National Review: Charles Krauthammer: 'For God's Sake, Why Do You Have to Talk About That?'

Source:National Review- Fox News contributor and columnist Charles Krauthammer, talking about Governor Mike Huckabee.

Source:The New Democrat

"Krauthammer's Take on Huckabee: "For God's Sake, Why Do You Have to Talk about That?" 

From National Review

The easiest way for Republicans to lose the 2014 mid-terms and that would be for them to fail to win back the U.S. Senate and give Republicans a united Republican Congress at the least, is for their Far-Right to be leading their pack and brand and for them to look like they speak for the Republican Party. At least the GOP base and putting Republicans on the spot and having to take clear positions on what these radicals on the Far-Right says. And risk either having to offend the Far-Right or mainstream Republicans and Independents.

The Far-Right wants to talk about abortion, gay marriage, homosexuality in general, women’s place in the world, Hollywood, as far as outlawing or restricting all of these things in the world. While the rest of the country which is most of the country wants to talk about the economy, foreign policy, terrorism and civil liberties.

JC Western Wear: Cowgirl Boots Western Wear in LA Tribal Skinny Jeans

Source:The New Democrat

I love dem cowgirls and this is one of the reasons. Which is their style and how they present themselves and how they carry themselves. They do the work and activities that cowboys have traditionally have done. But in the last fifty-years or so cowgirls have become probably as common as cowboys. And you see cowgirls doing the same jobs and activities as cowboys. Managing ranches, horses and cows, wrangling them up, you see cowgirls competing in rodeos and other western shows and not just as models, but as contestants competing in the same activities as cowboys. The western rancher profession s for both men and women, because it is not a job defined by gender as far as whether someone can do it successfully or not. It is defined by technique, skill, knowledge, execution and yes physical strength as well. But you don’t become a cowgirl if you are not physically up to the job in the first place.
Source:JC Western Wear

Arpa Keun: McCarthyism in America

Source:The New Democrat

McCarthyism in America deserves at least one long blog and probably several of them. But to give you a summary of McCarthyism. It was about one U.S. Senator from Wisconsin Joe McCarthy who was anti-communist to the point that he didn’t believe democracy or liberal democracy could survive in the United States with any link to it. Especially inside the United States Government that he had to do everything in his power that he had as a member of Congress to absolutely destroy it.

Senator Joe McCarthy saw his anti-communism as the ticket to bigger and greater things as far as his political career. And perhaps something that would get him to the White House post the Eisenhower Administration. And he took it as far as he could to get everything out of it that he could politically. To the point that he not only destroyed his own political career, but destroyed the professional lives of a lot of good innocent Americans.

National Review: Betsy Woodruff,: 'Prison Reform Proven to be Very Transideological'

Source:The New Democrat

You want to save money on government and keep taxes down whether it is Texas or any other state, then stop sending people to jail or prison for simply using or possessing illegal narcotics. And instead send narcotics addicts to drug rehab at their expense where they can get off of these narcotics. Without a criminal record making it very difficult for them to get a good job. And allow for them to be able to move on with their lives and live productively. If you don’t include corrections to go along with defense and tax loopholes as it relates to government’s budgets, but you are talking about fiscal responsibility and deficit reduction, you are just talking about those things. And perhaps using them for political gain, but aren’t actually serious in addressing those issues.

Helmer Reenberg: U.S. Senator John F. Kennedy: 'Remarks at Multnomah Hotel: September 7, 1960'

Source:Helmer Reenberg- U.S. Senator John F. Kennedy (Democrat, Massachusetts) campaigning for POTUS in 1960. 

Source:The New Democrat 

"'I think it can be said that the labor movement has concerned itself not only with the interest of its members, but also with the general public interest. Labor has identified itself with the fight for aid for education, with the fight for medical care for the aged under social security, with the fight for housing, the fight for a better system of social justice in this country, and for a stronger foreign policy abroad. They have been concerned with what concerns our country. Therefore I am delighted that I have received the endorsement of the AFL-CIO in this election.

I have had my disagreements with Mr. Hoffa and they continue, and I have had my disagreements with Mr. Bridges and they continue. But I want the support, if I can get it, of the members of the Teamsters Union and the Longshoremen's Union, because I believe that the things we can work for in the Congress are in the interest of the members of those unions, even though I may not agree with those that head it up. My quarrel with them may continue. But I want to make it very clear that I welcome the support of the members of those two unions.

I run for office with the recognition that in this century the great Presidents in many cases have been Democratic Presidents, Wilson, Roosevelt, and Truman, and I think they have demonstrated what can be done, and I think we can do it in the 1960's. Thank you. " 

From Helmer Reenberg

Senator Jack Kennedy offering a real liberal democratic agenda and vision for the country that was designed to move the country forward and expand economic opportunity for more Americans. 

Because of the civil rights legislation of the mid-1960s, as well as more education funding and grants so more Americans could go to college, a lot of that economic opportunity was expanded in the 1960s. And not just to Caucasian-Americans but African-Americans and other Americans as well. 

Jack Kennedy ran for president in 1960 to get America moving again. Real economic and job growth that reached all Americans and not just the wealthy and Caucasian-Americans. But for the entire country and thought America was in decline in the 1950s under the Eisenhower Administration.

Miss You: Tribute to Aaliyah Haughton

Source:The New Democrat

Aaliyah Haughton would've been thirty-five this week had she not of died in a plane accident in the summer of 2001. The beautiful adorable Aaliyah whose music and voice was as beautiful and adorable as she was. Who also sang from her heart and what she felt instead of singing about whatever contemporaries were singing about. So you always knew where she was coming from and what she was feeling and almost thirteen years later. Still represents a huge lost to the rhythm and blues industry.

Aaliyah became big in 1993-94 at the age of fourteen or fifteen years old. I just happened to be a senior in high school that year and probably first heard of her by the winter of 94. Listening to the song when I got home from school one afternoon called Back and Fourth. Singing about a relationship she had with someone that I guess had a lot of ups and downs in it. I got to listen to her music for a solid seven years but not nearly long enough considering how much talent she. And how big her heart was.

American Enterprise: Phillip Swagel: Four Ways We Can Improve the Economy in 2014

Source:The New Democrat

Just to start out before I go any further. I believe there’s a better shot of the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series in 2014 or the Redskins winning the Super Bowl with Dan Snyder as the majority owner, than I see any bipartisan cooperation in this divided Congress. When it comes to economic growth, but just for the sake of this post if not for just the hell of it, if both sides actually worked together, this is what I believe they could get done based on what both parties in Congress want to do and where there’s already agreement.

1. Infrastructure
Let’s put a five-hundred billion dollar to one-trillion dollar national infrastructure plan over five-ten years. Including a National Infrastructure Bank that would be independent of the Federal Government. A public/private corporation that would run itself and not by government. That would fund a lot of these infrastructure projects all over the country. With private funds by brining in private investors who would make money off of these completed projects. That economic Conservatives should like this because we would be using private capital and private principles. That is about what is the right thing to be doing to rebuild this country.

2. National Energy Policy
We already have a Bipartisan consensus when it comes to renewable energy sources in this country. And a bipartisan consensus when it comes to oil and gas. The fact that we need to produce a lot more of both at least in the short-term to get off of foreign oil. The reason energy independence is now on the horizon for America, is because we’ve produced a lot more oil in the last five years. If we were ruled by commonsense, we would be doing these things creating millions of jobs in our domestic energy sector. But as Senator Chuck Grassley says, "Washington is an island immune from reality".

3. Tax Reform
For short to long-term economic and job growth I’m just talking about business tax reform. And greater tax relief for individuals and business’s to expand economic and job growth. So this would be part of my long-term tax reform plan as well. But short-term we spend somewhere around fifty-hundred-billion dollars a year on corporate welfare. When we also have a corporate tax rate of thirty-five percent, higher than both Canada and Germany. Germany the only large country in Europe with a strong economy now. Let’s lower the corporate tax rate two twenty-five percent on all profits made inside the United States. In exchange for either eliminating most of the subsidies. Or changing corporate welfare to corporate workfare and invest in things like.

A. Health insurance for employees.

B. Life insurance for employees.

C. Pensions for employees.

D. Job training for low-skilled workers and educated veteran workers who need additional skills.

E. Investing in America by either expanding or creating new factories, plants, offices and creating jobs inside the United States.

4. Immigration Reform
Pretty simple at least as far as policy. Bring in the workers that we need to do the jobs where we do not have enough skilled workers for those jobs. And bring in the workers that we need to do the jobs that Americans won’t do whether they are qualified for them or not. Bring in the 10-15 illegal immigrants in this country so they can pay their fair share of taxes. And fine for being in the country illegally based on how long they’ve been in the United States illegally. And no longer be abused by their current employers.

Just to be completely straight up. I sure as hell hope Democrats at least keep the majority in the Senate that they have now. Which I believe is possible and possible simply because their candidates and incumbents are better. And they won’t have a wildcard factor to deal with. Meaning far-left candidates trying to run for office either statewide or in swing districts. Unlike Republicans who still have these problems with their far-right and will have them in 2014. And would love to see House Democrats pick up forty seats. Not going to happen but whatever the Congressional makeup is in 2014, this is what I believe could get done without the partisanship from both sides based on what they already agree on