Thursday, January 23, 2014

This & That

HERE WE GO AGAIN – “Freedom Works” a powerful conservative grassroots organization that supports and funds Tea Party candidates, announced that it will back Matt Bevin’s primary challenge against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.  McConnell, who for the past five years has led a successful campaign of obstruction against the president’s agenda, is just not conservative enough for the Tea Party faithful.  McConnell’s unpardonable sin was allowing Harry Reid and senate Democrats to re-insert funding for the ACA into the Continuing Resolution to fund the government.
McConnell remembered the political beating Republicans took for shutting down the government last October.  He understood that his party could ill afford a repeat performance if they wanted to win in the mid-terms.
The Tea Party faithful still don’t get it.  The way to move their ideology forward is to nominate electable candidates and win elections.  Challenging the leading Republican in congress is not the way to go.
RETRIBUTION OR COINCIDENCE – You are all familiar with “Bridgegate” scandal that has overwhelmed New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.  Accusations of bullying and political retribution have threatened to derail the governor’s presidential ambitions.  Is it possible that similar tactics are being employed by the newly elected mayor of New York?
The recent snow storm that hit New York City was seen by many as the first test of newly elected mayor Bill de Blasio’s leadership skills?  Would the new mayor be able to keep the city that doesn’t sleep up and running?  The answer is…it depends where you live.
De Blasio the candidate portrayed himself as a progressive alternative to former mayor, billionaire Michael Bloomberg, whose policies he characterized as “favoring the rich.”  De Blasio spoke of life in New York as a tale of two cities...the rich and famous who live on the upper east side of Manhattan versus the middle class, working poor and minorities who seek shelter in the forgotten boroughs.  De Blasio’s rhetoric struck a chord and he was swept into office largely by the inhabitants of the boroughs he promised to support.
So when Mother Nature dumped a foot of snow on the nation’s largest city, posing the first big challenge to the new mayor’s leadership skills, he responded in a very interesting manner.  De Blasio sent the snowplows into the boroughs…scraping the streets down to the pavement while the Upper East Side was largely ignored.  Those traversing the streets of Manhattan experienced traffic jams and gridlock of historic proportions while commuters in the boroughs moved with impunity.  Is this a case of political retribution or merely a coincidence?
IT’S LEGAL IN VIRGINIA – Federal prosecutors have handed down a 43 page indictment of former Virginia Governor Bob McDonald and his wife for allegedly receiving improper gifts and benefits in exchange for political favors.  The indictment documents an extensive listing of loans, cash, trips, watches, gowns, gifts, plane rides and vacations that the couple received from one of their supporters while in office.

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