Morning Briefing
For April 25, 2013
You will have to forgive me a personal note this morning.
Many people, including my boss, are surprised to learn I have a boss. In fact, I do have a boss. Well, I had a boss until today. Today is Joe's last day at our parent company. When Eagle Publishing, Inc. assumed control of RedState on January 1, 2007, I made a very conscious decision to stay in Macon, Georgia. Brent Bozell was downright insistent I never move to Washington lest RedState become compromised by the D.C. cocktail circuit. So I stayed put.
My boss, more often than not, has had to deal with headaches I might create while managing the flow of the business that is RedState while I bang away at the keyboard here in Macon.
At this point, whether I want it to be this way or not, I am RedState and RedState is me and that is no easy thing for a guy who is actually my boss to have to deal with on occasion. Joe has, day in and day out, dealt with RedState with class and style. He's been RedState's ever present cheerleader, emailing me at 5 a.m. if he hasn't gotten this Morning Briefing to start his day, and always working hard to ensure our style and editorial content remain true to our mission.
It's sometimes odd and sometimes confounding to steer this ship of site several hundred miles away from the home office. But for these past few years I've had a great peace of mind knowing Joe was there if I needed him. He's the unsung hero and unseen player here, running interference, making sure the business side of things works, and keeping us moving.
He's going to be missed. Thanks Joe for everything!
— Erick
1. Republicans and Democrats in Washington Conspire to Exempt Themselves from Obamacare
If this happens, the nation needs to collectively march on Washington, DC, burn it to the ground, and spread salt over the ground.
According to the Politico, in super secret “high-level, confidential talks”, Harry Reid, John Boehner, the Obama administration, and other lawmakers are working to exempt themselves and their staffs from Obamacare.
They want to rush it through, probably sneaking it through on some other legislation that no one cares about, and get it all done before anyone can say anything about it.
If the Republican Party leadership in Congress goes along with this ride, there will need to be a new third party that challenges both the GOP and Democrats.
2. The only thing more hypocritical than Terry McAuliffe? The Lefties now supporting him.
There’s some raised eyebrows at some of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe’s donors: specifically the detail that 78% of his funding in the last quarter came from out-of-state donors. Looking at the donor list, I note that some of the folks involve include: Terry’s father-in-law Richard Swann, who is probably best known for being president, back in the day, of the infamously failed American Pioneer S&L; the Communication Workers of America, for whom McAuliffe once brokered a sweet, sweet credit card deal (which is what Creigh Deeds was referring to here); and Haim Saban, who has quite the taste for precisely the sort of offshore tax havens that the Democrats supposedly hate. And let me head off something at the pass: I will happily concede that none of those examples are examples of explicitly illegal activity on McAuliffe’s part. Heavens forbid that I suggest that the man is a criminal – but the question is, is Terry McAuliffe a righteous man? . . . please click here for the rest of the post →
3. The people who broke immigration will not help fix it
One aspect of my growing skepticism about the immigration reform proposals advanced by Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and his Gang of Eight partners is that our immigration system did not break by accident. It was mangled, deformed, defanged, and abused on purpose, by both government and private interests. Rubio’s earnest enthusiasm would be appropriate for someone cleaning up after a natural disaster, but he’s dealing with something closer to sabotage.
That’s why all those promises about border security “triggers” ring so hollow. The elements of the Administration that would be responsible for enforcing those triggers are almost hilariously straightforward about saying they won’t even seriously attempt to measure border security progress. Rubio is looking for good-faith assurances from people who have little good faith to offer. Between open-borders ideology and good old bureaucratic inertia, it’s entirely predictable that the Administration will simply pronounce itself fully compliant with any standards laid out by the Gang of Eight legislation… and then savagely attack anyone who suggests otherwise. If skeptics in the years ahead actually try to delay the amnesty process because those triggers haven’t been satisfied, they’ll be denounced as xenophobes. The Democrats actually have incentives to force such a showdown, because it would be a political field day for them. . . . please click here for the rest of the post →
4. Gun Control: Treating The Symptoms
As the nation struggles to understand the attack at the Boston Marathon, the debate over background checks for gun buyers has received more attention from gun control advocates as a result. The left argues that stricter gun control laws might prevent tragedies such as the Boston bombings and the Newtown shooting. The right points out that criminals, including the Boston bombers, do not adhere to the law and creating new gun control laws won’t persuade them to start. Neither side gets to the heart of the issue and yet it is only there that two may find agreement.
Where there is a will there is a way. At times this old proverb gives us hope for what can be achieved and, in times such as these, it is a sad truth. If people have the desire to hurt, they will find a way; be it gun, plane, pressure cooker or the rope used for suicide. What gives those who do harm the will is an intrinsic part of the investigation into the causation of violence, but in all cases the common denominator is mental health. . . . please click here for the rest of the post →
5. That’s Mark Zuckerberg’s Money They’re Wasting at Americans for a Conservative Direction
So this group with the really crappy commercials, including the one about Lindsey Graham, I told you about yesterday is being funded by Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook.
Alexander Burns at the Politico reports that this group is his. . . . please click here for the rest of the post →
6. To be Clear About Mark Zuckerberg’s Americans for a Conservative Direction
I just want to be clear about about the new front group for the Gang of Eight’s immigration proposal on the right, Americans for a Conservative Direction.
The group, funded by Facebook billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, is perfectly entitled to set up this group. A good bit of the center-right coalition supports the issue.
That’s not my problem
My problem is that this is just another example of Republican consultants seemingly bleeding people dry for crappy work product.
They call themselves Americans for a Conservative Direction, but one of their first ads is a poorly produced ad supporting Lindsey Graham, who is not exactly a stalwart of the conservative movement these days.
Their website is poorly produced — more an alpha launch than a beta launch.
Even the Marco Rubio advertisement, which is airing in Texas today, is poorly produced.
Both of them have Methuselah as the narrator and they look cheap. . . . please click here for the rest of the post →
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