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Nightly Ramble:The ‘Like a Freight Train;’ Edition

train3Welcome one and all to the most intense nightly read on the sphere: The Bitsblog Nightly Ramble

This is the “Like a freight train” edition. Always wanted to do a train, just never got around to it. The 3/4 shots, like this one, make ir hard to manipulate the text. All the odd angles take a lot of time to manuver around.

  • Republican Revolution: Well, now, here’s a positive sign, and one I’ll sign onto in ANY such situation, no matter who the leader is. Seems that Republicans in California are a little annoyed that their leadership went along with the tax hikes out there.  That the Republicans were annoyed about that is newsworthy of itself. That they complain about it publicly is startling. But the real story here? Republican state senators were upset that their minority leader agreed to tax hikes . So what did they do?  They removed this minority leader from power, and replaced him [1]with someone who was actually willing to stick to Republican principles.  Let’s hope this starts happening both in Congress and every state house in the country. I’m telling you folks, this is good news. As I’ve told you previously, the only way a Republican revolution is going to happen at the voting booth is if there’s a Republican revolution in the state house cloak rooms and meeting rooms, and that of Congress. Replacing the leaderhsip who refuses to fight… and i mean FIGHT for Republican principles, instead of the go-along to get along, ala John McCain.  McCain’s loss, despite bending over backwards (forwards?) to accomidate the Democrats,all to be seen as ‘non-partisan’,  can only be seen as a wakeup call… a call that California Republicans appear to be heeding.  Here’s hoping we see this trend move to the remainder of the party, all over this country.  the people that are the engine of this country are tired of being taken for a ride by a cluseless, corrupt Democrat party. 
  • This stuff is starting to show up in waves, people. There was a near riot  at the Chicago Board of Trade [2] today. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen. (BBCT Billy) . The lynch mobs [3]are already [2] forming; Atlas is shrugging [4]. Even High School kids [5]know we’re being lied to.  There’s two ways Republicans can be in front of this crowd [2]leading it as a parade [6], or running from the angry mob [7]they’re becoming.  And this thing is only going to get louder. Like a freight train. It’s time to choose, Republicans.
  • Change we can believe in: Meanwhile, on the other side of the fence I see Chris Dodd is in even more trouble. This time, it’s campaign finances. [8]
  • Me, Too!!!   So is John Murtha. [9] 
  • Earmark Scandal: Speaking of Murtha, I see by way of James Joyner [10], today, that there’s an earmark scandal brewing with his name on it:

    A major earmark scandal, with Jack Murtha at its center, is brewing. Jonathan Allen and Alex Knott [11] for CQ:

    More than 100 House members secured earmarks in a major spending bill for clients of a single lobbying firm — The PMA Group — known for its close ties to John P. Murtha , the congressman in charge of Pentagon appropriations.

    “It shows you how good they were,” said Keith Ashdown, chief investigator at the watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense. “The sheer coordination of that would take an army to finish.”

    PMA’s offices have been raided, and the firm closed its political action committee last week amid reports that the FBI is investigating possibly illegal campaign contributions to Murtha and other lawmakers.

    No matter what the outcome of the federal investigation, PMA’s earmark success illustrates how a well-connected lobbying firm operates on Capitol Hill. And earmark accountability rules imposed by the Democrats in 2007 make it possible to see how extensively PMA worked the Hill for its clients.

    In the spending bill managed by Murtha, the fiscal 2008 Defense appropriation, 104 House members got earmarks for projects sought by PMA clients, according to Congressional Quarterly’s analysis of a database constructed by Ashdown’s group.  Those House members, plus a handful of senators, combined to route nearly $300 million in public money to clients of PMA through that one law (PL 110-116). And when the lawmakers were in need — as they all are to finance their campaigns — PMA came through for them.

    That’s the very definition of quid pro quo.   It’s also, obviously, institutionalized…

    Clearly, this is at least how things are run under Democrat control. I won’t be overly shocked if we see the practice going back to the time when Republicans  ruled Congress, but I have my doubts we will. More likely, the Republicans who fall to this will have simply been playing the game as laid out by the Democrats… who after all, won. Or so we were told, repeatedly by the Chosen One. We were also told, as I recall it,  that the Dmeocrats would be the agents of positive change. Given the number of Democrats now under investigation [12]for misdeeds in execution of power and the illegal efforts to obtain it [13](campaign funding scandals), it appears we’ve elected the foxes to bring serious change to the chicken coup. (And of course, they’ve been appointed [14], too)  I wonder if we recognize yet, the damage done already and what will soon be. I mean, look, we’re only a month into this thing, and look at how many deocrats are already caught up in scandal… all without the Republicans lifting a finger.

  • MORE: Speaking of such matters, I see a judge has ordered the Spitzer documentation released [15].
  • Which special interest group will give him more votes? So, Schumer’s trying to change provisions in the ‘stimulus’ bill as regards H1B workers? This isn’t going to go well with the Unions, Chuckles.  [16]
  • Facebook: You’ll recall I mentioned Facebook earlier this week. Charlie Martin dives into that subject. [17]
  • Here it is: Stephen Green makes the point I’ve been making for years… Like it or not, libertarian interests are still best served by the Republican Party.  [18] Thing is, as I demonstrated in the first point, they’ve gotta be ridden like a rented mule.