Simple Man Politics

Welcome back to Simple Man Politics for yet another hump day post. The man of the hour today who may be bestowed his hump honor eventually but not today is the RNC (Republican National Committee) Chairman Michael Steele. I have been considering doing a piece on this man for some time but other topics have taken precedence till now.

Former Lt Governor of Maryland Michael Steele (R-MD) now chairs the RNC and has the almost impossible and unenviable task of reviving and rejuvenating the Republican Party. He must not only ensure greater success of the party’s wins in at least the next two election cycles, but he must get his party’s base expanded, energized, and actively into the fight to regain GOP dominance in D.C. as well.

To say the least Mr. Steele faces some opposition to these goals and not just from the Democratic Party. He faces critics and opposition from within his own party also. Since his appointment to the RNC Chairmanship he has been blasted by Rush Limbaugh, and had ideological differences with former VP Dick Cheney, Karl Rove and Newt Gingrich just to name a couple of his detractors.

In addition to these troubles he has had trouble with the RNC board who have attempted to place limitations or regulations on what he can and can’t do as Chairman including funding, which has caused him to say at one point that if they want a figurehead as the Chairman they picked the wrong man. As if all of this isn’t enough for the man to deal with he is now taking heat from within the RNC for hiring friends, which every Chairman before him has done.

Michael Steele also laid out his game plan Tuesday 05/19/09 for bringing back the GOP strong. He says that regardless of Barack Obamas immense popularity with the public that the Republican Party will attack the President and his policies head on. He says that even with a revamped Republican Party there will still be clear differences between Democrats and Republicans politically and ideologically.

He cites this stance as a comeback of the two party system and said that the GOP has turned the corner predicting a Republican resurgence and that the comeback has begun and it is not in Washington. He also stated that this comeback is underway with the rebirth of the American dream and the change came to the party in a teabag referring to the Tea Parties of last month. All of this however seems to fly in the face of the fact that less people now identify themselves as Republicans when compared to the 2000 through 2004 election cycles.

I personally hope that Michael Steele is successful in his endeavor to reconstitute the Republican Party, but until a consensus is reached within the leadership of the Grand Old Party and the figure out how to present a new streamlined fresh image of the party to the base and potential members this is all just rhetoric. Unfortunately this may also be how Steele gets humped and by no one and nothing else but his own party the GOP. I do wish him all the luck in the world and I hope he is careful about bending over to pick anything up right now.

That is all I have to write about for now, but I am sure I will come up with something very interesting for all of you to read tomorrow. I also hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday and I will be back again tomorrow CIAO4NOW!!!!!

Welcome to the Tuesday edition of Simple Man Politics. I think from now on I am going to make Tuesday “Tim’s Targets Tuesdays”. I think I need to do this at least once a week because I can always find some political idiot out there who will qualify for the title. It just so happens that I happen to have a particular target picked out for todays post to and todays target is none other than our un-esteemed Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).

This thing that is loosely referred to as a lady was a thorn in the side of former President George W, Bush and now serves at the behest and probable displeasure of our current Commander in Grief Barack Obama. Even though I am sure he likes the fact that this witch supports all of his wacko socialist policies and programs he probably can’t stand her and her trouble making ways. My god the only differences between Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden are anatomy and the fact that Joe actually believes what he says.

Now in addition to her ramming her poison agenda down the throats of the American tax payers she has also managed to put her hoofs in her horses’ mouth. You may ask well how did this happen and I will tell you. Quite simply she lied and not once or twice but over and over and over again about what she knew about enhanced interrogation techniques. Not only that but she blamed anyone she could think of that she thought wouldn’t defend themselves, while never once taking responsibility for what she really did know.

After the original memos on these techniques were released by the White House she attacked the CIA for not only knowing about and using the techniques but for not informing her they were used as well and the CIA proved that wrong. Then she said she had been briefed once that they might be used, but not that they were in use. The CIA promptly released memos showing she was at the briefings that were given on the usage of the techniques and the results and was rebuffed by the current Director of CIA Leon Panetta.

As a result of all of this she then said she blamed the Bush administration and its lawyers not CIA for any deception and got a face full of former Vice President Dick Cheney for that statement. In addition to having had to endure being rebuffed by Leon Panetta and Dick Cheney she has since been proven a liar by others who were in the same meetings with her. What she should have done was apologize and keep her B.S. dispenser shut but she just seems to like being knee deep in her own cesspool of controversy.

I really hope for the sake of the American people both in her district in California and nationally that she is so discredited and humiliated that she loses the Speakership of the House of Representatives and ultimately her congressional seat in 2010. Unfortunately for the American people shit really does float to the top and this piece has too much buoyancy.

That is all of my rant for today and I hope I got it all off of my chest for now with her. However I am sure she will do something else very soon to deserve my ire again. I hope you all have a terrific Tuesday my friends CIAO4NOW!!!!!

President Obama has promised us a transparent government and has started the ball rolling with a website called Recovery.gov, which is supposed to allow the taxpayer to follow the 787 billion dollars in economic stimulus authorized in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This is supposed to show us what states, cities, contractors and non profits have received these funds.

The web is definitely the right place to do this and will show us the taxpayer if the government is ultimately really becoming more open. At this point though this program is still in its infancy and with many hurdles still to go before Obama can say it is a success. I for one think it has great potential as long as it is not mired down in bureaucratic red tape and political manipulation.

One of recovery.govs biggest obstacles is the vast amount of data sources it will need to incorporate, there are virtually hundreds of thousands of different sources that the government will need to disseminate and incorporate into one site to give us the whole picture. Unfortunately todays agencies only email spreadsheets that show the first step in funds distribution but not the entire trail from start to finish. There is much more at stake here though than just tracking the stimulus money this could ultimately change the way government shares data.

Greg Elin, Chief Evangelist for the Sunlight Foundation, a non profit that promotes government transparency compares the possibility to the way Wal-Mart using the web and data sharing within its corporate structure to maximize revenue, performance, and reliability between itself and its vendors. Wal-Mart has been in the forefront of using web based technologies and tools in the private sector but not without a lot of trial and error.

The possibility that this new effort by the Obama administration could fall prey to the same sort of failures as USAspending.gov, a site that came out of the Federal Funding and Transparency Act of 2006. This act was introduced by then Senator Barack Obama (D) of Illinois and Senator Coburn (R) of Oklahoma is very real. Due to the bills requirements for pilot programs, XML data formatting, and unresolved chronic issues the bill went no where and shows no potential.

There are five big risks that recovery.gov still faces and they are very challenging to the success of this latest attempt at governmental transparency by the Obama administration. Here is a list of these five risks as posted in Information Week.

1) Stale Data- Manual email updates won’t deliver enough fresh data and will be costly to maintain. A better route: Web standard data feeds.
2) Useless Data. Unless citizens can easily search and analyze the information, it’s just a portal into yet another data silo.
3) States Resist. The feds are working out what data they can demand. Without it transparency hits a dead end at the state level.
4) Feds Resist. Agencies can’t refuse OMB rules, but they can drag their feet on needed IT investments.
5) Delays. Stimulus spending gives transparency unusual urgency and delays can squander this momentum.

The OMB (Office of Management and Budget) is the agency running point on addressing a lot of these IT questions. Their current plan is to receive all data centrally at a site tentatively called FederalReporting.gov and it is from this site that data will be drawn to present on the Recovery.gov website. The worry here is that they will not have all of the information available to the public until fall when first quarter spending reports are due. By that time there will have been tens of billions of dollars paid out.

The Obama administration has not been very bashful about asking for help in resolving IT issues, which is a good thing if Recovery.gov is to get off of the ground and work effectively. The week of April 27th 2009 Recovery.gov aired a video on YouTube asking for help. Earl Devaney the former Inspector General of the Department of the Interior who now chairs the Recovery Board has asked leading IT developers, thinkers, and consumers to take part in an online roundtable at TheNationalDialogue.org so that their knowledge could influence the development and operation of Recovery.gov.

To say the least there has been a lot of effort, thought, and talent put up to try to make Recovery.gov a viable, valuable, and important entity in this supposed new age of governmental transparency that has been promised by the Obama administration. This idea of a transparency 2.0 could very well be the important first step and I think a good one as well. My worry is not that Recovery.gov cannot be done my worry is that transparency was just an empty campaign promise.

There has already been evidence that this administration and its supporters have used secrecy, diversion, and outright deception to achieve their goals, which is not surprising to me since most of them seem to be tax cheats and liars anyway. Then again most politicians are liars at one time or another if it furthers their cause. I think transparency is a wonderful dream but a dream none the less although I hope I am wrong.

That is all for today my friends but I will see you all again on Tuesday. Have a marvelous day all CIAO4NOW!!!!!

Welcome to the T.G.I.F. post for Simple Man Politics my friends and faithful readers. Today we are going to talk about something that has been causing quite a stir and not a little controversy as well in the past couple of weeks. Todays topic of conversation is Obamas expected commencement speech at Notre Dame this Sunday May 17th 2009.

While Obama has recently given commencement speech’s at a couple of universities lately the most recent being ASU (Arizona State University) the big difference between ASU and Notre Dame is that ASU is a secular university while Notre Dame is a theological university. This is where Obamas visit becomes a problem especially for those who attend and work at Notre Dame.

Here is the reason that this makes the Obama commencement speech such a bitterly opposed event. Since Notre Dame is a theological university and a part of the Roman Catholic Church. As a result Notre Dame is obviously a Pro Life advocate rather than Pro Choice, teaching that human life begins at conception and thus is a sacred living person and soul at that point.

Obama is obviously a Pro Choice advocate, which automatically puts his belief system opposite of the Roman Catholic doctrine. He has also recently implemented a couple of policies that are in direct contradiction to the Pro Life point of view. The most perceived direct assault to the Pro Life movement is the implementation of funding overseas for organizations who promote abortion as a family planning alternative.

Because of these to totally opposite points of view there is a lot of anger and frustration from students, faculty, alumni as well as the rank and file of the Catholic Church at the invitation from the President of the University of Notre Dame to President Barack Obama to make the commencement speech. These same people are also opposed to the honorary law degree for Obama from the university saying it honors an individual who does not honor the Catholic ideal.

Unfortunately this commencement speech event has also caused a rift in the Catholic Church also. Many of the more moderate Catholics will say that to have a US President give the commencement speech at Notre Dame will only add more prestige to an already very prestigious university. These moderates within the church will also say that by having someone like Obama with his beliefs visit the campus will help to promote greater understanding with his kind and the church faithful.

I will tell you all that I was baptized in the Catholic Church however I am what one would call a lapsed catholic. I cannot even remember the last time I attended a mass. I will also tell you all that I have my own ideas about what this invitation to Obama is all about. I think it is all about the money for the President of Notre Dame and his administration. Money is tight and federal funds are usually free.

I also think that even with Obamas speech at Notre Dame that the core principles and teachings of the university will not be corrupted. I do find it a shame however that the Laetare Medal will not be awarded at this commencement this year to Mary Ann Glendon who declined the honor. I also believe that both sides of this issue have to right to protest either side of this issue as well. Organized public protest and debate are rights we as a democratic society enjoy under the 1st amendment.

Whatever side of this argument you might fall on I only hope that you and I both pray for a peaceful day this Sunday. There is enough hate, discontent, and hostility going around elsewhere and it is not needed at Notre Dame on the day the next new crop of bright young minds enter the real world to try to make their dreams come true. I wish them all good luck, Gods speed, and Gods blessings in their new lives.

That is all I have for you all today but I will see you all again on Monday. Have a wonderful weekend my friends and CIAO4NOW!!!!!

P.S. The Video is from ndresponse.com check it out.

Today’s topic of conversation is the infamous congressman of the Pennsylvania T John Murtha (D-Pa). An individual who served with honor in the United States Marine Corp during wartime and has been a constant political figure on capitol hill for more than 30yrs although lately the shine has kind of worn off this piece of obsolete political machinery.

No one can say that good ole John ever lacked for something to say publicly and I am sure he likes to court controversy. You only have to look as far back as the Iraq War during the 2nd Bush term to see that.

At that time John Murtha made a statement that would come back to haunt him and what he said was that US Marines were responsible for killing innocent women and children out of bloodlust, which was definitely an incendiary remark.

He has since followed up the last nonsensical remark with another one. Now he tells Obama and congress that his district and his constituents are more than willing to have the 241 Guantanamo detainees in Pennsylvania. A comment for which is no support for him from within his district.

Everyone also knows that Mr. Murtha can soak up pork barrel funds like no one else. His latest project is the local airport in his district, which is named after him. After some concerns about a project there the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) would be releasing the $800,000 in stimulus funds for the Johnstown, Pa airport project.

It also appears that Rep Murtha doesn’t much care for being challenged for his congressional seat either. In 2008 Republican Bill Russell who is himself an Iraqi War veteran was threatened by Murtha who told him he would have him recalled to active duty and court-martialed for engaging in politics, which is illegal to do. Russell was not on active duty at the time.

Another subject involving Murtha’s abuse of his political power comes at the expense of his own nephew Robert Murtha Jr who owns Murthech. Rep Murtha saw to it that his nephew received over 4 million dollars in pentagon work without competition. John must pride himself on his ability to use nepotism without a guilty conscience when it involves the tax payer’s money.

I guess it doesn’t matter to John Murtha who he slanders, what he steals, or who he runs over in his never ending quest to maintain his power although it is dwindling. I was also happy to hear that Bill Russell will run for Murtha’s seat in 2010 maybe he can send this political dinosaur to the bone yard for good the next time.

The important thing to remember here though my friends is that it doesn’t matter what side of the aisle that 99.998% of these politicians sit on either Democrat or republican they virtually all crave one thing and that is power. I just happened to pick John Murtha as an example.

That is it for now but I will be back again on Friday with the T.G.I.F. post. I hope you all have a great day today CIAO4NOW!!!!!

Hello my friends and welcome to the Hump Day post for Simple Man Politics and since it is Hump Day today we are going to talk about public figures who get humped over political comments they have made or for being politicians themselves. Unfortunately this will happen to someone when they enter the court of public opinion and make a comment that is either not popular or hotly contested.

Usually the ignominious honor of getting humped publicly is reserved for politicians who in my view are substandard intellectually and ideologically and usually deserve it anyway. However on occasion other public figures have been bestowed with this honor as well. Unfortunately when one enters the public political arena of ideas with their own opinion they can usually expect a smack down particularly if their argument or idea is not very well thought out or lacks an intelligent theory.

As far as that goes well I have some bad news for all of you thinking about attempting this often ill-fated and demoralizing venture of public political discourse and that is that once you do this you are not only fair game for honest, intelligent, and motivated political journalists like myself, but you are also open to attacks from every on the fringe kook, idiot, and loon in the media or with a public forum with an ax to grind whose point of view opposes yours.

These media rapes happen everyday and they are everywhere all you have to do is turn on the cable news channels, talk radio, or the internet and it is all right there. Currently today I have seen the supposed Limbaugh/Sykes feud discussed yet again for the hundredth time, and the same with the supposed Cheney/Limbaugh/Powell feud also. Other people who have recently been savaged in the press are Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Barney Frank, Chris Dodd and Barack Obama. However these are political figures that are used to being in this type of shark infested territory and in my opinion have deserved it.

Of course political innocents are often sacrificed at the altars of the public humping gods on a regular basis as well as some not so innocent political activists. One of the new innocents that the kooks attempted to ravage publicly is the new Miss California Carrie Prejean. Apparently her traditional view on marriage was not very popular with some numbnuts by the name of Perez Hilton so he personally attacked her in his blog and then he and some of his rainbow butt buddies attacked her using news media outlets.

Fortunately for Miss Prejean Donald Trump who owns the Miss USA Pageant makes his own decisions and kept her in her position as Miss California. Donald Trump even went so far as to say that the views on marriage that Miss Prejean espoused were the very same views expressed by our current President. I guess if these views are good enough for our Commander in Grief then they are good enough for the Donald as well.

Another figure who continues to enter the arena of public opinion and usually deserves the media humping she eventually receives is none other than the dog faced Janine Garofalo with her DOCTORATE in DUMBASS. Her latest personal revelation is that everyone who either opposed Obama in the national election or who opposes Obamas policies are obviously all racists. Now while I will concede that at some point race did enter into the picture particularly since Obama was the first person to bring up race during his 04 election campaign it is patently absurd to say that all who oppose him are racists.

Now I will admit that I will often use this blog as well as other forums that I read and write in to attack public figures and politicians in particular and more often than not they appear to be more and more on the left politically. However I do not nor will I ever attack anyone on either the left or the right that does not step into the middle of the political arena and throw down the gauntlet.

I will also tell you that I myself have also been attacked for my views, beliefs, and truths that I have expressed here and elsewhere. When I have been right I have fought back even harder and dirtier than when the fight started and when I have been wrong I have apologized and have eaten crow. Fortunately I am seldom if ever wrong, but there is one thing I know going in and that is that I have thrown my hat into this political coliseum and had my say and they have the right to challenge me.

The best advice that I can give anyone who is considering doing this type of writing and reporting is to think about what I have said here today. But if you consider all of these things I have said and still decide to go ahead with getting into the middle of the political arena and throwing down the challenge then expect me and others like me to take up the standard and go right after you if I or we believe that you are on the wrong side.

I hope you all have a wonderful Hump Day and I will be back again tomorrow CIAO4NOW!!!!!

As promised I am back here again today and chances are I will be back here again tomorrow and for as long as I think I need to be here and that people want to read what I have to say. Also as promised today we are going to talk about the radical criminal group known as ACORN. (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now)

I know the name doesn’t sound so criminal or radical when you read it does it? Believe me though this organization in its current form is nothing more than criminal and radical now. ACORN was perhaps the most politically active group during the past national elections that saw the Obamination elected to the Presidency.

ACORN and other groups like them along with Saul Alinsky the godfather of the community organization genre were the ones who gave Barack Obama his political and ideological education. I am here to tell you that they re-educated our President well to and in the process took him from a lowly community organizer to the highest office in the land using the same sort of Chicago style thug politics that is synonymous with the windy city.

Currently ACORN is under investigation for voter fraud in as many as ten states including Nevada, Washington, Colorado, and Ohio. However allegations against ACORN for voter fraud have been made in almost every state, which makes this much more than a few isolated incidents or coincidence.

The problem that investigators have is that it is not just ACORN they have to look into but the other approximately 300 organizations under the ACORN umbrella. Fortunately the do have some help in their investigation from former board members of ACORN who have spoken out against the organization for its illegal practices including voter fraud. There are other informants as well who help out on these investigations.

One of the things that bother me most is that ACORN who claims to be non-partisan in the first place was out there stumping for Obama and at the same time collecting voter registrations, which is supposed to be done by non partisan groups. It also came to light that this group actually registered more voters in Indianapolis Indiana than there were legal age voters in the city.

However that is not the thing that does bother the most because what bothers me the most is the fact that this organization is actually going to get federal dollars in the Obama stimulus package and they are currently under federal investigation for more than one count of voter fraud, which is a federal felony charge.

Although there was legislation introduced to remove these stimulus funds from eligibility from ACORN Democrats put these funds for ACORN right back into the stimulus bill. This is proof positive that if you supported Obama for President then you will get paid just like the United Auto Workers Union did.

That is about all I have for now, but I am sure I can find more back room deals and political corruption to write about tomorrow and you know I will. I hope you all have a terrific day today CIAO4NOW!!!!!