Promises, promises.

"George, the fact that you looked up Merriam's Dictionary, the definition of tax increase, indicates to me that you're stretching a little bit right now," said the president. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have gone to the dictionary to check on the definitionÂ….I absolutely reject that notion" that it's a tax increase.

Hmmm.

Well maybe someone should tell that to the author of the bill.

Because, as Politico's Chris Frates points out, it's all right there on page 29 of the bill: "Excise Tax. The consequence for not maintaining insurance would be an excise tax."

To be more specific, if a taxpayer‘s modified adjusted gross income is between 100-300 percent of the federal poverty level, "the excise tax for failing to obtain coverage for an individual in a taxpayer unit (either as a taxpayer or an individual claimed as a dependent) is $750 per year. However, the maximum penalty for the taxpayer unit is $1,500."

There are two issues here: Whether or not this is an acceptable or even sound policy, and whether or not this specifically violates Obama's oft-repeated pledge to not raise taxes on anyone making less than $250,000 per year, "not a single dime."

Obama wants to talk about the former. He doesn't want to talk about the latter, because there's nothing to talk about: It is a tax, he is violating his supposedly inviolable guarantee.

You lie.

Posted by: Ace at 07:22 AM | Comments (2)
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Gee, who would have thunk it:

When Congress gave away $3 billion for buyers to trade in their “clunkers” and buy new cars in August, lawmakers thrilled as buyers swamped showrooms to take advantage of the big discounts. “Cash for clunkers has captured the public’s attention . . . (it) has the possibility to truly jumpstart our economy,” said Rep. Candice Miller (R., Mich.). Other, more sober analysts, warned that the clunkers program was only stealing from future sales.

September sales are in, and sobriety can take a bow.

Edmunds.com reports that “September’s light-vehicle sales rate will fall to 8.8 million units . . . the lowest rate in nearly 28 years, tying the worst demand on record. After the cash-for-clunkers program boosted August sales to their first year-over-year increase since October 2007, demand has plunged. In at least the last 33 years, the U.S. seasonally adjusted annual rate has only dropped as low as 8.8 million units once — in December 1981 — with records stretching back to January 1976.”

Huh. By paying people to replace their cars with new ones—but only if they do it in a one-month window—the government exhausted the demand for new cars in the future. Democrats, who claimed that this would "jump-started the auto industry" are idiots. The few economists on board with this broken window fallacy are downright evil.

Not that Republican congressfolks are blameless. Senators Sam Brownback and Susan Collins were instrumental in passing the anti-prosperity "Cash for Clunkers" program in the Senate. Fifty-nine Republican congressmen voted for it in the House.

Congratulations, doofuses. You've put automakers (and autodealers) in a tough spot for the next few months. You've also put middle- and working-class Americans in a tough spot by pulverizing the used car market.

So let's check that score again:

Bad for taxpayers: check.
Bad for businesses: check.
Bad for the poor and middle class: check.

President Obama thinks it was the best program EVAR.

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 05:10 AM | Comments (5)
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Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 04:59 AM | Comments (29)
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WaPo:

The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan warns in an urgent, confidential assessment of the war that he needs more forces within the next year and bluntly states that without them, the eight-year conflict “will likely result in failure."...

As he promised, of course: He would dedicate the troops necessary for victory to Afghanistan. Because he was all about winnin' that war.

Posted by: Ace at 08:26 PM | Comments (6)
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Good evening all. Hope you had a good weekend. Tomorrow's a school day so don't stay up too late!

Item #1: Mr. T Has A Message For You
Still as relevant today as it was back in 1991. It ain't easy dealin' with fools!

Posted by: Open Blog at 07:59 PM | Comments (1)
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Plucked off of Drudge.

This could lead to the full implementation of a state-controlled media and the co-optation of the press by the government Not a damned thing would be any different.

Update: Worrying about blogs letting the public down.

Obama said that good journalism is "critical to the health of our democracy," but expressed concern toward growing tends in reporting -- especially on political blogs, from which a groundswell of support for his campaign emerged during the presidential election.

"I am concerned that if the direction of the news is all blogosphere, all opinions, with no serious fact-checking, no serious attempts to put stories in context, that what you will end up getting is people shouting at each other across the void but not a lot of mutual understanding," he said.

Correction: Got ahead of myself and stated, wrongly, he had mentioned blogs in connection with the newspaper bailout. It does not appear that he did so.

Posted by: Ace at 07:41 PM | Comments (3)
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They'e calling it a "pre-game report,"implying there's a game.

Tomorrow at noon ET, explosive new information will answer that question and raise many others.

Brietbart's talking up the same angle on his other site.

At the very least, filmmaker James OÂ’Keefe and actress Hannah Giles deserve a Pulitzer Prize for their expose of deep corruption and unspeakable immorality at the ACORN housing division. But more important, I wonÂ’t rest until they receive a grant to continue their partisan artistry from the National Endowment for the Arts.

ThatÂ’s this weekÂ’s mission.

Probably should catch up on the story by tomorrow, if this is what Breitbart's dropping.

Thanks to DrewM.

Posted by: Ace at 07:15 PM | Comments (1)
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I realize this is a hot topic for many. I also realize it is an interesting-enough topic.

But it is not an interesting-enough topic to dominate every thread.

I am getting complaints again. Many people find this riveting but just as many do not. Bear in mind, while we have a big influx of refugees from the Green Gulag, we have just as many people who have never even been on that site, and really have only heard of him via old references to Rathergate.

A lot of people here are untainted by the foulness.

Please stop discussing LGF in each fresh thread that pops up, just because that is the newest thread and where the most comments are.

Here is an LGF thread. Keep the discussions here for the next several days until it drops off the page.

I am not on patrol for Fascists but I am trying to keep this a lively blog for the discussion of multiple topics of general interest, not solely for the discussion of an overrated and now discredited blogger.

Again: I do not object to the discussion. I object to the propensity of the discussion to dominate every single new thread on every single new subject.

It is off-topic in other threads. Please try to keep conversations where they belong.

Monkey Trouble! Here is a vid and Chas' commentary. more...

Posted by: Ace at 04:34 PM | Comments (8)
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The pregame is over, so it should be safe from Olbermann until halftime.

Just so you know, this an Ace v. Dave in Texas game. Someone is going to be unhappy.

So far, Teh Greatest Stadium EVAH, is having audio trouble.

Posted by: DrewM at 04:27 PM | Comments (2)
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Joe Wilson and the national leader of the KKK? Nah, just Barack Obama and the head of the White House political director.

So you know, nothing to see here.

President Obama has not personally spoken with the governor about the race, "but it's no secret that Democrats in New York are very concerned about the situation and those concerns have been conveyed in an appropriate way," a source said.

...White House political director Patrick Gaspard, Democrats say, has been internally leading the charge within the White House to try to convince Paterson to not seek election to a full four year term next November. Last week Gaspard met with the governor to make the case that he shouldn't seek reelection. That meeting took place in New York at Paterson's campaign headquarters on Monday, the same day President Obama was on Wall Street speaking on regulatory reform.

I doubt it will work. Paterson is already working on his election campaign and he doesn't seem like the quitting type. For all his incompetence as Governor, the fact is he's overcome a lot to get where he is (he's practically blind). I imagine there have been times in his life when quitting was the easier way to go and he didn't. I don't see why this would be any different.

Meanwhile, there's no word yet on whether or not Maureen Dowd heard anyone from the White House attacking Paterson call him 'boy'.

If Paterson sticks with the race, he'll likely face AG Andrew Cuomo in the primary. Cuomo took a lot of heat in 2002 when he launched a primary campaign against eventual nominee H. Carl McCall.

Cuomo dropped out at the last minute but there were a lot of hard feelings as McCall was the first black statewide office holder in NY (he was the Comptroller) and nominee for Governor.

Getting the reputation as in NY "the guy who runs against black candidates" is not a fun position for a Democrat. It's a primary that will lead to some bitter battles that will last through the general and weaken either candidate, hence Obama's interest in getting Paterson out..

So, does Rudy want to be Governor or not?

BTW- Obama and Paterson will be together tomorrow in NY, so you know, that should fun.

Update:

Heh.

“It raises a curious point for me. I think Gov. Paterson’s numbers are about the same as Gov. Corzine’s. The president is with Gov. Corzine,” Steele said. The RNC chairman was referring to Gov. Jon Corzine, the Democratic New Jersey governor who is facing a tough reelection bid this year.

Steele also said he would be interested in black leadersÂ’ response to the White House request.

“That will be very interesting to see what the response by black leadership around the country for the president calling Gov. Paterson to step down,” Steele said.

Well, I'm pretty sure we all know what that response will be...crickets.

Thanks to Gabriel for the heads up on the Steele quotes.

Posted by: DrewM at 09:58 AM | Comments (4)
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