking Alpha)

Goldman Sachs issued a very bullish note on the Euro this morning. Not because they think Europe is entering a period of robust growth. No, in fact they reduced their estimates for European growth based on the recent Euro strength; however, they see the U.S. economy simply deteriorating more than Europe. The chart in this presentation that jumped out was the ISM’s index compared to the orders & inventories. The orders and inventories data shows a very strong leading indication of future ISM growth. Currently, the orders and inventories data is forecasting ISM readings in the low 40s.

Peggy Noonan on Greece and America's reaction:

Mr. Lewis: "The Greek state was not just corrupt but also corrupting. Once you saw how it worked you could understand a phenomenon which otherwise made no sense at all: the difficulty Greek people have saying a kind word about one another. . . . Everyone is pretty sure everyone is cheating on his taxes, or bribing politicians, or taking bribes, or lying about the value of his real estate. And this total absence of faith in one another is self-reinforcing. The epidemic of lying and cheating and stealing makes any sort of civic life impossible."

Thus can great nations, great cultures, disintegrate, break into little pieces that no longer cohere into a whole.

Read it all.

Outrage. Outrage.

This election is so damned important.

Related post: Obama Desperately Trying to Save His Own Senate Seat

--crossposted at BackyardConservative

Four Weeks - Remember November

Watch:

Tarryl Clark. Says Michele Bachmann is "not doing s***"

In an actual ad. Not an unguarded moment. Via Riehl.

Democrats--they're doing lots of s***. Hitting the fan these days.

Latest polls on the race--Taxin Tarryl lagging. Latest Bachmann ad:

More. Debates coming up in the last week. Latest on fundraising:

Bachmann and Clark already have started flooding the airwaves with ads, and that is only expected to increase. Though full third-quarter fundraising figures aren't yet available, Gor has indicated that Bachmann has at least $3.4 million in cash on hand, a staggering figure for a Minnesota congressional race.

Clark is no slouch herself, having already set records for a congressional challenger in the state. However, she has trailed Bachmann in the fundraising race by about a 2 to 1 margin.

Read on. Clark seems not to be aware Dems have the majority.

Tarryl Clark. NOT Minnesota Nice.

Gloomy numbers but hope like hell

It's blue state blue Monday all right. James Pethokoukis with the graph from the CBO.

More headlines: Housing shows stability but factory orders fall

But don't get excited about housing yet:

Foreclosure Mess Is Expected to Get Even Worse

Why Friday's Jobs Report Is Expected to Be So Gloomy

As somebody I know told me people are anxious or exhausted or both. Election day can't come too soon. Let's just hope like hell...

The only people who can recall a result so pro-Republican are nonagenarians, as nothing like this has happened since 1928. How many seats this would produce is very hard to say, but I’ll put it this way: Republicans picked up 52 seats in 1994 with a +6.7 win; a +10 win should produce more than 52 seats, perhaps many more.

...people make the right choice.

P.S. Some strain even in suburbia (Illinois):

Naperville median income dips below $100,000

Poverty rate rising in Downers Grove Township

Financially strapped Aurora seeks concessions from employees

But, way hey! the ChicagoBoyz on The Insurgency. And this: From Wikinomics to the Tea Party

--crossposted at BackyardConservative

Tiny Crabby Apples

The only ones I yielded this year. Next year hopefully the Honeycrisp will mature:)

It's Emmer for Governor in Minnesota

Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty is rated an A among governors nationally by the libertarian Cato. WSJ takes note, as does the blogosphere. The presidential stakes in 2012.

For his successor Dems are trying to push a John Kerry light in the person of Mark Dayton, once rated the worst U.S. Senator.

The Weekly Standard on the race:

Governor Pawlenty has consistently turned back DFL efforts to raise taxes in the state and initiated efforts to cut state spending drastically. While his personal popularity is mixed, the retiring governor has strengthened the significant constituency opposed to traditional DFL economic solutions outside the inner cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. This constituency includes not only Republicans, but many independents and some more conservative DFLers as well.

Tom Emmer is the Tea Party pick. With any luck he'll be Minnesota's in November.

Note to President Obama--Not in MY backyard!!!!

Taranto passes on a rant.

The president's efforts to "educate" the ignorant public have been unyielding. The Washington Post reports on the latest:

Obama was raised in a condominium apartment, and later he lived as an urban apartment dweller. Perhaps that helps explain his new favorite hangout: other people's back yards.

Read on and Enjoy. Another delicious post at Don Surber's place. Tasteful pix of sunflower in my backyard. Complete with flutterby. And just for fun, this one, snapped at a Palin rally in Tucson. Here's to you, Mr. President, from the BackyardConservative. P.S. Obama barbequed in the backyard by small businessman Ruby Slippers

--crossposted at BackyardConservative. Naturally

NRA Mucks Up in South Dakota

NRO.

South Dakota War College: From my mailbox: Kristi Noem Endorsed by South Dakota Sportsmen & Second Amendment Supporters :

While many from the group are members of the NRA, they will not be following the NRA endorsement recommendation and instead will support Noem.

“On many issues, the NRA is a strong voice for gun owners, but on the issue of who to support for South Dakota’s lone seat in Congress, we are supporting Kristi Noem,” the group said in an open letter to gun owners across the state.

In the letter the group explained why they are supporting Noem, “Kristi is a lifelong hunter. She was born, raised and continues to live today in rural Hamlin County, South Dakota. She grew up understanding the importance of the Second Amendment… Kristi also took her support for the Second Amendment to the State Legislature where she introduced legislation to strengthen our Second Amendment rights.”

Dakota Dreaming

Sen. John Thune on the cover.

Another common sense conservative. He has an MBA, challenged and beat then Dem majority leader Tom Daschle.

Seems like he's comfortable in his own skin.

Um, and the video:)

The Last Best Hope

November is coming. The video.

Fist Fight at Reid-Angle Forum at Lutheran High School

Via The Corner.

I think New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has it right on the dynamic.

...For years the center-right of this country has been polite, the pundits for power have deemed themselves our spokesmen, the left is disruptive and foul and are lauded--aided and abetted-- by the PC media.

No more.

The stakes are too high. Too high.

P.S. Hillbuzz: Every Republican should be like Chris Christie when they grow up

We the people.
--crossposted at BackyardConservative

South Dakota's Kristi Noem: Sorry Nancy

A message for Nancy Pelosi: Previous post: Herseth Sandlin Stiffs Truckers in South Dakota

Herseth Sandlin Stiffs Truckers in South Dakota

Noem keeps on truckin’. Herseth Sandlin…. Not so much

Maybe that snooty Dem Stephanie can make the pheasant hunt. Oops, too late.

SEIU Colludes with PC Media in Wisconsin

SEIU Activist: Local Networks 'Willing Partners' in Campaign Against Wis. GOP Gubernatorial Candidate

...Walker leads anyway, and in the Senate race Johnson pulls away from Feingold.

Meadow Mates

Palin in Iowa

• Live Blogging Iowa GOP Reagan Dinner With Sarah Palin - Caffeinated Thoughts

• Palin, in Iowa, Prompts More 2012 Speculation - WSJ.com: Washington Wire

Sarah Palin speech in Iowa keeps fans guessing - Des Moines Register

Fire from The Heartland

The Awakening of the Conservative Woman, trailer via Nice Deb.

Yes, and it's spreading. You have made the moms mad.

P.S. Hey Steve, you forgot the crazy, raaacist, Islamaphobic middle-aged women.

--crossposted at BackyardConservative

New Dem Logo Looks Like ACORN's

And why not? Some slight honesty from the DNC. A political machine that skims off the top and loots taxpayer dollars.

Treating honest Americans as the enemy.

A Big Government bullseye on our backs.

The DNC's new slogan? "Change that matters". Matters for the select few who benefit. A change from the old "change we can believe in".

Because almost no one believes The One's words any more. The economy is dead in the water, the Dem tax and spend uncertainty too high, the drag of impending ObamaCare too costly. It's not just small business, the only real job creators in the country, who are hit hard, it's seniors. And they vote.

The Tea Party is having an impact even in blue states, the battleground is shifting further into them as well.

All most Americans ask for is a level playing field, not equality of outcomes. Oh, but for leftist elites, rules are for other people--some are more equal than others.

This new logo is a womb to the tomb prison ring.

--crossposted at BackyardConservative

Tall Clouds

Electorally Critical Midwest

Daniels' successes in the electorally critical Midwest intrigue national Republicans who see the region as essential to their chances of beating President Barack Obama in 2012.

WaPo looks at Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels' current team. One of his signature issues is healthcare. Obama won Indiana last time. How likely is it he can repeat?

Then there's Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who comes the closest yet to a direct challenge of the president on healthcare, wielding the machinery of his state in opposition. Via Reason:

“Obamacare is an intrusion by the federal government into personal health care matters and it’s an explosion of federal spending that does nothing to make health care more affordable,” Pawlenty said in a news release.

ABC brings in some more possibilities, also mostly ranging along the Mississippi River Valley:

The move is sure to put pressure on other Republican governors who are considering presidential runs to demonstrate their opposition to the law. Other Republican presidential contenders who now serve as governor include Indiana’s Mitch Daniels, Mississippi’s Haley Barbour, and Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal.

Romney's the outlier, of course--but California may go blue this year, too, and he has ties there:) Of course Romney was instrumental in turning Massachusetts Red with Scott Brown, pitting Massachusetts' state plan against ObamaCare.

Sarah Palin, flush with the success of candidates she's backed, is slated for the GOP Ronald Reagan dinner in Des Moines this month.

While the heartland has its urban centers which typically go Dem, a lot of independents mark the suburbs, while rural areas tend conservative. No surprises there. But vast swaths of many Midwest states are already underserved in terms of medical care, often due to exorbitant malpractice insurance costs--unrelieved by ObamaCare. The new law will bankrupt many rural hospitals, as government reimbursement rates won't keep pace with their costs.

Midwesterners will ask themselves if they're better off in November 2010 than they were 2 years ago. 2012 is still up in the air, but these blue states are already shifting red, and the region is yielding a crop of strong candidates for national office.

P.S. And then there's Paul Ryan:) From Wisconsin.

--crossposted at BackyardConservative

It's not all about you, Barack

Area Iraq war veterans: 'We made a difference' For Staff Sgt. Kristel Amundson, today’s official end of combat operations in Iraq signifies the fruit of two tours of duty. Fargo Forum

No Ceremony For Our Troops Coming Back From Iraq From This White House KathleenMcKinley.com

Obama to UN: I'm a Great Leap Forward for Human Rights in America Critical Narrative

Dayton-Emmer Dead Heat

Powerline. (And from a leftie poll.)

Dayton makes Jesse Ventura look like a model of stability and good judgment...

Taxpayer "Donations" in St. Louis, Louis

"Local Organization" Often Means Laundered Federal Money 24th State

This is not waste, fraud and abuse, it's deliberate policy.

Is it worth it?

Most Americans probably would think not.

And frankly, most parents would probably prefer real school choice.

Get your fresh sunflower

One newly unfurled.

...Get your fresh outrage. Republican Angers Democrats By Referring To Social Security As “A Milk Cow With 310 Million Tits”

Bachmann Takes on Her Taxin' Opponent

Via HotAir, new ad.

It really stuck in my mind that Tarryl Clark used to be a Republican--then switched to a Dem after Reagan. A blinkered old country club approach all the way--no tax is enough for this pol.

Ooh Nooo! It wasn't the Tea Party?!!!

Progressive Activist, and Disgruntled Employee, Firebombed Democrat Rep. Carnahan’s Office

News blackout.

'A Call to Prayer From the Rubble of the WTC'

Via James Taranto, One Book, Two Titles: Imam Faisal 'Abd Al-Rauf's Book Acquires New Title In Indonesian Translation.

Sounds really moderate, doesn't it.

Dancing on our graves.

...Is it multicultural to read something in a different language if the translation is a bad one? Are we supposed to PC, PC avert our eyes?

...From Hanoi Jane to Imam Obama

Would Jane Fonda like Sharia?

Is President Obama good for America?

Is President Obama any good?

P.S. Remember the rubble from August 24th, 1970. And this president's judgment. Judging Barack Obama

--crossposted at BackyardConservative

Does SD need Herseth-Sandlin's brand of political royalty?

...she is political royalty. The daughter of a longtime state legislator, granddaughter of a former governor and a former state secretary of state, Herseth Sandlin is sometimes called "South Dakota's princess."

Washington Post profile of her race vs. Republican Kristi Noem.

The Democrat Herseth-Sandlin is a vote for Nancy Pelosi's poison pill for America. She voted for the stimulus--a big waste and a jobs bust:

"The whole philosophy behind what they have promoted . . . has been completely out of step with South Dakota," Noem said at her home, Racotah Ranch, in tiny Castlewood, about 100 miles north of Sioux Falls. "South Dakotans identify with having the freedom to make choices for themselves, believing in competition and being able to run their small businesses the way that they see fit, not being forced with dealing with government mandates all the time."

And it will only get worse, in red ink and lost jobs unless we throw the Dems out in November.

...Anything to say Stephanie? You voted for this:

The federal government has served as enabler. Although the special tax-free status it bestows on municipal bonds amounts to a subsidy, Washington does little to enforce responsible budgeting. In its fiscal stimulus packages of 2009 and 2010, for instance, the federal government funneled hundreds of billions of dollars to the states without regard for their fiscal practices, treating irresponsibility in New Jersey and New York the same as prudence in, say, Texas and Indiana.

Or say, South Dakota. Dem spendthrifts need to be held accountable. That means YOU.