Good news Friday-the boom continues

It looks like the collapsing economy that the Democrats and their liberal press allies have been: (a) predicting or (b) claiming has already begun has been debunked by reality yet again.

Although the US has been at full employment for the last five years, the highly productive economy continued to add jobs and raise wages in November. The November job and wage report follows closely on the heels of other developments, like the faster than expected” 3.8% growth in the third quarter of ‘07 (the quarter when the housing market “collapse” was supposed to have started a recession); the continuing rapid growth in US productivity (at a four year high); and the continued strength of manufacturing orders.

Of course, when you read stories that headline good news you will find the “better than expected” language dominate the articles. Amazingly, even after five years of boom the scant coverage of positive economic developments remains mired in the template of pessimism every positive development is qualified with the language of surprise at the performance and expressions of fear for the future.

Try as the might, liberals cannot change reality. However, if one reads the economic coverage of the Clinton years, particularly in 99 and 2000 when the economy was clearly slowing into a recession and the economic performance was worse than expected and compare it with the contemporary healthy economy, you can’t say they don’t try.

But what about Katie?

It looks like CBS’ attempt to rehabilitate its image as a competent propaganda arm of the DNC is failing. NBC and ABC nightly news are drubbing CBS under Katie Couric.

The CBS news division, including, of course, both the Evening News and Sixty Minutes have been such solid supporters of liberal politics and the Democrat Party that I suppose all concerned thought it would last for ever.

After the forged documents story exposed the complete absence of journalistic integrity CBS had to make a change. Having long before lost almost 100% of its Republican audience, CBS News President Les Moonves had to bring aboard an anchor and editorial team that would restore some semblance of credibility in the non party voters who remained in the CBS audience. The solution, a cute and smiling proponent of pure hatred of all things conservative-Katie Couric.

The result, further erosion of audience share. But hey, it sounded good in the echo chamber.

Great New Link - - Blogs for Victory

Discovered a great Republican blogs, Blogs for Victory. Well worth the read.

A whiny gallant rushing to the defense.

Today, President Clinton complained about Hillary’s press coverage. Apparently, Bill thinks we’d all find Hill a more attractive Presidential option if we just discussed her experience and accomplishments more than we talked about the horse race.

This criticique presents an interesting and paradoxical challenge to the media. What are Hillary’s accomplishments? The only public program with which Hillary was ever known to be involved was the preposterously conceived and politically bungled 1993-1994 socialized healthcare plan. From that failure, one can conclude that Evita has limited policy skills and even fewer leadership skills, given the existence of large Democrat majorities in both houses of Congress and the superficial hedonistic allure of free healthcare.

Evita’s post ‘94 policy role is indiscernible from the public record. We know that Hillary traveled extensively on the tax payer dollar after the healthcare debacle. Nothing of significance apparently happened during these travels. There is, however, a way in which to expand the public record,, and Bill could make it happen in thirty seconds.

If President Clinton would simply request the immediate and unconditional declassification of Hillary’s communications, including, and perhaps especially, those between Hillary and Bill themselves, the National Archives would release the thousands of documents, those documents that survived Sandy Berger’s thefts anyway, that describe Hillary‘s real role at the Clinton White House. Maybe if one could actually read the source documents that describe Hillary’s policy role the commentary would shift to that content.

Then again, that might just be the Clinton’s fear. What a conundrum, eh?

Robert Reich echoes TRS about HRC.

Yesterday we here at TRS opined that HRC was going on the attack because she was in trouble and that she knew it.

Well, it looks like even prominent Clinton era apologist Sec. Robert Reich has apparently arrived at the same conclusion. Even more unlikely, a Democrat had the courage to confront the Clintons. A Reich comeback in a new Clinton Administration now seems highly unlikely. Of course, a new Clinton Administration seems rather less likely today than it did even four weeks ago. Since polls are a lagging indicator, and Hillary is falling fast with nothing in sight to change the dynamic, she's going with her "A" game, all personal attacks, all the time.

The Secretary’s blog is an interesting read, so we’ve linked it on the left. We also added Iowa Christian Alliance and the Republican Leadership Conference links as well.

CBS Face the Nation: Hillary’s panicked and it ain’t pretty.

CBS “Face the Nation” featured long time Clinton button man Howard Wolfson and Obama Political Director David Axelrod this morning.

Wolfson was nearing Ken Starr form in the character and quantity of disingenuous and distracting attacks. Wolfson launched an attack about Obama’s health care plan and Axelrod was ready with the original article that showed Wolfson taking the quote out of context. Wolfson looked like Ruttenberg or Patterson after about sixty seconds in the ring with Brenda Jo.

Wolfson then incredibly shifted to a discussion of campaign ethics. In and of itself, any time the Clintons go negative on some one else’s campaign ethics, it is a sign of weakness because ethics and candor are hardly viewed as Evita’s strengths. The attack was over some minor violation of the convoluted federal campaign finance laws arising from legitimate party building activities and donations that an Obama PAC made to state and local parties earlier this year. Remember, this ethical critique was argued on behalf of the woman who actually, as in physically, received boxes of cash from a foreign government whose interests are adverse to those of the United States-in the White House. Wolfson righteously demanded that Barack close the PAC. Another backfire, Axelrod said the PAC in question has apparently exhausted its budget and is already closed.

It doesn’t look like the old deception and distortion, by which the Clintons deflected attention from the extensive criminal and grossly unethical conduct in which they were themselves engaged in Whitewater, Chinagate, Monica, and all those pardons for cash, might not work on Obama and his team. Axelrod remained calm and simply crushed Wolfson. The icy disengaged snarl on Hillary’s face when she thought she was off camera last night at the B & B forum looked beatific compared to Wolfson’s demeanor this morning.

But even the werewolves in Van Helsing could be slain and Axelrod brought his silver bullets for the showdown at dawn with Wolfson.

The Brown & Black Review (or Why Democrats are more unhealthy).

TRS and Spouse watched the Democrat Brown & Black forum debate tonight. I think we now have some insight into the relative lack of mental health that Democrats suffer compared with Republicans, in every social and economic stratum.

The irrational pessimism that the mainstream media and the Democrat politics of despair were on full display. Answer after answer told the audience how the system was stacked against them. Democrats decried education for minorities, ignoring the reality virtually every one of the 250 largest school boards in America are controlled by Democrats, usually former teachers and NEA members; ignoring the reality that only journalists are a more heavily reliable Democrat constituency (voting Democrat at rates like 85%); and ignoring the reality that public spending on education has risen much faster than the rate of inflation.

The audience was told they couldn’t expect to find jobs. In Iowa? We are facing a major labor shortage, the only people unemployed in Iowa are those who simply will not work, or those who have disqualified themselves in the labor market.

The audience was told they couldn’t expect to get healthcare. The audience was told that Republican racism caused Katrina and t hat the black residents of New Orleans were targeted. ……………….. and so on. Not once was a source of minority problems identified as anything other than a lack of government. More government, more taxes (believe me, class warfare is all this crowd has to offer), more fear (nooses were a prominent theme) and most of all, more despair.

No wonder Democrats report more depression, what a depressing crowd. Even more indicative of true depression, most of the problems were grossly exaggerated if not outright fabricated.I cannot wait for the main event. TRS is more confident than ever that we hold the White House .

Clinton seeds another audience at Des Moines Brown and Black debate

Chase Martyn had a great story over at Iowa Independent last Thursday. Rep. Wayne Ford and Mary Campos, two local pols highly associated with the Clinton Campaign are running this year’s Brown and Black forum, an event that concludes with tonight’s debate.

Like the CNN Democrat debate, the Clinton syndicate has apparently converted the B&B debate into just another Clinton rally. We’re not going to repeat the entire article, but we will comment on the defense of the event’s integrity.

Once again, the Clinton’s are asking you to believe them and not your lyin’ eyes.

Iowa Republican Leadership Council

TRS and spouse attended the Iowa Leadership Conference out at the West Des Moines Sheraton earlier today. The event was sponsored by the Iowa chapter of the Republican Leadership Council. The event started around 10 and people trickled in all morning. Like most other events today, ice driving dictated arrival time. The crowd was in the 80-100 range when we had to depart, also for weather related reasons.

Former Lt. Governor Joy Corning em`ceed the event. It was very apparent that Joy and former representative Janet Metcalf have done a lot of work in organizing both the event and the Iowa RLC chapter. Former Congressmen Greg Ganske and Jim Leach both spoke. Cong. Leach was especially gracious to all of our Presidential candidates in his remarks. At the conclusion of Cong. Leach’s erudite examination of the state of American politics Joy and John Tone presented Jim with the Lincoln Lifetime Leadership award in recognition of his three decades of dignified and distinguished representation of Iowa in Congress.

State Auditor Dave Vaudt and state representatives Libby Jacobs (Clive) and Walt Tomenga (Johnston) along with Polk County supervisor E.J. Giovannetti and WDM councilman Ted Ohmart rounded out the elected officials on hand. Former senator Maggie Tinsman and Ambassador Mary Kramer, previously president of the Iowa Senate also attended (having escaped the Caribbean earthquake to arrive in time for an Iowa ice storm). Peter Cownie and Mary Tiffany were on hand from a young generation. TRS ol’ buddy Will Rogers sat with Greg Ganske-is a revival in the offing?

We enjoyed a very nice conversation with former EPA Director and New Jersey Governor Christie Todd Whitman. Gov. Whitman would make a great opponent for the cranky liberal reactionary Frank Lautenberg in the New Jersey Senate race. Gov. Whitman’s message urged every Iowa Republican to participate in the Caucus to Convention process.

The Iowa Caucus is a great reminder of two foundational principles of representative democracy: you have no influence whatsoever if you don’t participate; and, compromise from the most microscopic of political unit is essential to political success because uniformity of thought is impossible in a democracy.