Monday, March 1, 2004

ACADEMY AWARDS

Didn't watch.  Don't care.  As I write this particular note I have no idea what movie won, or what actors got to gush and thank everyone from their third grade teacher to their gynecologist for all of their success in life.  Bread and circuses.  It's clear why politicians -- especially of the leftist variety -- love Hollywood.  The more attention we pay to what goes on in Hollywood, the less attention we pay to what these politicians are trying to do to us in Washington.  To those of you who didn't tune in to simply another in an seemingly endless succession of mindless awards shows ... congratulations.

By the way ... just how is Hollywood reacting to Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ?"  Take Russell Crowe.  He says that Gibson's "got to get off the glue."  Do you think Crowe would have made that comment if the movie had been about Muhammad, the prophet of Islam?  Yeah ... sure he would.  Being anti-Christian is not only permissible, it is admirable in Hollywood. 

When I finish my notes I'll try to check in on who said what and who won what and drop in a comment at the end.

LAST DEMOCRATIC DEBATE HELD BEFORE SUPER TUESDAY

Realizing it's Tuesday or bust, John Edwards went on the offensive in Sunday's debate in New York. Up to this point, John Edwards was promising  not to go negative and to keep a positive message. Trailing in most polls, the Senator from North Carolina is realizing that desperate times call for desperate measures.

Sitting on the moderating panel was none other than big-time liberal Dan Rather. Should have made things easy with old reliable throwing softball questions, but it didn't work out that way. Edwards called out Kerry for proposing more government spending than he could pay for. Kerry questioned Edwards claim to being an outsider, pointing out that he had been in the Senate for the last 5 years. He has a point...Edwards is a multi-millionaire trial lawyer who is getting 50% of his campaign contributions from--you guessed it-- trial lawyers. Sounds like the common man to me.

And of course, just like all the other debates, Al Sharpton did not disappoint. He got into it with Rather, complaining that he wasn't getting enough speaking time. Sharpton said he would not "sit here and be window dressing." Kerry got in a zinger of his own. When asked by Edwards "do you believe we are going to change this country out of Washington D.C.?," Kerry answered yes, because that's where Congress and the White House is. Nice comeback.

JOBS THE ISSUE?  FINE!  HERE'S THE RECORD

The nation seems to be over its quota of economic idiots right now who want to make jobs the issue in the 2004 presidential race.  "Outsourcing" is the big buzz-word right now, and both the politicians and the media-types are eager to tell you how many jobs have been lost overseas because of the outsourcing phenomenon. 

OK ... here are some statistics.  And NO, they don't come from some conservative think tank or some research group under the control of the Republican Party.  They come from the Labor Department's. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• The peak unemployment rate during the recession that began in Clinton's term was 6.4 percent.  The current unemployment rate is 5.6 percent.
• In the last year more than 2,000,000 new jobs have been added in the United States. 
• Between 1983 and 2003 outsourcing went from 6.5 million jobs to about 10 million jobs. 
• Between 1983 and 2002 jobs in-sourcing -- jobs coming TO the United States -- went from 2.5 million to 6.5 million.
• If you subtract the jobs coming to the United States every year from the jobs going out every year you come up with a "net" figure.  The net outsourced jobs reached its peak in the early 1980's; a peak of about 4 million jobs.  In other words, things were worse at the end of the Carter Administration then they are right now.
• During this same period ... from '83 to '03 a total of 38 million jobs have been created by private businesses in the United States.  No other industrialized country in the world has matched this number. 

So ... that's a pretty bleak picture, isn't it? 

KERRY'S WAR RECORD ... FAIR GAME

I don't spend a lot of time watching local television, so I don't see many of the campaign ads that are being run for tomorrow's Georgia primary ... part of Super Tuesday.

One Kerry ad ... majority of the footage was Kerry in Vietnam.  That's fine.  If he has to go back that far to find something to really make him look good ... super.  If he can't find one moment from his service as a U.S. Senator to highlight ... fine.  Go on back to Vietnam.  But know this.  If Kerry features the Vietnam war in his campaign ads ... if that's all he can call on to convince Americans that they need to make him their next president ...then Kerry's Vietnam record, and all that is associated with it, is fair game.

THE HILDABEAST SAYS IRAQI WOMEN WERE BETTER OFF UNDER SADDAM

This is so outrageous, it's almost hard to believe. But she said it, so here we go.  The women of America need to remember this moment when Shrillary finally steps into the presidential sweepstakes.

During a speech last week at the Brookings Institution, Senator Hillary Clinton actually said that Iraqi women were better off under the reign of Saddam Hussein. Apparently the rape rooms and Uday's bride-stealing slipped her mind, because she said "on paper, women had rights.  They went to school, they participated in the professions, they participated in the government and business and, as long as they stayed out of Saddam's way, they had considerable freedom of movement," droned the smartest women in America. So what would she have us do? Return Saddam to power? What a nutcase.

This from a woman that visited our troops in Iraq last November. Now she comes back and says that Iraqis were better off under Saddam?  Essentially, what she's saying is that she doesn't support the troops; that they shouldn't be there.

Once again, the truth comes out...liberals prefer totalitarianism over freedom.  Saddam knew what was best for these women, didn't he Hillary?

OK ... NOW I'VE HAD A CHANCE TO READ A FEW BITS ABOUT THE OSCARS .....

... and it seems that the Academy Awards were just  barely under way last night when the liberal activism began.  There was no chance that the left in Hollywood could just keep their mouths shut and stick to presenting and receiving awards. No, they couldn't resist...they had to start bashing President Bush, and they really looked like idiots doing it.

Billy Crystal couldn't contain himself, saying that it was the first time in 4 years he had hosted the awards. He said the Academy allowed him to come and go as he pleased, just like the Texas Air National Guard. Too bad all the facts show that President Bush showed up and completed his Guard duty. Facts don't matter of course. Some documentary filmmaker nobody has ever heard of criticized the war in Iraq...yawn.  It's like 9/11 never happened with these liberals, and they see no need to stop Islamic terrorism.

Sean Penn, who picked up an Oscar for his performance in 'Mystic River' (directed by Clint Eastwood, a Republican) mumbled something during his acceptance speech about a lack of weapons of mass destruction. Whatever, Spicoli...just know your role and shut your mouth.

And people wonder why the Oscars have lost 40% of their audience over the last 5 years.

READING ASSIGNMENTS

SS-SOS.  Social Security is in deep trouble .. but current reelection goals of Democrats and Republicans are far, far more important.

Just why is it that John Edwards manages to skate through every presidential debate without ever being asked an embarrassing question?  Take, for instance, Edward's scheme to avoid the payment of about a quarter of a million in Medicare taxes.

Our Secretary of Education called America's most powerful teacher's union a "terrorist organization."  Armstrong Williams makes the case that Paige's remark was right ... though politically incorrect.  One thing is certain .. teacher's unions aren't your kid's friends.

Virginia's Democratic governor is trying to get $1 billion in tax increases in California.  John Fund says that if he succeeds he will be a front-runner to be John Kerry's running mate.  That's the essence of being a Democrat.  The better you are at raising taxes, the better presidential material you are.

"Don't play the Vietnam card with me, John Kerry"  This from a voter in tomorrow's Georgia primary.

Are suicide bombers coming to the U.S.? You betcha, according to a document discovered during a recent Israeli army raid on the west bank. Another one of those pesky "law enforcement problems," if you ask John Kerry.

'The Passion of the Christ' grossed $117.5 million in its first five days, the largest-ever haul, second only to last year's 'The Lord of the Rings.' The media is scratching their heads and Hollywood is on the run.

Joel Mowbray says people shouldn't be surprised by Mel Gibson's movie for one reason: religious films make money. Imagine that.

George W. Bush has made as bold a foreign policy transformation as Franklin Roosevelt, argues Michael Barone. Interesting reasons why.

When Alan Greenspan suggested cuts in Social Security, politicians lost their minds. But in this column, Robert Samuelson explains why the situation needs to be dealt with.

What a difference a year makes: German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder received a warm welcome at the White House on Friday, and says there are no disagreements between the U.S. and Germany. They always come back.

Could California and its 55 electoral votes go for Bush this year? George Will thinks it's possible, and details the Senate race going on there.

John Edwards needs to start finishing first and win some primaries, otherwise as this column reports, time is running out.

Here is the full transcript of the Democratic debate on Sunday in New York.

Here's a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the Howard Dean implosion. Interesting observations from his staff, who concluded that he did not want to be president after all. Now we know that the proper name for the Deaniacs was, indeed, "Deanie Babies."

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