Just eight days before the default deadline, the president has finally endorsed a plan to raise the debt limit, signing on to “debt-ceiling proposal by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that would cut federal deficits by $2.7 trillion and increase the federal borrowing limit through 2012.”

House Speaker John Boehner, however, finds that the plan is “full of gimmicks” and “fails to change” the federal “spending structure” nor does it “deal with entitlements.” Now that both sides have plans, will the president blame Republicans for intransigence if they fail to support it? House Republicans have already compromised, with leading members of the GOP caucus denouncing his latest plan.

It seems that for this president compromise means agreeing with him.

Will the president tonight lash out at Republicans for failing to walk in lock-step with him (and call that failure “intransigence”) or will he commend them for putting forward several plans to raise the debt limit while cutting spending?  His recent history of public statements on the debt crisis suggests the former.  As Peter Wehner wrote about the Democrat’s most recent such statement:

It’s been clear to some of us for a while that Barack Obama is a man of uncommon self-admiration, quite thin-skinned, and increasingly consumed by his grievances. Obama has masked these traits pretty well so far, but on Friday his mask slipped more than it ever has.

Via Instapundit.

Will the president focus on the good will efforts of individuals on both sides of the political aisle to solve the debt crisis or will he make it appear that he is the only adult in the room (and thus show he is anything but)?

Via RedState.com

This film has not yet been rated, but the story received a solid B+ from the White House. Catch the beginning of the end in theaters November 2010, with the ultimate conclusion to be seen worldwide in November of 2012.

The Socialist
Directed by Ben Howe. Post-Producution by Caleb Howe.
Based on a script written by Karl Marx.
Screenplay conceived by The Sixties.
Edited by History.
Starring Barack Obama as The Socialist.

The Howes kick ass.  Follow both of them on Twitter…. or I’ll put a hex on you.  I am a warlock, after all.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Another one in the can!  Hopefully someday I’ll completely master uploading songs.  It was a great two hours and I’m so excited to have had two awesome guests.

Libertarian blogger and Tea Party activist Andrew Ian Dodge was my guest for Hour #1.  Check out Andrew’s work HERE.

And GOProud Executive Director Jimmy LaSalvia was my guest in Hour #2.  Please support Jimmy’s work & GOProud HERE.

Finally, I promised I would post this great video with music from the song “Crying Freedom” written by Andrew.  A great way to celebrate the awakening America — Cry Freedom!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Thomas Sowell, one of our time’s great political thinkers, has a chilling piece up today. 

When Adolf Hitler was building up the Nazi movement in the 1920s, leading up to his taking power in the 1930s, he deliberately sought to activate people who did not normally pay much attention to politics.

Such people were a valuable addition to his political base, since they were particularly susceptible to Hitler’s rhetoric and had far less basis for questioning his assumptions or his conclusions.

“Useful idiots” was the term supposedly coined by V.I. Lenin to describe similarly unthinking supporters of his dictatorship in the Soviet Union.

Put differently, a democracy needs informed citizens if it is to thrive, or ultimately even survive.

In our times, American democracy is being dismantled, piece by piece, before our very eyes by the current administration in Washington, and few people seem to be concerned about it.

The president’s poll numbers are going down because increasing numbers of people disagree with particular policies of his, but the damage being done to the fundamental structure of this nation goes far beyond particular counterproductive policies.

With vastly expanded powers of government available at the discretion of politicians and bureaucrats, private individuals and organizations can be forced into accepting the imposition of powers that were never granted to the government by the Constitution.

If you believe that the end justifies the means, then you don’t believe in constitutional government.

That last bolded statement is so simple and true.

When it comes to Sowell’s question though, I believe the answer to it is: “We are already there.”  I think the next few weeks, especially events toward the end of the year, will show if Americans want to give up 200 years of our Constititutional experiment and drift into a dark age of tyranny.

Last summer I asked readers “Is The US In A Low Grade Civil War?”   I stated seven reasons why I thought so:

1. There is a clear distinction between those who want a more authoritarian/socialist nation versus those who want to preserve the capitalist/democratic America we live in.
2. There is a clear distinction between those who understand the principles and guidance and importance of the representative legislative process versus those who hide behind the Constitution as an excuse to create laws from the bench.
3. There is a clear distinction between those who favor strong national security vs. those who want a borderless, global government.
4. There is a clear distinction between those who hold US Constitutional principles dear (1st, 2nd, 10th Amendments in particular) and those who are ignorant or want to subvert those principles.
5. There is a clear distinction between those who want to maintain a sensible fiscal policy versus those statists in Washington who spend our tax money with reckless abandon.
6. There is a clear distinction between those who see themselves as Americans first versus those who want to segregate themselves into communities and ignore the national identity.
7. Despite his promises, surveys show that Americans have elected one of the most divisive Presidents [Obama] since Richard Nixon.

These factors have gotten worse, not better in the course of the year.  You know it when you talk to friends and relatives.  I can feel the tension everywhere: airports, supermarkets, office complexes.  Those who don’t are Unicornists or aren’t paying attention.

I pray I am wrong and that the resolution to these severe conflicts happens in November at the ballot box.  I don’t think it will.  This will be a long hot summer for the United States of America and future generations will mark the year 2010 for its historical inflection point.  For that, I have no doubt.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

The last American investigative journalist, James O’Keefe, didn’t let moss grow under his feet after the Feds’ case against him collapsed last week.  O’Keefe went from busting up one criminal enterprise (ACORN) to looking into another (US Census bureaucracy).

On April 27, 2010, I got a job with the United States Census Bureau in New Jersey. With a hidden camera, I caught four Census supervisors encouraging enumerators to falsify information on their time sheets. Over the course of two days of training, I was paid for four hours of work I never did. I was told to take a 70 minute lunch break, was given an hour of travel time to drive 10 minutes, and was told to leave work at 3:30pm. I resigned prior to doing any data collection but confronted Census supervisors who assured me, “no one is going to be auditing that that level,” and “nobody is going to be questioning it except for you.” Another Census supervisor only said he’d adjust my pay after I gave him a letter recanting my hours.

Exposing corruption requires standing up to power, because power hates sunlight. We should have known they would try and ruin the reputations of those who try and expose them. But in response, we are going to build an army of citizen investigators. There’s hundreds more where I came from.  You have awakened a sleeping giant. And you can’t ruin us all. In fact, in the coming months you will see this army expanding into every state, every statehouse, every city council, every school board, and everywhere people are conspiring to keep themselves in power, practice favoritism, or line their pockets with tax dollars.

James O’Keefe is doing the work that Thomas Paine & Edward R. Murrow would be proud of. Meantime, Katie Couric blames the Gores’ marital problems on…. wait for it…. George W. Bush. Priceless.

RELATED STORY:  US Employment Numbers To Artificially Spike Due to Census “Hiring” – The Hill.com

Economist Mark Zandi of Moody’s.com projects the economy will add 575,000 jobs in May, while the Economic Policy Institute’s (EPI) rough projection is for 560,000 jobs.

Either figure would represent the largest number of jobs created in any month since the dot-com crash of 2000.

Vice President Joe Biden, speaking at a Democratic fundraiser on Tuesday, touted what he said would be a positive report for Democrats, who are hoping a revitalized economy will help them in this fall’s elections. He said the May report would be “well beyond” the 290,000 jobs created in April, according to Reuters.

The numbers pose a problem for the administration, however, in terms of their reflection of economic growth.

Zandi expects that only 150,000 of the jobs created in May will come from the private sector, while 425,000 new jobs are sparked by the once-a-decade census.

Those jobs are temporary ones that will disappear as the Census completes the process of collecting data from people who did not mail in their forms.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

I’m beginning my first road trip for work under the Era of Obamacare this morning.  I start in Charlotte, head to Baltimore, then off again to spend the night and most of Wednesday in Pittsburgh.   And yes, as Dan mentions below, PatriotPartner and I are headed to Los Angeles on Thursday for a long weekend.

How will this new Era of Socialism Utopia treat me as I travel the TSA-mandated skies of America?  Will people be nicer now that they have a new bloated entitlement program that will bankrupt this and successive generations?  I haven’t seen it yet.  The TSA agents and US Airways ticket agents had the same scowl on their faces as they did last week.

But haven’t they heard that we are in the Era of Sunshine, Unicorns and Lollipops?  I mean first Obama raised his hands and single-handedly stopped the 15 foot Chilean Tsunami from ravaging Hawai’i.  He did tell us the seas would fall after he was elected!

And now everyone is walking around with the statisfaction that we all have healthcare coverage.  Nevermind that our taxes will go up significantly.  Nevermind that the cost of healthcare will continue to rise.  Nevermind that the premiums that the middle class pays for their health insurance will also go up.  And nevermind that those who are covered by Domestic Partner benefits will be the first to be dropped when the Individual Mandate is enforced.

Nah, what is really important is that the Obama Presidency was saved!

Funny, the Americans walking around the Charlotte, NC airport this morning look as worried and stressed and anxious as they did last week.

I guess it really isn’t funny at all.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

The question is all the buzz on Twitter today after this article appeared in the British press.

Barack Obama is still struggling to kick smoking, according to his first medical examination since becoming president.

Obama is sensitive about his cigarette habit and tetchy with reporters who raise it. But after his 90-minute medical at the Navy hospital outside Washington yesterday morning, his doctors confirmed he had not yet managed to conquer the habit and suggested he “continue smoking cessation efforts”.

<…>

The doctors also recommended “moderation of alcohol intake”.

One would have to assume that Obama’s doctors had some evidence which led to their recommendation.  What was it?  Did Obama admit he drinks too much? Or did a blood test or other diagnostic provide the doctors a warning of some kind?

Oh yeah, and what kind of moral ground does Obama stand on when he clicks at the health habits of Americans (primarily eating) when he can’t stop smoking?

But more importantly, shouldn’t the American people know if their President has a drinking problem?  After all, those on the Left constantly reminded us that President George W. Bush had quit drinking years before his time in office.

UPDATE: The Guardian story might be more sizzle than substance.  From the political shop of only person at NBC that I trust, Chuck Todd, comes a link to the actual medical report.

Recommendations: Follow-up colorectal cancer screening is recommended in 5 years for routine colon cancer screening. Continue smoking cessation efforts, a daily exercise program, healthy diet, moderation in alcohol intake, periodic dental care, and remain up-to-date with recommended immunizations. Continue modified exercise regimen, and lower extremity muscle strengthening program, for occasional left patella-femoral pain secondary to chronic tendonitis. Recommend dietary modification to reduce LDL cholesterol below 130.

Judge for yourselves.  I still find it odd.  The doctors ARE recommending CHANGES to the President’s lifestyle.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

I agree with US Senator Lamar Alexander and have been saying so for quite sometime. 

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) accused the White House on Wednesday of “street-brawling” with opponents, and said the West Wing’s strategy of freezing out opponents amounts to a latter-day “enemies list,” a reference to an infamous practice of President Richard Nixon.

 ”An ‘enemies list’ only denigrates the Presidency and the Republic itself,” Alexander said on the Senate floor. “These are unusually difficult times, with plenty of forces encouraging us to disagree. Let’s not start calling people out and compiling an enemies list. Let’s push the street-brawling out of the White House and work together on the truly presidential issues: creating jobs, reducing health care costs, reducing the debt, creating clean energy.”

Alexander continued:

“In 1969 and during the first half of 1970, I was a wet-behind-the-ears, 29-year-old staff aide in the West Wing of the Nixon White House. I was working for the wisest man in that White House, Bryce Harlow, who was a friend of President Johnson, as well as the favorite staff member of President Eisenhower, and President Nixon’s first appointee.

 Based upon that experience and my forty years since then in and out of public life, I want to make what I hope will be taken as a friendly suggestion to President Obama and his White House: don’t create an enemies list.”

Obama has all of the worst qualities of Jimmy Carter & Richard Nixon and none of the good qualities of any recent President I can think of…

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Watch this if you dare.  It is creepy and I’m afraid only a taste of what is to come with this President and his lunatic worshippers. (h/t – ConservativeGen on Twitter)

UPDATE: I think we were one of the first blogs to show this video yesterday and now it has started to go “viral” on Twitter and other conservative blogs.   The location of the school has been discovered by blog readers: B. Bernice Young Elementary School in Burlington NJ.  Time for the teacher to be named.

I was going to hold off posting this until I found out where & when this occurred.  But I thought the best way to get that information was to post it here and see if anyone could find out.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

UPDATE (from Dan): If that video above had been about George W. Bush, I wonder how many people would have called for the disciplining and/or firing of the teachers who had the students sing the song. If you’re not sick enough already, check out this pop quiz one teacher gave to his students. Don’t think you’ll ever find any such classroom interrogations about George W. Bush speeches. And how his critics faulted us for reverencing the man as a Dear Leader.