The Comeback of Manufacturing in the Elston Corridor

My new piece is up.

Two Nw Pics

Check out the pictorial of the roughest area of Chicago Heights and also check out this piece about a new pre school.

IVI IPO Corruption

Take a look at the latest piece on Chicago elections.

New Piece on Chicago Elections

Will Walmart come to 44

Part III

Part three of the Tony Demasi follow up is here.

Part II

Part two of my follow up on Tony Demasi is here.

New Piece on Chicago Elections

The follow up on the story of Tony Demasi has arrived. It's at Chicago Elections 2011.

New Piece on Chicago Elections

Check out the full analysis of Rahm Emanuel's plan for reforming city government.

New Piece on Chicago Elections

Check out my new piece on the garbage of Belmont Cragin.

New Piece on Chicago Elections

Check out the photo essay on my favorite part of Chicago.

Latest on Chicago Elections

Check out the latest piece of mine on Chicago Elections about the garbage problem in Albany Park.

New Piece on Chicago Elections

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, and small minds discuss people."

What does this quote have to do with the Chicago Elections, read more.

A New Way to Look at Illegal Immigration: The Story of Mario Benitez

Check out my latest piece on Chicago Elections.

New Chacko Piece

My new Chacko feature is up.

Latest on Chicago Elections

Check out my piece on the gang turf war in Uptown.

Latest on Chicago Elections

Unfortunately, Chicago Elections 2011 was hacked last week. We only got up and running in the last couple days again, but here's the latest there.

Life at KROME

Here's a couple of pictures sent to me by a detainee at KROME, the ICE facility in Miami

krome3

krome7

krome12-1

New Piece

Check out my latest piece at Chicago Elections 2011 on the chances of the Republicans in the upcoming municipal elections.

Dr. Jesse Cole Wins $4 Million Suit Against St. James

UPDATE: Please also check out my new book, The Definitive Dossier on PTSD in Whistleblowers, in which I dedicate chapter four entirely to the exploits of Dr. Anna Chacko along with this lawsuit.

The situation between Dr. Jesse Cole and St. James Hospital started long before Dr. Anna Chacko arrived there. That said, Dr. Chacko accused Dr. Cole of threatening her over the phone. It wasn't the first such accusation and Dr. Cole has been vindicated with a $4 million settlement announced yesterday.

One of the concepts in play in the case was the idea that Doctors should be employed independently rather than by the hospital itself.  Dr. Cole, along with two other radiologists, had hospital privileges but were self employed. Dr. Chacko came in with a team of four and all were employees of the hospital. Dr. Cole believes this creates a conflict of interest and it's one of the sources of conflict.


Here's how he explained the problem,

hospitals which employ doctors have too much power over the physician patient relationship. Employed doctors, exclusive contracts, etc. are euphemisms for corporate practice of medicine. What happened here in Butte was that the hospital justified what it did with no input from the medical staff. When the quality of care decliined, and it was brought to the hospital administrations attention...it covered up the problems, retaliated against employees who were making good faith complaints about the quality of care, and creating a second class, protected medical practice for it's employed physicians.

It is really a big problem nationwide that not enough attention has been paid to. The public thinks that hospitals adminstrations and doctors are on the same side...well...not always, and not exactly. The hospital administrations allegiance is to the bottom line.

You probably are familiar with the constant drumbeat  the presumed conflict of interest and adverse effect on physicians that pharmaceutical companies have on doctors with drug representatives and payments to doctors to present talks on drugs.

So...if doctors shouldn't  be allowed to accept a free Viagra pen and a pizza from a drug sale rep because it influences their practice...why is nobody asking what effect a hospital can have on a doctor it employs? What if an employed doctor wants to send a patient to another hospital or clinic which is in a competitor's hospital or practice?  In theory, the hospital administration is not supposed to interfere...but I will tell you that if an employed physician starts sending patients to, say, an outpatient imaging center not owned by the hospital, because it provides better care...the hospital CEO will make it known to that doctor who signs the paycheck.

In other words, what's the greater conflict of interest?  Getting a free Viagra pen, or answering to a hospital CEO who can influence how you  practice if you want to keep your job?

The corporate medical practice model is being adopted by the government...which wants to pay hospitals for a patient's care, then it will be up to the hospital to decide how to allocate the money to pay the doctors. This is the ACO...accountable care organization...which is another in a long line of failed promises...PPO's, HMO's, etc.  It is more dangerous because of the influence and power such a scheme necessarily hands over to a hospital.

...

Here's the full story of Dr. Chacko's time at St. James Hospital.

New Piece On Enrique Perez

Check out my latest installment on Chicago Elections 2011 with this piece on Enrique Perez, aldermanic candidate for the 2nd ward.

Olberman to Go Back to Work

That was one short suspension.

MSNBC says Keith Olbermann will be back on the air Tuesday, ending his suspension for violating NBC's rules against making political donations after two shows.

MSNBC's chief executive Phil Griffin said late Sunday that after several days of deliberation, he had determined that two days off the air was "an appropriate punishment for his violation of our policy."

...

Gerard Beloin's Letter to the Media

Gerard Beloin has sent out this letter to the media...

We won! Now what? The fight is not over. It's RINO season.

I did not win the election last week but I won the ear of many winning conservative Republicans. I did not get the endorsement of one single politician but I was endorsed by several taxpayer watchdog groups from across the country. They called my court cases and the recordings connected to them, "instrumental" in effecting the change of their laws in their states that are saving the taxpayers BILLIONS. That's right. Nationwide, that is BILLIONS in education funding money being grifted by organized crime. I can prove + or - $100 million per year being stolen in NH. 

It was so bad in Indiana, the Indiana AG wrote an opinion in our favor before the State legislature changed the laws. Hopefully, now that the Republicans (most are real, many are RINO's) have taken over the NH State House, the NH Senate and the NH Executive Council, they will use the proof developed here in NH that my affiliate taxpayer watchdog groups across the country are using to effect the change in our own NH state laws.

These recordings and the court cases tied to them, expose a sinister, new, nationwide scheme by members of organized crime designed to steal our tax dollars by the billions. "They have stopped using the baseball bat and the gun" to intimidate their opponents. It was too messy. They now use the their money and influence to buy up the politicians, prosecutors, court clerks and the judges to "dream up" criminal activity by their political opponents and then run them in circles in the courts until they run out of money. This is not fantasy. It has been proven in the courts, here in NH, and is being used to establish the credibility of other witnesses in other states by corroborating their identical testimony about the very same companies involved and with the very same criminals. 

Judges have ruled that recorded death threats by members of organized crime against members of taxpayer watchdog groups are not credible. Why?? Because the complainant is not dead!  That is a felony called a Misprison of felony. Now, in NH, according to precedent set by these judges, criminal threatening is no longer against the law. Fortunately, other states are not choosing to follow this insane precedent.

Judges dismissed charges, "with prejudice," on tape and then denied any such statement were ever made while reinstating the charges, after refusing to listen to the recordings proving him wrong!! That is also a felony. It is called falsification of public records. It is prosecuted under the perjury statutes. It is aiding and abetting SLAPPs.  If I did not do what I'm doing here today, I would be guilty of a felony for "being an accessory to a felony after the fact." Every public servant reading this article has the same legal obligation.

We are looking at political corruption, the likes we have never seen before in this state and in this country. In NH, specifically, we have judges refusing to dismiss charges when the prosecutor, informs the court, that he is being ordered to prosecute a political opponent, (that would be me) against his will, by his political bosses. You can hear the fear in his voice while he tries to do the right thing. Here are the transcripts. This US Attorney has defaulted twice since these recordings were made and the Judge Diane Nicolosi still refuses to dismiss the charges. 

According to Joe McQuaid and Drew Cline of the Manchester Union Leader, Nick Pappas, Kevin Landrigan and Andrew Wolfe of the Nashua Telegraph, Josh Rogers of NPR, Norma Love of AP, none of this is fit to print in the NH newspapers owned and controlled by the Scagliotti and Tomasko families.

With the Democrats in charge, working with their accomplices ("corrupt bastards") in the lame stream media, they got away with all of this for years. Now, will "these guys" still get away with it? If they do, it will be because the RINO's have been successful in co-opting the political agenda from the Tea Party Nation and "these guys" will have been successful in controlling their afore mentioned mouth pieces in the press.

Time will tell which Conservative Republican politician will develop a spine and grow a pair to take on "these guys". I can tell you which RINO Republicans in the Executive Council will not evolve. Ray Burton, Daniel St.Hilaire and Ray Wiezoreck. US Senator RINO, Judd Gregg, has been successful in installing his proxy Kelly Ayotte in his place. 

Time will tell.

Gerard Beloin

Valor IT Update

Check out one of the many fine sites that is dedicated to spreading the word about the Valor IT program.

Six Corners

Check out my latest piece on the 45th Ward area of Six Corners.

New Feature on Chicago Heights

Check out my new feature on the town of Chicago Heights.

New Dossier on ACORN

Matt Vadum has published his new dossier of ACORN. You shouldn't read it merely because my piece on Wade Rathke is referenced on page 7, but that does add to the reading.

Interview with John Garrido: Candidate for Alderman 45th Ward

Valor IT Program on Again

The Valor IT program is on again. I wrote about  this program last year. Hopefully, everyone can make their contribution because it's a great cause.

New Piece on Chicago Elections

Here's my latest piece on Chicago Elections 2011.

Interview with Steve Funk: State Representative Candidate

Here's an example of the difference between a conservative and a libertarian.


Also, here's my latest piece on Chicago Elections 2011.

First Piece at Chicago Elections 2011

My first piece is up at Chicago Elections 2011, please check it out.

Latest Freelance Piece

My latest freelance piece is up here.

My New Home

I'm now working on the website Chicagoelections2011.com. The municipal elections are next February and run offs in April and this website will be dedicated to all things Chicago elections, aldermanic, mayoral and treasurer.

I'll be posting here on occasion and providing links to good articles I file there. I'll still be writing freelance features on occasion on national issues and post links here to those as well.

It will go totally live on Monday. We'll aggregate Chicago election news, provide features, do interviews with candidates, and post videos as well. 

Southtown Star Endorses Tresser

The campaign of Green Party Candidate for Cook County Board President got a boost with the endorsement of the Southtown Star.

Tom Tresser tops his business cards with the message "Unbossed and unbought" in his quest to becomes the first third-party candidate to head the powerful Cook County Board of Commissioners.
"I'm the guy nobody sent," said Tresser, who lives in Chicago. "I'm going to drive a stake through the heart of the Democratic machine. Taxpayers are being ripped off. We've forgotten the county can be a center of excellence."
Tresser, 58, may be a political neophyte, but he's no stranger to activism and collation building. Tresser's crafted a thoughtful and detailed plan we believe truly could transform Cook County government into a "center of excellence."

Here again is my interview with Tresser.

O'Donnell Right But...

When Christine O'Donnell said in a recent debate that there's no such thing as a separation of church and state in the Constitution she was right.

Republican Christine O'Donnell challenged her Democratic rival Tuesday to show where the Constitution"Where in the Constitution is separation of church and state?" O'Donnell asked while Democrat Chris Coons, an attorney, sat a few feet away.
Coons responded that O'Donnell's question "reveals her fundamental misunderstanding of what our Constitution is. ... The First Amendment establishes a separation."

requires separation of church and state, drawing swift criticism from her opponent, laughter from her law school audience and a quick defense from prominent conservatives.

In fact, O'Donnell is right and Coons is wrong. That phrase "separation of church and state" is NOT in the Constitution but first used in a letter by Thomas Jefferson.

I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between church and State.

In fact, the Constitution specifically forbids the state's establishment of religion not a separation of religion from the state.All those laughing are actually ignorant of the Constitution. 

The problem is that O'Donnell has yet to explain herself. She has yet to point out that the separation of church and state comes from a Jefferson letter and not the Constitution. She has yet to challenge the assertions. Instead, media continue to portray her as dumb and she has yet to counter.

Chicago in Photos

Interview with Roger Keats: Republican Candidate for Cook County Board President

Of course, here again is my interview with Tom Tresser, Green Party candidate for the same office.



Toni Preckwinkle, the Democratic candidate for the same office, has an open invitation on the show. So far, she hasn't responded to our offer.

Hillbuzz Silent

For a month from mid July to mid August, Hillbuzz, and its proprietor, drove a story that no one else followed. The story involved the head of the Chicago Republican Party, Eloise Gerson, the Executive Director of the Cook County Republican Party, Jeremy Rose, and the Cook County Republican Chairman, Lee Roupas.

In the narrative created by Hillbuzz, Gerson blew the whistle on a prior act of a sexually predatory nature by Rose, Roupas covered it up and then retaliated against her. For a month, this story was the number one story on Hillbuzz.

The story eventually spread to Huffington Post and then to the Capital Fax blog. Rose eventually resigned.

The story lost steam until I published a freelance piece on Gaper's Block. My piece challenged the narrative created by Hillbuzz. Given the amount of time and space it dedicated to the story, one would think they'd have a response. Yet, Hillbuzz has had no follow up to the story that they drove given the new angle that was opened up. Huffington Post and Capital Fax also ignored the story even though it challenged their assertions as well.

O'Reilly on the View

Of course, when the terrorists scream "Allah Akbar" as they perform their terrorist act, which religion are they bowing down to?

Giannoulias on the Defensive

The Consequences of the Foreclosure Freeze

It's likely to become the biggest business story, if not the biggest story period, of 2011. What will happen as a result of the massive mess created by the sloppy process by which banks foreclosed on properties? Already three banks have made foreclosure moatoriums in about half the states. More are likely to come. A handful of state AG's are considering charges and more will come.

The first impact is economic. Such a freeze on foreclosures will remove properties that need to be sold from the market.This will create a disequilibrium between supply and demand. There are few buyers and so prices will need to come down but with these properties being held out of the market prices will stay up artificially.

Second, the one area of real estate that's moving will freeze. About the only people making money in real estate were those that focused on foreclosures. Whether they were realtors, mortgage bankers, buyers, or attorneys, there has been plenty of money if you captured the foreclosure market. That will be no longer. Without that moving, nothing is moving.

The most potentially devastating is the potential moral hazard. The biggest problem with a successful loan modification process would have been that it encouraged more people to fall behind on their mortgage. After all, you only get a loan modification if you are behind. That never materialized. Now, we are facing a similar dynamic. Mass freezes on foreclosures mean that people have little to fear about falling behind on their mortgage. There is now little incentive to pay your mortgage. Banks have proven that when push comes to shove, they almost never can prove they have a right to take your home. So, why pay? There is no punishment.

Finally, no one will talk about the main problem, too much paper work. Too much paperwork was partially responsible for causing the crisis. Now, it's largely responsible for causing this crisis. Yet, we passed a massive financial reform bill that will expand paperwork exponentially.

Very Timely

Bill Brady Ad

This one is powerful and devastating.

New Freelance Piece

Check out my new feature on Wade Rathke here.

Interview with Tom Tresser

Tresser is running for Cook County Board President. Also Washington Park was designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, among the greatest landscape architects of all time.




Here's an interview with Tresser's Republican opponent, Roger Keats.



Toni Preckwinkle, the Democratic candidate, has not returned requests to come on the show.

Interview with Enrique Perez Aldermanic Candidate 2nd Ward

Here's a few notes. Mr. Perez was charged with voter fraud in a Local School Council election. Here's an article about the situation. 

Because it was only an LSC election, not all that much has been written about it. Mr. Perez kept his seat and he addresses the issue.

Through November as well as next February, you should see interviews with candidates locally and we'll be interviewing candidates from all parties. 

Murkowski Ad

The problem is that there are several things in this ad that are dubious.First, while Murkowski was initially appointed by her father, she eventually won several elections in her own right. It's not entirely clear that Murkowski ever tried to influence the absentee ballot vote. Those are allegations that the Tea Party Express themselves made. There's also no evidence that Murkowski tried to strong arm the Libertarian Party.

This is unfortunately the second story in two days in which the Tea Party movement has been involved in stories in which they appear to be politics as usual.

Pollak's Ad

All right, you caught me. This was a shameless way of posting my interview with him again.

ADP Release Spells Trouble

Private sector employment lost jobs in September according to the monthly ADP release.

Companies in the U.S. unexpectedly cut workers in September, data from a private report based on payrolls showed.

Employment decreased by 39,000, the biggest drop since January, after a revised 10,000 gain in August, according to figures today from ADP Employer Services. The median estimate of 37 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News called for a gain of 20,000. Forecasts ranged from a decline of 44,000 to a 75,000 increase.

A loss of jobs raises the risk that consumer spending, the largest part of the economy, will retrench and halt the recovery. A Labor Department report in two days will show companies added 75,000 workers last month, economists project.

The monthly BLS numbers come out on Friday and they will be the last employment numbers before the election.  A bad number is expected, but negative jobs will put the final nail in the Democrats November 2 elections.

Trump Tower

New Freelance Piece

Check out my newest freelance piece here.

Angle Caught on Tape

Sharron Angle was caught on tape blasting Republicans and making deals with a third party candidate in an explosive development in that race.

The problem for Angle is that this is the sort of thing that typical politicians, Angle promised access to Mitch McConnell if the candidate dropped out, do. Remember the Tea Party movement backed Christine O'Donnell even though her opponent in the primary would have won the general election in a cakewalk. They did this because purity is more important than victory.

Meanwhile, her third party challenger, Scott Ashjian, believes both parties are corrupt and so only a third party can offer the proper change. Isn't he also practicing purity? So, why is Angle trying to get him out of the race?

O'Donnell's New Ad

The problem with this ad is that it's all about her. Christine O'Donnell will win in Delaware if the race is all about her opponent, Chris Coons. She'll lose if it's about her.

Early and Often

Check out the new site dedicated to all things Chicago elections.

Foreclosures Stopping at a Mass Scale

My loyal reader AG first brought this to my attention but this story is now exploding.

The flawed practices that GMAC Mortgage, JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America have recently begun investigating are so prevalent, lawyers and legal experts say, that additional lenders and loan servicers are likely to halt foreclosure proceedings and may have to reconsider past evictions.

Problems emerging in courts across the nation are varied but all involve documents that must be submitted before foreclosures can proceed legally. Homeowners, lawyers and analysts have been citing such problems for the last few years, but it appears to have reached such intensity recently that banks are beginning to re-examine whether all of the foreclosure papers were prepared properly.

In some cases, documents have been signed by employees who say they have not verified crucial information like amounts owed by borrowers. Other problems involve questionable legal notarization of documents, in which, for example, the notarizations predate the actual preparation of documents — suggesting that signatures were never actually reviewed by a notary.

Other problems occurred when notarizations took place so far from where the documents were signed that it was highly unlikely that the notaries witnessed the signings, as the law requires.

What really scares me about this story is that a lot of it is deja vu. Many of the problems in the foreclosure problems were problems in the closing process during the refinancing boom. Forgery, using a notary that likely didn't witness the signature (the purpose of a notary), and not verifying documents were all things that mortgage professionals did on a mass scale. Now that foreclosures are booming many of the same people are doing the same things. 

The consequences will likely be that many foreclosures will not go forward and people will stay in homes.

Quigley for Mayor

Mike Quigley, who's currently the successor to Rahm Emanuel as US Congressman in the 5th District (my district and the one once held by convicted felons Dan Rostenkowski and later Rod Blagojevich), is considering running for mayor of Chicago.

There is something about the seat in the Fifth Congressional District. Maybe it feels like a throne when you sit in it.

For 36 years, it was held by Dan Rostenkowski, adviser to presidents, distributor of tax dollars, wielder of clout. Later it was filled by Rod R. Blagojevich and then by Rahm Emanuel, both of whom went on to bigger things. Let’s just say the results were mixed.

Now Mr. Emanuel’s successor, Mike Quigley, said he was considering a run for mayor, even though Mr. Emanuel has quit his job as White House chief of staff and entered the race.

“I’m giving it some thought,” Mr. Quigley said in an interview. “For now, I’m focused on winning re-election and helping my colleagues in November, and after that, I’ll make a decision.”

With Tom Dart, Rickey Hendon, James Meeks, and Rahm Emanuel already in, the Chicago mayoral race is looking to be a wide open who's who of political heavy weights. 

Enough of Rahm

Talk about saturation. You'd think that the only one running for mayor of Chicago is Rahm Emanuel. He isn't. He's not even the favorite. We have a wide open race in Chicago. There's nearly ten candidates and all anyone in this city can talk about is Rahm Emanuel.

Schakowski Steps in It

This video has been making the rounds.



Of course, here's my interview of her opponent, Joel Pollak.

How Much Trouble Are Democrats In: Manchin and Blumenthal

Both Dick Blumenthal and Joe Manchin enjoy approval ratings of 60%+ plus in their states. Manchin is currently the governor of West Virginia. About 70% of the state is satisfied with his tenure. That's no easy task considering the state of the national economy. Dick Blumenthal is Connecticut's Attorney General. He enjoys 60% approval ratings.

Both initially lead their challengers by 20% and more. Blumenthal was brought in to augment the very unpopular Chris Dodd. At first, he looked to be a shoe in. The same goes for Manchin, now running for Robert Byrd's seat.

Both are now in toss up races. Manchin is now down. Blumenthal's lead grows smaller everyday. Blumenthal has had some personal problems following revelations that he was less than truthful about his military service. Manchin has no such problems. Yet, he's seen his vote total dwindle. Both have seen their electoral prospects dwindle simply because the perception is that a vote for them is a vote for the Obama agenda. Manchin has been distancing himself from Obama daily. First, he came out against cap and trade. Next, he said he believes part of health care reform need to be repealed. Bottom line is that if these two are in trouble everyone is in trouble. 

Obama's Desperation

Recently, Dick Morris said that election attacks take one of three forms: strategic, tactical, or throw everything at the wall and hope something sticks. The third is a clear sign of desperation. About four weeks ago, Democrats started attacking John Boehner. Before and after that, they attacked the Tea Parties. Republicans have been accused of pushing tax cuts for billionaires. Then, Obama and his staff chided some of their frustrated and weary supporters.

Now, yesterday, President Obama again chose to attack another favorite whipping boy. Fox News. 

You had folks like Hearst who used their newspapers very intentionally to promote their viewpoints. I think Fox is part of that tradition – it is part of the tradition that has a very clear, undeniable point of view,

They are even attacking liberal bloggers. 

Greenwald disagrees with Daou’s argument that bloggers like him are the “crux of the problem for Obama.” If anything, he thinks the White House pays more attention to blogs like his, and the effect that they have on the “chattering class and media elites,” than it probably should.

It seems that every week there's a new line of attack by Obama and his allies.

Russ Carnahan: Social Security is Just Fine

As I said in the Joel Pollak  

interview, Social Security operates like a Ponzi Scheme. Current income earners fund today's retirees. As I also suggested, all Ponzi Schemes blow up the time immediately following a good period. The baby boomers now have their bill coming due and that's why Social Security is anything but all right.

Greenspan: Cut Debt over Taxes

Alan Greenspan has weighed in on the tax cut debate.

It’s more important for the U.S. to cut its budget deficit than to extend tax cuts currently set to expire at the end of this year, former Federal Reserve Governor Alan Greenspan said in an interview on PBS.

“The budget deficit problem, I believe, is far more dangerous than most of us contemplate on a day-to-day basis,” Greenspan said in an interview to air on PBS television’s “Newshour.” While low interest rates have made it easy for the government to sell bonds, “assuredly they’re not going to stay here.”

Like most that favor raising taxes on the wealthy to "cut the deficit", Greenspan fails to point out that keeping the middle class tax cut will cost an extra $4 trillion over the next ten years. Why then shouldn't we raise their taxes as well? 

I also don't remember Greenspan vocally objecting to stimulus, TARP and Obamacare, all cost us much more than keeping tax rates on the wealthy the same.

Manchin Wants Parts of Health Care Reform Repealed

The popular governor turned Senate candidate is facing a much tougher race than he expected. He's now only up 2% in the latest RCP average. This is happening despite having about 70% approval ratings statewide.This may explain Manchin's sudden twist on health care.

In Democratic Gov. Joe Manchin's quest to strike a bipartisan chord as he campaigns to fill the late Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd's seat, he's joining the GOP's call to repeal pieces of health care reform.
Manchin endorsed President Obama's efforts on landmark health care reform and voiced support for the bill before and after its passage in March. Now, just five weeks away from a tougher Senate race than he expected against Republican John Raese, the governor said in an interview with RealClearPolitics that he supports many basic components of the law but volunteered that some of it needs to be repealed.

The race will still be tough and we'll see if Manchin does follow through on this promise if elected.

Kup

Interview with Joel Pollak

Here's my interview with Joel Pollak who's running for US Congress in the 9th District in Illinois against Jan Schakowski.

The Obama Trifecta

So, what is in the news today? Velma Hart, the now famous questioner of President Obama in the CNBC townhall, is she the new Joe the Plumber. Second, Bob Woodward's book has the astonishing admission that President Obama chose a withdrawal date because "I can't afford to lose all the Democrats". Third, President Obama continues to be linked to Jimmy Carter.

The wheels have come off his presidency and he doesn't appear capable of fixing things.

U.S. Can "Absorb" a Terror Attack

Bob Woodward wrote a book I really liked called Bush At War and now he's out with his first book about the Obama administration. This quote is sure to generate all sorts of attention.

President Obama, after being warned repeatedly by his advisers about the threat of another terror attack on U.S. soil, said in an interview two months ago that the United States could "absorb" another strike.

The comment was included in the new book by journalist Bob Woodward, "Obama's Wars," excerpts of which were reported by The Washington Post and The New York Times.

The book depicts the contentious debate the Obama administration endured to craft a new strategy in Afghanistan. According to the Post, Obama spent the bulk of the exhaustive sessions pressing for an exit strategy and resisting efforts to prolong and escalate the war.

The book also describes all sorts of infighting about the direction of the war. That said, there was all sorts of infighting in the Bush administration in Bush at War. This book is sure to create buzz and we'll see how it is received.

Diagnosis Mayor

Who's the Extremist?

Let me see if I get this right. Democrats passed a 2000 page radical overhaul of health care, a 2000 page radical overhaul of our financial system, spent nearly $1 trillion to "stimulate" our economy, and almost passed a 2000 page radical overhaul of our energy policy. Yet, it's the Tea Parties that are extremists because they want to reign in government, cut spending, and lower taxes. Good luck with that strategy.

The Marxist or the Witch

That's how aptly Bill O'Reilly calls the race in Delaware. The problem for Christine O'Donnell is that all the attention is on her. If she makes the race about her opponent, Chris Coons, and his massive government spending, expansion, and entitlement policies, she might win. Right now, however, the race is all about her.

Ouch

Chicago Photos

Dem Congressman Asks Pelosi To Step Down

Democratic Congressman Brett Carter, of Tennessee, asks House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to step down in this letter. Here's the story.

For the good of the country -- and his campaign -- a Democratic congressional candidate is calling on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to leave her post next year.

Imperiled candidate Brett Carter, who's running for Congress in a conservative district in Tennessee, sent a letter to the California Democrat Thursday urging her to publicly announce that she will not seek the speakership next year.

Of course, the only civil war is in the Republican Party, right? We'll see how many in the media take a look at this story.

Total Hypocrisy on Christine O'Donnell

Remember these quotes...

tax cheat Tim Geithner

...

turbo tax Tim Geithner

Those are two common things that Sean Hannity says about the Treasury Secretary, Tim Geithner. Remember, Geithner didn't pay the social security tax on his income at the IMF. The same Sean Hannity is now a chief defender and cheerleader for Christine O'Donnell. Isn't this the same Christine O'Donnell that is behind on her taxes?

In March, the IRS initiated an audit and placed a lien against her for $11,744.59 in taxes and penalties from the 2005 tax year.

When Karl Rove famously attempted to bring this up, Sean Hannity fiercely defended O'Donnell and said she explained all her tax troubles to him (Hannity) and her answers were fine. Of course, Geithner also explained his own tax problems. That hasn't stopped Hannity from attacking him mercilessly on the issue.

Meanwhile, the same liberals that fiercely dismissed the tax issues of Geithner, Rangel and other Obama associates are now saying things like this,

how can someone who can't handle their own finances be able to handle the nation's finances?

That sounds an awful lot like a conservative argument.

The reality is that everyone is an opportunist on this issue. If you are O'Donnell's opponent, her personal financial problems are a serious issue even though similar issues are dismissed when done by political allies. If you are like Sean Hannity, the same problems that mean you attack Tim Geithner mercilessly mean you dismiss them with Christine O'Donnell.

Dems in Big Trouble: A Microcosm

Last night, the Democrats of the 48th ward in Chicago held their regularly scheduled meeting and it was indicative of the kind of trouble they are all in. First, they fear the Tea Parties like no force going. According to a staffer from Congresswoman Jan Schakowski's office, the Tea Parties,

they enter communities and they are taking over. And they're changing the voting demographics everywhere.

She cited Democrat Phil Hare, who's district includes Rock Island (and who once said the Constitution doesn't matter) as an example. Hare's district is reliably conservative and he's in big trouble. The same person cited a 21% "enthusiasm gap" between Republicans and Democrats about voting this fall.

Second, no one was touting the Democrat's agenda. There was no mention of Obamacare, the stimulus, financial reform. There were certainly no mention of local, county or state accomplishments, since there are none. The only candidate with tangible accomplishments was the Attorney General, Lisa Madigan. Her representative spoke of several initiatives including one that targeted criminals that use nursing homes as their home base.

Third, the candidates attacked Republican Gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady on his belief in creationism, his stance on abortion, and his position against LGBT rights. Now, the 48th ward is especially progressive and it has a large LGBT community. Still, social issues will be non existent this fall. So, why is the focus on social issues?

The representative from Governor Quinn's office addressed a major controversy, increased salaries among his staff. The staffer said all those that received raises had added responsibilities. That may be true but the question is why did so many staffers receive extra responsibility. Quinn also touted initiatives to create jobs though his first initiative was to raise everyone's taxes, not exactly stimulative.

Pension reform was minimized, even though that's a massive hole in our budget. All Democrats tried to frame the election as a choice. Ultimately, there was little in the way of accomplishments. Most curious was Harry Osterman. He's currently the State Rep in the area. He's running for that office in November. He's announced that he's running for alderman next spring. Why would someone move from state government to city goverment? That's still not clear.

What's So Bad About a Political Civil War

All we're hearing today is how Christine O'Donnell's election is yet another example of the Tea Party eating its own and subverting electable candidates in favor of fringe candidates. By so doing, the movement is snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

This is curious. After, whether you're a Democrat, Republican, or Independent, one thing is certain. You are unhappy with D.C. politicians. You're unhappy with the status quo. You're unhappy with the establishment.

So, what does the Tea Party movement do? It challenges all that. More often than not it wins. Isn't that a good thing? Isn't the Republican Party doing exactly what the voters are demanding and purging itself of the political class that caused the cynicism. In the process, we've seen voter turnout boom, excitement increase, and fresh faces have shown up.

Furthermore, it's created a well needed debate over the future of the party. Meanwhile, facing an unprecedented electoral disaster, what has the Democratic party done? It's reelected, almost entirely, the exact same folks. Even the man facing a series of ethics violations, Charlie Rangel, got nominated.

So, the voters are disgusted with career politicians, the status quo, and the establishment. The Republicans have responded by a full out war over all this in the primaries and the Democrats have done nothing. Yet, if you read some so called smart people, it's the Republicans with the problems.

Republicans in Delaware faced a very simple choice in Tuesday's primary: Did they want to win Joe Biden's old Senate seat in November, or did they want to lose it?

They went with the latter option, and if that really surprises you, then you haven't been paying close enough attention to Republican Party politics in the age of Obama.

The 2008 election, the second straight election in which it suffered a crippling national defeat, left the Republican Party drained of its hangers-on -- less ideological voters who had, in the past, broadly agreed with the party's philosophy, even if they dissented on individual issues. What was left was an angry, restive base that resented (and even feared) Barack Obama and that believed the GOP had lost power because it hadn't been conservative enough. This base quickly found a catchy name -- the Tea Party movement -- and dedicated itself to cleansing from the GOP's ranks politicians who reminded them of the party's pre-2008 spirit.

So, Republicans use the primaries to respond to all the concerns of the voters and the Democrats do nothing, and it's the Republicans that have the problems.

O'Donnell Talks the Talk...

Last night's big winner Christine O'Donnell certainly says all the right to endear herself to most conservatives. The question will be would she really be the fiscal conservative that she claims if elected.

That's a question that remains murky. O'Donnell has several income tax issues, a student loan issue, and mortgage issue. It doesn't appear as though O'Donnell is fiscally conservative with her own money. So, how can she be trusted with other people's money.

That's a question most of her ardent supporters not only won't answer but likely don't ask of themselves. Her main supporters at Tea Party Express are fond of calling her a true conservative.

On Tuesday night, Conservative Republican Christine O'Donnell won the nomination for U.S. Senate fair and square in the Republican Primary.

How did the Tea Party Express determine that O'Donnell is the conservative? It's certainly not from her voting record? After all, she has none. It's certainly not from her deeds. After all, her personal financial issues raise those questions. So, the only determination that she's a conservative is what she's said.

In that case, she's been determined by some in the conservative movement to be a conservative because she says what they want to hear. That's a huge problem. If all it takes to be considered a conservative is saying the right thing then anyone can jump in. It also means the vetting process leaves a lot to be desired.

I'm not saying that O'Donnell is not a conservative. My problem is just how easily some will swallow her conservativism without asking any questions of her. Sean Hannity is a cheerleader and not much else. Her scandals are nothing more than background noise.

Telling someone what they want to hear is what sales people do. It can be done by anyone. The inability to think critically is what zombies and sycophants do. Dismissing all of O'Donnell's problems because she talks like a conservative creates a situation where anyone can con their way into the movement.

Pavlov and the Progressive Tax

The Green Party has as part of its platform the support of the progressive tax system. The logic behind it is that the progressive tax is based on need. In other words, you need all of the first $20,000 you make. You need a lot less of the last $1 million of the $5 million you make, if you're fortunate enough to make that much.

I am a big believer in the principles of Ivan Pavlov. Pavlov did experiments on mice and dogs that showed that you can influence behavior based on what you punish and reward. The progressive tax system punishes success. In fact, Ronald Reagan, when he first became an actor, got a first hand taste of its corrosive nature. When he was first an actor, many of his colleagues recommended that he only make two movies a year. That's because by making a third he'd wind up in a higher tax bracket and actually take home less.

The progressive tax system is an incentive to make less because the more you make the less of that you keep. We want to encourage everyone to maximize their income and the progressive tax system does the opposite.

My Interview with Fred White Candidate for Mayor of Chicago II

We Can't Afford Tax Cuts for the Rich?

That's what the president says when asked why he won't extend tax cuts for the top two percent. Those tax cuts, according to his numbers, would cost the Treasury $700 billion over the next ten years.

So, the same person that spent $787 billion on a stimulus and a trillion over the next ten years on health care reform says we can't afford those tax cuts. Go figure.

Brewer's Bad Gaffe

Now the question is how much will this hurt her.

Feingold: "I'm A Career Politician"

This one is hard to believe.

Feingold said at a news conference that Republican Ron Johnson's frequent use of the description in a derogatory way is unoriginal and falsely implies that being dedicated to public service is "somehow an awful thing."

"This man's campaign so far appears to be the constant repetition of a phrase, 'career politician,'" Feingold said. "And it's not very original because it's basically being used in every campaign in the United States of America. What it amounts to is an attack on me and what I've chosen to do in my life."

Feingold is facing a tougher-than-anticipated challenge from Johnson, a political newcomer Republicans hope can knock off the three-term incumbent and help put the Senate back in GOP control. Polls show a tight race eight weeks from the election.

I'm not sure if this is the year to run as the "career politician". If that's Feingold's strategy, this race goes from toss up to safe Republican.

As for his assertion that there's nothing wrong with a "career politician", I suggest he look around at the motley crue of thieves, liars, and opportunists we like to call Congress and he should get his answer for what's wrong with a career politician.

The Green Economy of HIlda Solis

Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis knows the answer the our sluggish economy.

This Labor Day, many people throughout Indiana are struggling just to get by. Families that have played by the rules are being forced into incredibly difficult decisions. Do they pay for their children's college tuition or make that mortgage payment?

These people are on my mind every single day and, like President Obama, I am hard at work ensuring they have a real opportunity to succeed.The recession has caused a generational restructuring of America's labor market, and our future now depends on what we do to retrain and retool for the 21st-century work force.

The Department of Labor already has given $223 million to help meet the needs of workers in Indiana, including Recovery Act funds. Our investments are aimed at training for in-demand jobs in high-growth industries, like energy efficiency and renewable energy generation. Other grants have gone to YouthBuild and youth work- force activities, assistance for dislocated and trade-impacted workers, and career counseling.

Businesses are leaner and more selective about hiring these days. We recognize and are meeting this challenge in many Indiana communities -- and across America -- by helping workers upgrade their skills. People will have the skills they need to get good jobs, and businesses will have the trained employees they need to succeed. That's what I call win-win.

The president is all about protecting the environment and he has a cabinet full of like minded people. Don't get me wrong. We should all be stewards of the economy. Furthermore, if someone wants to make money providing green energy, green jobs, or anything else that's green more power to them.

If they're using their own money, I wish them luck. That's why I like T. Boone Pickens. He's not only championing the green economy but he's putting a significant portion of his seven billion dollars behind it.

The problem here is that the president has a vision of our society, and he's determined to see it transformed into that vision. That's one thing. The problem is that he's determined to use nearly unlimited government resources to accomplish the green economy. That's the government picking winners and losers.

Wind farms like this are popular in some parts of Indiana. That's because the level land makes the area perfect for wind energy. The reality is that most of the U.S. is not fertile for wind energy.

That's the problem with most alternative, or green, energy sources. They are simply not ready for any mass scale usage. Yet, the president and his team are determined to jam the green economy onto the economy no matter how ready it is for it.

Summertime in Chicago

Christine O'Donnell's Financial Problems

Christine O'Donnell has taken the mantle as the fiscal conservative in the Senate primary in Delaware. Her own personal finances don't fit the message it appears.

O'Donnell, a perennial conservative candidate in Delaware, is challenging moderate Rep. Mike Castle (R), the clear favorite of the GOP establishment. But she has come under fire recently for her personal financial problems. Reports have surfaced that she owed $10K in back taxes, defaulted on her mortgage and holds outstanding campaign debt.

I am in no position to criticize anyone else's finances. Still, it will be interesting to see if this becomes a story. She makes fiscal conservatisim a platform, and so if her own personal finances don't match that, this should be an issue.

A new poll shows that race with Mike Castle tightening.

Anita Moncrief on BTR

I did a series of features on Anita Moncrief last year. She has resurfaced as the target of this piece on Blog Talk Radio.

Listen to internet radio with One Black Man on Blog Talk Radio

Here's one of my features on her.

"Mixed Numbers on Employment"

The economy lost 54,000 in August including the reduction of 114,000 census jobs.

Nonfarm payrolls fell 54,000, the Labor Department said on Friday as temporary jobs to conduct the decennial dropped by 114,000.

Private employment, considered a better gauge of labor market health, increased 67,000 after a revised 107,000 gain in July. In addition, the government revised payrolls for June and July to show 123,000 fewer jobs lost than previously reported.

The decline in payrolls was about half as large as expected. Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast overall employment falling 100,000 and private-sector hiring increasing 41,000.

Following an awful number from ADP on Wednesday, the predictions were downright awful. So, the numbers beat expectations and the Dow is up over one hundred points.

The hours worked weekly stayed the same at 34.2 hours and the unemployment rate inched up to 9.6%. Though, that maybe somewhat good news as that's because more people came back into the workforce. The unemployment rate including discouraged and underemployed is at about 18%. Watch for the president to proclaim that we've gained private sector jobs for the seventh straight month, and, in fact, the number for July was revised up over 100k.

Castle in the Crosshairs

Fresh off their victory against Lisa Murkowski, the Tea Party Express is taking on the Republican establishment. This time it's in Delaware where the establishment pick is Mike Castle. The Tea Party Express is supporting Christine O'Donnell.

Delaware tea party candidate Christine O’Donnell got a major boost today in her long-shot campaign to take the Republican Senate nomination from under the nose of Rep. Mike Castle, who is considered the overwhelming favorite. The Tea Party Express announced it would spend around $600,000 ahead of Delaware’s Sept. 14 primary on her behalf.

But before the pundits could say “Joe Miller,” the Republican establishment had mobilized to shake Castle’s lapels and try to energize his campaign. Washington Republicans laid into O’Donnell, saying she could hardly be viewed as a paragon of fiscal virtue when she owes back taxes, had her home foreclosed on, and never received a diploma because she didn’t pay her tuition.

The next stop for the evolution of the Tea Parties runs through Delaware.

Crist Stumbles on Healthcare

Over the last couple months, the Florida Senate race has been a battle of messages between Charlie Crist and Marco Rubio. Both have been very effective and thus the race has been tight with each having their share of polls showing them leading.

Rubio has continued to ride his message of American exceptionalism, small government and free markets. Meanwhile, Charlie Crist has ridden a message of the independent politician not beholden to either party.

Both would have been perfectly happy staying on this message until November. Recently, however, Governor Crist has stumbled in trying to explain his position on Obamacare.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (I) is walking back comments he made in an interview earlier today about the recently enacted healthcare law.

Crist is mounting an independent bid for Senate against Republican Marco Rubio and Democratic Rep. Kendrick Meek.

Crist told a local TV station Friday that he would have voted in favor of President Obama's healthcare proposal were he in the Senate. That was a reversal of his previous position against the healthcare law.

"I would have voted for it," Crist said in the interview. "But I think it can be done better, I really do."

Crist has said just about everything on Obamacare recently. He's said he would have voted for it and against it. He's said he'd repeal it and he'd just improve it. He's been taken totally off message. Meanwhile, Rubio carries the Republican Party line of repeal and replace and so he stays on message and attacks Crist as a flip flopper.

This race will be very tight and it will come down to exactly these sorts of errors. Rubio has won this round. If he's flawless going forward, victory is in hand.

Gerard Beloin in the News

The long shot Senatorial campaign of Gerard Beloin, running for the Republican nomination in New Hampshire, got some much needed exposure with this piece in the Nashua Telegraph. The article mostly focuses on his consistent conservative record but the real story is Beloin's journey to becoming a nominee. That story can be found here.

The ACORN Rebranding

The intrepid ACORN reporter Matthew Vadum has the latest on ACORN's continuing rebranding effort.

On Mosque: White House Digs Hole and Keeps Digging

The big story yesterday involved the Ground Zero Mosque proprietor, mam Feisal Abdul Rauf, and some very explosive comments he made in Australia about five years ago. The comments were first discovered by Pamela Geller.



Whatever chances there were that this Mosque would get built officially ended with this news, even if no one will admit to it yet.

That said, the White House has dug in. The same Imam is on a State Department sponsored junket all throughout the Middle East. Here's what the State Department said about the comments.

"We are aware of those remarks," said State Department Spokesman P.J. Crowley. "I would just caution any of you that choose to write on this that once again you have a case where a blogger has pulled out one passage from a very lengthy speech, if you read the entire speech, you will discover exactly why we think he is rightfully participating in this international speaking tour."

Lot's of people have had quotes taken out of context. That said, when you make such an accusation you also have a duty to explain the context. The State Department has failed to do so. Instead, they have attacked Geller and claimed that we are repeating the Shirley Sherrod incident.

The problem for the White House is that the full transcripts are available and Rauf says what he says and the context is there. They continue to defend him at their own peril.

Miller Wins in Alaska

Joe Miller appears to be squeezing out a narrow victory in Alaska.

Republicans are fired up and ready to go, and that's producing some surprising election results, including the possible defeat of Sen. Lisa Murkowski in Alaska, who would be the third sitting U.S. Senator ousted by their own party this year.

The Alaska story, though, could shape up to be the most interesting. Miller leads Murkowski, a second-generation senator, by three percent. But the results are still trickling in - more than 15 percent of the ballots have not been counted, including the many absentee ballots from Alaskans who work, serve or attend school elsewhere. If Murkowski goes down it will be the biggest pelt yet for Sarah Palin's hunting party. She backed Miller (as did the Tea Party Express with a late $500,000 ad buy) and can claim lots of credit for his success. If Miller prevails, he should have a clear shot at the Senate against Democratic nominee, Sitka Mayor Scott McAdams. Miller is a conservative, West Point graduate, Yale-educated lawyer and former judge. While Alaskans overall may have some reservations about Palin after she abruptly left the governorship, this should be a very Republican year in a very Republican state.

98% of the precincts have come in and Miller continues to lead. The Tea Parties, of which Miller is a favorite, have flexed their muscles in the primaries.

That said their future goes through three states: Nevada, Florida and Colorado. The Tea Parties have shown incredible muscle in primaries. Furthermore, it's a movement that is here to stay. It has spawned the likes of Nikki Haley, Scott Brown and Rand Paul.

The key for this movement will be whether or not their candidates can win elections in a cross section of states that represent the country as a whole. That's where Florida, Colorado and and Nevada come in. No one is a bigger Tea Party favorite than Marco Rubio. There's no more purple state than Florida. So, a victory by Rubio in Florida legitimizes the Tea Parties.

It means that Tea Parties don't have to settle for any Republican candidate. Meanwhile, a loss means the tea parties took a solid Republican seat and gave it to another party.

There are similar dynamics in Nevada and Colorado. In both states, a tea party candidate came out of nowhere to defeat the establishment candidate. In both states, the seat was likely Republican. Will the tea party candidate hold on? If so, a real political force is born. If not, it could be the sort of force that does more harm than good electorally.