APPLAUDING OBAMA

David Remnick's article in the New Yorker.  Remnick sees Obama as a great president.

Obama has every right to claim a long list of victories since he took office: ending two wars; an economic rescue, no matter how imperfect; strong Supreme Court nominations; a lack of major scandal; essential support for an epochal advance in the civil rights of gays and lesbians; more progressive executive orders on climate change, gun control, and the end of torture; and, yes, health-care reform. But, no matter what one’s politics, and however one weighs the arguments of his critics, both partisan and principled, one has to wonder about any President’s capacity to make these decisions amid a thousand uncertainties, so many of which are matters of life and death, survival and extinction.

HILLARY CLINTON

She hasn't driven a car in 18 years. . .must be nice to be chauffeured everywhere as one of the 1%.

OBAMACARE & REPUBLICANS

Here is the Republican plan to replace Obamacare.

Unlike ObamaCare, our plan acknowledges the real world in which people live and operate. We understand that markets are not perfect. But the answer is not a government-centered approach that limits choices and increases costs.

Our problems in health care are solvable if we chart a new path forward. The first step is to embrace a vision that respects individual freedom and puts our country on a more sustainable path.

CBS EDITS SENATOR CRUZ INTERVIEW

This is an interesting case study of how a news program edits interviews.  Whatever the merits of what Senator Cruz said, a listener would not have received the entire picture of Senator Cruz and his views.

IRS AND TEA PARTY

Senator Schumer (D, NY) argued that the IRS should go after the Tea Party in speech before the Center for American Progress. 

The Washington Free Beacon reports that Schumer advocated that Tea Party organizations be targeted, saying, “the Obama administration should bypass Congress and institute new campaign finance rules through the IRS.”

Schumer is further quoted as saying: “It is clear that we will not pass anything legislatively as long as the House of Representatives is in Republican control, but there are many things that can be done administratively by the IRS and other government agencies — we must redouble those efforts immediately."

As the article indicates, Schumer isn't worried about Republicans ever getting control again of the White House and using the IRS to go after liberal groups.  And he expects the media to go after Republicans if the Democrats ever should lose the White House and go after liberal groups.

OBAMA ADMINISTRATION GOES AFTER CONSERVATIVES

From Ace of Spades. 

Coincidence: Hollywood's only conservative group is getting close IRS nonprofit scrutiny
Another Coincidence: James O'Keefe Group Being Audited by NY. Again.
Yet Another Coincidence: Dinesh D'Souza Indicted For Election Fraud
Still Another Coincidence: IRS Proposes New 501(c)(4) Rules That Just Happen to Cover Most Tea Party Groups
Judge Strikes Down Wisconsin's 'John Doe' Subpoenas

From Ann Althouse.  The politics of the Dinesh d'Souza prosecution.  The Feds and media did not seem concerned about the Obama 2008 and 2012 campaigns using the web to collect monetary gifts and disabling certain credit card information.

From WAPO.  An Edward's donor was charged with a much lesser crime, but he was a Democrat. 

And then there is the IRS scandal which Holder and the media are not to be concerned about.  The IRS Scandal, Day 259.

BENGHAZI, OBAMA & CENSORSHIP

The story, from Greta Van Susteren, of how the White House tried to get Fox News to stop covering Benghazi.

DECLINE OF AMERICA

From Morningstar.  A discussion of America's economic decline in the context of recent history by an investment advisor, Ray Dalio.  The parallels between us and the United Kingdom in the early 20th century are quite similar. 

Dalio is probably the best macro investor alive. He has made a fortune anticipating once-in-a-generation shifts, such as the financial crisis, the subsequent bull market in bonds, and the eurozone crisis. His hedge fund Bridgewater Associates is now the world's biggest, and its Daily Observations newsletter is devoured by policymakers and investors alike (your faithful editor included, when he can get his hands on a copy). Most importantly, his reasoning is transparent and sound.

A quality that sets Dalio apart is how he attempts to understand the economic "machine" by studying distant or extreme scenarios, such as the Weimar Republic's hyperinflationary economic implosion and the decline of the British Empire. He's synthesized his research into a five-stage model on the rise and fall of empires. And he thinks the U.S. is in the final stage. The implications are fascinating.

SNOWDEN & NSA

From the Huffington Post.  A very good summary of the failures and impact of the NSA on liberty and freedom.

The debate Edward Snowden envisioned when he revealed the extent of National Security Agency (NSA) spying on Americans has taken a bad turn. Instead of a careful examination of what the NSA does, the legality of its actions, what risks it takes for what gains, and how effective the agency has been in its stated mission of protecting Americans, we increasingly have government officials or retired versions of the same demanding -- quite literally -- Snowden’s head and engaging in the usual fear-mongering over 9/11. They have been aided by a chorus of pundits, columnists, and present as well as former officials offering bumper-sticker slogans like "If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear," all the while claiming our freedom is in direct conflict with our security.

And the head of the NSA lied to congress and neither the president or congress seem to have taken that seriously.  And the Director of National Intelligence also lied to congress (although he eventually apologized)!

IRS AND PALIN'S FATHER

I am no fan of Sarah Palin, but since 2008 when she ran for Vice President her father has been audited 6 times by the IRS.  He was never audited before this.

GOVERNMENT BUREAUCRACY LACKS COMPETENT TECHIES

The government does not have enough computer competent people to deal with Obamacare.  One wonders who government bureaucracies have been hiring and what other techie problems may exist in other agencies.  Big government seems to keep on failing.