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	<title>Obama&#039;s Enemies List: A Growing List of Obama&#039;s Enemies &#187; lies</title>
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	<description>Are you on OBAMASHITLIST?</description>
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		<title>Fact Checking Obama (A Full-Time Job)</title>
		<link>http://www.obamashitlist.com/2012/01/25/fact-checking-obama-a-full-time-job/</link>
		<comments>http://www.obamashitlist.com/2012/01/25/fact-checking-obama-a-full-time-job/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:09:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>richwas</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Barack Obama]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[check]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fact]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nice-rundown]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nonsense-otherwise]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[state]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[the-lies]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[ The Associated Press has a nice rundown of the lies, exaggerations, distortions, and outright nonsense otherwise known as the State of the Union address. ]]></description>
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		<title>Eric Boehlert Cites Gingrich As Proof Swift Vets Were Liars</title>
		<link>http://www.obamashitlist.com/2012/01/05/eric-boehlert-cites-gingrich-as-proof-swift-vets-were-liars/</link>
		<comments>http://www.obamashitlist.com/2012/01/05/eric-boehlert-cites-gingrich-as-proof-swift-vets-were-liars/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 05 Jan 2012 20:28:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Markisacopyrightthief</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Barack Obama]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[John Kerry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[accept-the-herd]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[facts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gingrich]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[holiday]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[michelle-malkin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[news]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[swift-boat]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.obamashitlist.com/2012/01/05/eric-boehlert-cites-gingrich-as-proof-swift-vets-were-liars/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ And attacks me in the process : Responding to a relentless wave of Iowa attacks ads produced by a Mitt Romney-friendly Super PAC, an angry Newt Gingrich last week challenged Romney to debate the &#8220;dishonest&#8221; commercials. Over the holiday weekend, Gingrich said of the ads, &#8220;I feel Romney-boated.&#8221; . . . . But wait, everyone knows the Swifties peddled slanderous lies about John Kerry, right? Everyone acknowledges their ad campaign represented a new low point in American politics, right? Wrong. For years, prominent right-wing bloggers have clung to the parallel universe belief that the Swifties were honorable men and that none of their wild Vietnam War claims about Kerry were ever debunked. Within the right-wing media, the Swift Boat Veterans are fondly remembered as heroes who &#8220;courageously told the untold truths.&#8221; Previously, from Michelle Malkin: A reminder to conservatives: &#8220;Swift-Boating&#8221; does not equal smearing. Swift-Boating means exposing hard truths about corrupt Democrats. From Powerline: Most of what the Vets said in their ads has never been disputed, let alone discredited. From Patterico&#8217;s Pontifications: The canard that the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth was a &#8220;smear campaign&#8221; is so well accepted by Big Media that ABC NEWS feels comfortable in portraying the Swifties&#8217; ad campaign as &#8220;slanderous&#8221; and &#8220;smear ads.&#8221; On and on the denial goes as far-right bloggers cling to their Swift Boat fantasy. Actually, the fantasy and spinning is being done by Eric Boehlert. Let&#8217;s look at the post of mine that he links. In it, do I engage in denial or factual distortion? No. Instead, I note that Beldar had issued a challenge for anyone to prove a material fact that the Swifties had lied about &#8212; a challenge unmet to this day. Meanwhile, I noted, Big Media adopted the herd-like canard that &#8220;Swift Boating&#8221; means &#8220;lying&#8221; while themselves distorting the facts: Meanwhile, I have yet to see anyone meet Beldar&#8217;s challenge to name a single specific and material statement of fact by the Swift Boaters that has been fully debunked, or shown to be fully unsubstantiated. Wouldn&#8217;t stating material falsehoods be a critical component of a &#8220;slanderous&#8221; campaign of &#8220;smear ads&#8221;? In fact, as I have previously observed , the media often has a worse track record of inaccuracies on this issue than do the Swifties. Boehlert can&#8217;t confront me on the facts. Indeed, I would post this as a comment at Media Matters, but I am essentially banned there (at least on Boehlert&#8217;s posts) &#8212; despite never having posted anything but factual refutations of their lies. That is their commitment to truth. And Boehlert is the one with a history of making unsupported claims &#8212; including one about the Swift Vets, as I show in this post . Boehlert&#8217;s lazy and ridiculous screed is useful for one thing, though: highlighting Gingrich&#8217;s willingness to accept a tired media canard if it serves his own political purposes. Someone should track down Gingrich and confront him on this. However, that is unlikely to happen, because the sheep and cattle in the media all accept the herd&#8217;s judgment on the Swift Vets. Thanks to Jay for the heads up. ]]></description>
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		<title>Santa Is Real!</title>
		<link>http://www.obamashitlist.com/2011/12/19/santa-is-real/</link>
		<comments>http://www.obamashitlist.com/2011/12/19/santa-is-real/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:51:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>georgiana wren</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Barack Obama]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[amazon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[christmas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[enjoy-the-quick]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[half-the-lies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[passes-on-great]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[search]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[streaming]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.obamashitlist.com/2011/12/19/santa-is-real/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ At least this Santa is . He is born to be Santa. This is his natural look: And he passes on great stories: Anderson thought about dropping the question &#8220;Have you been good?&#8221; from his routine. But he changed his mind when he realized kids expect to hear that question. Besides, it has provided some zinger responses. &#8220;One little guy said, ‘I&#8217;m a 5-year-old and sometimes I pass gas,&#8217; &#8221;Anderson recalled. &#8220;There was another little boy. I said, ‘Have you been good?&#8217; and he said, ‘I&#8217;m a normal 5-year-old boy,&#8217; which sort of spoke volumes, if you know 5-year-old boys.&#8221; Then there was the kid who outlined the requirements for achieving goodness. &#8220;I did have one who said very seriously, ‘I don&#8217;t hit, spit, kick or plug things in,&#8217; &#8221; Anderson said. And there was the kid who summed it up this way: &#8220;Well, let&#8217;s just say I&#8217;ve been better than last year.&#8221; Three huge cheers for that kid. We can&#8217;t be perfect, folks &#8212; but at least we can strive to be better than last year. Tell half the lies you told last year. Screw over fewer people than you did in 2011. You&#8217;re a serial killer? Strive to kill fewer people this coming year. Hey, every little bit helps. P.S. You can still do your shopping at Amazon for Christmas, if you act today (or tomorrow). If you sign up for Amazon Prime, your items ordered today (or tomorrow) will arrive in time for Christmas. Amazon Prime is $79 per year, and entitles you to free 2-day shipping no matter how small your order. To sweeten the pot, Amazon Prime now has streaming video, at cheaper prices than Netflix. Frankly, as an iPad owner, I think Netflix is slightly the better deal if you do a lot of movie viewing on your iPad. Nevertheless, I have signed up for Amazon Prime for a year, to watch the streaming movies, compare the service to Netflix, and enjoy the quick shipping. If you decide, as I did, to give Amazon Prime a shot, make sure to use the search box on the right sidebar. I&#8217;ll get a small and legal kickback that costs you nothing, but which softens the blow of my monthly hosting fee. Thanks as always. ]]></description>
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		<title>#OccupyThis: Free Enterprise, It’s More Than An Idea &amp; It Works</title>
		<link>http://www.obamashitlist.com/2011/10/27/occupythis-free-enterprise-it%e2%80%99s-more-than-an-idea-it-works/</link>
		<comments>http://www.obamashitlist.com/2011/10/27/occupythis-free-enterprise-it%e2%80%99s-more-than-an-idea-it-works/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 27 Oct 2011 19:30:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Markisacopyrightthief</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Barack Obama]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[america]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[country]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[destructiveness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fea]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[free enterprise alliance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[government]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[knowledge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[milton freidman]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[parks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[society]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[technological]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.obamashitlist.com/2011/10/27/occupythis-free-enterprise-it%e2%80%99s-more-than-an-idea-it-works/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Never before, on the face of the earth, has there ever been a nation that has produced as much wealth for its citizens, the technological advancements for mankind, and saved the world from totalitarianism, than these United States. It was not by accident that our nation was able to accomplish this, it was because our nation was a nation built under the torch of liberty—our economic system (called capitalism, of free enterprise) based on freedom. Yet, while free enterprise has been under assault for decades, today—from the Left-wing, Marxist ideologues occupying our government, labor unions, the media and academia to their progeny infesting city parks throughout the country—the cockroaches of collectivism are calling for an end to the system that has brought prosperity to hundreds of millions. The evil of their lies blaming capitalism for their own statist failures  is only dwarfed by the evil of their proposed solutions—a Marxist state. A few years ago, the Associated Builders &#038; Contractors (an association of more than 20,000 merit shop contractors) launched the Free Enterprise Alliance to promote free enterprise in our society. In 2010, they launched Halt the Assault , a website that geared to calling attention to the destructiveness of government interference on our economy. HTA has grown to over 100,000 pro-free enterprise advocates. Now, the Free Enterprise Alliance has just launched a new website ( FreeEnterpriseAlliance.org ) that is a treasure trove of information promoting free markets and countering the Marxist claims of those occupying our government, unions, academia, media and our parks. As their website states: Just as America requires protection of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, the American Dream requires the protection of free enterprise—the ability for humans to apply their knowledge, skills, innovation and elbow grease to start businesses, make new products, and ultimately create wealth and jobs that fuel progress for all. When you visit the site, you&#8217;ll find a reading list of books , articles , and videos (like this one): Check out the FEA&#8217;s new website and arm yourself with the intellectual ammunition needed to combat the collectivist cockroaches. On Twitter: @FreeMarketsWin ________________ “I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776 ** Disclosure: This is a non-paid, shameless plug for free enterprise and the Free Enterprise Alliance, both of which I know, admire, and support. ]]></description>
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		<title>Days of Drugs and Debauchery</title>
		<link>http://www.obamashitlist.com/2011/10/21/days-of-drugs-and-debauchery/</link>
		<comments>http://www.obamashitlist.com/2011/10/21/days-of-drugs-and-debauchery/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 21 Oct 2011 15:08:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>kalpanaceo</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Barack Obama]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stupid]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bathroom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[celebrity-rehab]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[girlfriend]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hollywood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[illusions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[other-lies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[people]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rock]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[time]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.obamashitlist.com/2011/10/21/days-of-drugs-and-debauchery/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Duff McKagan shared a sleazy Hollywood apartment wit h his girlfriend years before Guns N' Roses became the world's biggest rock band. Pimps, prostitutes, and junkies surrounded. Upstairs lived a cautionary tale. A once-famous neighbor befriended the soon-to-be-famous bass player. He shared demo tapes with the younger musician and then without invitation started sharing his bathroom. "I watched the illusions I had about one of my idols evaporate before my eyes," Duff McKagan writes in It's So Easy (and Other Lies) . "Was the great Sly Stone living the good life, jamming in a home studio tucked away somewhere in his sprawling mansion? Nope, he was sneaking past my girlfriend to smoke crack in my bathroom." It's hard not to see the strung-out Sly Stone as an unlikely angel sent from God: warning, iceberg ahead! But McKagan, like Stone and the Titanic, imagined himself too big to fail. The biggest stars, as McKagan's new autobiography demonstrates, turn out to be just everyday people. It's So Easy (and Other Lies) is less a band history than a drug memoir. Given that one of Duff's most enduring pop-culture legacies involves alcohol rather than music -- Simpsons ' creators appropriately appropriated his nickname for their cartoon beer -- McKagan's book focuses on what was once his focus. His story would be a rock 'n' roll cliché if not for it ending in redemption rather than death. Ironically emerging from the same Seattle music scene that supplanted Guns N' Roses, McKagan details a Pacific Northwest childhood of dropping acid in sixth grade, getting the clap in ninth grade, habitually stealing automobiles before getting his license, and dropping out of a high school that that required but fortnightly attendance. Like magnets, the druggies and dropouts that would comprise Guns N' Roses came together in mid-'80s Los Angeles. Duff quotes pre-fame band-mate Steven Adler: "You know, all I want in life is to make enough money one day so I can have a bag of good weed and a big ball of crack around -- all the time." Anyone who has stumbled across Adler on VH1's Celebrity Rehab knows that the drummer wasn't kidding. Drummer Adler becomes the first fired gun, and then, one by one, the gunners fired themselves -- unable to stomach Axl Rose's chronic concert tardiness, temper tantrums, and megalomania. Surrounding oneself with junkies will have that effect on a man. With the singer's seemingly psychotic outbursts, and the band's constant drug stupor, one can't help but think that if Duff, Slash, Steven, and Izzy had shared their pharmaceuticals with Axl everybody would have been better off. The climax of McKagan's book is the low point of his life. Coming off the two-year-plus Use Your Illusions tour that witnessed the performance degenerate as the degenerate performers' chemical intake increased, the bloated bassist's pancreas exploded. Vodka's a helluva drug. The medical emergency resulted in third-degree internal burns and a close-encounter with death. The event proved a sobering experience. McKagan replaces his band by becoming a third-time's-a-charm husband with two beautiful daughters. He leaves Hollywood for home. The high-school dropout enrolls in college, reads great books, pens columns for ESPN.com and Seattle Weekly , and launches a financial consulting firm for the rich and stupid. Whereas he once put his body through hell via drugs and alcohol, he now does so through karate, mountain biking, and climbing. At the point Duff's life gets better Duff's book gets worse. It's not just that intermittent lines of cocaine to prolong a four-day vodka binge is more interesting than running a marathon in three hours and forty-five minutes, it a more remarkable feat of human endurance. A good life makes a bad story. Spectators sadly want the spectacle. Prior to reading the autobiography, GNR fans may ask: "Why did they ever break up?" Concluding it, they wonder: "How did they ever stick together?" Two decades after their commercial peak, and six months before their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a Guns N' Roses reunion is in demand now more than ever. But the mythical band may be better than a reunited version. The group's appeal in the late 1980s revolved around danger, energy, and authenticity. Seeing the detoxed, fortysomething millionaires today in hopes of recapturing that street-urchin edginess would be like going to a Bill Haley and the Comets show in the 1980s and expecting a Blackboard Jungle -riot to break out. The times have changed. As It's So Easy (and Other Lies) explains, so have the people.]]></description>
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		<title>A Less-Than-Noble Tell-All on Weiner</title>
		<link>http://www.obamashitlist.com/2011/10/13/a-less-than-noble-tell-all-on-weiner/</link>
		<comments>http://www.obamashitlist.com/2011/10/13/a-less-than-noble-tell-all-on-weiner/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 13 Oct 2011 18:00:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>AlvarezDana</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Barack Obama]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Congress]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[aaron-worthing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[book]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[kicking-the-man]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[relationship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[traci-nobles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[woman]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[women]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.obamashitlist.com/2011/10/13/a-less-than-noble-tell-all-on-weiner/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ [Guest post by Aaron Worthing; if you have tips, please send them here .  Or by Twitter @AaronWorthing.] Hey, guess what?  One of the women who were identified as one of ex-Congressman Weiner’s Tweetmates has come out with a tell all.  Now you, might say to yourself, “what possible value could there be in sharing with the entire world the intimate details of this relationship given that he is no longer a Congressman? Well, the woman in question, Traci Nobles, tells us why she wrote it: But mainly, I was motivated by my need for clarity. I wanted to provide clarification for the lies and untruths, both know and unknown. For me personally, it is important to address how I was portrayed[.] Well, we here at Patterico followed the scandal pretty closely, and bluntly, you were barely “portrayed” at all.  You were just a woman whose friend sent to the news a bunch of your chats with him and that was it.  But hey, you certainly have cleared up how I see you.  By writing this, by kicking the man when he was down, you have shown yourself to be a woman who engaged in cybersex with a married man and who then sold out what remained of her privacy by writing this book about a subject of absolutely no public interest (given that the man has resigned, after all).  You did this adding further strain to a marriage that is probably already in trouble, possibly creating a broken home for their child.  But then I am sure you are hoping for a fat paycheck, right?  So yes, we have a very clear picture of who you are, Ms. Nobles.  And it ain’t pretty. Anyway, you can read the gory details here , if you are so inclined.  I would dare say it is not entirely safe for work but at the same time, it doesn’t say much that you didn’t already know. [Posted and authored by Aaron Worthing.] ]]></description>
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		<title>Romney&#8217;s Race From the Top</title>
		<link>http://www.obamashitlist.com/2011/09/29/romneys-race-from-the-top/</link>
		<comments>http://www.obamashitlist.com/2011/09/29/romneys-race-from-the-top/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Sep 2011 15:11:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>BrennanShawna20</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Barack Obama]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.obamashitlist.com/2011/09/29/romneys-race-from-the-top/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Last Thursday's Republican presidential debate made a few things painfully clear about how the current field of aspirants will deal with the role of the federal government in forcing the overhaul of America's woeful traditional public schools -- above all how front-runner Mitt Romney remains an artful dodger when it comes to his past and present views on everything. The GOP field would rather ignore education altogether, even to the point of dismissing sensible, conservative ideas that could get better bang for taxpayers' buck. This was particularly clear when Texas Gov. Rick Perry took aim at Romney for praising President Barack Obama's school reform agenda. During a campaign event in Florida, Romney had praised U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan for having "done some good things" and applauded the administration's signature effort, Race to the Top, for spurring states such as California into expanding school choice. Romney's dodge around the issue during the debate has now given the desperate Perry some much needed ammunition. In the past few days, Perry's campaign has launched a series of ads mocking the former Massachusetts governor's penchant for flip-flopping, reminding the public that "words have meaning." This isn't surprising. The Texas governor has made his bones in recent years by opposing Obama's school reform agenda, especially the effort to get states to embrace Common Core standards in reading and mathematics. From where Perry sits, states -- especially his own -- are more than capable of handling their own affairs on education. The fact that Perry himself has endorsed expansive federal education policy -- including the No Child Left Behind Act crafted by former president (and Perry's predecessor as governor) George W. Bush -- makes much of his posturing rather suspect. So does his willingness to take federal money when it suits his purposes. So does the reality that No Child and the rest of federal education policy is modeled on efforts Bush undertook in the Lone Star State, and the reality that Texas has fallen behind Florida and other more aggressive reform-minded states. But Perry, as much of a flip-flopper as Romney, has always been good at playing to the crowd -- and these days, education is especially fertile ground. Less school reform-oriented Republicans, especially movement conservatives, are vocally rejecting anything that resembles the agenda of George W. Bush, whose legacy on education -- including the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act -- made him a darling of centrist and liberal Democrat reformers. The fact that Obama has adopted many of his predecessor's education policy decisions (even as he attempts to gut the law in order to further his own agenda) makes Bush's views even less palatable. Movement conservatives may be generally supportive of expanding vouchers and charter schools, two of the most prominent elements of Bush's education policy. But they regard any talk of a strong federal role in education -- especially one that involves the Department of Education, a particularly favorite whipping boy -- as heresy. In the mind of even otherwise sensible conservative school reformers, Race to the Top, like No Child, appears to be another bit of federal overreach. Yet, as with No Child, Race to the Top has done little to expand the federal role or even increase Washington's nine percent contribution to the nation's $594 billion in spending on schools. If anything, Race to the Top, like No Child, has made states more accountable for the dollars they receive from the federal government because they have to compete for any additional federal subsidies. With its structure as a competition, states have had to make it easier to expand school choice, subject teachers to private sector-style performance management, force districts to fix their schools, and even adopt stricter curriculum standards. Even if the states didn't get the money, they are taking on the very school reforms -- especially school choice and weakening the influence of the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers -- that many conservatives and a growing number of Democrats support. The results from Race to the Top can be seen not only in states that received funding such as Florida (one of several states that have launched teacher performance pay plans ) and Tennessee, which followed up on enacting more-rigorous teacher evaluations by abolishing collective bargaining -- and weakening the influence of the state's National Education Association affiliate. It was Race to the Top that coaxed California into enacting the nation's first Parent Trigger law, allowing for a majority of parents to force the overhaul of failure factories that their children are forced to attend (three states now have some form of Parent Trigger law on the books); the impact of the initiative remains ongoing, as 13 states this year either launched or expanded school voucher and voucher-like tax credit initiatives that allow families to get their kids out of failing schools, while states such as Florida have launched performance pay plans. Race to the Top may have an even more influential impact if Obama succeeds in extending its underlying competition model to the rest of the $56 billion in federal subsidies ladled out annually to states and school districts. If federal spending can't be eliminated altogether, at least states should actually be accountable for the dollars they receive and for actually making sure that they prepare students for success. Meanwhile the Race to the Top fracas is one more reminder of Romney's penchant for obfuscating his true positions in order to advance his political ambitions. During his first run for the presidency three years ago, Romney proclaimed his support for No Child; his initial crew of campaign advisers included such big-name reformers as Harvard Professor Paul Peterson (who runs the education policy magazine Education Next ), James Peyser of the New Schools Venture Fund (who was Romney's appointee to the Bay State's board of education), and John Winn, who oversaw former Florida governor Jeb Bush's reform efforts. But in this go-round, Romney has danced around what he would actually do on the federal education front once he got into office. Nothing in his 87-page economic plan addresses the importance of reforming schools, whose failures -- including 150 students dropping out of school every hour -- will be on the dole for the long term, becoming a drain on the nation's economy and taxpayer dollars for decades to come. But one can easily surmise what he will do just from his two terms as Massachusetts governor. While offering such school reform proposals as giving $15,000 performance bonuses to top-performing teachers, Romney also pushed to make it easier for the state to take over failing school districts. These efforts, along with his declaration in 2005 that "the failure of our urban schools and, in some cases our suburban schools… is the civil rights issue of our time," pretty much shows that he will support the same sort of reforms for which the last four presidents -- including Dubya and Obama -- have advocated in one form or another. Unfortunately for Romney, his obfuscating is nothing new. From his backtracking from the healthcare reform effort he undertook in Massachusetts that has been a model for the federal Affordable Health Care Act, to his abandonment of the environmental efforts he undertook as governor, to his constant effort to one-up Perry and others to be the most palatable conservative, Romney has been more suit than substance. Some of this lies with his own background as a traditionally centrist corporate executive; the flexibility of thought (and resulting lack of adherence to principles) needed to successfully turn around the Salt Lake Olympic Committee, as well as run firms such as Bain Capital, doesn't serve him well in the political arena. Political chief executives must both combine a strong intellectual and ideological backbone, strong statesmanship, and an understanding that politics is the art of compromise, and of the mere possible. Romney need not have bothered with the flip-flopping on Race to the Top. Whether it is he, Perry. or any of the other aspirants who wins the Republican nod to challenge Obama, the eventual nominee will not be able simply to mouth off about abolishing the U.S. Department of Education. He will have to embrace the very school reform formula -- including holding states accountable for student progress, expanding school choice, and subjecting teachers to private sector-style performance management and compensation -- that have been the hallmarks of Bush's and Obama's tenure. ]]></description>
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		<title>Sockpuppet Friday—the “Punk Attackwatch” Edition!</title>
		<link>http://www.obamashitlist.com/2011/09/16/sockpuppet-friday%e2%80%94the-%e2%80%9cpunk-attackwatch%e2%80%9d-edition/</link>
		<comments>http://www.obamashitlist.com/2011/09/16/sockpuppet-friday%e2%80%94the-%e2%80%9cpunk-attackwatch%e2%80%9d-edition/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 16 Sep 2011 23:16:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>concernedcoloradoan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Barack Obama]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[aaron-worthing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[best-punkings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[evil]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[find-the-claims]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[latest-attempt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[neighbor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[obama]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[thread]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.obamashitlist.com/2011/09/16/sockpuppet-friday%e2%80%94the-%e2%80%9cpunk-attackwatch%e2%80%9d-edition/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ [Guest post by Aaron Worthing; if you have tips, please send them here .  Or by Twitter @AaronWorthing.] As usual, you are positively encouraged to engage in sockpuppetry in this thread. The usual rules apply. Please, be sure to switch back to your regular handle when commenting on other threads. I have made that mistake myself. And remember: the worst sin you can commit on this thread is  not being funny. &#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212; And of course you all know by now about Obama’s latest attempt to get you to report on your neighbor about the evil, mean, tricksey Republican attacks on Obama known as AttackWatch . But guys, we are not having nearly enough fun with this.  Punk them.  Send them fake tips and offer humiliating tips. Stuff like this: Dear Sir or Madam, This evil conservative says that Obama actually said that he wanted gas prices to be high, but didn’t want it to rise too quickly.  He even claimed to quote him as saying that under his plan energy prices would necessarily skyrocket and has proposed a tax on gasoline.  But that can’t be true, only a radical environmentalist ideologue would propose something that silly.  Please straighten them out.  You can find the claims here: http://patterico.com/2011/04/21/obama-cries-crocodile-tears-over-high-gas-prices/ And here: http://patterico.com/2011/09/12/so-how-does-obama-plan-to-create-jobs/ And thank you for protecting us from their lies! So come up with your best punkings, send them in and share them with us.  Make sure they waste as much money on this as they do on “green jobs.” [Posted and authored by Aaron Worthing.] ]]></description>
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		<title>WH: Stimulus May Have Created 3.6 Million Jobs</title>
		<link>http://www.obamashitlist.com/2011/07/01/wh-stimulus-may-have-created-3-6-million-jobs/</link>
		<comments>http://www.obamashitlist.com/2011/07/01/wh-stimulus-may-have-created-3-6-million-jobs/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 02 Jul 2011 04:02:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>AlvarezDana</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Barack Obama]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[barack]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[barack obama]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cutting big government]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[friday]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[matter-how]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.obamashitlist.com/2011/07/01/wh-stimulus-may-have-created-3-6-million-jobs/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Why not 10 million? This thread actually could use a laugh track. Once again the Obama administration proves that no lie is too big and once again MSM will demonstrate that it will not challenge Barack Obama no matter how outlandish the lies he and his administration tells. A White House report released Friday said ]]></description>
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		<title>The Drunk On The Beltway: Two Obama Tricks That Are Going To Clean Boehner’s Clock</title>
		<link>http://www.obamashitlist.com/2011/06/28/the-drunk-on-the-beltway-two-obama-tricks-that-are-going-to-clean-boehner%e2%80%99s-clock/</link>
		<comments>http://www.obamashitlist.com/2011/06/28/the-drunk-on-the-beltway-two-obama-tricks-that-are-going-to-clean-boehner%e2%80%99s-clock/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 28 Jun 2011 06:20:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>AlvarezDana</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Barack Obama]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Congress]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fox News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nancy Pelosi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sarah Palin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Unemployment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[america]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[barack]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[barack-obama]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[debt limit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[house]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[obama]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[office]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[senate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[theory]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[voters]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.obamashitlist.com/2011/06/28/the-drunk-on-the-beltway-two-obama-tricks-that-are-going-to-clean-boehner%e2%80%99s-clock/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ From the diaries by Erick Watching House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell negotiate with Barack Obama is like watching a drunk try to run across the Beltway. Whether it’s ObamaCare, the financial reform bill, the Kagan nomination, the disastrous Lame Duck agenda, the Senate rules battle, the pathetic “continuing resolution deal,” or the current debt limit fight, you know both of them will end up as a splotch on the road, marked by Barack Obama’s tiretracks. Let me predict two tactics Obama will use: ObamaTrick #1: ADDING CHIPS TO THE PILE Democrats approach negotiations with a stack of demands they expect to bargain away. Republicans go to the table with the position they intend to end up with. Who do you think’s going to win that negotiation? Examples: Remember the “public option” which Democrats absolutely had to have? Hapless Republicans spent months battling it -– only to have it traded away for ObamaCare as we currently know it. Feel good about that deal, huh? Remember the Democrats’ absolute refusal to accept an extension of the Bush tax cuts that would go to the “wealthy”? Republicans drew their line in the sand on that issue -– only to have it bargained away in exchange for a tax extender bill written largely by Obama, the START Treaty, the repeal of “Don’t Ask; Don’t Tell,” a new entitlement, and a reenergized Obama administration risen from the electoral ashes. Oh. And Obama also walked away with the GOP’s lunch money (the tax cut issue). Remember the Senate Democrats’ threat to abolish the filibuster with 51 votes? Notwithstanding the parliamentary corruption that went into the passage of ObamaCare, the Republican negotiators, led by Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander, went to the negotiating table with no demands of their own. As a result, Republican procedural rights were curtailed even further, and Harry Reid went unpunished for his Madoff-like procedural tactics used to pass ObamaCare. So will it be with the debt limit. Currently, Democrats are “absolutely, positively” unwilling to accept a deal that will not raise taxes by $400 billion. Really? If Democrats can get feckless Republicans to agree to big hidden tax increases, like a recomputation of the Consumer Price Index, a bunch of user fees, or an end to the ethanol tax credit, it will be so much the better for them. But what if Obama gets nothing more than a bill with short-term defense cuts and a bunch of illusory domestic spending cuts that don’t kick in until 2018?  In exchange for raising the debt limit past the 2012 election by $2 trillion in order to fund bloated already-enacted Obama spending? Will that be a GOP victory? Boehner, egged on by the New York Times, will do another victory lap. But a $2 trillion debt limit increase, in exchange for virtually no actual spending cuts, will not be a victory. Yeah. I know, I know. There’s another narrative which is being pushed by some: that Obama, faced with an intractable economy, wants the Republicans to kill the debt limit so that he can blame them for his problems. Under this scenario, the only winning strategy for Republicans is to give in to all Democratic demands -– and raise the debt limit at all costs. But if they did that, the GOP would face a rebellion from its base. And the notion that Obama wants the economy to tank because he thinks it would be possible to shift blame strains credulity. So here’s a better idea: First, Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey needs to get repeated votes on his bill to require that interest on the debt be paid, even if the debt limit is not raised. This can be done because the cost of debt service is only roughly 6% of the federal budget, whereas 60-70% of the budget would continue to come in, even if the federal government can’t borrow a penny. The Toomey proposal was rejected by Democrats, partly on the theory that it was unnecessary. But the likes of Ben Bernanke continue to demand the debt limit increase on the grounds that default is unthinkable. So Toomey needs to continue to pound his point into their little heads. Second, Boehner should mimic some of Obama’s tactics. Start out with a non-negotiable demand that none of the $2 trillion debt limit increase can be used to fund ObamaCare, which is certainly part of the upward pressure on health costs responsible for the additional borrowing demands. Let the debt limit battle be over the wildly unpopular ObamaCare law. Over and over again, election “experts” tell us that the 2012 elections will be fought over ObamaCare. But you know what? If Republicans ignore the issue until October 15, 2012, they’re not going to have a whole lot of credibility. Republicans promised they would work relentlessly to repeal the bill or parts of it. After an initial vote -– which GOP lawmakers publicly conceded was only a can’t-pass sop to their voters -– they dropped it. And what about the non-stop hearings that were going to be held on ObamaCare? What happened to them? In the meantime, Democrats continue to tweak ObamaCare, through legislation and regulation. The nominations bill, S. 679, currently pending in the Senate, has a big hidden amendment to ObamaCare in it. It’s time for Republicans to demonstrate they care as passionately about repealing ObamaCare as Obama feels about preserving it. ObamaTrick #2: CHARACTER ASSASSINATION About once a year, I learn something interesting from the Bush retreads on Fox News. This year, it was from Democratic strategist Bob Beckel, who, within the last few weeks, predicted that the bad economy would not deny Obama a second term because the Democrats would simply engage in a campaign of character assassination against the Republican nominee. This is how Democrats maintained the Senate, after their efforts to campaign on ObamaCare failed miserably. Republicans, led by Bush strategist Karl Rove, seem to be counting on this syllogism to knock off Barack: No president since Roosevelt has won reelection with an unemployment rate over 7.2%. Economists predict the unemployment rate in November, 2012, will be 7.8 to 8.2%. Ergo, absent some major factor, Obama will not be reelected. To paraphrase JFK’s famous bromide on taxes: In an economic catastrophe, the rising flood will raise all Republican boats. The problem with this theory is it rationalizes a scenario in which the congressional Republican leadership continues to screw up -– and suggests they can do so without throwing away the 2012 election. There is a slight chance that this may not be wrong. But it is a VERY dangerous way of thinking. For those who have watched what Obama and a sycophantic media can do to, for example, Sarah Palin, an electoral strategy that consists of hoping that America will go down the tubes is inadequate. Republicans need to prepare the American people for Obama’s campaign of sleaze by running ads telling them what he’s planning to do. Then, when it actually happens, they can run ads saying “Aha! Told you so!” Aside from that, the American people are prepared to believe that Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid are slimebags. Vaguely, they remember the economic fraud -– the lies –- the bribes &#8212; the Ponzi schemes -– the secret meetings -– the deception -– the moral flip-flops &#8212; that went into passing ObamaCare. They just need to be reminded. We are now finding out that promises that everyone knew weren’t true were, in fact, not true. The McKinsey study now predicts that 78,000,000 Americans will lose the insurance they currently have. Compared to Obama’s repeated projection (“zero”), 78,000,000 is greater by a factor of infinity. We also know that, contrary to Congressional Budget Office projections, premiums are not staying the same under ObamaCare. They rose, in many cases, close to double digits in the first year. And, as to allegations concerning GOP friendship with the evil insurance companies, Republicans weren’t the ones who gave Big Insurance the biggest bribe in human history &#8212; the individual mandate -– in order to silence any potential “Harry-and-Louise ads.” That would be Barack Obama. The average insurance policy -– even before Barack Obama’s gold-plated bells-and-whistles policies have kicked in -– runs nearly $5,000 for a single person and $13,770 for a family of four. Do kids earning $50,000 a year -– living from paycheck to paycheck -– saddled with huge burdens on debt -– understand they will be hit by this freight train unless Obama is defeated? No. They don’t. But the GOP has an obligation to tell them. And all it will take is for Republicans to refuse to be the unresponsive victims of character assassination by people whose bribes, fraud, and lies should have put them in prison. Is that too much to ask? by Michael E. Hammond, former General Counsel Senate Steering Committee 1978-89. ]]></description>
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