http://www.redstate.com/brianfaughnan Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:56:23 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The truth is out there: Harry Reid has no idea what to do to create jobs. Via Jim Geraghty http://www.redstate.com/brianfaughnan/2009/11/20/watch-it-before-its-gone/ This is significant: Senate Democrats have abandoned plans to use a fast-track parliamentary strategy to avert a threatened Republican filibuster and pass a health care overhaul -- a signal that they are considering major policy concessions to moderates. The most significant of these could be restructuring or dropping altogether a proposed government-run insurance ... http://www.redstate.com/brianfaughnan/2009/11/18/reid-gives-up-on-reconciliation/ If Boxer was frustrated that Brigadier General Walsh failed to shower her the proper respect, how will she react when she sees how she's being treated by the San Diego media? Got that Senator Boxer? One job created in San Diego so far - at a time when the unemployment rate in ... http://www.redstate.com/brianfaughnan/2009/11/16/kusi-boxers-kind-of-lying-about-stimulus-jobs/ While it was largely lost in the debate over passage of Pelosi-care on Saturday night, it may turn out that the most politically costly vote many Democrats cast was against the Motion to Recommit. Simply put, the Motion to Recommit gives the minority party one last chance to force a vote ... http://www.redstate.com/brianfaughnan/2009/11/09/get-your-2010-attack-ads-one-year-early/ This morning I spoke with Ed Mangano, the Republican candidate for County Executive in Long Island's Nassau County. Mangano has already put a tremendous scare into 8-year incumbent Democrat Tom Suozzi, who was expected to stroll to re-election. And while votes are still being counted, it looks like Mangano will ... http://www.redstate.com/brianfaughnan/2009/11/09/a-conservative-campaign-built-on-handshakes-shoe-leather/ Democrat Bill Owens wants to succeed former Congressman John McHugh in New York's 23rd congressional district. McHugh was a faithful representative of the center-right views of his district; in contrast, Owens is doing his best to earn the support of the extreme Left of the Democrat party. For example, here's Owens ... http://www.redstate.com/brianfaughnan/2009/10/29/bill-owens-move-health-care-as-rapidly-as-possible/ Remember this? That was embarrassing. Creigh Deeds needed to find a way to avoid more verbal fumbles. Saying something new revealed a serious weakness for Deeds: he really can't discuss the substance of an issue without doing fatal damage to his tax-raising campaign. So what's the solution? Instead of saying anything ... http://www.redstate.com/brianfaughnan/2009/10/22/creigh-deeds-on-message/ The veneer of inevitability is starting to peel off: Conservative Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) has endorsed former Florida state House Speaker Marco Rubio (R) in Florida's open Senate race. Inhofe's endorsement means he will oppose the NRSC-back candidate in the race, Gov. Charlie Crist (R). “Like me, Marco believes that the federal government ... http://www.redstate.com/brianfaughnan/2009/10/19/inhofe-endorses-rubio/ I'm sure if he is clean enough to have the support of Barack Obama, Alexi Giannoulias has nothing to hide - right? Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful David Hoffman late Thursday released copies of his federal income tax returns for the past five years and, with a sharp shot at competitor Alexi ... http://www.redstate.com/brianfaughnan/2009/10/16/will-obamas-mob-friend-protege-open-his-books/ The Washington Post reports that Tara O'Toole is poking around at the Department of Homeland Security, and apparently anticipating the Senate will confirm her nomination soon: The Department of Homeland Security directorate of science and technology is moving office furniture around these days, apparently to fit more folks into available space. ... http://www.redstate.com/brianfaughnan/2009/10/15/murtha-lackey-about-to-settle-in-at-dhs/ Jim Geraghty wonders how the state of New Jersey can so consistently produce a rosy assessment of the state's unemployment situation, only to be forced to correct themselves later: As noted for much of the year, the Garden State's economy is in rough, rough shape, with unemployment high and climbing. But ... http://www.redstate.com/brianfaughnan/2009/10/14/the-curious-case-of-new-jersey-job-numbers/ As Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan seeks a promotion to the US Senate, she has to expect a few questions about her past dealings with ACORN. After all, the Secretary of State 'administers all statewide elections for both candidates and issues,' as well as promulgates rules and guidelines, handles ... http://www.redstate.com/brianfaughnan/2009/10/13/is-robin-carnahan-running-for-senator-from-acorn/ This takes chutzpah: West Virginia Democrat Rep. Alan Mollohan apparently is undeterred by an ongoing Justice Department investigation of his earmarking practices because his 2010 earmark requests includes a $2 million item for a project that will benefit several of his campaign contributors, and a former staff member who is also ... http://www.redstate.com/brianfaughnan/2009/10/13/despite-ethics-investigation-mollohan-continues-to-enrich-friends/ Former Congressman JD Hayworth is reportedly considering a primary challenge to John McCain. In explaining his rationale recently, he made a serious allegation about McCain's loyalty to party: Hayworth charged that in 2005 Salter tried to "blackmail" him into stopping his public criticism of McCain's comprehensive immigration-reform bill. Hayworth said his ... http://www.redstate.com/brianfaughnan/2009/10/12/did-mccain-torpedo-jd-hayworth/ The White House made a big deal of the support it has garnered from physicians around the country. Yesterday they even held a doctors' rally - complete with white smocks - to show support. Yet the physicians in attendance weren't the disinterested crowd President Obama suggested - many were longtime ... http://www.redstate.com/brianfaughnan/2009/10/06/loyal-democrats-endorse-obamacare/ I am told by liberal friends and colleagues that conservatives like me vastly overrate the significance of organizations such as ACORN. I wonder what those friends would say if a conservative entity was found to have prepared documents like this one: A "Power Plan" document begins: "Oklahoma ACORN has been virtually ... http://www.redstate.com/brianfaughnan/2009/10/02/acorn-planned-takeover-of-oklahoma-government/ Today a number of Red State contributors took the opportunity to participate in a conference call with Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. A number of other bloggers did too, and if you're interested in the assessments of other smart people, I encourage you to read Brad Jackson, Jim Geraghty, Ed Morrissey, ... http://www.redstate.com/brianfaughnan/2009/10/01/tim-pawlenty-freedom-first/ Americans for Prosperity wants to make it easier for all Americans to call Congress and express their opposition to health care rationing. That's why they've launched Patients First to spread the word about government-run health care. And it's why they've organized Call Congress Day next Tuesday, October 6: Please consider participating ... http://www.redstate.com/brianfaughnan/2009/10/01/afp-makes-it-easy-to-call-congress/ The Washington Times recently took a look at the forced health care rationing in Chairman Max Baucus's health care overhaul legislation: The offending provision is on Pages 80-81 of the unamended Baucus bill, hidden amid a lot of similar legislative mumbo-jumbo about Medicare payments to doctors. The key sentence: "Beginning in ... http://www.redstate.com/brianfaughnan/2009/10/01/max-baucus-requires-health-care-rationing/ As Congress focuses on the critical issue of health care, the US Senate is fortunate to have two actual Medical Doctors among its ranks: doctors Tom Coburn and John Barrasso. As you might imagine, these experts represent a crucial font of knowledge and experience, whom we should look to for ... http://www.redstate.com/brianfaughnan/2009/09/24/red-state-on-senate-doctors/