Tag: Obama
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For Obama, Empathy Trumps the Rule of Law
Sonia Sotomayor likely will become a reliably liberal vote on the Supreme Court, replacing the reliably liberal David Souter. Despite my distaste for identity politics and legislation from the bench, I don’t see this as a disaster — nor do many of the conservative columnists I’ve read. After describing one of Sotomayor’s decisions, James Taranto […]
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Sotomayor: Identity Politics and Legislation from the Bench
I’m generally opposed to the idea of judges legislating from the bench — but I’m not an absolutist about it. Brown v. Board of Education could be described as legislating from the bench, but I think the ruling was necessary and appropriate, and in fact a proud moment in American history. Over the following decades, […]
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Obama’s National Security Policy Looks Like Bush’s Third Term. Thank Goodness.
Krauthammer today: The genius of democracy is that the rotation of power forces the opposition to come to its senses when it takes over. When the new guys, brought to power by popular will, then adopt the policies of the old guys, a national consensus is forged and a new legitimacy established. Exactly right. I […]
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“Obama Derangement Syndrome” May be Mutating; Taranto Gets a Sniffle
I’ve blogged before about Obama Derangement Syndrome, and its more prevalent predecessor, Bush Derangement Syndrome. But the ODS virus now shows signs of mutating into a subtler strain. Let’s call it Obama-Euphoria Debunking Syndrome (OEDS). James Taranto, whose Best of the Web Today is the one blog I make certain to read every day, has […]
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Don’t Blame Me For Rush Limbaugh, I Won’t Blame You For Michael Moore
Parts of the rightosphere are in high dudgeon about the fact that President Obama, at the annual White House Correspondents Association yuck-fest dinner, laughed at “jokes” told by “comedian” Wanda Sykes about wanting Rush Limbaugh to die of kidney failure. (Here’s a 78-second video.) There have been days of arguments at “the Id of Conservatism” […]
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Obama’s Intimidation Trumps Fiduciary Duty
The group of secured lenders who were holding out for fair treatment in the Chrysler bankruptcy has disbanded, after two more defections in the face of pressure from the Arm-Twister in Chief. “After a great deal of soul-searching and quite frankly agony, Chrysler’s non-TARP lenders concluded they just don’t have the critical mass to withstand […]
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When Obama Says “Hedge Fund,” Think “Widows and Orphans”
At least one of Chrysler’s “secured” lenders is vowing to stand fast against President Obama’s efforts to bully the lenders into abdicating their fiduciary responsibility. NEW YORK (Reuters) – Plans for a quick sale of Chrysler to a new company majority-owned by a union-aligned trust is “patently illegal” and will be fought in bankruptcy court, […]
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Why Would Anyone Invest In Chrysler Now?
President Obama’s ham-handed ultimatum to Chrysler’s “secured” creditors promises to have adverse consequences beyond just rewarding the UAW for helping to drive the company into the ground.  At Real Clear Markets, Bill Frezza asks some excellent questions: Why would anyone lend money to heavily unionized companies knowing that if things went wrong, the president and […]
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Chrysler’s New Majority Owner Will Be The UAW. Yeah, That’ll Work.
I’ve been arguing for months that the government should not throw more bailout money at GM and Chrysler, but rather let them work out their problems in bankruptcy court. Filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection would give the companies more leverage to modify gold-plated benefits and ruinous work rules that add approximately $2,000 in costs […]
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OK, Let’s Have A Fact-Finding Commission On Torture
The Washington Post offers the best argument I’ve seen for a bipartisan commission into the use of torture, or “torture” if you prefer, by Americans during the Bush Administration. The editorial ends with this (emphasis added): But a presidential commission could produce the fullest, least-heated account possible. Once it did so, prosecutions would not be […]