Politico: Why Won’t You Republicans Give Obama His Bipartisan Moment And Pass Gun Control?

And probably other highly partisan legislation Mr. Obama has recommended?

(Politico) A few hours after the deadly Boston Marathon attack, President Barack Obama made an extraordinary, if understated statement: politicians should suspend their state of perpetual conflict to unite against an unknown and deadly new national threat.

“I’ve updated leaders of Congress in both parties, and we reaffirmed that on days like this there are no Republicans or Democrats — we are Americans, united in concern for our fellow citizens,” Obama told reporters on Monday just after twin blasts ripped through a festive crowd in Boston, killing three and grievously wounding over a hundred others.

Well, we do not exactly know what this deadly new national threat is, because it’s “unknown”. No one has taken credit and there have been no follow up attacks. And if it ends up being linked to an Islamist group, that wouldn’t be new. Oh, and let’s not forget that Democrats haven’t really taken the threat from them seriously in a decade.

It was a subtle but unmistakable admission of just how much things have changed since George W. Bush grabbed a bullhorn, earning the tearful admiration of liberals and conservatives alike, as he stood atop the smoldering ruins of Ground Zero.

With all due respect to those killed or injured in Boston, and their families and friends, there is a difference in which 2,996 people were killed, the Twin Towers were knocked down, the Pentagon hit, and 4 planes had been hijacked, and no one really new what was going on or how many were actually dead for a few days. Oh, and let’s not forget Obama was calling for “understanding” and that there was a “lack of empathy” with the attackers on the part of the United States just a few days after 9/11.

Now, despite Obama’s wishes, battle-weary Democrats and Republicans fear just the opposite will happen this time: whatever turn the investigation in Boston takes — whether the killer or killers was foreign terrorist or home-grown murderer — the long-term result is likely to foster a new cycle of finger-pointing, recrimination and political positioning.

Democrats, including Obama, have no one to blame but themselves. Their “good will” towards President Bush lasted only so long before they started attacking him mercilessly. And let’s also not forget that a good chunk of the Democrat voting base were part of the Truther movement, believing Bush either let 9/11 happen or made it happen. They made the post-9/11 era highly partisan and personal. Anyhow, here we go

In fact, one senior Democrat predicted that the most likely political consequence was that some senators would use the attack “as cover” to oppose the bipartisan compromise on guns inching its way through the upper chamber. White House officials, this Democrat said, had no expectation that the Boston attacks would create an “era of good feeling.”

So, Democrats would considering it a post-Boston bipartisan moment if Republicans would roll over and vote for the background checks bill that wouldn’t have stopped most of the mass shooting events, if any. And it’s probably implied that Republicans should vote for the rest of Obama’s agenda in that “bipartisan spirit”.

Let’s also not forget, as the Politico points out deep in the article, that Democrats immediately attacked Republicans in saying that this was a result of Sequestration, for talking about cutting government, elected Dems such as Barney Frank, and also were immediately jumping to attempting to blame people or groups on the Right for this attack. It’s amazing: Republicans immediately think about external threats such as Islamists, and Democrats immediately look to blame their fellow Americans who have different political views. What we can expect once we know what the attack was about:

  1. If it was an Islamist, Dems will immediately proclaim that the person(s) was a lone wolf and not representative or part of the Islamic world in the least, and if you try to link the even to Islamic terrorism, Sharia law, etc, well, you’re an Islamophobe. They’ll also say that we should have more spending and federal government because of this 1 off incident.
  2. If it was a domestic plot, they will immediately look to portray the person(s) as far right, and will keep that narrative up despite any evidence to the contrary, and will make this about the Conservative movement/Republican Party as a whole, demonizing all, attempting to destroy all on the Right, despite Conservatives disowning these fringe groups. Oh, and call for more government and spending and liberty restrictions.
  3.  If the person is easily known as a liberal (Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Black Bloc, some environmentalist, etc, groups that Liberals rarely disown),  the media will either completely downplay the link and still find a way to blame Republicans or let the story quietly die out while also mentioning that this was an aberration and means we need X (gun control, more spending, bigger government, higher taxes, etc).

But, don’t forget to give Obama his bipartisan moment, because he has done so much during his time in office to….well, demonize and slam anyone who doesn’t agree with him.

Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU.

Read: Politico: Why Won’t You Republicans Give Obama His Bipartisan Moment And Pass Gun Control? »

Earth Day 2013 To “Put A Face On Climate Change”

And apparently ignore the environment in favor of hotcoldwetdry. From the Earth Day Network press release

Earth Day, April 22, is one week away. The theme of Earth Day 2013 is The Face of Climate Change. This campaign seeks to harness the power of Earth Day to personalize the massive challenge that climate change presents, while uniting people around the globe into a powerful call to action.

Earth Day Network is collecting images of people, animals and places affected by climate change, as well as images of people doing their part in the fight against climate change. On Earth Day itself, an interactive digital display of all the images will be shown at thousands of events around the world. The display is also available online to anyone who wants to view it, show it or read the stories.

Read the rest. They kinda forgot about actual environmental issues. Hey, here are some hotcoldwetdry faces

Well, getting beyond a bit of titillation (sic), the face of climate change should be every Warmist who refuses to give up their fossil fueled vehicles, fossil fueled flights, takes a shower longer than two minutes, turns the AC below 78 (heck, uses AC), won’t buy only local, won’t unplug everything not in use, etc and so on. Highlight their hypocricy.

Oh, and thinks a tiny fraction of a degree C or F uptick is dooooooooooom.

Read: Earth Day 2013 To “Put A Face On Climate Change” »

If All You See…

…is an evil fridge with an evil ice maker, causing the world to burn, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is small dead animals, with a quick post on a Dem not blaming the criminals.

Read: If All You See… »

Climate Scientists Really Looking For “Explanations” To Explain Missing Warming

Again, numbers to remember

  • .08C (.14F) increase in global temperature from 1997
  • .28F (.16C) increase since 1990

Not exactly doom worthy. But, climate scientists need to keep the cult and the funding gravy train going

(Baltimore Sun) Scientists are struggling to explain a slowdown in climate change that has exposed gaps in their understanding and defies a rise in global greenhouse gas emissions.

Often focused on century-long trends, most climate models failed to predict that the temperature rise would slow, starting around 2000. Scientists are now intent on figuring out the causes and determining whether the respite will be brief or a more lasting phenomenon.

Theories for the pause include that deep oceans have taken up more heat with the result that the surface is cooler than expected, that industrial pollution in Asia or clouds are blocking the sun, or that greenhouse gases trap less heat than previously believed.

Strangely “nature doing the things nature does” is missing. Also “we were completely full of mule fritters and no one should listen to us and our computer models and ginned up studies and massaged data” is absent. All the prognostications will be based on Mankind messing things up but something else blocking the warmth. Meanwhile, Warmists still aren’t practicing what they preach.

Read: Climate Scientists Really Looking For “Explanations” To Explain Missing Warming »

Bummer: Gun Control Bill In Peril

What The Politico’s John Breshanan and Jake Sherman seem to be referring to is the Manchin-Toomey background checks bill

The tough gun-control bill that President Barack Obama wants now has little, if any, chance of passing this Congress – it’s struggling in the Senate and facing outright rejection in the House.

Vice President Joe Biden worked the phones Monday to try to salvage a bipartisan bill in the Senate but has come up short. Personal appeals from parents of Newtown victims and former Rep. Gabby Giffords haven’t worked either.

And even if Senate negotiators get to 60 votes, the House is certain to rewrite the bill – or discard it altogether.

The thing about Manchin-Toomey, as so many, including myself, have noted, is that it would not have stopped Adam Lanza. Nor Hasan Nidal. Nor James Holmes. Nor Jared Lee Loughner. All had guns illegally (Loughner lied on his form about marijuana usage). Tougher gun control certainly hasn’t worked in Chicago.

A defeat would mean that in just five months after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, the best chance for new gun controls in 20 years is slipping away.

What they mean is restricting law abiding citizens their Constitutional Right to keep and bear arms. And say there’s lots of blame to go around for stopping this bill (note: I’m not against it, it won’t do much, and I see no problem, including Constitutionally, with requiring background checks for all firearm purchases. Though, the sections about mental illness needs to be very carefully re-written so as to not infringe on people’s rights): The NRA, red state Dems, reps in rural areas). And

It also, once again, displays the competing interests in the Capitol: A Senate attuned to national politics, and a House consumed with local, gerrymandered, constituencies.

Um, is that not what Representatives are supposed to be concerned with? The American citizens in their districts? Should Senators not be concerned with the opinions of the citizens of their states? Looks more like the Politico is pushing Collectivism and authoritarianism.

If the Democrat led Senate was serious they would be writing legislation that goes after criminals instead of making it harder for law abiding citizens to purchase a firearm.

Read: Bummer: Gun Control Bill In Peril »

Keep Calm And Carry On. And Blame Righty

James Joyner points out that the Keep Calm And Carry On graphic is showing up all over the ‘net

The Atlantic’s Bruce Schneier explains

As the details about the bombings in Boston unfold, it’d be easy to be scared. It’d be easy to feel powerless and demand that our elected leaders do something — anything — to keep us safe.

It’d be easy, but it’d be wrong. We need to be angry and empathize with the victims without being scared. Our fears would play right into the perpetrators’ hands — and magnify the power of their victory for whichever goals whatever group behind this, still to be uncovered, has. We don’t have to be scared, and we’re not powerless. We actually have all the power here, and there’s one thing we can do to render terrorism ineffective: Refuse to be terrorized.

It’s hard to do, because terrorism is designed precisely to scare people — far out of proportion to its actual danger. A huge amount of research on fear and the brain teaches us that we exaggerate threats that are rare, spectacular, immediate, random — in this case involving an innocent child — senseless, horrific and graphic. Terrorism pushes all of our fear buttons, really hard, and we overreact.

That’s are some good points. And we should not start the blame game, right, Bruce?

Terrorism, even the terrorism of radical Islamists and right-wing extremists and lone actors all put together, is not an “existential threat” against our nation. Even the events of 9/11, as horrific as they were, didn’t do existential damage to our nation. Our society is more robust than it might seem from watching the news. We need to start acting that way.

That’s weird. Blamestorming the right. Here’s one of the big writers at the NY Times

In a tweet during the aftermath of the apparent attacks, Nicholas Kristof wrote, “Explosion is a reminder that ATF needs a director. Shame on Senate Republicans for blocking apptment.”

He recanted the tweet later, showing that he has no cajones and also that he made his highly partisan point. And, of course, we have Chris Matthews

Just hours after explosions rocked the Boston Marathon on Monday, Chris Matthews speculated, “Normally domestic terrorists, people, tend to be on the far right.” He then reconsidered and suggested, “…That’s not a good category, just extremists, let’s call them that.”

During live coverage, the Hardball host highlighted a possible explosion at John F. Kennedy’s presidential library and thought this could be a personal attack on the Democratic Party: “…But going after the Kennedy Library, not something at Bunker Hill, not something from the Freedom Trail or anything that kind of historic, but a modern political figure of the Democratic Party. Does that tell you something?” (Police are now considering the incident at the JFK library to be fire-related.) One can only guess what it tells Chris.

And Chris Matthews and a sitting US Congress Critter, William Keating (D-Mass) wondering about extremists on “Tax Day”. And a CNN analyst. An Al Sharpton radio producer. Michael Moore. MSNBC’s Luke Russert. Balloon Juice blames the lone (right wing) gunman. Former MSNBC host Cenk Uygur threw in some raaaaacism for good measure. MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow tells people not to speculate, but….

What’s more, there’s been considerable interest in the calendar — as the New York Times noted, this is a week that “has sometimes been seen as significant for radical American antigovernment groups.” Yesterday, for example, was Tax Day nationwide and Patriots’ Day in Massachusetts. This week is also the anniversary of the 1993 raid on the Branch Davidians in Waco, the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City, Hitler’s birthday, and the massacre at Columbine High School.

Who did this and why? We don’t know. It could be a right wing extremist group (which normal Conservatives disown). It could be Occupy Wallstreet (most likely it would be the Black Bloc, which Occupiers disown). It could be lone wolf. It could be someone with an ax to grind which could be political but isn’t representative of  the movements as a whole. It could be an envirowacko group like ELF. And, yes, it could be an Islamist attack (most likely). A Saudi national is being held as a person of interest. Authorities are also searching for a man wearing a black hood as a person of interest. Progressives are more interested in going political in order to attack fellow countrymen who are on the Right, forgetting that people on their side have been involved heavily in “domestic terrorism”, attempted and completed.

Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU.

Read: Keep Calm And Carry On. And Blame Righty »

Horrific Bombing At Boston Marathon

This is tragic

(NY Times) A series of explosions erupted near the finish line at the Boston Marathon on Monday. The Boston Police Department confirmed that they were looking into an explosion, but had no further comment.

There were apparently 2 explosions, the second being bigger than the first. Reports are that there are a lot of injured and some dead, and that body parts were flying. My prayers go out to all.

See Hot Air, Twitchy, and Deadspin for coverage, as well as all the usual. I’m at work so can’t keep up.

As a sidebar, I have to wonder how seen we will be treated to Liberals blaming conservatives, anti-tax or anti-government folks on the right, etc.

Read: Horrific Bombing At Boston Marathon »

If All You See…

…is a loss of biodiversity on a fossil fueled boat, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Watcher Of Weasels, with a discussion post on whether the Iraq war was worth it (crossed at Joshuapundit).

Read: If All You See… »

“Blue Tits Provide Insight Into Climate Change”

With a headline like that, how can I not blog it?

(Phys.org) Researchers believe that the size of birds’ nests created in response to changing weather patterns may be partly to blame for reproductive failures over the last two years.

Sorry, chums, it’s about birds

An article in the April edition of The Biologist, the Society of Biology’s magazine, explains that birds produce different sized nests depending on the weather.

Dr Deeming’s studies of great tits and blue tits breeding in nest boxes at the University’s Riseholme Park campus have shed light on how nests are built and how they function.

What did they find? Well, the nests are thicker when it’s cold and thinner when it’s warm. Because, you know, weather.

However, as climate change brings more unpredictable weather patterns the way birds construct nests will be affected. In both 2011 and 2012, for example, early spells of warm weather were followed by much lower temperatures.

And there you go, it’s all your fault for refusing to give up your fossil fueled vehicle, buy local, and take a shower lasting more than 2 minutes. Because beforehand the weather was always the same and completely predictable. We never had anything like Indian Summer, a phrase that goes back to the late 1700’s. But, of course, “climate change” is an unscientific term created to denote that Mankind’s activities cause everything.

Anyhow, blue tits.

Read: “Blue Tits Provide Insight Into Climate Change” »

Chris Murphy (D): US Government Can’t Function On 17% Of GDP

Well, certainly with liberals in government. He says this as he slams Obama

(Politico) Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said Monday he thought the 18 percent tax rate paid by President Barack Obama and other wealthy people was too low.

“The fact is we can’t run this country based on the amount of revenue that we’re collecting today,” Murphy said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” during a discussion that related to the rate Obama had paid.

“We can’t collect 18 percent from people making that much money and be able to afford to build roads and bridges and educate kids and do the medical research we used to,” Murphy continued. “We just sort of need to make a fundamental admission that this nation can’t run on collecting 17 percent of GDP and that largely needs to come out of the pockets of the people making that kind of cash.”

Have they tried? Before the Progressive era of US government started, they had no problem running it with less. Government spending at the start of the 20th century was 7%. Then Los Federales decided that they were going to pay for everything and create tons of entitlement programs and was taxpayer money in idiotic programs, along with shifting more and more power into the hands of the federal government, which increased spending.

The problem here is that politicians, especially Democrats, want more and more of your hard earned money. On the flip side, the same people who advocate for higher spending and higher taxes aren’t willing to pay more themselves. Mr. Obama could have not itemized, not taken all the deductions allowed, and payed the full rate. Did he? Obviously not.

And let’s not forget that the States still spend quite a bit of money themselves. And that almost 50% of the citizens have a net zero federal tax liability, which also decreases the amount of revenue that the States collect when the federal tax liabilities are imported into the State tax forms.

I’d  be interested to see Chris Murphy’s tax rate. Oh, wait, it was a measly 22.4% federal for 2011. Oh, and he’s been late in paying his property taxes before. Step up, Chris, send a check to the IRS.

BTW, 17% would be around 2.66 trillion dollars.

Read: Chris Murphy (D): US Government Can’t Function On 17% Of GDP »

Pirate's Cove