Iowa Has Caucused…

2012 Iowa Straw Poll winners: Mitt Romney #1, Rick Santorum #2 and Ron Paul #3.  An angry Newt Gingrich who said he is changing his approach finished 4th. Rick Perry who finished a disappointing 5th said he was heading back to Texas to reevaluate… which means short of a lot of arm-twisting from influential backers, he is out.  And Michele Bachmann rounds out the field in 6th place after having been the winner of the Iowa Straw Poll this past August. She said she is going nowhere and it is headed on to New Hampshire and South Carolina, but the word is she is out of money.  Technically Jon Huntsman Jr. finished 7th in Iowa but he really didn’t campaign or participate there.

Update: Republican Presidential candidate Michele Bachmann formally ended her campaign for the White House this morning, just one day after Mitt Romney's Iowa caucus victory. "Last night, the people of Iowa spoke with a very clear voice. And I have decided to stand aside," the GOP Congresswoman from Minnesota told reporters today.

And there is also an interesting side note… Looks like although Mitt Romney won the Iowa Caucus (by 8 votes) and Rick Santorum was the story of the Iowa Caucus. Ron Paul may be the delegate winner.

And after heading home to Texas on Tuesday night and cancelling his South Carolina plans, Perry announced on Wednesday that he was staying in the race? Go figure?!?

In reality… the Iowa Caucuses were a virtual tie between Romney and Santorum followed by a strong 3rd for Ron Paul.

Photo: GOP participants in the Iowa Caucuses

“Game on”, said former the Senator from Pennsylvania, Rick Santorum from the podium last night. For whether he finished first or second in the Iowa Caucuses… he is the story of the day… he was the winner!!

(Wikipedia) The Iowa caucuses are an electoral event in which residents of the U.S. state of Iowa meet in precinct caucuses in all of Iowa's 1,774 precincts and elect delegates to the corresponding county conventions. The caucuses are generally defined as "gatherings of neighbors”. There are 99 counties in Iowa and thus 99 conventions. These county conventions then select delegates for both Iowa's Congressional District Convention and the State Convention, which eventually choose the delegates for the presidential nominating conventions (the national conventions). The 2012 Iowa Caucuses are held on January 3, 2012.^[1]

The Iowa caucuses are noteworthy for the amount of media attention they receive during U.S. presidential election years. Since 1972, the Iowa caucuses have been the first major electoral event of the nominating process for President of the United States. Although only about 1% of the nation's delegates are chosen by the Iowa State Convention (28 Republican delegates in 2012, assigned proportionately), the Iowa caucuses have served as an early indication of which candidates for president might win the nomination of their political party at that party's national convention, and which ones could drop out for lack of support.

Photo: Participants it the Ames Iowa Straw Poll in August 2011: Rick Santorum, Herman Cain, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, Tim Pawlenty, Jon Huntsman, Newt Gingrich… Rick Perry had not even entered the race yet.

It is an amazingly curious process that begins with the Ames Iowa Straw Poll which took its first casualty of the GOP presidential race, Tim Pawlenty.  Gary Johnson, who has also now moved from the GOP field to the Libertarian party, did not participate in the straw poll and Thad McCotter, who did participate, did not qualify for the pre-poll debate and dropped out of the race after the Straw Poll.

All three of the frontrunners: Romney, Santorum and Paul gave great speeches at the end of the night.  Gingrich sadly sounded like a vindictive whiner, which in the end will only hurt the GOP, the American people and help re-elect Obama.  Mr. No Negative Newt is turning into Get Even Angry Gingrich. Newt has already taken out a full page negative anti-Romney ad in South Carolina to hit the papers the day after the Caucus.

A side note… at the end of the evening it was announced that the Iowa Republican Party could not find the last 1% of votes from Clinton and Keokuk counties.  All the major networks, local reporters and media sat waiting long after the winners gave their speeches and went to bed.  Some were already off to New Hampshire or South Carolina before the votes were found.

All the remaining GOP candidates will participate in two debates that are scheduled before the New Hampshire primary where Romney now leads by 40%+ in every poll, even with Jon Huntsman having virtually lived in that state for months now.  There will also be another debate right before the South Carolina primary.

In every poll, Romney still comes out as the most electable against Obama in the General Election compared to all the other GOP candidates.

Countdown to New Hampshire primary: 7 days
Countdown to South Carolina primary: 18 days
Countdown to Florida primary: 28 days
Countdown to Nevada caucuses: 32 days
Countdown to Super Tuesday: 63 days
Countdown to Election Day: 308 days

Total ad spending in Iowa: By the way, the campaigns and various Super PACs spent more than $16 million in advertising in Iowa. The breakdown for the major players: Perry $4.3 million, Paul $2.8 million, Restore Our Future (pro-Romney) $2.8 million, Make Us Great Again (pro-Perry) $1.6 million, Romney $1.5 million, Gingrich $980,000, Red White and Blue Fund (pro-Santorum) $530,000, Winning Our Future (pro-Gingrich) $264,000, Bachmann $180,000, and Santorum $30,000.

Future ad spending: Here is what’s slated to run after today: In New Hampshire, Romney, Paul, and the pro-Huntsman Our Destiny PAC are all booked to run TV ads between tomorrow and the Jan. 9th primary. In South Carolina, Romney, Paul, and the pro-Romney Restore Our Future are booked. And in Florida, Restore Our Future is booked on broadcast advertising until Jan. 9th.

Obama addressed the Iowa Democratic caucus-goers, via video teleconference as the GOP Caucus was going on, at 8:15 pm ET. He made his case for another term to the absence of any noticeable cheering, chanting or clapping. And on Wednesday, 01.04.12, he goes to the important battleground state of Ohio, where he will speak in Cleveland.

*While waiting for the lost votes to come in I listened to the coverage from the BBC.  (Always good to hear things from another perspective!)  Their take is that the GOP really needs to pull themselves together and start focusing on the prize… beating Obama, instead of beating each other up!  They thought that Obama is very vulnerable, but the infighting and extreme ideology of some voter groups will end up causing Obama to be reelected.

Reports out of the Obama campaign are that they are elated by the 3-way split of votes in Iowa as well as the latest reports of stepped up in-fighting.  They feel that if the united GOP goal is really to replace him, they should be able to unite.

At 1:54a.m.ET with 122,255 votes cast, the difference between Romney and Santorum was just 4-votes, with Santorum leading. At 2:34a.m. ET the final tally came in by agreement of the senior staff people of the two winning camps.  But during and after that gap, the talking heads had a lot of time to kill while waiting for the final votes to come in.  At 2:35a.m. they were pondering whether perhaps it was not too late for someone else to jump in… or as the old song lyrics go, should Republicans ‘learn to love the ones they are with’ instead of yearning for a dream team they wanted that didn’t run like Chris Christie, Sarah Palin, Paul Ryan…

In the end, Romney won the race by 8 votes…. as we said before, a virtual tie.  (Jon Huntsman siphoned off approximately 700 votes and Herman Cain got 58 votes, even though he is out of the race.)  Both Romney (30,015 votes) and Santorum (30,007 votes) came out winners.  And Ron Paul doing this well is also a victory for his campaign. 

But the true question is… Is the division displayed in Iowa a victory for the GOP voters and ultimately for the American people?

Check out this great site:  Project VoteSmart  - Find Your Candidate

2011 in Review

When looking back and having to decide what were the biggest events or most memorable moments or people of 2011… it is tough, which matches the year itself… overall a tough year for the United States, for the World, and for Americans.

So what was the biggest event of 2011? The Japanese tsunami, the US or European debt crises, or the deaths of Osama bin Laden, Kim Jong-Il, Muammar Gaddafi, or even Steve Jobs? Or was it something else that stands out in your mind?  Do you prefer to think of the more fun or pleasant moments like the Royal Weddings in Great Britain or Monaco?

In a year where the world's population reached 7 billion (October 31 in the Gregorian Year MMXI ) perhaps in terms of enormity the following events can be considered (in reverse 'countdown' order of importance) the biggest, most memorable last. No matter where you stand politically the events below affected us all in one way or another…

Honorable Mention – The Birth of GBTV

Glenn Beck gave up his show on Fox News in 2011 at the top of his game to develop a network for the future so he could say and do what he thought was necessary to help America survive.  He gave up his high-profile, high paying job which included a spacious apartment in New York City to build an online network from scratch and fund it all himself.  Check out GBTV…  and consider subscribing. Also, join Glenn this coming summer in Dallas for Restoring Love… A Celebration of Service

NUMBER FIFTEEN – Anthony Weiner Scandal

The Weiner scandal is not important because of Anthony Weiner.  It is important because of the connections to the Muslim Brotherhood and the Clintons that were ignored by the media; because it points out the dangers of allowing your children on social media sites; and because it illustrates the depravity of many of the people in Congress and government.

NUMBER FOURTEEN - GOP presidential race  (Next Year unless something catastrophic happens the Presidential race should be story #2 or #3 and the election itself should be #1… it will be the election of our lifetime!!)

From Donald Trump to Herman Cain, the Republican race to pick a presidential nominee has been a roller-coaster ride. Businessman Trump flirted with the idea of jumping into the GOP field, but has decided instead to wait and see who the nominee is, floating the idea that he may run as an independent. The GOP electorate, hungry to find an opponent for President Obama, has kept politicos on the edge of their seats, bouncing from frontrunner to frontrunner over several months. Cain, once one of the top candidates, was forced to suspend his campaign after a series of sexual harassment and misconduct allegations. (Funny how his accusers vanished as soon as Cain dropped out of the race.)

But more than the distractions, the race has forced introspection by Republicans on what their priorities are, likely making a choice between a candidate who represents ideological purity or one with the best chances of winning the White House.  Plus on the fringe are the stories of who didn’t run and the uncertainty of who actually still might jump in as a GOP or 3rd Party candidate this late in the game.  For now the juggling of last minute positions for the January 3rd Iowa Caucuses is keeping everyone engaged as we roll into 2012.

NUMBER THIRTEEN - Repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell

After years of lobbying by liberal and gay rights groups, Obama fulfills one of his election promises with the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. The law was signed by President Obama despite protests from some military leaders, notably from the Marines, who claimed the change in policy would interrupt service and potential weaken the military. After months of preparation, the policy was officially ended as of September 2011.  Whether you are for or against this change, it is a major change!

NUMBER TWELVE - Shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords

On January 8, Arizona Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was meeting with constituents when she and 18 others were shot at a shopping center near Tucson. Six people were killed, including a federal judge, though Giffords, who was shot point blank in the head, survived. The shooter, 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner, was declared incompetent to stand trial and has not revealed why he tried to kill Giffords. The incident, which took place soon after a politically divisive midterm election, prompted discussion about the heated rhetoric politicians and others employ.  The incident provided ‘ammunition’ for the gun control crowd, but both Giffords and her astronaut husband remain pro-second amendment.

NUMBER ELEVEN - NASA's Space Shuttle Program Concluded

Atlantis' last, Flight STS-135, concluded the final mission of NASA's Space Shuttle Program when it lands back at the Kennedy Space Center on July 21. 135 missions were flown between 1981 and 2011. Besides its launching of space probes, satellites, and work with the International Space Station, the Program's most memorable legacy might, unfortunately, be the 1986 Challenger and 2003 Columbia disasters. And now a nation that led the world into space has to hitch a ride…

NUMBER TEN - Twin Terrorist Attacks in Norway

The world was shocked when it learned of the 76-people killed in simultaneous attacks in Oslo and the island of Utoya on July 22nd. What was designed by the terrorist to divide the country actually united it-in its grief. It also compelled many democracies to reconsider their approach to justice for such situations.

NUMBER NINE - Steve Jobs' Death

Whilst the death of Steve Jobs (October 5th) pales in significance when compared with other critical world events for the year, there is no question the impact of such a life, and therefore his death, had on the world. Millions of tributes are written as the world lamented the passing of a technological genius.

NUMBER EIGHT - Horn of Africa Famine

Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya are enveloped in a famine affecting the lives and livelihoods of nearly 15 million people; the worst in 30-60 years. Various aid agencies are working together in the troubled regions to assist as they can, and to promote the plight of these ultra-poor to the comparatively rich Western world. This crisis touches the heart for the sheer size of the famine and resultant desolation as well as  the comparative apathy of the world's response.

NUMBER SEVEN - Muammar Gaddafi Killed

Reports of the October 20th death of the Libyan dictator streamed across the airwaves. It was a win not only for the local people, but for democracy and the ‘hope’ for the wider region. A bigger than life character on the world stage came to a smaller end. Just two months earlier, during the Battle of Tripoli, Libyan rebels ousted Gadaffi's regime.  But in reality the outcome may not be as hoped or portrayed by the powers that be.

NUMBER SIX - North Korean "Dear Leader" Kim Jong-Il Dies

On December 17th, North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-Il died of a heart attack at age 69. News broke slowly over national television and filtered into the international community within 48-hours as many brainwashed North Korean nationals entered into severe mourning. (Many questioned what happened to our intelligence.) Soon after the mooted successor emerged: Kim Jong-Il's youngest son Kim Jong-Un. This event has caused widespread interest and concern for regional and global threats because of political instability. A one million strong genocide and a one million strong army are the legacies of Kim Jong-Il and there is no sign that there will be much change after this regime change.

NUMBER FIVE - US Debt-Ceiling Crisis

In late July, the culmination of 30 years of growing debt, together with the consequences of the Global Financial Crisis of 2008, saw the United States government days from shutting; as a result the embattled Congress and President Barack Obama maneuvered the Budget Control Act 2011 through legislature. The US government credit rating was downgraded for the first time in the nation's history.  It is an event that should immediately have changed the way Washington operated.  In reality it has done nothing.

NUMBER FOUR - Osama bin Laden Killed

One of the biggest news events of 2011, for the sheer legend of one terrorist's destructive legacy, occurred on May 1st. Bin Laden's death brought an outpouring of emotion worldwide, significantly happening just months before the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks.  Whether the details released to the public were accurate is a subject for another day…  Fox News’ Geraldo Rivera said the news of Bin Laden’s death coming in during his show was the highlight of his career.

Indian sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik gives finishing touches to a sand sculpture to mark the killing of Osama bin Laden at the golden sea beach at Puri, Orissa, India on Monday, May 2nd, 2011. .

NUMBER THREE (Tied) - Impending Collapse of the Euro

The economies of Greece and Italy, among others (Greece and Italy were among the nations termed PIIGS… Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain… all EU nations teetering on the brink), have severely stretched the sustainability of the Euro. Momentous political and economic reforms have been made as the Euro system teeters on the brink of collapse, which threatens to drag the world into a prolonged recession, if not depression.  How this plays out could very well cause the same in the United States, especially with the latest word that the Fed are bailing them out… which means you, the American taxpayer.

NUMBER THREE (Tied) – Arab Spring

The protests that began in Tunisia and spread throughout the Middle East and Northern Africa eventually become known as the Arab Spring. Fueled by unemployed young citizens and frustration with longtime leaders and corrupt police, the protests have prompted the overthrow of three leaders, in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya as well as upheaval in the entire region (notably Syria) and the initial theoretical hope of the emergence of democratic elections. Other leaders have vowed to step down from power when their current terms end. Though the protests are reported to have began as nonviolent home-grown or grassroots type of  endeavors, struggles in many of the countries have been bloody and have become International in scope.  It was difficult to decide whether this should have been number one or two because of the long reaching effects it will have as the Muslim Brotherhood takes hold of one country after another that used to be at least somewhat stable and somewhat friendly to Israel and the United States… the West.

NUMBER TWO – The U.S. Economy

Over 44-million Americans are now on food stamps and the only reason the U.S. unemployment figures are not officially between 11% and 23% (depending on the area and state) instead of the manipulated 8.5% to 9.5% national figures, as they have been portrayed this past year, is that the employment pool has shrunk.  People retired early, stopped looking for work and are living off of savings or family and friends, or are under-employed and are working part-time or at much lower paying jobs than they had previously been or were trained for.  Or they have been transferred onto the rolls of welfare, food-stamps and other government social programs.  And there are now more homeless than at almost anytime in U.S. history.

The U.S. housing market is in shambles.  The the U.S. government almost shut down this past summer after we lost our AAA credit rating.  And the Obama White House thinks that the U.S. taxpayer is his piggy bank.  And yep… Obama is asking for another 1.2 trillion raise of the debt ceiling.

And for those hoping things will improve… without changing the president and a good portion of Congress, wake-up.  We now have military personal returning from Iraq needing jobs.  Sears and K-Mart just announced they are closing 100 stores.  And General Electric is planning to move its 115-year-old X-ray division from Waukesha, Wisconsin to Beijing. In addition to moving the headquarters, the company will invest $2 billion in China and train more than 65 engineers and create six research centers. This is the same GE that made $5.1 billion in the United States last year, but paid no taxes-the same company that employs more people overseas than it does in the United States and whose head, Jeffrey Immelt was appointed by Obama as his Job Czar.

 

NUMBER ONE - Japan Earthquake and Subsequent Tsunami

The March 11th, 14:46hrs (Japan Standard Time), a 9.1 Magnitude Tohoku undersea mega thrust quake, with an epicenter 70 km from dry land, at a relatively shallow underwater depth of 32 km, hits the mainland of Japan, followed by a devastating tsunami shortly after. The biggest secondary impact is on Sendai and the Fukushima nuclear power plant, initiating a protracted national nuclear emergency. At an estimated economic cost of US$235 billion, the World Bank rates it as the most expensive natural disaster on record. Almost 16,000 people die, almost 6,000 people are injured, and some 3,600 are listed still missing, from 18 prefectures. Significantly, this earthquake shifts earth minutely off its axis and the true effects of the radiation are still not truly known. (Like the BP Gulf Spill, it is a disaster that after the initial coverage has been swept under the rug.)

The Royal Weddings… (When you have some time, you might want to do some research on ‘the Royals’ and their connections and loyalties!) But the wedding photos are beautiful!

Notable Celebrity Deaths of 2011

Steve Jobs (Feb 24, 1955- Oct 5, 2011), founder of Apple and an incredible technological mind, died at only 56 years of age after a long battle with cancer. His innovative mind transformed the way people compute, enjoy music, and connect with his Apple products.

Elizabeth Taylor (Feb 27, 1932- Mar 23, 2011), a renowned actress famous for her beauty and her devotion to charities, died after suffering from congestive heart failure. Taylor was a two-time Oscar winner and was well-known for her commitment to fight AIDS.

Christopher Hitchens (Apr 13, 1949- Dec 15, 2011), the famous atheist and British author who gained a lot of media attention after questioning the popular devotion to Mother Teresa, also struggled with cancer. He was a popular columnist for a number of magazines, including The Atlantic, Vanity Fair, Slate, World Affairs, and others.

Muammar Gaddafi (Jun 1942- Oct 20, 2011), former ruler of Libya, was killed by rebel forces in Sirte after a prolonged battle to oust him from the country. Gaddafi was a vicious dictator who ruled Libya for nearly four decades, and the recent uprising of the Arab Spring brought angry rebels to overthrow him in the midst of much bloodshed.

Amy Winehouse (Sept 14, 1983- Jul 23, 2011) was found dead in her London home at the age of 27. Winehouse had risen to fame after the release of her “Back to Black” album. Reports from her coroner concluded that she had died from alcohol poisoning after years of addiction.

JANUARY

2 –Actor Pete Postlethwaite, age 64, pancreatic cancer

3 — Actress Anne Francis, age 80, lung cancer

4 — Singer/songwriter Gerry Rafferty, age 63, after a long illness

8 –Canadian actor Peter Donaldson, 57, cancer

11 — Canadian actor Al Kozlik, 76, stroke

15 –Stage director Michael Langham, 91, natural causes

23 — Jack LaLanne, father of the fitness movement, age 96, pneumonia

24 –Canadian dancer Lois Smith, 81, complications from Alzheimer’s

FEBRUARY

16 –Actor Len Lesser (aka Seinfeld’s “Uncle Leo”), age 88, cancer-related pneumonia

28 –Actress Jane Russell, age 89, respiratory illness

MARCH

8 –Alice in Chains bassist Mike Star, age 44, drugs and alcohol overdose

15 –Musician Nate Dogg (aka Nathaniel Dwayne Hale), age 41, heart failure

17 — Actor Michael Gough (Alfred the Butler in the Burton/Schumacher Batman films), age 94, natural causes

21 — Soul/disco singer Loleatta Holloway, age 64, heart failure

23 –Actress Elizabeth Taylor, age 79, heart failure

26 –Air Farce actor Roger Abbott, age 64, chronic lymphocytic leukemia

APRIL

9 — Director Sidney Lumet, age 87,

25 –Singer Poly Styrene (aka Marianne Joan Elliott-Said), age 53, cancer

26 — Singer Phoebe Snow, age 60, complications resulting from a cerebral hemorrhage

MAY

20 –Randy “Macho Man” Savage, age 58, heart attack followed by car crash

27 –Actor Jeff Conaway, age 60, pneumonia

30 — Actress Clarice Taylor (“Cosby Show” grandman), age 93, congestive heart failure

JUNE

3 — Actor James Arness (Gunsmoke), age 88, natural causes

18 –Saxaphonist Clarence Clemons (Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band), age 69, complications from stroke

20 –Jackass star Ryan Dunn, age 34, car accident

23 — Actor Peter Falk (Columbo), age 83, cardio respiratory arrest with pneumonia

JULY

12 –Sherwood Schwartz (Brady Bunch creator), age 94, natural causes

21 –Elwy Yost, Canadian film historian and TV host, age 86, natural causes

23 –Soul-pop singer Amy Winehouse, age 27, alcohol poisoning

AUGUST

3 — Actor/NFLer Bubba Smith, age 66, drug intoxication and heart disease

10 –Jani Lane (frontman of rockband Warrant), age 47, alcohol poisoning

15 –Russell Armstrong (“Real Housewives” husband), age 47, suicide

22 –Actor Michael Showers, age 45, drowning

22 –R&B singer Nick Ashford, age 70, throat cancer

29 –Bluesman David “Honeyboy” Edwards, age 96, heart failure

SEPTEMBER

10 — Actor Cliff Robertson, age 88, natural causes

15 –Canadian actress Frances Bay, age 92, complications from pneumonia

30 –Alexander Grant, former artistic director of National Ballet of Canada, age 86, natural causes

OCTOBER

5 — Actor Charles Napier, age 75, natural causes

8 –Mikey Welsh (former Weezer bassist), age 40, suspected drug overdose leading to heart attack

NOVEMBER

3 –Gwar guitarist Cory Smoot (aka Flattus Maximus), age 34, undetermined

4 — Journalist Andy Rooney (60 Minutes), age 92, complications from surgery

8 –Rapper Heavy D, age 44, pneumonia

8 –Cartoonist Bill Keane (“Family Circus”), age 89, unknown

19 –John Neville, actor and former artistic director of the Stratford Shakespearean Festival, age 86, natural causes

21 — Sci-fi writer Anne McCaffrey, age 85, stroke

27 — Director Ken Russell, age 84, natural causes

DECEMBER

7 –Actor Harry Morgan (Col. Potter on M*A*S*H), age 96, pneumonia

8 — Comics writer Jerry Robinson, age 89,

15 — Writer/politico Christopher Hitchens, age 62, complications from cancer

26 — Comedy writer Joe Bodolai, age 63, suicide by poisoningc

Time Magazine’s Person of the Year

The Protestor

But sorry Tea Party… you didn't make the cut, again. Only Occupy Wall Street and Arab Spring protestors were apparently worthy of inclusion.

Politico:

The honor of Time magazine's 2011 "Person of the Year" goes to "the protester" - from the demonstrators across the Arab world to the Occupy Wall Street movement that continues to make headlines.

"In the U.S., three acute and overlapping money crises - tanked economy, systemic financial recklessness, gigantic public debt - along with ongoing revelations of double dealing by banks, new state laws making certain public-employee-union demands illegal and the refusal of Congress to consider even slightly higher taxes on the very highest incomes mobilized Occupy Wall Street and its millions of supporters," Kurt Andersen writes in the cover story about the protesters.

"Millions of supporters?" Wha? Who? WTF? There were barely 200 Occupy San Francisco protestors at a demonstration last weekend. The big protest planned by the OWS this week - to shut down every port between San Diego and Alaska - fizzled so badly that the press was forced to forget about reporting the original goal. Most ports saw little or no protest activity at all. Only one port was shut down - the Port of Oakland.

If they Tea Party had boasted about closing the ports and then have the demonstrations flop as badly as OWS, it would have been headline news.

There were no "millions" of supporters and there never have been. Nobody knows what to support because the OWS crowd has yet to come up with any specifics to oppose - except hate the bankers and the rich.

I would have only included the Arab Spring protestors because they have indeed brought about change, although most of them are probably not going to like the kinds of changes they have wrought. But now that cities have cleaned the rabble out of their encampments, when is the media going to start winding down their hagiagrphic coverage of a movement with little mass and even less coherence?

Excerpt from the NoisyRoom’s

…Time, did not see it that way. Instead they chose aMarxist/terrorist, er, Protester as Person of the Year. In 2010, which was unwaveringly the year of the Tea Party, they didn’t mention Tea Partiers at all, even though millions protested in peace with no arrests, violence or garbage left behind. The media labeled them radicals and terrorists, which is the epitome of irony considering what the Occupiers actually are and stand for. Same for 2011 for the Tea Party – crickets. But in a move that Joseph Goebbels would have been proud of, the Occupiers grace Time’s cover this year.

But the joke is on Time and the rest of the MSM that are in the tank for Obama and the Progressives on both sides of the aisle. The Tea Party is growing stronger day by day even without face time. Americans recognize the US is in deep, deep doodoo and are fed up with politicians in general.

Instead they are turning towards candidates with American values such as Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum. Voters have put Tea Party candidates in the House and Senate and that trend will only continue. The Left took a beating in 2010, but baby, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Come 2012, there’s gonna be an ass whooping of epic proportions. And guess what? That includes the RINOs on the right. Progressives on both sides of the aisle are about to have their collective bottoms spanked big time by the voters. Americans are not dumb and they’ve just about had enough. Don’t underestimate the Tea Party – they are the Progressive’s worst nightmare.

So, we welcome 2012 as the ‘Year of Freedom Restored in America!’ It is fitting that January is ‘Hot Tea Month.’ And honey, the Tea Party is just getting warmed up. We are taking our country back and cleaning house. We are researching and exposing all those naughty Progressives who have been so instrumental in trying to bring this great nation to her knees.

The Tea Party fought a rough and tough battle in 2011. And they’ll win the war for the Republic in 2012 if they stick to their guns and chase the corrupt bastards out of office. Whether with votes or tar and feathers, it’s going to be one hell of a ride and I would not miss it for the world.

And let’s not forget Loukanikos, Athens' Protest Dog

Time Magazine Runners Up

Runner-Up: William McRaven

Runner-Up: Ai Weiwei

Runner-Up: Paul Ryan

Runner-Up: Kate Middleton

Time Magazine

Trials and Homecomings

The last combat troops leave Iraq… Too early say the Generals and experts, but God Bless you and welcome home!!

New Year's Eve might just be the only time of year when "dropping the ball" is a good thing. And this year, nearly 1.5 million people were expected to ring in 2012 by watching the shimmery ball make its descent in Times Square…

Make sure your New Years’ Resolutions are bigger than yourself. You will have a lot better chance of keeping them and making them happen!!

Happy New Year 2012

Auld Lang Syne by Sissel

For 2012… 40,000 New Laws on the books…

Expected Killer Solar Flares

Posted on June 12, 2011

The following information is paramount and should not be taken lightly.

On March 10th 2006 NASA issued a solar storm warning for 2012 but omitted telling the general population as to why the warning in their report. Then in June of 2010, NASA once again warns the world population, but this time around, NASA warns the world community to get ready for a once in a life time solar storm. Dr Richard Fisher, head of NASA’s Heliophysics Division said: “We know it’s coming but we don’t know how bad it’s going to be.” However, “the next solar maximum should be a doozy” . NASA say’s the sun storm will be in full swing around 2012-2013, however the National Academy of Science says, “The solar storm could start any day now.” “Who ever is right, the storm is coming!” says NASA.

The alarming news was aired July 14, 2010 which now explains why NASA, along with The National Academy of Science and other world renowned scientist are all very concerned about the coming 2012-2013 solar maximum.

What NASA did not tell you is that our sun is entering into an interstellar energy cloud which is also turbulent which will cause the sun’s solar maximum in 2012 to become violent, which results in the Carrington effect, that could precipitate gigantic solar explosions, magnetic anomalies, careening cometary masses and destabilize the orbits of some asteroids.

However no high government official has stuck their neck out to make an official announcement about the catastrophic implications on a global scale as to allow the general population to prepare!

The scientific data revealed by Alexei Dmitriev further supports NASA’s original 2012 solar storm warning issued in 2006.

Astrophysicist Alexei Dmitriev says that both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 satellites reveal that our sun, as well as our entire solar system, is now moving into an interstellar energy cloud. Opher, a NASA Heliophysics Guest Investigator from George Mason University says this interstellar energy cloud is turbulent. Dmitriev explains that this cloud of energy is exciting the atmospheres of our planets and especially our sun. As this interstellar energy cloud continues to excite/charge the sun, it causes the sun to become more active, resulting in greater output from the sun. IE: Bigger and more frequent solar storms and CME’s resulting in the Carrington effect named after 19th Century scientist Richard Carrington . This interstellar cloud of electrical energy is also absorbed by the Earth, and scientist have found that it results in more earth quakes, all while dramatically effecting our weather here on earth.

When Dr. Dmitriev was asked what are the implications of all this for earth he replied, “Global catastrophe! Not in tens of years from now, but in ones of years” …in that this global catastrophe is basically right around the corner setting the stage for NASA’s latest solar storm warning 2012-2013.

Perhaps that explains why NASA has sent a personal message to all its employees. NASA sent out a “Family-Personal Prepardness Plan” email to all employees

AGENCYWIDE MESSAGE TO ALL NASA EMPLOYEES:
Point of Contact: Darrius Lewis, Mission Support Directorate, NASA Headquarters, 202-358-0608, darrius.l.lewis@nasa.gov
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Family/Personal Preparedness Plan

NASA is the only federal agency responsible for its people's safety and well-being here on Earth and in space and has a longtime commitment to safety and emergency preparedness. Over the past year, Administrator Bolden has emphasized the importance of Family/Personal Preparedness for the entire NASA family. Family and personal preparedness plans are key to protecting our families and communities during potential emergencies such as fires, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, terrorist attacks and other unforeseen catastrophes.

The most important assets in the successful completion of NASA's mission are its people and their loved ones. The agency has developed a set of informational guides designed to prepare you, your families and pets for emergencies. These guides will provide you with step-by-step instructions on how to develop your Family Preparedness Plan.

All employees are encouraged to download these guides, prepare plans, and review them with your families. The agency has taken the steps to prepare our NASA family; now it is your personal obligation to prepare yourself and/or your family for an emergency.

To view Administrator Bolden's video on family preparedness and to download your Family Preparedness guides, visit:
[link to www.nasa.gov]

Dr. Dmitriev is talking about the Carrington Effect which can knock out electrical power and all modern forms of communications world wide for months on end, even years. When that happens, global anarchy and mass looting will soon begin as the food chain will become paralyzed/crippled in modern countries, while water shortages will quickly become a threat to our very survival because electricity is what runs the pumps that gets the water to our homes and offices. If you are not prepared to be self efficient for one to two years, then you and your family will be at risk of dehydration and starvation during a time when drinking water, food will be more valuable then money itself.

Video:  NASA Warns Of Super Solar Storm 2012

Source: coupmedia.org * solarstormwarning.com * civildisorder44 *

thetruthbehindthescenes

More from Barracuda

NASA: Were Seeing Things We’ve Never Seen Before Massive Plasma Waves Sweep The Sun

The Night Of The Blood Red Moon

'SOMETHING BIG IS COMING',THE ELITE KNOW IT. BUT WHAT EXACTLY IS IT  - Remember the intercepted agenda from the Bilderberg Conference from last week:  UPDATED TOPICS: 6-10-2011 Bilderberg Meeting:  Comet Elenin (or ELEnin Brown Dwarf Star), Solar Flares, Earthquakes, Tornadoes,Underground Cities, and related topics

7 Steps To Survive The Coming Economic Collapse From Water Shortage to Cannibalism

Is Google Censoring Nibiru Planet X

Californians Urged Get Ready For Earthquakes

Video: Doomsday Prophecy 2012: NASA admits it now!!!

Other Related:

Galactic Re-Alignment

What If?

Nebraska Alert:  Nuclear Plant in Nebraska with Arnie Gundersen – Updated

HAARP Chemtrails and Other Manmade Disasters  -  As Part of Their Transparency Plan U.S. Government Announces Closure for Public to Half Their Websites – HAARP Site Already Blocked  But as they say… there is always a silver lining, if these natural disasters do occur it may interfere with the Cyber Command Center

Understanding Earthquakes and their Impacts – Part II 

Video: PUBLIC LAW 105-85, bio warfare or population reduction funded by the DOD  -  nothing like a crisis that people are unprepared for to help that along!

FEMA, FCC Announce Nationwide Test Of The Emergency Alert System  -  Really… After NASA sent out a “Family-Personal Prepardness Plan” email to all employees?? Coincidence??  But nothing to worry about here folks… nothing to see.  After all you government would warn you and urge you to prepare… Wouldn’t it??

NASA Kennedy Obama Connection to 2012 - Richard C. Hoagland

 

Video:  NASA Kennedy Obama Connection to 2012 - Richard C. Hoagland

A presentation by Richard C. Hoagland at the Secrets Conference. Including, finally - Who Really Killed Kennedy...and Why? On November 8, 2009, the SyFy television network (in association with NBC News) broadcast a major two-hour television Special, On November 21 -- Special to the Secrets Conference -- Hoagland presented "the rest of the 2012 story ...."

What If…

2012 the Movie... Fiction or Warning?

I was giving myself a mental break from the never ending barrage of news, events and negativity that we are living with these days… at least those of us who are paying attention.  As I was flicking through the channels, I came across the Movie 2012, beginning in 5-minutes. I had missed seeing it at the movies and only caught the tail end on television once before.

I watched it a little more intently than last time and before I was long into the movie, I found my mind racing.  Was this supposed to be pure entertainment or was this a warning? As we have moved into the Perfect Storm era I have become the ultimate ‘out of the box possibility thinker’, both for good and bad.  Then when I went online and found that several trailers had been disabled in reviews on the 2012 movie, my thoughts went into over-drive.

I’m not saying that the world is ending in 2012 but I’m not saying it isn’t either; that is for the man upstairs to know.  What I am saying is that much of what was interjected into the movie is true, is already happening or could happen.  And one of the main themes of the movie that sprung out at me was ‘the elite’ who were (and are) running the U.S. government as well as the governments of the world not warning their people, keeping the news about possible upcoming disasters hidden and in the end saving themselves.  Is there anyone out there who doesn’t think that would be the way it would go?

What in the World is Happening?  - Yosemite Caldera, earthquakes, tsunamis, New Madrid Fault, etc.

The Yosemite Caldera  -  Why are there news blackouts in the U.S. about the Caldera?

HAARP  -  Why has the government site been closed down?

HAARP, Chemtrails and Other Manmade Disasters

Think it isn’t possible?:  NatGeo - Scientists Make Dozens of Storms in the Abu Dhabi Desert

The New Madrid Earthquake Fault and Other Earthquakes

White House Posts  - Why would the White House Be Posting warnings about understanding earthquakes if this was completely far-fetched?:

Understanding Earthquakes and Their Impacts: Part 1

Understanding Earthquakes and Their Impacts: Part 11

US Navy’s Earth Changes USA Flood Map, New Madrid Earthquake ZoneNLE 2011: What Does the Navy Know?

Video: New Madrid Fault Line Mega Quake Has Started Sink HOLES IN CANADA

Video: Future Map of North America By Gordon Michael Scallion

Comet or Asteroids to hit in 2012

Video:  Planet X Nibiru - NASA 2012 Doomsday Info Leaked

Opposite View:  2012: No Comet

NASA Cannot Keep up With Killer Asteroids

Solar alignment  -  2012 Alignment of Planets  -  Galactic Realignment… Is it the End?

Shifting of the Poles  -  Causing bird and other deaths

Following the unexplained deaths of several thousand birds over the last two weeks, several months ago, events are now emerging that may offer a physics-based explanation for the mysterious deaths. It all begins on a runway in Tampa, where airport officials recently closed that runway in order to change the numeric designators painted there. Why are those numeric designators being changed? Because the Earth's magnetic poles are shifting and the numbers previously painted on the runway no longer match up with the magnetic measurements of sensitive airplane instruments (http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-01...).

National Geographic: Edgar Cayce on Shifting of the Poles

Video:  Magnetic Poles Have Shifted by 10%  & Leaks Found in Earth’s Magnetic Field  -  Our magnetic field flips every 11-years.

NASA Warns of Super Solar Storm 2012  &    Fox News: 2012 Alert!

And then I started wondering about an article I saw the other day on Collectivists and China being the first globalist experiment. 

My mind took me to a whole different realm.  All of a sudden the picture of President George W. Bush and a whole lot of other world leaders, who had ignored every Chinese civil rights, animal rights (sorry about the missing photos), and IOC violation as well as festering political and economic problems with China to award them the games, sitting together at the Chinese Olympics, popped into my head.

And then as I was watching the chosen people filing into the arcs I had a strange thought… what if there aren’t arcs, but cities built in areas that might not be affected or reached by massive amounts of water and the devastation, like on the Earth’s highest peaks… like the Himalayas, as I remembered the story of China’s ghost cities… What if??

There are amazing satellite images that show sprawling cities built in remote parts of China that have been left completely abandoned, sometimes years after their construction, or basically never lived in.

Elaborate public buildings and open spaces are completely unused, with the exception of a few government vehicles near Communist authority offices.

Some estimates put the number of empty homes at as many as 64 million, with up to 20 new cities being built every year in the country's vast swathes of free land, some high up in the mountains.

As photographs have emerged a Chinese government think tank warns that the country's real estate bubble is getting worse, with property prices in major cities overvalued by as much as 70 per cent.  Does that make any sense?  No more than perhaps they are getting ready for something?  The only question is what?

 

 

This $19 billion development is packed with blocks of empty houses

This giant new development doesn't even have a name yet.

Ordos, China: A Modern Ghost Town

ELITE TSUNAMI BUNKERS! "WHAT ARE THE ODDS… ROCKEFELLERS RETREAT TO HIGHEST PLACE IN THE WORLD (HIMALAYAS) WEEKS BEFORE RUMORED POLE SHIFT"… ROTHCHILD FAMILY ALREADY THERE.

Think this is crazy?  Perhaps? But word has it that the Rothchilds, the richest and most powerful family in the world, are already held up in the Himalayas and that the Rockefellers and other elites are headed there too!  Other big names have been seen there including Warren Buffet and Bill Gates with their families.  Tom Cruise and Oprah are also names I’ve seen.  And remember the Obama’s recent extravagant trip there?  All just a coincidence that all these people are going to India… and China? Perhaps?!? You be the judge!

Think this guy in the video below looks or sounds a bit crazy?  So did John Cusack when he first saw Woody Harrelson’s character in 2012… didn’t he?

Video:  The World’s Wealthiest are Running for Cover!!!

2012  or 2012 blue-ray version

The Mystery of 2012: Predictions, Prophecies, and Possibilities  - Interesting Read

Video:  Illuminati 2012 New World Order Antichrist Conspiracy

I am not saying I do or don’t believe any of this, but what if?  And why do we see things like: BREAKING NEWS: Iceland to apply for super-injunction to stop media reporting on the new ash cloud from last weekend’s volcano… while volcano eruption disrupts Air Force One’s travels, for a second time.  And why would you hide stuff like that?

Have we reached the era of the Perfect Storm?  Where all and every crisis, worry, emergency and chaos have come together at the same time: 2012 Prophecies; Bible Prophecies; manmade chaos and political unrest created by globalists, progressives, a United Nations coalition, radical Islam and worse; natural and weather disasters which will in turn create food, water and monetary shortage disasters; political and economic disasters in the U.S. and worldwide; and end times or a worldwide crisis of faith?  Or is all this nonsense and coincidence?  (Wall Street Bankers and elites are buying up farm land with water and water rights as quickly as they can!)

Are you prepared for an emergency, any emergency whether it is a natural disaster predicted or a complete surprise; a manmade disaster: HAARP, political, or unexpected; prophecy; shortages; or even just a local or personal emergency?  Most of us are not… at any level.

Only you can answer whether you believe the questions and information above, but not without information.  And what if only part is true or even one event occurs?  It never hurts to be prepared and aware.

Massive twister hits Joplin, Missouri

Most of the town, some reports say up to 75% of the town, has been destroyed after being hit by a massive tornado. A caller from the area describes the horrific scene, likening it to what the Kosovo bombings looked like on TV. Thankfully, the good people in the area have stepped to the plate and flocked the area to do whatever they can to help. An emotional account of a devastating event in Missouri -- listen to it HERE.

weatherchannel:  Northwest Ohio -  Severe Weather Alert: TORNADO WARNING 

Just got WORSE. NOAA 45% in Several States - http://bit.ly/jdciYN

Already 8 watch areas, including a tornado watch. Track the severe weather from our tracker page: http://wxch.nl/imvf7Y

Federal Government Helps Nature Destroy 1M+ Acres Farmland; Storms Destroy Entire Towns, Kill Hundreds  or how about the Federally Created Dust Bowl in California, that many feel was a test to see how the Sheeple, as they consider us, would react.

Hope, Faith, Charity, ‘Knowledge’, Leadership, Strength and Sticking Together is the solution. God, Groceries which includes Water, Gold (or Silver) and Guns, which includes Ammo are needed for preparation.  Make sure you have physical addresses written down for your loved ones, on on electronic sources, and know where everyone plans to go in an emergency.  A short wave radio and or an emergency band radio isn’t such a bad idea either.  And if you can, prepare for more than just yourself and your immediate family and prepare to protect it.

What if nothing happens?  You are prepared with extra supplies.  But what if something, even one of the possibilities above, happens and you are not ready?

Interesting Video:  NASA Kennedy Obama Connection to 2012 – Richard C. Hoagland

By Marion Algier – Ask Marion with research contributions by Jean Stoner

My favorite line in the movie:  “Who would have thought that the guys on the corner with the cardboard signs had it right?!?”  What if?

The 2012 Election is the GOP’s To Lose

Why do we allow ourselves to believe that these gals can’t win?  Or that a West-Cain ticket wouldn’t fly?  Some combination of those 4 is a winning ticket for the GOP in 2012 if we stop allowing the leftist mainstream media to convince us to go against our convictions, against our gut feelings, and against the honest polls and what we know is true and right.  I also heard someone suggest Ron Paul for head of the Fed with the power to dismantle it and John Bolton for Secretary of State.  Why not?

The Battleground Poll just published, confirmed that conservatives are the overwhelming majority in America, a stat that has been consistent for over a decade.  When asked to define their own ideological position, 57% called themselves "very conservative" or "somewhat conservative," while only 37% called themselves "very liberal" or "somewhat liberal."  The tiny smidgen of Americans who were either "unsure" or "moderate" or "refused to answer" was 5%.   And this polling holds across the board.

An Associated Press-Ipsos Poll in early 2007 asked respondents to identify themselves ideologically.  Conservatives were, by far, the largest group with 41% of respondents calling themselves "conservative," while only 21% of respondents called themselves "liberal" and 34% called themselves "moderates."  And even more amazing is the fact that even polling organizations which try to make conservatives appear as small a number as possible fail when the ideological preference question is asked directly. It only changes when the polls are manipulated or the question is purposely confusing.

So why have we allowed ourselves to be silent… silenced… and intimidated or even brainwashed into believing that our thoughts and our preferred candidates can’t prevail?  We are being led by the nose to believe the perverse illusion of the left (like from this Jackass:  Maher) that is being peddled to us and our children by a leftist co-opted educational system and  puppet media which includes the mainstream news cycle, movies, TV, and much of the print world. Talk radio and the Internet are our best chance for the truth and the left is actively working to control and limit freedom from those sources.

This past week was a busy week for the GOP: Huck’s out?  Trump’s out? Newt’s in but has already shot himself in the foot? Pawlenty is in, announced on YouTube! Cain’s in with a message of ‘Yes We Can"’! Bachmann seems near announcing even though she originally said she’ll decide by June and Romney had a great fund raiser.  Huntsman seems more serious by the day and Palin told Greta that she feels the call in her belly, plus we are hearing that she has bought a new home in Arizona, putting her down in the lower 48 for the campaign.  And now we hear that there are rumblings from Perry in Texas.  Ron Paul is already in and we are also waiting on a definite Yeah or Nay from Rick Santorum.

According to Dick Morris now that two of the top three candidates. according to his survey, for the Republican nomination have pulled out of the race, the big winner is the one candidate left standing: Mitt Romney.  By his analysis and polling before Huckabee and Trump pulled out, the stats were Romney-22, Huckabee-20, Trump-15, Gingrich-11, Palin-9, Bachmann-6, Pawlenty-3, and Daniels-2… who just announced (Sun 05.22) he was not running via email to his supporters.

This writer questions the Morris numbers and Hot Air has been running an ongoing poll since November of 2010 (see graphs below), which consistently shows Palin ahead even though she hasn’t committed to running and in spite of the media having tried to crucify her for 3-years now. And Cain has just made a major jump.  I can tell you that in my circle, Palin is the top choice as well;  Cain, West who is not on their chart and still says he won’t run, and Bachmann come next and then Romney and Huntsman… now that Huckabee and Trump are out.

Suffolk University Poll, which just came in, shows Romney and Palin Both Getting a Boost after the Trump and Huckabee News.

There are also some draft movements underway for several possible candidates including: Gen Petraeus, Chris Christy, Jeb Bush, Rick Perry, and Allen West plus the wait for the final Yeah or Nay from Sarah Palin.  And there are rumblings about Marco Rubio for VP.

The biggest thing Conservatives, moderates and independents need to remember and focus on is that the end goal is defeating Obama and his progressive cronies.  The Dems will do what they can to discredit, smear and distort information about the GOP candidates and take the focus off the issues, or distort the truth about them.  It has already begun like in this video about the GOP and Medicare.   Look at the lies they have spread about Palin and her family and the unsavory tactics that they have resorted to.  As Palin says on the 'Lamestream Media: It's Gotcha Trip-Up Questions and You Have to Be Prepared'.  The Dems are already using Newt against the Republicans.  We and the candidates need to stop ripping each other apart, giving the Dems more to work with, because in the end we need to be able to stand together and with whomever ends up being the GOP’s candidate to defeat Obama in 2012… otherwise there just not be anything left in 2016 t0 fight for!

We need to educate ourselves and then pass along the information and the truth.  We need to demand that the conversation and focus stay on the issues and what is relative about the candidates, but leave their families alone.  And we must not allow the media to fill us and less educated voters with distortions and lies.  We must also be willing to do the work to help with the campaigns and to monitor the elections and demand recounts if necessary… until it is right.  Voter fraud and intimidation and campaign fraud will be an issue in this election from the left, starting from the top!  We had in preview in the last two elections. One of the greatest questions about this election is: Will Ignorance and Laziness Lead to a Second Obama Term?? 

Obama can be defeated and ‘his list of negatives’ beginning with his record on the economy, is long.  2012 and the future of America as we know it is the GOP’s… a coalition of conservatives, moderates, independents, Tea Party members, patriots, traditional Republicans, Libertarians and disillusioned Democrats to win or lose.

The race and fight is on… don’t be an observer and wonder what happened!

Hot Air Candidate Survey - May Edition: Next month’s full-sized survey should be very, very interesting, and that’s assuming no other candidates leave or join the field.  Keep in mind this graph was a Friday vote, so the volume’s a good deal lower than usual. That said, the results:

For the most part the candidates’ approval levels have remained fairly stable when compared to last month.

Different story on the overall vote front, though. The biggest pop in support? Herman Cain, whose support had remained mostly unchanged at Hot Air over the last few months.

Questions? Comments? I haven’t laid out all the data here since, amazingly, some of it’s already out-dated, so if you’re interested in a cross-tab,  tweet me.

This post was promoted from GreenRoom to HotAir.com.  To see the comments on the original post, look here.

The Real Conservative Majority

Newsweek: 2012 is the GOP Election to Lose

Palin’s Rumored New Home In Arizona Revives 2012 Speculation

Republican 2012 hopefuls blast President Obama on Israel

Gary Johnson Loses Willie Nelson Endorsement

Palin Fundraiser, Home Purchase Fuels Speculation of 2012 Run  -  Could be why Bachmann is waiting to announce~

Huntsman Affirms Mormon Heritage  -  After Obama’s questionable record on religion and the ever growing question in the minds of an increasing number of American’s wondering whether Obama is essentially an atheist, an opportunist, a follower of Rev Wright’s Black Liberation Theology or Christian Socialism (based in Marxism, racism against the “White oppressor” and social justice seeing Jesus as a liberator rather than a redeemer of all) or in the minds of an ever growing number of Americans… a Muslim, it seems that being a Mormon should be a non-issue and less of a problem for Huntsman than his stand on global warming or for Romney than his need to justify his stance against ObamaCare in the light of RomneyCare.

Huckabee: Romney Is 'Inauthentic'  - But he's still willing to support Romney if he becomes the Republican presidential nominee in 2012.

Fighting for, supporting and working for the nominee and team we want is every American who does not want 4-more years or Obama’s job and responsibility, but like Huckabee, supporting whomever the final Republican presidential candidate for 2012 turns out to be is essential for America!

Related:

White House Insider:  Trump Was Threatened  Seems it is the same insider who leaked info on the Blago Trial?!?

College Student Diving Into Deep End of Political Pool

Important: Do You Support Pres. Obama's Re-Election? Vote Here Now!

By Marion Algier – Ask Marion

Politico Palin Alert: Vast Left Wing Conspiracy’s Mission: Sarah Palin Must Be Destroyed Uncovered!

A Vast Left Wing Conspiracy's Mission: Sarah Palin Must Be Destroyed!

**Nobody, no matter what your politics, party affiliation or opinion of Sarah Palin is, should be okay with this!  It destroys the entire purpose, affect, and intent of freedom of the press!!  And if today it is Sarah Palin, the GOP or the Tea Party, tomorrow it will be something you care about or believe in… or perhaps even you, yourself!!**

Mark Whittington – Mon Apr 25, 12:48 pm ET

COMMENTARY | Politico has published a story (full article published below) about what is in effect a vast left wing conspiracy to bring down Sarah Palin. The obsession against a woman who holds no public office and is not yet running for one is fascinating, to say the least.

The anti-Palin network is apparently a group of obsessed authors and bloggers who have the singular purpose of destroying Palin before she can run for president and perhaps, to their horror, win. Their tactics seem to be to publish every rumor or theory about the alleged misconduct of Palin and her family and see how much of it sticks. Politico suggests the sheer weight of the accusations, most of them false, has cut into Palin's support.

Sometimes, as with the Trig Truther theory, the idea that Palin's 3-year-old Down's syndrome son is actually her daughter Bristol's child, the gambit backfires and brings about a backlash. Accusations of everything from public corruption to marital infidelity have been proven to be untrue and have been laughed off by responsible media.

And yet the anti-Palin conspiracy is nothing if not relentless. A series of anti-Palin books, some by authors considered to be mainstream, are scheduled to come out, just in time for the run up to the 2012 elections.

This presents the Palin camp with a conundrum. Do they ignore the accusations, thus running the risk of them sticking? Or do they respond, thus drawing more attention to them than they would

One strategy for responding to this kind of unprecedented smear campaign is to try to change the subject, by putting out a more positive narration. For Palin, this effort might only be done in the context of a presidential campaign. By running for president and putting out a positive message as to why she should be president, Palin might be able to overcome the smear campaign and put out a more positive image of herself. Under this scenario the anti Palin conspiracy might bring about the thing they hate and fear the worse, a Palin presidency~

But why the obsessive hate? Other conservative politicians, such as President Ronald Reagan and President George W. Bush, have been the targets of hate campaigns. But those tended to be overtly motivated by politics and policy. There is something crassly personal about the campaign against Palin, of how the attacks tend to be about her personal life rather than her politics. What is it about a telegenic, athletic, religious, conservative woman that causes certain people to lose all reason and leap the length of their chains? The answer likely wanders out of the realm of politics and into abnormal psychiatry.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor.

A number of upcoming books promise to delve into some of the more salacious Palin rumors. | ReutersClose

By KENNETH P. VOGEL | 4/25/11 4:32 AM EDT Updated: 4/25/11 6:02 PM EDT

She is a promiscuous, petty and unintelligent, yet deviously conniving warmonger intent on capturing the Oval Office and, from there, the world.

Those are just some of the opinions about Sarah Palin held by members of a small but extremely active network of gadflies, bloggers and authors who have devoted much of the last 2½ years to proving their case to American voters.

This self-styled anti-Palin movement — whose members span the globe and are mostly but not exclusively liberals — has been behind some embarrassing revelations about the former Alaska governor, her family and allies. But some of their leading theories have been thoroughly discredited and earned them widespread criticism. (See: 'Mama Grizzly' Sarah Palin back on the prowl)

Yet that only seems to have hardened a commitment to accomplishing what they profess to be their ultimate goal: the absolute and complete exposure of Palin as a fraud unworthy of a role in American civic life. And now, with Palin edging back into the political spotlight in the face of flagging poll numbers, they believe that they are closer than ever to achieving it. (See: Poll: The incredible shrinking Sarah Palin)

A number of forthcoming books promise to delve deeply into — and, they believe, give mainstream credibility to — some of the more salacious Palin rumors and conspiracy theories that have sprouted in the anti-Palin blogosphere and on supermarket tabloid stands but have mostly been rejected by the mainstream media.

“We’re at a tipping point, where her character and her lack of ethics will be revealed on the national stage,” asserted Sherry Whitstine, a 49-year-old grandmother who lives in Palin’s hometown of Wasilla, Alaska, and has infuriated her famous neighbors with blog posts and online comments accusing Palin of being unfaithful in her marriage and corrupt in her political career. (See: Troopergate report: Palin abused authority)

“Some things are just going to come to light that they just won’t be able to shake, and I have faith in that. It has already started, but these books will add to it,” she said.

The Palin camp has dismissed these critics as inconsequential ankle-biters but also has occasionally lashed out against the stories and rumors they have circulated. While the latter approach has engendered sympathy among her supporters, it’s also helped enable some of the rumors to break through into the “lamestream” media Palin so despises. (See: Sarah Palin trashes 'lamestream media')

Nonetheless, a source close to Palin downplayed the impact of the relentless scrutiny, telling POLITICO, “There are many things that are said on the Web about Gov. Palin that make it into the public domain. Many are so laughable, they don’t require a response.”

Their forbearance likely will be tested next month, when two major publishers will release books that have the anti-Palin movement buzzing.

St. Martin’s Press has scheduled a May 10 release of “The Lies of Sarah Palin: The Untold Story Behind Her Relentless Quest for Power,” by Santa Cruz, Calif.-based author and documentarian Geoffrey Dunn, who has joked that he might need three or four volumes to adequately cover the subject matter suggested in the title.

He told POLITICO he decided to write the book after hearing stories from Alaskans about Palin’s “childhood through her governorship that were troubling to me.” He said his goal is to frame Palin’s career in the contexts of both an Alaska political scene “plagued by a culture of corruption” and also in “the larger tradition of American political populism and demagoguery.”

A couple of weeks later, a Simon & Schuster imprint is set to offer a tell-all memoir by Frank Bailey, a disgruntled former top aide to Palin, using her personal emails to paint an ugly portrait of her as a vindictive and vain dilettante obsessed with her public image, who allegedly broke election laws and targeted a state trooper by leaking damaging information.  (See: Former Sarah Palin aide's tell-all coming to bookstores near you)

Then, in September, Crown will release “The Rogue: Searching for the Real Sarah Palin,” by journalist and author Joe McGinniss, whose decision to rent the house next door in Wasilla last summer prompted Palin to warn him to “leave my kids alone.” (See:Palin: McGinniss 'disturbing')

In a series of blog posts, McGinniss, who said his publisher wouldn’t let him do interviews, has compared the Palin family’s life to a soap opera and signaled that his book will focus on the mother of all Palin conspiracy theories: the long-simmering, though widely rejected, allegation that Palin’s daughter Bristol or someone else entirely is actually the mother of Palin’s youngest son, Trig.

Dunn last week wrote a 2,700-word piece for Business Insider in which he questioned Palin’s account of Trig’s birth, asserted “Palin has never provided sufficient concrete evidence to put the conspiracy theories to bed” and acknowledged he “spent a considerable amount of time and resources trying to sort out the facts of Trig’s birth” while writing his book.

The piece initially was rejected by the Huffington Post, which has published a series of Dunn’s previous attacks on the former Alaska governor but said the Trig post violated its “policy against conspiracy theories.”

Dunn insisted in an email to POLITICO that he has never actually advocated the “Trig Truth” theory and is merely asking questions — a stance similar to that taken by influential Daily Beast blogger Andrew Sullivan, a hero among Trig Truthers and the broader anti-Palin movement.

Though Dunn said his book barely addresses Trig’s birth, other books are reportedly in the works that deal with the rumor. It also is the subject of an academic paper by a professor at Northern Kentucky University that was released this month that sparked debate about whether the maternity of Palin’s children is an appropriate topic for political discourse.

The persistence of Trig Trutherism despite multiple investigations endeavoring to definitively debunk it is similar in some ways to the more widespread, but similarly discredited, “birther” theory holding that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States and is, therefore, ineligible to be president. Obama also has faced a host of other persistent but debunked rumors, including that he is a secret Muslim and that his youthful drug use continued into adulthood.  (The fact that Obama’s issues have been discredited is certainly debatable!! The fact is that there must be something wrong with his birth certificate or at least something he doesn’t want us to see or he would show it and the Muslim question in less than clear in most people’s minds!  In fact suspicion about both subjects is increasing, not decreasing!)

But the sheer number of negative stories, rumors and conspiracy theories that continue to swirl around Palin, her family and allies is perhaps unprecedented for a politician who never held national office and has given few indications that she has either the ambition or the wherewithal to make another run after her failed 2008 Republican vice presidential campaign.

The Palin fixation more closely parallels the tabloid rumors and scandals that dog controversial Hollywood personalities like Lindsay Lohan or Charlie Sheen than the ideologically motivated attacks on politicians, said Michael Kazin, a Georgetown history professor who has written about politically polarizing populist figures.

As if to underscore that point, it was revealed Monday that a Simon & Schuster imprint in the fall would publish yet another book on Palin - a tell-all by Levi Johnston, the mother of Bristol’s child and a harsh Palin critic who promised to dish on his “close relationship with the Palins” and “sense of Sarah.”

“This is only tangentially about politics. It’s really about celebrity,” he said, comparing the anti-Palinites to the liberals who pushed stories about unethical financial activity by Father Charles Coughlin, the influential but inflammatory 1930s conservative radio show host.

Those stories “helped to undermine” Coughlin, said Kazin, adding that, while Palin was able to use rumors and negative stories about her to “gain sympathy from conservatives,” that tactic now appears to be less effective.

The anti-Palin mythology exploded nationally after John McCain in August 2008 tapped the little-known first-term governor to join him on the Republican presidential ticket.

“When there’s not a lot of information about somebody, it does leave this vacuum where crazy rumors and things on the Internet can kind of fill in what people want to believe about someone,” said Lori Robertson, managing editor of the nonpartisan FactCheck.org website.

During the 2008 presidential campaign, FactCheck.org debunked the birth rumors about Obama (after its researchers were allowed by Obama’s campaign to physically examine the official copy of his birth certificate) and Trig Palin, as well as a host of other claims about Palin, such as her alleged demand as Wasilla’s mayor that certain books be banned from the town’s library.

Today, most of the attention is focused on her personal life and that of her family, in part because Palin has been out of government since her 2009 resignation as governor and also because she and her family have embraced the trappings of celebrity, complete with frequent appearances on television — the family in a reality series and daughter Bristol’s appearance as a contestant on ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars.” (Funny how nobody mentions that the money Bristol made on Dancing With the Stars enables her to spend more time with her son and has led to a Colorado radio gig where she makes a heck of a lot more, as a single mom, than as receptionist in Wasilla.  In my book that is good and responsible mothering, but what is focused on is the so-called ‘trappings of celebrity’.)

Many of the rumors about the Palin family can be traced back to a coterie of bloggers in Alaska, including Whitstine, a self-identified Christian conservative who alleges Palin’s gubernatorial administration pursued a “socialistic redistribution of wealth,” and liberal anti-Palin bloggers Jeanne Devon, Jesse Griffin and Shannyn Moore.

Their posts have been linked, amplified and complemented by a broader network of blogs around the world, from the France-based blog Palingates (which lists its mission as “examining the many lies and deceptions of Sarah Palin” and whose devoted readers helped it win a 2010 Bloggers Choice award as “Best Political Blog”) and its Germany-based offshoot, Politicalgates, to Sullivan’s widely read Washington-based The Dish, which recently moved from the Atlantic to the Daily Beast/Newsweek.

After an extremely critical and widely panned October story in Vanity Fair drew heavily on their work — asserting “without these blogs, the world would have much less information about Palin’s life right now” — Palin lashed out against “impotent, limp and gutless reporters” who quote anonymous sources criticizing her.

Not only have those bloggers helped shape hard-hitting stories about Palin in mainstream media outlets, they also have been involved to varying degrees in the coming wave of Palin books, with Devon co-writing Bailey’s memoir and McGinniss and Dunn interviewing Whitstine, Griffin and a Politicalgates blogger.

“Once you have a Joe McGinniss or a Geoffrey Dunn writing on the same things you’ve been talking about, it validates what you’ve been doing and makes you feel like you haven’t been wasting all your time, people are finally starting to hear these stories and they’re doing the research that I was doing before,” said Griffin, who visited McGinnis when the latter was renting next door to the Palins.

A 51-year-old Anchorage single parent who talks in explosive torrents of words that sound like his posts read, Griffin says he spends as many as 10 hours a day on his largely Palin-focused blog. On it, he uses unnamed sources to report a steady diet of Trig Truth updates, along with items examining the state of Palin’s marriage (once provoking aggressive pushback from Palin, her aides and allies by falsely reporting that she and her husband had “decided to end their marriage”), legs, and children’s alleged misbehavior.

The 30-something Frankfurt, Germany-based lawyer behind Politicalgates, who goes by the pseudonym “Patrick” because he fears retribution from Palin and her allies, sounds a more ominous tone in describing his motivation for originally joining Palingates as an investigative blogger.

“There are quite a lot of reasons to compare her to someone like Hitler, but of course, you have to look at Sarah Palin’s life really closely, investigate her really closely to find these details,” said Patrick.

Those investigations have run the gamut from Trig Truth to posting pre-publication copies of both of Palin’s books to revealing that Palin had flown on a private jet between stops during the much-hyped bus tour to promote her first book, “Going Rogue,” to revealing that her political action committee had hired leading independent Palin attack dog Rebecca Mansour.

The members of this loose network have had their spats and rifts. Moore and Devon, for instance, reject Trig Trutherism, while the founder of Palingates asked Patrick and his partner to leave the blog after he posted an item about a massage therapist who had been implicated in a prostitution sting and with whom the National Enquirer tabloid alleged Palin’s husband, Todd, had a dalliance — a report the Anchorage police pushed back against.

But they have nonetheless found common cause in their shared belief that Palin is not what she purports to be and that the mainstream media, for the most part, have miserably failed to expose her.

They’ve scored a number of Palin mini-scoops that have driven mainstream media coverage, including a report this month on Palingates that Bristol Palin was paid $262,000 in 2009 for being a spokesperson for a teen pregnancy prevention nonprofit and one last year on Devon’s blog, The Mudflats, showing that the Palins hadn’t paid property taxes on backcountry cabins built on land they co-owned (turns out the cabins were never added to the tax rolls).

But they’ve also run with some wild Palin rumors that caused the MSM to give chase only to find no there there.

After the National Enquirer, in the heat of the 2008 campaign reported that Palin had been romantically linked to an unnamed business partner of her husband’s (a story the McCain-Palin campaign called a “vicious lie”), for example, Sullivan suggested that the affair was with a family friend who had recently filed for divorce, and that the filings may contain proof of the affair.

That prompted a stream of reporters to make their way to a suburban district courthouse near Wasilla to pore over the 75 or so pages in the marriage dissolution file — only to find the sole references to Palin in the divorcing couple’s holdings, which included a recreational property they owned with Sarah and Todd Palin.

Patrick asserts that the cumulative effect of all the efforts of the anti-Palin movement has helped cut into Palin’s support.

“It’s not me alone, of course,” he said. “It’s a group of people who are working on this, and I think we definitely got under the skin of the Palin clan.”

Indeed, the reactions of Palin and her allies have arguably drawn more attention to the attacks themselves.

The paper by Northern Kentucky University professor Brad Scharlott — which argues that Palin “likely … staged a hoax concerning the birth of her son Trig” and that the media “failed to show appropriate skepticism about Palin’s unproven claim that she is the birth mother of Trig” — only got attention after an outburst by Palin’s fiercely loyal former spokesman Bill McAllister. He sent Scharlott an email — which wound up in the student paper, eventually making its way to the anti-Palin blogs — calling his study “reprehensible” and threatening to “slap” him, then forwarded the missive to five other members of the faculty, with the subject line “Brad Scharlott disgraces your university.”

The publicity around the study prompted a number of mainstream, if left-leaning, media outlets to run items dismissing the study. But Scharlott says he’s been received “like a rock star” in the anti-Palin movement and predicted “the tipping point will come … when the mainstream media start talking about” the truth behind Trig Palin’s birth.

Sullivan, who did not respond to interview requests, told Harvard Magazine in a recently published profile that his continued questions about Trig Palin have made him “more of an outlaw” in Washington and “alienated from mainstream media.” Griffin — who like Scharlott and Whitstine — has been targeted by Palin or her allies — shares the optimistic view of the professor and blogging grandmother that their work is winning influential converts.

“Maybe only looking back on it a year or two years from now, we’ll know what I did or didn’t do,” said Griffin. “And how involved I was in hopefully what is her fate, which, by the way, is going to be bad.”

Source:  Politico

**And every time you think Sarah will catch a break… there seems to be something new.  Last week it was the attacks on her 3-year-old special needs son and tonight, sure enough, I read that it seems the liberals have really gotten loser Levi Johnston a Book Deal - ‘SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT’: LEVI JOHNSTON TO WRITE TELL - ALL BOOK ON PALIN FAMILY (“Deer in the Headlights: My Life in Sarah Palin’s Crosshairs.”) This should be good… this guy wouldn’t know the truth if he were shot between the eyes.

God Bless you Sarah as well as your family!  The one thing you can say is that there are more people who love Sarah than hate her… and those that do love her and her politics are as strong in their support as her enemies.

If Sarah Palin does not run for President to protect her family it will be America’s loss!  And shame on you to anyone who has bought into this left-wing b.s. without checking the facts, reading her books, listening to her speeches and attending the rallies where she mesmerizes the crowd.  Only a hand full of politicians come along who really identify with, care about, and are one of the people.  Sarah is one! And if you look at the field of 2012 GOP Presidential possibles, she and Allen West are the closest to Ronald Reagan’s ideology and should be at the top of everyone’s consideration list!

Beware, if we continue to buy into the left-wing lies we will end up with another 4-years of Obama, Hillary if it gets too bad and he has to drop out, or a McCainesque GOP candidate.  God help us!  All 3 of those options would put a Progressive Globalist in the White House and destroy what is left of what was the greatest nation that ever existed on this Earth… even with our faults!**

Related:

See: Journolists: The Truth of Media Fraud Confirmed

The Narrative Not Mentioned Marginalizing Sarah

Hate for Sarah Palin

Fear Factor: Palin Derangement Syndrome

The Judas Media

Palin’s Books:  America by Heart & Going Rogue… and Game Change about the 2008 Election