Patterico's Pontifications

2/2/2010

Mayor Goodman Takes on Obama

Filed under: Obama,Politics — DRJ @ 11:37 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

For the second time in a year, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman is fed up with President Barack Obama and his penchant for telling Americans to save their money and avoid Las Vegas:

“Mayor Oscar Goodman holds a press conference inside his downtown Las Vegas office Tuesday, February 2, 2010. Goodman was upset about the following statement made by President Obama: “When times are tough, you tighten your belts,” Obama said. “You don’t go buying a boat when you can barely pay your mortgage. You don’t blow a bunch of cash in Vegas when you’re trying to save for college.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid suggested Obama “lay off Las Vegas,” and a host of Nevada politicians joined the chorus objecting to Obama’s comments. However, it was Mayor Goodman who stole the show:

“Every time he talks about people spending money in Las Vegas, it has to hurt us,” he said. “It’s a natural consequence of his statement.”

Asked if he thought the president might have just made a slip of the tongue, Goodman said that being negative about Las Vegas must be in his mindset.

He’s got his own psychological quirk up there about Las Vegas,” Goodman said. “That’s our town, folks. You should be angry about it, too.”

“I want the president to straighten this out,” Goodman said. “If not, he’s not welcome in my city, as far as I’m concerned. He’s not our friend. I don’t know about people in Nevada, but in Las Vegas, he’s sure not our friend.”

Goodman said he didn’t care if he received criticism again for going after the president.

“What? Little weenies are going to criticize me? Forgetaboutit. I could care less about that,” he said. “I’m the mayor, I’m trying to protect Las Vegas. And I don’t care what these little pundits say.”

“I think he has a psychological hangup about us,” he said. Because apparently, these statements are not the ones that are on the monitors. He does fine on the monitors. You get him off the monitors and Las Vegas creeps into his mind. He’s got a problem with us. I don’t know what it is.”

The mayor said Obama shouldn’t plan to visit Las Vegas until he’s retracted his statement. Goodman said he didn’t plan to meet with President Obama in a meeting this month to Las Vegas.

“Not without an apology, no.”

Obama has since apologized and maybe he’s learning not to mess with Las Vegas. Then again, maybe Obama is doing his part to make sure Schumer or Durbin takes Reid’s place as Majority Leader. After all, Reid’s polls are plummeting and does anyone really think Obama has forgotten Reid’s comments about him?

— DRJ

Joe Biden at the Movies

Filed under: Movies,Politics — DRJ @ 8:02 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

Ed Driscoll has video of Vice President Joe Biden’s review of Avatar:

ANDREA MITCHELL: “You’ve been a very busy man. Do you and Mrs. Biden ever get to the movies? Any Academy picks; any favorites among the Oscar nominees?”

BIDEN: “Yes, as a matter of fact we do. I think one of the odds-on favorites — Jill didn’t go with me — but, is, um, is, uh, this … this new program that I looked at it and wished I was seeing it in 3-D, and you sit there and you watch this science fiction thing unfold in front of you …”

MITCHELL: “Avatar?”

BIDEN: “Avatar.”

This should be a weekly gig for the Vice President.

— DRJ

Millennium Bomber’s Lenient Sentence Reversed . . . By the Ninth Circuit?

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 5:48 pm



As my second and last day of guest blogging at Hot Air concludes, I wrote a longer post on this over there. Here is a taste:

[I]t’s rare good news from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. That’s the court that declared the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional, is emptying California’s prisons, and never met a death sentence it liked. Yet even they couldn’t stomach the prospect of an Al Qaeda terrorist receiving a mere 22 years in prison after he was caught with powerful and deadly explosives that he planned to use to blow up LAX airport.

. . . .

Marvel as the Ninth Circuit recounts Ressam’s violent plans, and contrasts that picture of Ressam with the laughably naive assessment of the simpleton trial court judge:

Ressam targeted an airport, knowing that as a result, many civilians would die. Ressam attempted to rob a bank to obtain funds to carry out his mission and finance the attack in the United States. In the course of robbing the bank, Ressam planned to throw a live hand grenade at the police, and run, if he needed to do so in order to get away. These are only a few of the findings in the [pre-sentence report] that are in direct tension with the district court’s findings as to Ressam’s life history and personal characteristics, including the finding that Ressam is “a quiet, solitary and devout man whose true character is manifest in his decision to cooperate.”

No, his true character was manifest in his decision to plan the bombing of a major airport and slaughter countless innocent people. . . .

The real lesson here is that when you put our country’s safety in the hands of grandstanding federal judges, we are not safe. What we really need is to try scum like Ressam in military tribunals, as warriors against our country. And then execute them.

But until we muster the will to do that, we need to keep him off the streets. And so I issue a rare kudos to the Ninth Circuit, for righting this wrong — and setting this scumbag on the road to what I hope will be a life sentence.

Read it all at Hot Air.

Appeals Court Enjoins Oklahoma Immigration Provisions

Filed under: Immigration — DRJ @ 4:56 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

In 2007, Oklahoma lawmakers passed House Bill 1804 regarding a range of immigration measures. The Tulsa World reports that, in a decision issued today, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals enjoined enforcement of some of those provisions:

“The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals 3-0 upheld a preliminary injunction against provisions that:

  • Prohibit firing of workers legally in the country while retaining workers illegally in the country.
  • Require businesses that contract with individual private contractors to obtain documentation that the individuals are authorized to work or, without documentation, withhold taxes at the top rate.
  • The court’s action on those two provisions means they will not be enforced, pending further legal action.

    The court overturned a preliminary injunction against enforcement of a third part of the law. That portion requires employers to use a federal computer system to verify eligibility of job seekers. The provision only affects businesses that contract with government entities for physical performance of services, such as building roads or bridges.

    The court’s action on that part of law means it will go into effect, though it is unclear when.”

    The verification provision requires that certain employers use the E-Verify program. The article states that “[u]nlike the Oklahoma law, Congress has not made use of the computerized verification system, known as “E-Verify,” mandatory for employers.”

    According to the report, the Court held that the enjoined portions of the Oklahoma law infringed on the federal government’s authority over immigration matters. [Note: I have not read the decision. It should be available here but it was not available when this was posted.]

    — DRJ

    Obama’s Interrogation Policy: You Had the Right to Remain Silent

    Filed under: Law,Obama,Terrorism — DRJ @ 4:18 pm



    [Guest post by DRJ]

    Don’t miss Patterico’s post today at Hot Air. Here’s a teaser:

    “By twisting the criminal justice system to accommodate cases that don’t belong there, Obama’s approach also threatens to weaken the protections of the system for all Americans. We have already seen how Khalid Sheikh Mohammed’s trial has been turned into a show trial whose outcome is meaningless, making a mockery of the seriousness of criminal trials.

    Now Obama is making a mockery of Miranda rights as well.”

    — DRJ

    A Very Special White House

    Filed under: Obama — DRJ @ 4:16 pm



    [Guest post by DRJ]

    The WSJ recently reported that, last August, Rahm Emanuel criticized as “F___king retarded” those liberal activists who wanted to attack Democrats opposed to President Obama’s healthcare reform. Now Emanuel has apologized to the head of the Special Olympics:

    “Last August, Emanuel “showed up at a weekly strategy session featuring liberal groups and White House aides,” the Journal’s Peter Wallsten reported last Tuesday.”Some attendees said they were planning to air ads attacking conservative Democrats who were balking at Mr. Obama’s health-care overhaul. ‘F—ing retarded,’ Mr. Emanuel scolded the group, according to several participants. He warned them not to alienate lawmakers whose votes would be needed on health care and other top legislative items.”

    A White House official confirms that Emanuel made the remark and reports that Emanuel called Tim Shriver last week when the Journal story first appeared to apologize to the disabled community and the apology was accepted.”

    In March, President Obama compared his limited bowling skills to the “Special Olympics, or something,” a comment he also had to apologize for later.

    I’m sure every White House has its own culture and in-house jokes, but is it too PC to expect this Administration’s leaders to avoid Special Olympics and “retard” comments? Apparently it is.

    — DRJ

    It’s the Economy, Obama

    Filed under: Economics,Obama — DRJ @ 3:01 pm



    [Guest post by DRJ]

    Today in Nashua, New Hampshire, President Obama spent a lot of time criticizing Republicans. He also reassured Americans that “Jobs will be our No. 1 focus in 2010”:

    “Obama’s message of the day was a proposal highlighted in his State of the Union address last week: funneling $30 billion to local banks so they can lend small businesses money they need to grow their enterprises and create jobs.”

    The government is using TARP money to fund the financing:

    “The $30 billion in loan financing would come from money repaid by big banks that got help from the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program, the vastly unpopular bailout for those on Wall Street whose actions led to the economic downturn. A refined version of a plan the administration first announced in October, that $30 billion would be used to create the Small Business Lending Fund, separate and distinct from TARP.”

    Republicans object to the use of TARP funds in violation of the TARP legislation:

    “Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, the senior Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, denounced the attempt to use money from the bailout program. He told White House Budget Director Peter Orszag at a hearing in Washington that the legislation setting up the bank bailout program requires that leftover funds be used to pay down deficits.

    Orszag replied that that is why the administration was asking Congress for legislation.”

    Clearly Obama views the TARP funds as his Administration’s money to spend the way he wants, not as public funds. Still, loaning taxpayers their own money doesn’t seem like a good way to create jobs … but this Presidency isn’t about jobs or the economy, is it?

    — DRJ


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