Redstate

Posted at 1:04pm on Feb. 8, 2008 And Some Of You Thought BUSH Was Bad?!?!?!

Wait'll you hear about CONGRESS!

By haystack

No...this isn't another gnashing of teeth about the POTUS saga...this is MORE fun. Apparently George W. Bush now sucks LESS than the Congress who hates him so...and there's some modicum of hope buried in here worth giving a consider.

It's almost as if people can barely stand the thought of President Bush and Congress anymore. Bush reached his lowest approval rating in The Associated Press-Ipsos poll on Friday as only 30 percent said they like the job he is doing, including an all-time low in his support by Republicans. Congress' approval fell to just 22 percent, equaling its poorest grade in the survey. Both marks dropped by 4 percentage points since early January.

You know, I realize the point the author of this piece was headed towards...that [gasp, shock, awe] Bush Sucks!™, but if you give yourself just ONE more second to read the whole piece, we get to the abscessed root of this gnarly tooth that has become "American Governance"

Congress also hit 22 percent in October. It usually has lower ratings than the president because it is an institution people love to criticize. Many have negative views of Congress while still supporting their own House and Senate members.

Even so, its ratings are approaching its historic low in the Gallup Poll of 18 percent reached in early 1992 during a furor over lawmakers who bounced House bank checks. Only about one in five Democrats, Republicans and independents approve of Congress' work, with less than one in 20 from each group approving strongly.

"When I see them say they want to investigate Bill Belichick and Spygate, I say, 'Why do you want to investigate something like that when we have things we should address'" like the economy and health care, Mitch Dugger, 46, an independent from Mandeville, La., said.

Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., recently said the Senate Judiciary Committee may want to examine why the National Football League destroyed evidence in a scandal over cheating by Belichick, the New England Patriots' coach.

Indeed...

When everyone gets past this Primary nonsense...could we get serious about focusing on that over which we have MAXIMUM control? Could we get after figuring out how we're gonna fire all these bums up there on the Hill...please?

Posted in Congress | Congress | Democrats | Republicans | White House — Comments (16)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 1:03am on Dec. 13, 2007 Losers Again

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

You know, if the Bush Administration chose to be this tough on the issue of spending when Republicans held Congress, Republicans would still be holding Congress as I write this.

But credit where it is due. Another day, another defeat for House Democrats means that the White House has finally gotten its political operation in order.

Read on . . .

Posted in Budget Fights | Congress | Congress | Fiscal Discipline | White House — Comments (5)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 2:47pm on Dec. 8, 2007 A Bad Deal

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

I'm against this:

House Democratic leaders could complete work as soon as Monday on a half-trillion-dollar spending package that will include billions of dollars for the war effort in Iraq without the timelines for the withdrawal of combat forces that President Bush has refused to accept, House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) said yesterday.

In a complicated deal over the war funds, Democrats will include about $11 billion more in domestic spending than Bush has requested, emergency drought relief for the Southeast and legislation to address the subprime mortgage crisis, Hoyer told a meeting of the Washington Post editorial board.

Read on.

Posted in Congress | Policy | The Appropriations Process | White House — Comments (19)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 5:25pm on Jun. 7, 2007 Are Convicted Criminals And Terrorists Barred? Yes!

By krushtonwhitehouse

-Promoted from the diaries by Jeff

Wanted to take a moment to clarify what is in the bill regarding the Z program and convicted criminals and terrorists. The contention that they are not barred from the Z program has been making the rounds today.

The range of crimes that disqualify applicants from the Z program extends into the thousands and includes any felony (murder), any three misdemeanors (theft, although felony theft would be covered in the prior category), any aggravated felony (rape), any serious criminal offense (assault), most crimes involving moral turpitude (fraud), and any violation of a law relating to a controlled substance. These bars are not waivable by anyone -- period. You can view the bill language on this provision on pages 282 to 284.

Terrorists are not eligible for the legalization program. Period. And this bar is not waivable by anyone. Period. Again, this is spelled out on pages 282 and 284 of the bill, without ambiguity or room for debate. The bill also contains a whole host of new tools to fight criminal, dangerous, and terrorist aliens.

Thanks,
Kerrie Rushton
White House Office of Strategic Initiatives

Posted in Immigration | White House — Comments (85) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 10:15pm on May 21, 2007 White House Response To Bluey's 5/20 Post

By krushtonwhitehouse

A few thoughts on Bluey's post yesterday on our Fact/Myth:

Z visas remaining indefinitely – see our post yesterday. A Z visa holder wishing to remain in the country under their Z visa indefinitely would still have to renew their visa every four years. Renewing the Z visa means more processing fees (again, up to $1,500 each time). The financial liability for these Zs starts to add up very quickly if holders choose to remain in this status instead of pursuing Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) status.

Miles of Fence. The bill’s triggers mandate 370 miles of fence must be built before the temporary worker and Z visa components take effect. This does not mean that more fence will not be built.

Read on . . . .

Posted in Immigration | White House — Comments (51) / Email this page » / Read More »