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Does nothing shock the public anymore? In yet more Orwellian redefinition of language, Christine Romer, head of President Barack Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers, said the other day that in order to reduce the deficit, the government needs to spend more. If that doesn’t qualify as newspeak, nothing does. But it’s worse than that: The president himself said during the State of the Union that he wants to freeze discretionary spending. So, it’s double talk newspeak!

She also said the almost $800 billion “stimulus” is working (ABCNews.com). That tops U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) definition of “good news.” If 9.7 percent unemployment is “working” I’d hate to see what she thinks a failure is.

Christine Romer: Does she know up from down or know it and not care?

We’ve been told repeatedly since 2008 that Barack Obama is a genius. He is the smartest man ever to hold the presidency. Sure enough, he proved it almost immediately after he was sworn into office — he won the Nobel Peace Prize! (Even though he couldn’t deliver the Olympics for his hometown of Chicago.) Yes, he is fawned over by the elite. Chris Matthews told the nation he gets a “tingling sensation up my leg” when Mr. Obama speaks. His adorers consider him the “anointed one” or some type of secular “messiah.” He even has the power to redefine “success,” as he continues to label his “stimulus” bill even though it has saddled us with debt and the loss of four million jobs. He is worshiped and glorified by people who have no frame of reference. He does nothing wrong.

Except say the U.S. has 57 states (YouTube.com), confuse Memorial Day with Veterans Day or any number of other gaffes that would’ve left Conan O’Brien in business if it was a conservative president making the embarrassing pronouncements. Now comes this: We know he can’t give a speech without a teleprompter, but a teleprompter can’t pronounce words for you. So, just the other day, even with the ‘prompter working, the commander-in-chief showed his ignorance of the military he leads by mispronouncing “corpsman” as “corpse-man.” Watch and hear for yourself. With what kind of feeling does it leave you?

He’s commander-in-chief, but can he create a new rank? Maybe a “corpse-man” buries the dead?

Video became available over the weekend of Thursday night’s Fairfax Family Forum candidate forum, held at Fair Oaks Church, for the candidates in the 37th Senate district special election. But an peculiar thing happened on the way to the forum. Only one candidate showed up — Republican Stephen Hunt. Democrat Dave Marsden apparently had another agenda and couldn’t find time to talk to voters about family and traditional values. An interesting tactic coming from any candidate who wants to represent “all the people.” It’s one thing to respectfully disagree, and at least hear where certain constituents come from on their views. It’s another to blow them off entirely. Even Barack Obama took questions from Pastor Rick Warren at his Saddleback Church. We’ll see if this serves to further motivate values voters to turn out to the polls.

The election is tomorrow, January 12. The district is in Fairfax County and polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The election is necessary because of the vacancy in the seat due to the election of Attorney General-elect Ken Cuccinelli. Here is a portion of the forum as provided by the Fairfax Family Forum via Viemo:

Republican Steve Hunt attended the Fairfax Family Forum candidate forum for the candidates in the 37th Senate district special election. His opponent, Democrat Dave Marsden, must have had something else to do, rather than discuss with voters issues regarding family and traditional values.

I think it’s written somewhere that one of the signs of the Apocalypse is government heavy Western Europeans warning America about the dangers of government-run/nationalized/socialist health care and against adopting said government-run/nationalized/socialist health. Certainly, the creation of such an abomination would live up to one of Barack Obama’s campaign promises: Transforming America.

But most Americans are saying, “no thanks,” to that type of change because, quite frankly, they rightly see no hope in it. Eline (pronounced “a-lane-a”) van den Broek of Holland and the European Independent Institute, in this video for the Center for Freedom and Prosperity, explains in a crystal clear, by the numbers approach, why such a system is doomed to fail — and has failed wherever it has been tried.

Warning from Europe: Don’t do it like us, America!

Annotations & Elucidations 

In Transition

Not missing a beat, Governor-elect Bob McDonnell has gone into transition mode and all seems hunky-dory — Governor Tim Kaine has pledged to cue him in on the budget and give him “some breathing room” on the needed cuts so his successor won’t have to make many crucial decisions so soon. It’s a quirk in Virginia’s budget cycle that the outgoing governor submits the new two-year budget. The new guv has to deal with it. Changing that, and perhaps moving the legislative session to start in February to give the new guy some “breathing room” might be  good places to start for the reform minded in the General Assembly and the new administration.

So, as you can guess, it’s mostly transition news today, but we also have comment from McDonnell’s campaign chairman, Ed Gillespie, in the Washington Post, wherein he relates lessons learned. Meanwhile, the AP offers analysis on who did not vote and why not. In National News, homosexual groups are steamed at . . . Barack Obama . . . for its huge setback and humbling loss in liberal Maine’s marriage amendment referendum. (What’s the record now? 0-32? The homosexual lobby was losing long before Barack Obama was an Illinois state senator.) The Post and FoxNews.com have that fun little spat.

News:

McDonnell team rose to challenge in darkest hour (Washington Post)

Va. Republicans pledge to steer toward center (Washington Post)

McDonnell announces transition committee (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Capitol Square in transition (Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star)

McDonnell plans transition, says Obama called him (Norfolk Virginian-Pilot)

Governor-elect McDonnell: Putting his plan in motion (Roanoke Times)

New Va. governor begins transition (Washington Times)

Kaine reflects on losses, plans to stay at DNC (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

GOP gains at least five Virginia House seats (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Valentine concedes to Garrett; low turnout, LU voters helped deliver election (Lynchburg News & Advance)

Hamilton’s defeat a major blow to Peninsula’s influence (The Daily Press)

Palin bringing book tour to Roanoke (Roanoke Times)

National News:

Gay groups say loss won’t alter strategy (Washington Post)

Gay Leaders Blame TV Ads, Obama for Loss in Maine (FoxNews.com)

Analysis:

Young voters sat out contests (AP/Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Commentary:

Lessons from Virginia for the GOP (Ed Gillespie/Washington Post)

All 100 seats in the House of Delegates are up for election this year and more of them than in recent cycles have major two party competition. This is because Democrats — fresh after the 2007 capture of the Virginia Senate and gains in the House, and the 2008 Virginia victory by Barack Obama — thought they had a realistic chance of taking the House.

Competitive campaigns are welcome. They bring out the best in candidates, good ideas, and illustrate the differences between the two primary strains of political thought. But there is a sure difference between tough competition and despicable conduct. That’s the case in the 73rd House of Delegates campaign between Democrat challenger Tom Shields and Republican incumbent, Dr. John O’Bannon. 

With 100 campaigns, it’s difficult to keep up with them all, but this one sticks out because it was an early Democrat target. Shields, who teaches “leadership” at the University of Richmond, went low and dishonest from the start, claiming Delegate O’Bannon never held constituent meetings or mailed newsletters. He continued the falsehoods even after confronted with physical evidence.

He’s only gone lower since and his mailer yesterday defies description: It claims that Delegate O’Bannon, the only physician in the House — and a neurologist, at that — has not only worked against Alzheimer’s patients, but also is to blame for the lack of a cure for the disease! Not entirely shocking coming from a hard-core campus leftist ideologue who only cares to help secure control of the House for his party, but still difficult to contemplate how he and the state Democrat party hacks advising him manage to think up such low and despicable rhetoric — and how they find ways to top their previous dishonesties.

The fact is, Delegate O’Bannon has been a leader in funding research for this disease and, for it, the Alzheimer’s Association of Greater Richmond presented him with its Advocate Award. I guess Shields knows more than the Alzheimer’s Association. Either that, or he’s calling the Alzheimer’s Association a stooge front group. Competition is good. Unfortunately, Shields isn’t interested in that. Instead, the fervor of taking power for his party leads him to the gutter.

Annotations & Elucidations 

The Substitute

Filling in for Admin today, so the comments will be brief! In today’s news we have the White House beginning their tactical distancing from Creigh Deeds, that way the stories following November 3 are sure to say “Virginia Elections No Reflection on Obama.” But the most fun news comes from yesterday’s debate between candidates for Attorney General. Now, if Creigh Deeds is the Democrat candidate in this race that’s baffled by simple questions, and Jody Wagner is the most clueless, then clearly Steven Shannon is the angriest candidate on the ticket. I mean, seriously, I know the job of AG is important, but Steve, smile once in a while. Everyone knows that you are running for the job of the Commonwealth’s top prosecutor, even though the AG isn’t the Commonwealth’s top prosecutor, but lighten up. Yesterday Steve decided that Creigh couldn’t be the only one to run a nasty campaign, so he played the race card. I guess the only question remaining: Is anyone listening anymore?

News:

On the one hand, the Wall Street executives who are going to have their salaries cut from millions of dollars a year to no more than $200k should be happy. After all, Barack Obama promised no tax increases for those earning less than $250,000 a year, right? Sure!

On the other hand, the president may want to reconsider. With tax revenue dropping like an offed mafioso’s car a river, he may need that revenue. Better idea, Mr. President: Instead of cutting their pay 90 percent, let them keep them million-dollar salaries — then tax it at 90 percent. After all, you have to fund health care, right? Plus, the stimulus and free college education and end global warming and green jobs and  . . . .

But before you do, Mr. President, would you please find out if it’s constitutional for the federal government to fire and set salaries of people in private business? If it is, then watch out students on federal loans. Next, you’ll be told where you can go to college and what classes to take.

He was supposed to create healing among the nations, cease the riffs among his countrymen and heal all wounds real and imagined. Instead, he’s made each worse. 

Now, today, in one of the most miscalculated political missteps in history, the “anointed one,” Barack Obama, went to his base in Europe to triumphantly receive the 2016 Summer Olympics bid from the International Olympic Committee for the Daley Machine as payback to his hometown political cronies. He failed. But he succeeded in diminishing the Office of the Presidency. Simply humiliating.

In fact, Chicago finished last, the first city eliminated in the round-by-round voting. How could his political advisers let him go not knowing the outcome?

So, here’s the president who can’t negotiate the Olympics for Chicago, but he can negotiate the Iranians into giving up their nukes? Ha!

Meanwhile, in case you didn’t hear, unemployment rose to 9.8 percent this morning. But Barack Obama has more important things to do, like be in Europe for sports. Wait! Maybe the jobless rate is why he wanted to be in Europe for sports.

Annotations & Elucidations 

As The Day Turned: Chamber, FOP, Wilder

This morning started out with major news for Republican candidate for Governor Bob McDonnell, with the very non-partisan Fairfax Chamber of Commerce endorsing him. (Where’s the Washington Post article?) This same chamber endorsed Mark Warner in 2001. So, no GOP echo chamber here. As its number one issue is transportation, it clearly is sending a message as to whose plan is better for Northern Virginia.

As the day went on, it only got better for him. First, the Virginia Fraternal Order of Police endorsed McDonnell and his running mates, Lt. Governor Bill Bolling for re-election and Senator Ken Cuccinelli for attorney general. McDonnell’s opponent, Democrat Senator Creigh Deeds, who shrugged of the NRA’s endorsement of McDonnell a few weeks ago, even though the NRA endorsed Deeds in his AG run in 2005, said what really mattered this year was the FOP’s endorsement. Okay, we now have it, senator. What say you, now?

But perhaps the dirt on Deeds day was that former Governor Doug Wilder later in the afternoon issued a statement in which he refused to endorse him. He also did not endorse him in 2005. Although it was never likely he would endorse McDonnell, even this non-endorsement must be seen as a major surprise. As I wrote yesterday, Mr. Wilder said that this election is a referendum on Barack Obama, for whom he enthusiastically campaigned last year. Why would he contribute something, by his own admission, would make his party’s president look bad? Especially after the administration talked to him extensively about it? As we say in Richmond about our former mayor, “That’s Doug.” That’s how he turns, and as the morning turned to the afternoon today, the momentum may have turned firmly back to McDonnell.

News:

Fairfax chamber endorses McDonnell (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Fairfax chamber backs McDonnell for governor (Roanoke Times)

McDonnell aims to tap support of veterans (Washington Times)

Warner urges action on health care (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

William Smith hopes past won’t haunt in House of Delegates race (Roanoke Times)

Some Va. rest areas getting electric-car chargers (Norfolk Virginian-Pilot)

National News:

Critics Assail Obama’s ‘Safe Schools’ Czar, Say He’s Wrong Man for the Job (FoxNews.com)

Analysis:

Fairfax Chamber Chooses McDonnell over Deeds, on Transportation (Bill Pascoe/CQPolitics In The Right Blog)

Young Women, Meet Young Bob McDonnell (Rosalind S. Helderman and Jennifer Agiesta/Washington Post)

Commentary:

Virginia, Meet Your Mondale (Bill Pascoe/CQPolitics In The Right Blog)