More Lunacy from the Obama Administration

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and yet expecting a different result. But here comes the Obama administration with a new proposal for more stimulus. Because the last round of stimuli worked so well.

Some progressives apparently believe that the only thing wrong with TARP is that it wasn't big enough. There is no reasoning with these people.

The Wall Street Journal details the sad history of all these failed attempts to jump-start the economy. How quickly we forget about such goodies as "cash for clunkers" and such cliches as "timely, targeted and temporary."

I See Dead People

J. Christian Adams, an election lawyer, writes at Pajamas Media that 16 states have failed to clean up their voter lists as required by federal law, including Kentucky.

The Motor Voter law permits citizens to register to vote at welfare offices and Department of Motor Vehicle offices. In addition to making voter registration easier, the law requires states to review their voter lists on a regular basis and purge ineligible voters: dead people, felons and voters who have moved.

To make the Department of Justice accountable, moreover, the law includes a private right of action. Citizens can sue. And Christian Adams, who has sent notice letters to 16 states, may just bring suit. He writes:

Every two years, states must report to the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) information about their voter rolls. The latest report is troubling. South Dakota, Texas, Mississippi, Kentucky and Indiana report in excess of a dozen counties with more registered voters than living people old enough to vote. Having more voters than living humans tells you something is wrong. In West Virginia, one county reported 113% of the voting age population was registered to vote. Baltimore, Maryland, reported 104% of voting age citizens on the rolls. Iowa and North Carolina also reported counties with more voters than living citizens of voting age.

All of these states received a notice letter.

I'm waiting for a response from the office of Kentucky's Secretary of State to see if they have received a "notice letter" from Adams and, if so, how Kentucky responds to his allegations. This may be an issue of military personnel rotating in and out of Kentucky.

H/t: Instapundit

SUSA Poll Shows Paul Up by 15

The latest WHAS11/ Courier-Journal poll by Survey USA shows Rand Paul has widened his lead over Jack Conway to 15 points. SUSA has the best track record for accuracy in polling Kentucky races.

Paul leads 55 to 40. That's a four point gain over last month, and a three point drop for Conway.

The poll shows an extraordinarily large gender gap; men are fleeing from Conway like he has bedbugs or something. Men favor Paul by 34 points. Among women, the gender gap is less pronounced: Conway leads by three.

Democrats are attempting to spin the poll as inaccurate by arguing that it over-samples Republicans. John Yarmuth said much the same thing in his interview with Joe Arnold about the 3rd Congressional district poll. What Democrats can't seem to grasp is that more voters are identifying themselves as Republican. That's not a problem of oversampling, but it is a problem for the Democrats.

How Lally Helps McConnell

If Todd Lally defeats Rep. John Yarmuth -- a real possibility, according to the SUSA poll -- it could set in motion a chain of events whereby Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell becomes majority leader.

Kentucky polls close at at 6:00 in the 3rd Congressional district, a bellwether district. Unless the election is so close as to require a recount, we probably will know the winner by 7:30. That's 4:30 in California, where Carly Fiorina (for whom McConnell recently attended a fundraiser) has great chance at knocking off Barbara Boxer.

A Lally win would energize California Republicans to get to the polls, if they need that extra push. And it would discourage California Democrats, who instead of heading to voting booth might go straight to their favorite watering hole to cry in their Chablis.

Lally and Yarmuth Respond to Poll

Joe Arnold has the unedited tape of his interviews with Todd Lally and Rep. John Yarmuth regarding the SUSA poll that shows the candidates are in a statistical dead heat for Kentucky's 3rd Congressional district.

These interviews are worth watching in their entirety -- particularly for those of us who have not had much opportunity to listen to Todd Lally. I was impressed with Lally. He's very collected, serious and forthright. And there is no doubt that he is a real conservative. The Republican primary voters have chosen wisely.

Yarmuth, in contrast, does not come across nearly as well. That surprised me, because no matter how much I disagree with the man's ideology, in the past he has always seemed like a truly decent guy. In this interview -- like a wounded animal -- he seems mean and nervous. And he sweats profusely.

Check out Yarmuth's campaign strategy: he calls Todd Lally "extreme" and lumps him with Rand Paul.

This is the same bone-headed strategy that Jack Conway is attempting to employ -- the same strategy that Trey Grayson used. Did none of these Democrats notice the Republican primary for U.S. Senate? Grayson was skewered. His campaign was a giant focus group for the Democrats to study. So instead of learning from what did not work for Grayson, the Democrats are replicating his failed strategy.

Republicans need to watch Yarmuth's interview until the end, when Joe Arnold asks him about campaign finances. Yarmuth makes clear that he will have the funds he needs; Yarmuth actually sneers at this point of the interview.

So any conservatives who are still employed and solvent after Obama's "recovery summer" should go to Todd Lally's website and donate now.

Lally and Yarmuth Tied!

Joe Arnold is calling it a "Congressional shocker," but count me not shocked. Todd Lally is in a statistical dead head with Rep. John Yarmuth, according to the WHAS 11/Courier Journal Bluegrass Poll conducted by SUSA. Yarmuth has 47, Lally has 45 and 5 percent remain undecided.

Yarmuth has pridefully resisted his constituents' demands that he moderate his extreme positions for too long. He is too far to the left, even in this district where he enjoys a tremendous registration advantage.

This should attract the attention -- and money -- of the NRCC. But it probably won't, I'm told, because Republicans have such a "target rich environment."

Until the NRCC has the sense and the resources to get behind Lally, it is up to Kentucky Republicans to dig deep for Todd Lally ASAP.

Here's his web site. Give $ now!

Heiner and Fischer Tied

The WHAS 11/Courier-Journal Bluegrass Poll conducted by SurveyUSA -- which I am not, repeat not calling the "SUSA" poll -- shows that the Louisville mayoral race is tied at a statistical dead heat: Greg Fischer 47, Hal Heiner 45. Only five percent remain undecided. The margin of error is plus or minus four percent.

Fischer has moved up two points since the last poll. But given the Democrats' registration advantage, this poll is still very good for Heiner.

Most of the movement from the previous poll was offset by movement for the other candidate; that is, most of the change is a wash.

A few notes from the cross-tabs. First, Heiner improved with younger voters. To be sure, Fischer cancelled that gain out by making gains with older voters. It is extremely good news for Heiner, as the Republican, to appeal to the younger voters, particularly given how Barack Obama appeared to own the youth vote just two years ago. Wonder whether Heiner is the draw to this demographic, or his conservative message?

Second, both candidates have a gender gap. Fischer appeals to ladies, and Heiner to men. This reflects longstanding trends at the national party level. Taken together, the gender gap is 28 percent.

The one movement that is not offset by the other campaign is that Heiner has lost some support among Republicans, and Fischer has picked up that support without losing any points among Democrats. (Indeed, Fischer actually increased slightly.) This hearkens back to the early days of the campaign, when Fischer held a number of fundraisers that featured Republicans as hosts -- not big-time prominent Republicans, just people who are well-known and liked within their neighborhoods.

Jack Conway, "Unscrutinized"

The Daily Caller has a feature on the "unscrutinized" Jack Conway, who has received so little press that some around the nation don't know who is running against Rand Paul (The notable exception is Joe Klein from Time magazine, who scrutinized Conway from head to toe and pronounced him "wicked handsome.")

Two points emerge. First, Conway is getting a pass from the mainstream media because they are too fascinated by Rand Paul to waste the ink on Conway.

Second, in comparing the websites of the two campaigns, Conway looks like an empty albeit stylish suit.

Rand Paul's website lists positions on 18 substantive issues: "abortion, bailouts, campaign finance, reform, energy innovation, federal reserve, guns and politicians, health care, home schooling, illegal immigration, inflation, national defense, privacy and liberty, sovereignty, taxes and debt, term limits, United Nations, veterans and World Bank and IMF."

Jack Conway's website lists positions on just five issues: "cutting the deficit, small business, protecting social security, Wall Street reform and hometown tax credit." Notably absent: Conway's support of Obamacare.

But then again, Conway does have The Hair, and The Chiseled Jaw.

McConnell on Obama's Iraq Victory Speech

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell issued the following statement regarding President Barack Obama's "mission accomplished in Iraq" speech. McConnell made the statement at the Commerce Lexington Public Policy luncheon:

As some of you may know, the President tonight is expected to declare the end of U.S. combat operations in Iraq. As the Senator from a state that has carried a very heavy burden in this war, I think we can all say this is very welcome news. This is a time to be grateful for the incredible sacrifices the men and women in the armed forces have made, are making, and will continue to make on our behalf in the struggle against terrorism.

“But I think we should also be thankful that another President had the determination and the will to carry out the plan that made tonight's announcement possible. You might recall that the surge wasn't very popular when it was announced. You might also recall that one of its biggest critics was the current President. One of his colleagues said the war was already a lost cause, implying, of course, that any further efforts on the part of our troops would be in vain.

“So it makes it easier to talk about fulfilling a campaign promise to wind down our operations in Iraq when the previous administration signs the security agreement with Iraq to end our overall presence there.

“It sure makes things easier when you reject your own campaign rhetoric about how the surge—the Petraeus plan—shouldn’t happen and wouldn’t work.

“It makes things easier when you reject the left-wing calls for defunding our troops in the field and instead continue the policies put in place by the previous administration and keep the same Secretary of Defense and until recently Gen. Petraeus to help guide our efforts there.

“By adopting the Bush administration's plan for winding down the war and transitioning security responsibilities to the Iraqi military over time the President has enabled us and the Iraqis to build on the gains our troops have made.

“This bilateral relationship must also be managed realistically, and based on conditions on the ground as we move forward. Much hard work remains in Iraq. And this President could very well find himself negotiating a new security agreement next year.

“But thankfully we can say today that our troops, the Surge, and the Petraeus Plan all succeeded where many in Washington thought they would fail.”

Careful What You Wish For

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell may get to try his hand at herding cats, if all the maverick-y Tea Partiers get elected. (The Washington Examiner, via Instapundit, has the list.)

Rand Paul has been left behind, as these upstarts in Republican Senate primaries across the country try to outdo each other in professing their love for the constitution and their loathing for debt.

And that's fine, in theory. The looming question is whether any of these people will be able to transition from candidate to Senator -- will their ideological purity prevent them from getting anything done?

Remember when Rand Paul was all shiny and new and exotic? There are now enough Rand Paul clones to form a caucus. He is starting to look mainstream.

Jack's Bogus Bomb

The whole point of a money bomb is the excitement of raising a big wave of donations simultaneously.

Jack Conway's bomb, however, has what Joe Arnold called a "long fuse." That is, Conway is soliciting donations now even though the "money bomb" is not scheduled for detonation until September 7th. Conway's campaign sent an email to announce that he's received $45,000 toward the goal of $260,000 for the bomb.

As Joe observes, "Not that there are any necessarily any rules to follow when any campaign is using such a gimmick, but this appears to be less money "bomb" than a traditional deadline with a set goal."

By calling it a "money bomb," Conway just reinforces the impression that he's a big phony

John Yarmuth Faces Down Green-headed Monster; Monster Wins

The only thing saving Rep. John Yarmuth's hide this election year is that Republicans have so many opportunities for picking up seats that the NRCC has to prioritize. Yarmuth is vulnerable all right, but until Todd Lally can close the gap, the NRCC money will flow elsewhere.

Yarmuth is able to avoid the onslaught of NRCC ads only because it is such a target rich environment for Republicans.

As a smart man, Yarmuth knows this. And he knows that as Nancy Pelosi's designated "messenger," that voters no longer like the "message." All that he cheerfully advocated -- bigger bailouts, single-payer health care, more government at every turn --is about to be rejected by voters. It has begun to dawn on Yarmuth is that he is "messaging" a product that did not work, that nobody wants. All that leaves him with is a hope that voters don't sack the messenger.

This is probably why Yarmuth, who is generally an affable guy, melted down on the Mandy Connell Show when asked about Sen. Republican Leader Mitch McConnell's point that raising taxes on individuals hurts small businesses that file taxes as individuals. For a small business considering hiring new employees, the prospect of a tax hike creates uncertainty about costs, and thus deters job creation just when the country needs it most.

Yarmuth responded by calling McConnell "devious" and "rarely honest." But even as he ranted on about why he supports tax hikes, Yarmuth acknowledged that McConnell was "meticulously accurate."

The subject arose on Connell's show after a listener email questioned why Yarmuth refused to stand up when McConnell entered the Kentucky Farm Bureau ham breakfast at the State Fair, and why Yarmuth muttered that McConnell was lying when McConnell discussed the danger of Democrats raising taxes during a recession.

Even coverage in the Courier-Journal, Yarmuth's biggest cheerleader, made Yarmuth look like a petulant jerk over the incident.

It seems so out of character for Yarmuth. Has the spectre of Democrats losing the House really put him in such an ill mood?

Yarmuth didn't suddenly lose his manners over a question of tax policy. Or ideology. Or even electoral prospects, though all of those things undoubtedly soured his mood.

McConnell and Yarmuth started out together 40 years ago, back when Yarmuth was a Republican. McConnell went on to become the most powerful Republican in Washington. Yarmuth clipped coupons, perfected his golf game (best handicap in Congress!) and now serves as Nancy Pelosi's "messenger." He may get to keep his job another term, but Yarmuth knows that he is becoming irrelevant -- at a time when McConnell is becoming more relevant.

This is perhaps not the outcome Yarmuth had envisioned and so bitterness got the best of his good manners. It doesn't happen often, but this week Yarmuth lost the ability to conceal how much he envies McConnell.

EPA Backs Down

The EPA asked for comments on whether lead bullets should be banned and it got an earful -- so much, so, that the EPA has denied the petition even before the comment period was supposed to close. EPA did not have jurisdiction over bullets under the Toxic Substances Control Act.

Lead fishing sinkers, however, are still on the line. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

EPA Backs Down

The EPA asked for comments on whether lead bullets should be banned and it got an earful -- so much, so, that the EPA has denied the petition.

Paul Attacks EPA Lead Bullet Ban

Rand Paul's campaign is getting quicker on the draw, so to speak: Team Paul attacked the EPA's proposed ban on lead bullets before most of us had even heard of said ban.

It's a wonderful example of an over-reaching, clueless government. Is the administration worried that hunters will give deer lead poisoning? Note that the EPA did not even have jurisdiction over the issue, which means it will probably end up in court.

Forcing hunters to use non-lead bullets will raise the cost of ammunition exponentially. Given Election Day's proximity to various hunting seasons, this was a politically tone deaf move by an administration that has shown complete contempt for the sort of people who buy ammunition. Oh, and fishermen -- the ban would apply to lead sinkers, sort of a metaphor for the president's approval ratings.

Here's the release from the Paul campaign:

The EPA is considering a petition by environmentalists to ban ammunition containing lead. It may sound outlandish, but with Obama's EPA you never know what they may decide to regulate next.

The EPA is already out to get Kentucky's coal industry through the back-door with climate legislation like Cap and Trade. This would cost Kentucky families dearly in lost jobs and wages in this bad economy.

Rand Paul will work to stop the EPA from killing Kentucky jobs, and stop the Obama administration from trying to regulate away our freedoms. Dr. Paul wants to sunset all wrongheaded regulations by the EPA. That's why Kentucky needs to send Rand Paul to the Senate; he is the only one who will stand up against the out of control feds.

Does Jack Conway stand with the Obama administration and the EPA on banning ammunition?

David Williams Proposes Amending Law on Student Enrollment

Senate Pres. David Williams supports amending the law that Judge Irv Maze just used to uphold the Jefferson County Public School District student assignment plan.

The plan is voluntary, not court-mandated. Parents who want their children to attend neighborhood schools for which they were denied challenged the plan. The basis of the suit is a Kentucky statute that permits parents to "enroll" children at the neighborhood school. Because the Kentucky legislature amended the law to drop the language "for attendance," Judge Maze held that the right to enroll a child does not equate with the right for the child to attend the school where the parents enrolled him or her.

Republicans have pre-filed a bill to add back in the "for attendance" language -- making clear that JCPS must provide neighborhood schools now denied under its assignment plan.

Even aside from the obvious benefits of neighborhood schools -- and the drawbacks of making small children spend hours a day on a bus -- the bill makes sense from a budgetary standpoint. JCPS receives roughly $3500 per child per year in state "SEEK" money. JCPS spends more than $5 million to bus children all around the county. At a time when Kentucky cannot even afford to buy new text books for its students, that $5 million could be better spent.

H/t: Joe Arnold

Max Baucus: Read the Bill? Seriously?

Sen. Max Baucus -- the administration's point man on Obamacare -- has suggested that he didn't read the bill he not only voted for but actively promoted.

Baucus responded to a constituent at a town hall, who questioned whether he did and should read the bill by saying, " “I don’t think you want me to waste my time to read every page of the healthcare bill,” Baucus said, according to the Flathead Beacon. “You know why? It’s statutory language. ... We hire experts.”

Why Kentucky Lost Race to the Top Funds

Rep. Brad Montell has written an op-ed on why Kentucky lost out on the second round of the Race to the Top grant: it's our lack of charter schools:

In an interview with the Lexington Herald-Leader shortly after learning Kentucky once again was not selected for ‘Race to the Top’ Federal funding, Education Commissioner Terry Holliday said that he quote “…called around (to) a few folks, and it looks like we would have been in the money if we had (charter schools).”

Indeed Kentucky once again finished out of the running in the second round of ‘Race to the Top’ funding for schools, only getting 412 of a possible 500 points and losing to surrounding states like Ohio, North Carolina, Georgia and Maryland. Those states scored 32 points on their assessment simply because they allow public charter schools. Kentucky currently doesn’t allow for public charter schools, meaning our score was ‘zero.’

I’ve filed legislation several times, including the 2010 Regular Session of the General Assembly, seeking to add Kentucky to the other 40 states and Puerto Rico that have passed charter school legislation. But sadly the voices of those who support charter school legislation went unheard as the House Education Committee chose not to call the bill for a hearing.

While we sit on our hands, other states that receive ‘Race to the Top’ funding continue to pass us by, meaning our children and our education system ultimately suffer. While Kentucky sits in the slow lane, between 300 and 400 charter schools open each year in the 40 states and Puerto Rico where charter schools are allowed by law.

In his response to the loss of funding, Gov. Beshear said he is confident that the steps Kentucky is taking will significantly improve the education experience for our students. Until we pass public charter schools legislation in the Commonwealth, our children and our educational system will remain stuck in neutral.

Rep. Brad Montell (R)-Shelbyville is a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives

Conway, Copy Cat

Jack Conway has announced that he, too, will launch a moneybomb -- just like Rand Paul. This is the point at which Ethel Merman sings "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better."

Conway notes that Paul's latest money bomb fell short of its mark, raising $258,000 instead of his goal of $500,000. Note that Conway waited to replicate Paul's moneybomb until Paul launched one that was, relative to the others, a bust. In so doing, Conway lowered expectations and perhaps avoids unflattering comparisons.

Oddly, Conway felt constrained to explain the whole moneybomb concept to his supporters: "a single day where supporters from all over the state and the country make contributions in the same 24 hours." If Conway's supporters don't know what a moneybomb is at this point, they probably don't have a computer with which to contribute to his moneybomb.

And why couldn't Conway think of a different name other than "moneybomb"? Is he that unoriginal? Then again, Conway has not shown much originality on the issues, now that he supports extending the Bush tax cuts, loves coal and has never heard of Barack Obama.

With all the material Rand Paul has given Conway lately -- think Aqua Buddha -- the Conway campaign could have had some fun with this. Those folks take themselves so deadly seriously that they have no sense of humor.

Let's face it. Conservatives have cornered the rhetoric on anything related to war-making and military might. It's uncomfortable to watch a Democrat implore people to chip in for his own little bomb and try to explain the concept. Instead, Conway should have used the language with which progressives are most comfortable and simply asked for a bailout.

Perhaps the strangest thing about Conway's moneybomb is that he is asking for $5 contributions. It's not so much a moneybomb as amo for a bb gun. Plainly, he's looking for broad support, so a modest number makes sense in that regard. But $5? That's not enough to pay for a daily dose of styling gel for Jack's hair.

No Payola Here

There is speculation that some bloggers are getting paid to post favorable coverage of candidates. The Daily Caller writes

But increasingly, many bloggers are also secretly feeding on cash from political campaigns, in a form of partisan payola that erases the line between journalism and paid endorsement.

It’s standard operating procedure” to pay bloggers for favorable coverage, says one Republican campaign operative. A GOP blogger-for-hire estimates that “at least half the bloggers that are out there” on the Republican side “are getting remuneration in some way beyond ad sales."

Apparently some conservative bloggers in California take the payolo in the form of inflating the cost of ads run on their blogs.

The question begs an answer and here it is: this blog has never taken money from any campaign. No campaign has offered any, and if one did, I would tell them to go suck (salmonella-laden) eggs.

According to the Daily Caller, many demo-blogs take money from liberal groups like Media Matters, the Center for American Progress and the Campaign for America's future. To the extent that there are conservative groups that mirror these liberal ones, they have not offered money to this blog and we would not accept it in any event.