….. The White House announced Friday that it will resume public tours next month on a limited basis.

The tours, which were canceled in March as a result of the across-the-board budget cuts known as sequestration, will begin again on Nov. 5 on a reduced schedule. Instead of five days a week, the tours will run for three days a week, according to the White House. (more…)

The Kentucky, Tennessee and South Carolina Tea party Tests are discussed toward the end:

RT @reidpillifant: Pete King calls for a Republican war on Ted Cruz http://t.co/ONBx8oUGbj

— Pete King (@RepPeteKing) October 16, 2013

New York […] To King, the fault doesn’t lie broadly with Congress, but falls squarely on Cruz and his 30 or 40 “acolytes,” who put pressure on other Republicans.
“I think it’s important for people in the Republican Party around the country not to just come in at the end and say, ‘Congress was dysfunctional,’ or ‘Congress screwed up.’ That’s too easy to do,” King said. “Say who it was. Because it wasn’t Congress. It was one person who was able to steamroll Congress and unless we target him for what he is, he’s going to do it again. So I’m hoping other Republicans will join me and start going after this guy, and say we’re not going to let it happen again.” (more…)

UPDATE:  Be sure to read Andrea Shea King’s explanation in the comments section.

WASHINGTON DC – A proposal to end the government shutdown and avoid default orchestrated by Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and Democratic Leader Harry Reid includes a nearly $3 billion earmark for a Kentucky project.
Language in a draft of the McConnell-Reid deal (see page 13, section 123) provided to WFPL News shows a provision that increases funding for the massive Olmsted Dam Lock in Paducah, Ky., from $775 million to nearly $2.9 billion.
The dam is considered an important project for the state and region in regards to water traffic along the Ohio River.
As The Courier-Journal’s James Bruggers reported in 2011, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said they needed about $2.1 billion for the locks due to “stop and go funding.” (read more)

Race Called by various News Agencies – Booker Wins

NEWARK — Democrat Cory Booker and Republican Steve Lonegan are waiting to find out tonight which of them will become New Jersey’s newest U.S. senator.

Booker, the Newark mayor, and Lonegan, the former mayor of Bogota, are running in today’s special election to fill the final 15 months of the seat vacated after the death of Frank Lautenberg, the Democrat who served five terms.
Polls close at 8 p.m.
Coverage Link
In addition to the coverage link above here’s another link to election results CLICK HERE
Update #4 – @9:50pm Fox and AP Call Race for Corey Booker

(more…)

There are many similarities at work in the French electorate just like they are here.   The Front National Party (FN) is similar in view and position to the U.S. Tea Party.  However, the FN has an actual political structure.  Pay attention to this paragraph in the article (emphasis mine):

“The left and the mainstream right are blaming each other for what is happening, but the reality is they’ve both been knocked sideways,” said Nonna Mayer, the Research Director at the National Research Centre CNRS. “Neither of them know what to do.”

Sound familiar?

*Note* For those who don’t follow international politics closely Marine Le Pen is like a French version of Sarah Palin; albeit without the media attached misogyny.

FRANCE24 – France’s mainstream political parties were Monday scratching their heads over what to do about a surge by the Front National (FN) after a breakthrough by-election win for the far-right party.
The ruling Socialist party and the centre-right Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), the party of former president Nicolas Sarkozy, face humiliating reverses in municipal and European elections next year if the FN can sustain its current standing in the eyes of an electorate thoroughly fed-up with record unemployment, rising taxes and a perceived increase in crime and insecurity.
A poll published last week suggested the FN could emerge as the best-supported party in the European elections with 24 percent of those asked declaring themselves ready to back the party led by Marine Le Pen, the daughter of FN founder Jean-Marie Le Pen. (more…)

Heroic pit bull, Jack, took on a pack of coyotes to save his cat best friend from certain death…

FLORIDA – Jack is no ordinary Pit Bull. ‘Jack is a  hero,’ says his Florida owner Sherrie Lewis. The dog protected Lewis’ cat, named  Kitty, from a bunch of coyotes.
‘As I was walking to the door, I could see  the coyotes over here,’ she motioned.
‘It happened in an instant at the Seminole  neighborhood. One had her by the neck and the other had her by the tail,’ she  told My Fox Tampa  Bay.
Jack ran as fast as he could to defend  Kitty.  Jack attacked the coyotes who eventually let go of their injured  prey. (more…)

THE FIGHT IS ON. The war was actually always on, it’s just the Decepeticons didn’t want to talk about it. Now, however, their desperation needle is buried in overdrive. (more after Levin article)

WASHINGTON DC – On Friday, conservative talk radio host Mark Levin said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) needed to be defeated in his primary next year for conservatism to succeed.

“I believe Mitch McConnell should be defeated in Kentucky,” Levin said on his radio show, calling McConnell an “awful Republican leader. Awful.” McConnell is being challenged by Tea Party candidate Matt Bevin.

Hours after Sean Hannity said House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and the House Republican leadership needed to be replaced, Levin said he has said for years that Boehner should be defeated and referred to McConnell as “more of a schemer” than Boehner. He said the current Republican leadership will never fiercely fight to defeat Obamacare and advance conservatism.

“Where is he today?” Levin said of McConnell.

Levin also discussed plans by Republican establishment figures to take down the Tea Party with so-called “pro-business” candidates who love crony capitalism. The Republican establishment indicated they will target conservatives like Reps. Steve King (R-IA) or Justin Amash (R-MI) with candidates from the center. (read more)

What’s playing out visibly, is the risk to the ‘establishment class’ of GOP Deceptive Conservatives, Decepticons, now becoming more self-evident.  They now fear losing their own power MORE THAN they fear the Democrats winning in elections or gaining power. (more…)

The insufferable belief that WE THE PEOPLE are stupid reins supreme in the mindset of these idiots who fail to grasp that an engaged electorate accurately understand what they have done.

No Senator, we are not stupid.   You voted to allow “cloture” on the Senate Bill which allowed the Democrats to strip out the defunding mechanism with a simple majority.   We are NOT fooled.
You did not vote to defund Obamacare, you voted to allow the continuing resolution -which funded Obamacare- to advance with a 51 vote threshold.
You are the worst kind of politician; the kind who think We are Stupid.

Lindsey Graham is up for re-election in this cycle.   South Carolina please primary him OUT !