Midnight Blue Says

THEN 2005:

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL): “In short, the reconciliation process appears to have lost its proper meaning. A vehicle designed for deficit reduction and fiscal responsibility has been hijacked to facilitate reckless deficits and unsustainable debt.” (Sen. Obama, Congressional Record, S .14150, 12/20/05)

NOW - Obama 2010

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More of that ‘change’ voted for in 2008.

Philadelphia democrats have proposed naming the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard after the disgraced and deceased John Murtha.

I. Kid. You. Not.

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Obama entertains few GOP ideas in his latest healthcare scheme.

UPDATE: ABC News Senior White House correspondent, Jake Tapper, reports the Obama administration intention to use the ‘nuclear option’ in order to ram a healthcare bill through the senate:

White House officials tell ABC News that in his remarks tomorrow President Obama will indicate a willingness to work with Republicans on some issue to get a health care reform bill passed but will suggest that if it is necessary, Democrats will use the controversial “reconciliation” rules requiring only 51 Senate votes to pass the “fix” to the Senate bill, as opposed to the 60 votes to stop a filibuster and proceed to a vote on a bill.

HERE you can find more video of the left wing agitator at work.

I’ve found a photo of Mike Madden checking out Breitbart’s website prior to his debate with Breitbart.

A second confrontation with a Salon.com Washington correspondent Mike Madden:

Buh Bayh

Senator Evan Bayh announced he will not seek re-election this year.  (Insert appropriately shocked statement here). His announcement comes one day before the deadline for submitting candidate applications, leaving Dems scrambling at the last minute to find another candidate by noon tomorrow.

The liberal/progressive response to the news of Senator Bayh’s announcement reveals the base wasn’t really into him anyway.  Bayh had been described as a ‘conservative/moderate Democrat – a species to be driven out according to Obama’s Daily Kos 2005 diary ” it is necessary for Democrats to get some backbone, give as good as they get, brook no compromise, drive out Democrats who are interested in “appeasing” the right wing, and enforce a more clearly progressive agenda.”

Change. Want more?

Fox reports:

Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. John Murtha, the first veteran of the Vietnam war to enter Congress and one of the House’s most powerful lawmakers, died Monday afternoon at Virginia Hospital Center after complications from gallbladder surgery. Murtha was 77.

He won’t be forgotten:

Last week I read an article posted on Time.com speculating on which GOP candidates would be the next Scott Brown. Realizing Time is not known for fair reporting on the GOP or the Teaparty movement, I laughed out loud (LOL) at Pat Meehan listed as a potential ‘Scott Brown’.

Pat Meehan is a longtime GOP hack who initiated charges against former Representative Curt Weldon. His efforts have paid off, Pat has been tapped by the GOP to run for Curt’s former seat in Pennsylvania’s 7th district. All fun aside, news items like this should make one pause and take a closer look at candidates vying for Congressional seats in Pennsylvania and across the nation.

Scott Brown’s stunning win in Massachusetts (not Massachusettes) sent tectonic ripples through both parties. In three consecutive elections, Americans voted for a change in leadership they thought they voted for in November 2008. After the MA special election, many GOP candidates have been quick to adopt the brand of ‘Independent Leadership’ into their campaign. As this political tsunami breaks across campaigns, it would be wise to take a close look at the candidates allowing themselves to be swept up in this tidal wave. Too often voters elect candidates who claimed to be concerned about the cost of government and when sent to DC, betrayed the voters trust. Pennsylvania has witnessed this closer to home at the state level with the ‘Clean Sweep’ movement a few years back. Today, the stakes are far greater and the impact of sending a political opportunist to DC would be devastating.

With this in mind, lets take a closer look at the Republican candidates vying for a chance to run for a seat in the 6th congressional district in Chester County, Pennsylvania. This is a contentious race, with a stunning turnaround by the man who occupies the seat, Jim Gerlach,who bowed out of the Governors race to campaign for his congressional seat. This action forced the best candidate for the 6th congressional district to leave the race. In the interest of disclosure, I supported Curt Schroder’s campaign and will do so again when he decides to run for the seat in the future. For me there is no better candidate in this race. That being said, lets get to the candidates.

Jim Gerlach can best be described as the devil we know. An establishment politician who has a voting record that you can review at Project VoteSmart.

Pat Sellers, a Ron Paul organizer who favors a narrowly defined foreign policy and suspects Bin Laden is dead. Many red flags around a candidate who favors fringe foreign policy.

Then there is Steve Welch, a business man running in Pennsylvania’s 6th district. Since he has not held elected office, my opinion is based on the evidence of his past registration and donation records. Let me lay out the facts regarding this candidate:

In 2006, while still registered as Republican, he donated to Democrat Joe Sestak’s campaign. He subsequently changed party affiliation to Democrat after the disastrous 2006 election cycle. In an article in Philly.com from July 2009, Welch explains his donation was born out of frustration with the GOP leadership. He remained a Democrat, voting for Obama in the 2008 Pennsylvania primary and perhaps the General election, until May of 2009. At that time, he changed his party affiliation back to Republican and commenced his campaign in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional district. It is unclear if his decision to become a Republican again was based on his frustration with DNC leadership. A few months later,the GOP leadership directed him to run in the 6th district and he complied with their request. Yes, this is the same GOP leadership that he was so frustrated with a few years ago.

Some have stated that this is a competitive race and Welch is well financed. In an earlier post , I described the anemic public support for Welch’s campaign in the 6th district based upon donation receipts.

Despite such questionable actions, some groups have been swayed by his updated explanation for voting and financially supporting Democrats as being a ‘foolish vote’. I cannot help but wonder who’s fooling whom? It is irresponsible to ignore these action. His past actions reveal a candidate that is less of an independent leader and more of a political opportunist in the style of Arlen Specter.

With the best qualified candidate out of the race, Republican voters in the 6th district are challenged with an immensely difficult choice. Will they chose an establishment politician, a party jumping political opportunist or a Ron Paul candidate. This is one of the few times I’m glad I live in Philly.

Where are the Jobs?

Graph courtesy of The Foundry

A critic of the newly minted Senator Scott Brown sneered at a  remark made after his swearing in ceremony regarding the state of the Stimulus – “The economic stimulus bill has not created one single job.”

It seems the Foundry has data that backs Senator Brown’s astute statement. Facts are stubborn things, ya know:

The figure above shows the projections the administration made in January with and without the stimulus bill, and the actual unemployment rate since then. Unemployment has risen not only above what the President’s advisors predicted would happen if the stimulus passed, but above what they estimated would occur without the stimulus. By the President’s own measure, the stimulus has failed. The promised benefits from the $800 billion in additional federal spending and debt remain invisible.

Keep burying your head in the sand, Libs, it makes the election of Scott Brown all the sweeter.

Boston.com reports on comments made by the son of the dead Kennedy:

Kennedy (D-R.I.) told The Hill’s Blog Briefing Room on Thursday, “Brown’s whole candidacy was shown to be a joke today when he was sworn in early in order to cast his first vote as an objection to Obama’s appointment to the (National Labor Relations Board).”

The son of the late U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy alleged that his father’s successor is “in the tank for the Republicans,” but Brown has denied any hidden agenda in moving up by a week his Feb. 11 swearing-in.

With all due respect, Senator Brown has laid out a platform that puts him “in the tank for the American people“. Senator Scott Brown called the remarks ‘mean spiritied’ and I agree.  Patrick Kennedy’s statement provides more evidence of how out of touch with ordinary American are the Democrats these days.

H/T: Marathon Pundit

Meet Alexi Giannoulias:

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