Supreme Court Strikes Down Obama Recess Appointments

Supreme Court Strikes Down Obama Recess Appointments



The U.S. Supreme Court

In a rebuke to President Obama's latest recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the U.S. Supreme Court struck them down as unconstitutional last Thursday.  The decision gives the Senate broad power to thwart future recess appointments.  However, it didn't go as far as some conservatives hoped for in that it would undercut the president's ability to fill vacant executive branch posts and judicial slots.  The Court ruled 9-0 that Obama's recess appointments were unconstitutional because the Senate was not truly in recess when Obama made them during a three-day broke in pro forma meetings of the legislative body.  It was a good ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court.  It keeps him in check concerning the powers the executive branch has.  This way he can't fill vacant appointments if the Senate isn't in recess.  To read the full story, click on the above link from Politico.com.

Iraqi Helicopters Strike Militant-Held Tikrit

Iraqi Helicopters Strike Militant-Held Tikrit



Iraqi troops backed by helicopter gunships launched an operation early Saturday aimed at dislodging Sunni militants from the northern city of Tikrit, one of two major urban centers they seized in recent weeks in a dramatic blitz across the country.  To read further, click on the above link from FoxNews.com.

The Tea Party Movement Should be Grassroots--not National

Rep. James Lankford--National Tea Party is Oxymoron




Oklahoma Rep. James Lankford

Rep. James Lankford, (R-OH) is right in his comment that the National Tea Party is oxymoron.  Our former politicians who claim to be a party of the National Tea Party movement don't represent the same ideals that the American people do on a grass roots level.  To some who might be ignorant, America is a republic, not a democracy.  In our republic, the electorate, or the American people who are registered to vote in their particular precinct, have a responsibility to send representatives to Congress who represent the voter's values.  The American people's values should be represented in Congress.  Instead, Congress, the president, and the Supreme Court have their own agenda which they're shoving down the American people's throats.  It doesn't represent the ideals that our Founding Fathers stood for.  Our elected elite have their own agenda and it's in opposition to the ideals that our local Tea Party groups support.  We as the American people have the responsibility to elect officeholders who represent our ideals.  That's the way it should work.  However, given the digression of this nation over the last several decades, this model won't work like it should because there aren't many voters who will voter on principle and on God, country, and the Constitution.  Instead, it's all about what Washington can do for us.  Whatever happened to John F. Kennedy's famous statement in his inaugural address, Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country?

Chris McDaniel Refuses to Concede to Thad Cochran

State Senator Chris McDaniel

Chris McDaniel Refuses to Concede to thad Cochran

State Senator Chris McDaniel lost to incumbent Mississippi Senator Thad Cochran in a Senate runoff on Tuesday.  However, McDaniel refuses to concede to the incumbent Senator.  He vowed that he would challenge the results.  The problem with this scenario is that Mississippi nor Hawaii have a standard recount procedure spelled out in state law books.  Candidates in Mississippi are allowed to challenge the results in the courts.  It will be interesting how this scenario will play out.  To read the story, click on the above link.

Sunni Militants Carve Trail Through Western Iraq

Sunni Militants Carve Trail Through Western Iraq




Sunni militants are making headway, blitzing through the vast desert of Western Iraq, capturing four towns and three border crossings, and deepening the predicament of the Shiite-led government by Prime Minister Nour-al-Malaki.  To read the full story, click on the above link from FoxNews.com.

Former Vice-President Dick Cheney Blames Barack Obama for the Iraqi Mess

Former Vice-President Dick Cheney Blames Barack Obama for the Iraqi Mess


Former Vice-President Dick Cheney

Former Vice-President Dick Cheney, one of the leading advocates in the U.S. led 2003 invasion of Iraq which topped Saddam Hussein, stated that the Obama administration's approach to the Middle East has emboldened Islamic extremists and put the nation at risk.  In an op-ed with the Wall Street Journal with his daughter Liz, Cheney called for a reversal of Obama's policies concerning Iraq in the last six years, including the pulling of troops from Iraq.  Michigan Senator Carl Levin noted that George W. Bush, Obama's predecessor, made an agreement with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri-al-Malaki to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq at the end of 2011, which it did.  The criticism comes as a result of the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (also know as ISIS), gains a foothold in Western and Northern Iraq which could destabilize the region.  It's a group of Sunni militants that are trying to take control of parts of Iraq.  Anyone that knows anything about Iraq history realizes that the Iraqi region is composed of ethnic turmoil involving the Sunnis, Shiites, and the Kurds.  When Saddam Hussein was in control, he was a Sunni that kept the Shiites in check and Iraq didn't have the bloodshed and violence it would later have once Saddam was overthrown.  Since then it has been a bloody mess in Iraq for a number of years.  Also, the Shiites are the majority in Iraq's border neighbor, Iran. 

I'm not a fan of President Obama by no means, but the Bush administration sent troops to Iraq to oust Saddam but the administration had no solid post-war agenda to stabilize Iraq.  Once the initial invasion ended, there was looting and terrorism within Iraq taking place.  Iraq is a battlefield that I don't believe the U.S. should involve itself in.  We've been there before and Bush had the wrong agenda for the country.  Obama's agenda will be no different, or any better if there are any changes made. The U.S. needs to stay out of Iraq.  To read the full story, click on the above link.

Kevin McCarthy Becomes Least Tenured Floor Leader in U.S. House History

Kevin McCarthy Becomes Least Tenured Floor Leader in U.S. House History


new House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)

Kevin McCarthy will become the new House Majority Leader in July, who replaces current Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), due to Cantor losing to the GOP Primary in June to Tea Party challenger David Brat.  A painstaking study of three dozen former House Majority and Minority leaders claim that Kevin McCarthy will possess the least tenure of any House Majority Leader in U.S. history.  Read the full story from WashingtonTimes.com.  

Who are the Major Players in the Iraq Crisis?

Who are the Major Players in the Iraq Crisis?


Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Malaki

Click on the above link to read this article from USA Today.

Eric Cantor Defeated by Tea Party Challenger David Brat

Eric Cantor Defeated by Tea Party Challenger David Brat

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor who was defeated by Tea Party Challenger David Brat


In one of the most stunning primary upsets, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor was defeated by a Tea Party challenger and economics professor David Brat, in last Tuesday's Virginia primary.  It was great news for Brat who was able to defeat an Establishment Republican, even more so considering the fact that Cantor is the House Majority Leader.  The last time a party leader was defeated in the House was former House Speaker Tom Foley, who was a Democrat, in the 1994 general elections which put the Republicans in charge of the House the following year.  Foley lost to little-known Republican George Nethercutt.  Only this time a Republican House leader lost to a Republican in the primary.  The media has been saying Cantor's defeat would deliver a major shock wave to the Republican party.  Brat accused Cantor of not being sufficiently conservative and he took issue with Cantor's stance on illegal immigration. 

It's good to see a GOP incumbent go down to defeat.  What a shame that Ohio voters in the 8th Congressional district didn't send House Speaker John Boehner packing weeks ago.  However, I'm thankful for all the incumbent defeats we can receive.  To read the full story, click on the above link from The New York Times.

Obama to Announce Controversial Emission Limits on Power Plants

Obama to Announce Controversial Emission Limits on Power Plants





In order to fulfill his campaign promises to environmentalists, President Obama is set to announce controversial emission limits on power plants across the country, a cornerstone of President Obama's climate change plans in his attempts to limit carbon emissions by 17% in 2020.  If President Obama has his way in this matter, then more jobs will be eliminated in these power plants and utility bills will soar even higher, which could cripple the economy.  President's Obama's so-called climate change plan will place more government power and regulation in the energy business.  To read the full story, click on the above link from FoxNews.com.

Some GOP Candidates Show Signs of Retreat on Repealing Obamacare

Some GOP Candidates Show Signs of Retreat on Repealing Obamacare




Dr. Monica Wehby, U.S. Senatorial Candidate in Oregon

I hate to say this but if repealing Obamacare is nothing more than a campaign issue just to get elected or re-elected, then the GOP candidates need to stop running on this issue.  I'm tired of the lies and deceitfulness of the GOP such as House Speaker John Boehner and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in 2010 when they made promises to voters they were going to repeal/defund Obamacare if the GOP were placed in power that fall.  Boehner and Cantor can't plead ignorance that they didn't think it would be this difficult to repeal or defund Obamacare.  They know the game in Washington.  Boehner's been in Washington since 1991.  It's just part of the political game.  Both parties are in collusion with each other and both parties are working against the American people.  They're frauds, liars, and deceivers.  I'm tired of hearing so-called conservative political candidates running on issues for 30+ years that they have no intention of correcting.  They want the issue but they have no intentions on solving the problem.  To read the full story, click on the above link from the Washington Post.