Did Mr. and Mrs. Obama meet with, or personally -as in physically- show their support for U.S. Troops or Service members this year? 
You see, in a very real and simple sense, people do that which is important to them; and people avoid that which is unimportant.   This is a simple truth in life that many people seem to ignore.  
Washington (CNN) – President Obama paid a visit Friday to a group of activists who have been fasting for weeks in the hopes of pressuring Congress to pass new immigration laws.

Obama and his wife, First Lady Michelle Obama, visited the group on the National Mall to lend support for the cause. The “Fast for Families” protesters have given up all sustenance except water during their protest, which they hope will force lawmakers to take up immigration reform measures pending on Capitol Hill. (more…)

Via Weazelzippers:

Let’s face it: we all have a crazy Tea Party relative (or two) who just loves bashing President Obama — even on Thanksgiving.

If you’re worried that your Thanksgiving table will start looking like the set of Fox & Friends, we’ve got just the thing for you: the DCCC’s 2013 Thanksgiving Cheat Sheet!

Don’t worry about printing it out — we’ll text it directly to your phone so you’ll always have the facts and stats you need to go up against all the nastiest Republican sound bites.

Enjoy — and have a great Thanksgiving!

Democrats 2014

We’ve all seen these press conferences where a politician, or public official, or ( fill in the blank ) are caught doing something generally regarded as wrong.   Their behavior is not inappropriate, it’s not misguided, it is just plain wrong.  We’ve seen too many of them including from President Clinton and numerous others.
Traditionally if it is a male politician, politico, or other, the wife stands next to the husband and he apologizes – then discussions and/or judgmental frenzies ensue driven mostly by the media analysts. The lesser the perceived sincerity, the more manipulative or controlling the apology, the harsher the judgment hammer falls  upon the flawed.
That said, this has to be one of the most raw, honest and sincere admissions of personal flaws I have ever witnessed.   Congressman Tray Radel stood in front of the media, accepted his total and complete ownership of the issue, and never deflected a scintilla of accountability away from himself.

As disappointing as the admitted cocaine use is – I salute his raw honesty and the manner in which he conducted himself in the public square. I also appreciate the decision of his family for his wife to stay home at 10:00pm with their 3 year old son. The healing amid his family is not a matter of, or for, public consumption.
One of the reasons I highlight this video is because the “establishment class” of republicans are seeking to reinstall Republican family legend Connie Mack Jr. to replace Radel. I’d rather have an honestly flawed man in congress than a dishonest Decepticon any day of the week.

When President Obama said HHS/Obamacare  was going to enter a phase of “rebranding” he wasn’t kidding.    He only left out the part where taxpayer dollars would be used in the new imaging campaign…. and this is ONLY just the beginning.
Which begs the obvious question – If Obamacare is so glorious and great on its merits, why does it need a positive branding campaign?
WASHINGTON DC – With the roll out of Obamacare being as disastrous as possible for the Obama administration, one group was given a $1 million grant to help lead a rebranding effort with hopes of salvaging the law in the eyes of the American people.
Families USA (FUSA) — an organization that describes itself as a “national nonprofit, non-partisan organization dedicated to the achievement of high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans” — was given a $1.1 million grant by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on October 4, 2013, to gather “success stories” of Americans dealing with Obamacare and distribute them to the media who often refer to them as an “independent” group. This is part of a greater upcoming effort to bolster the perception of the lowly health care law. (more…)

VIA TELEGRAPH – A senior advisor to the Saudi royal family has accused its Western allies of deceiving the oil rich kingdom in striking the nuclear accord with Iran and said Riyadh would follow an independent foreign policy.

Nawaf Obaid told a think tank meeting in London that Saudi Arabia was determined to pursue its own foreign and policy goals. Having in the past been reactive to events, the leading Sunni Muslim nation was determined to be pro-active in future.
Mr Obaid said that while Saudi Arabia knew that the US was talking directly to Iran through a channel in the Gulf state of Oman, Washington had not directly briefed its ally.
“We were lied to, things were hidden from us,” he said. “The problem is not with the deal struck in Geneva but how it was done.”   (read more)

Breitbart has a great interview and outline available where they interview Mitch McConnell’s primary challenger, Matt Bevin. Here are some excerpts:
[…] There is a tug of war going on between ‘We the People’ who still believe at the ballot box that this is a government by and for us. And it’s a battle between us and those who think it’s by and for a handful and that that handful gets to self-select and self-profligate and self-choose who’s next in line.”
[…] We are as a nation, and I don’t care what side of the aisle people are on, seventy-plus percent of Americans strongly believe that we’re on the wrong path financially and I couldn’t agree more,” he stated. “The path we’re on financially is unsustainable. And I look at my children and I think I can leave money to them, I can try to leave businesses to them, but to have in what type of America? What type of a world?” (more…)

Senator Mitch McConnell is desperate to retain his seat.   He is doing everything within his considerable power to destroy the Jim DeMint established Senate Conservative Fund who are supporting four solid CONSERVATIVE Candidates.
McConnell’s latest pressure from the establishment class is directed toward staff working inside the SCF.    McConnell is growing more rabid and more intense as the months lead up to the May 2014 Kentucky primary.     He is threatening to destroy anyone who stands against him and the establishment GOP.
In as much as President Obama has ruled by dictatorial fiat against the wishes of the average center-right American, likewise does Mitch McConnell hold a similar view of power.     If McConnell hates the SCF every patriot should support it.   Here’s the latest message from the Senate Conservative Fund about the four current 2014 conservative candidates.
(VIA SCF)  Thanks to your support, our four endorsed candidates for U.S. Senate are making remarkable progress. Here’s a quick update on these critical races. (more…)

 Washington (CNN) – Only four out of 10 Americans believe President Barack Obama can manage the federal government effectively, according to a new national poll.
And a CNN/ORC International survey released Monday morning also indicates that 53% of Americans now believe that Obama is not honest and trustworthy, the first time that a clear majority in CNN polling has felt that way.

(more…)

(Via Politico) Democratic leaders claim the bungled launch of Obamacare is just the latest news sensation — a media-stirred tempest that looks in the heat of the moment like it could upend the midterm election, but ends up fizzling well before voters head to the polls.
Some party strategists say they’re in denial.
And that perceived gap between party spin and facts on the ground is fueling worries that the White House and Democratic higher-ups aren’t taking the possible electoral blowback seriously enough or doing enough to shield their candidates. Democratic contenders in the toughest races are distinctly less convinced that Obamacare will fade as an election-year issue — and they can’t afford to just cross their fingers that things get ironed out or that Republicans revert to political hara-kiri. (more…)

George Will:  “Iran will now definitely get the [atomic] bomb” !

CAIRO — Israeli officials knew they were being kept in the dark as the U.S. conducted secret talks with Iran, and the knowledge that the White House was “going behind Israel’s back” was one of the key sources of tension between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Barack Obama, according to a senior Israeli minister and other Israeli officials. (more…)