An Example of Media Bias

Andrew Breitbart has just released a new book titled Righteous Indignation: Excuse Me While I Save the World, and has been making appearances about the book and his professional background. One such appearance was with Martin Bashir of MSNBC.



Martin Bashir refers to himself as a journalist, as opposed to an analyst, therefore, his interview, in theory, should be fair and impartial. This is the farthest thing from it, as it seemed Bashir's mission was to come out swinging at Andrew Breitbart from the moment the interview began and smear him. Andrew Breitbart was having none of this and fared very well against someone who poses as a journalist on a network that still cannot grasp the difference between journalist and analyst!

The Obama Birth Certificate

What has been delayed for nearly two and a half years, President Obama, as part of his Constitutional requirement, has released his birth certificate in long form. He did so in a speech, where he seemed rather testy that he even had to focus on this issue, and even channeled a bit of fictional President Andrew Shepherd. With Hillary Clinton supporters bringing the issue to national attention in 2008, the question of Obama's birth continued on the Internet, and in recent weeks, has been brought to center stage by Donald Trump. And in true Donald Trump fashion, he claimed victory on this in a New Hampshire press conference.

Analyzing the issue, we have seen in our history, questions of a candidate's and president's birthplace, so this isn't new. It was a combination of Trump's persistence and polls doubting the President's United States birth that forced his hand to release the document. Now that it's out there, it's time to move on, reinforce the policy differences and stay focused moving into the 2012 Election cycle.

Haley Barbour Not Running

Earlier this week, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour announced his intentions for 2012, and stated he will not be running. A successful governor who handled his state's reaction to Katrina very well, a strong former Chairman of the RNC, one of the more consistent conservatives and one of the most intelligent state executives currently serving, his stepping aside is a loss to the Conservative wing of the Republican Party. Barbour, throughout his political career, has shown himself to be an excellent "behind the scenes" man (we saw this with the election of current RNC chair Reince Priebus) and would have been a force to be reckoned with in the primary.

While there are some who believe Barbour's decision not to run benefits Mitch Daniels, we should instead be looking to see how it may help a Huckabee, Palin, Bachmann or Gingrich candidacy. Barbour's constituents were predicted to be Southern, more Conservative and TEA Party supporters. His endorsement choice will provide that candidate with excellent assistance and support going into this wide open primary.

Easter 2011

The day of Easter is the Holiest on the Christian calendar; the day that Christ rose from the dead. It holds cultural significance as being a welcome to springlike temperatures and activities, while also spending a day with family.

We here at "The 'Right' Solutions" wish you a Happy and Blessed Easter, and hope you had the chance to enjoy the spring/summer-like weather, as this was the case throughout most of the United States today, with family and friends.

Making a Mockery While Wasting Taxpayer Money

Earlier this week, I saw a story that made me absolutely sick to my stomach. The Interstate 4 Corridor (Orlando and Tampa Metro Areas) is greatly suffering from the United States' economic problems in that the Unemployment Rate (U-3) has been consistently hovering over 10%. The Wizards of Smart at Workplace Central Florida, an unemployment agency in Orlando, used taxpayer money to purchase superhero capes so that unemployed Central Floridians can come in to take pictures bashing the head in of "Dr. Evil Unemployment," while wearing the capes, to raise their self-esteems.

First, this is a waste of taxpayer money for a dumb program that has no merit in achieving the top objectives of this organization: finding its clients jobs and leading its clients to building skills that lead to gainful employment. Bashing in the head of a cardboard cutout while wearing a Superman cape does none of this!

Second, it is mocking those who are unemployed. While I wouldn't be surprised there are some who like getting a free check from the government to not work, many do not. They feel they are wasting away productive years of their lives and not making use of their skills or applying their education to a career because the economy won't allow for a creation of jobs. Their time with this agency would be better used for the above stated objectives. Furthermore, these pictures mock the unemployed who come to Workplace Central Florida for assistance, and once these pictures go viral, these individuals receive "dancing bear status," making their job search even more challenging.

Florida's State Government is wise to investigate this matter and let us hope that Governor Rick Scott, who is already facing Florida's challenges head-on, takes appropriate actions so that this agency, which is supposed to help its clients, does so, as opposed to providing Internet fodder that will not help the unemployed rejoin the working world.

The "No-Fear" Republicans

In talking with friends, especially those on my side of the aisle, it may be early, but many are a little pessimistic going into the 2012 Election Cycle when looking at the current pool of candidates.

Two who have been making waves in the past months, Donald Trump and Sarah Palin, may or may not run, but they are making waves by showing Americans that they have no fear!

Since the talk began that Donald Trump may run for the presidency, his rhetoric and comments have sparked much interest in the Republican Party; so much so that he has risen to the top in terms of prospective 2012 Republican candidate approval ratings. Trump may not be perfect and may need to answer a lot of questions about the legitimacy of his stated conservatism, yet he has mainstreamed the birther issue and has given Americans an additional perspective on how this administration seems economically challenged. As long as he has been in the public eye, Donald Trump speaks his mind and he is doing so regarding the performance of this President.

When she came on the national scene in 2008, Sarah Palin has consistently shown she has no fear, whether answering her critics, challenging her opponents or challenging the developed norms of a prospective presidential candidate. Her strength was again on stage this weekend in a stump speech given in Madison, Wisconsin. Most notable is that she challenged the GOP Leadership to step up and take on the President, as she, like me, believes they did not in this recent budget debate. Sarah Palin speaks her mind, does not apologize for it and gains much respect among her supporters for that.

It remains to be seen whether Trump or Palin will run in 2012, (I do not believe either will) but it is my hope these individuals will inspire the others in the field to show no-fear when standing up for and articulating conservative principles. Republican voters will gain further optimism if the candidates who do end up running, follow the lead of Donald Trump and Sarah Palin, and, as Sharron Angle said, "man up!"

Obama's Hot Mic Moment

In what was supposed to be a moment without media at a Chicago fundraiser, President Obama was caught in a hot mic moment, where he whined about his problems and chastised Republicans for their attempt at repealing the job-killing health care bill in the budget. Hot mic moments are not new to this president, as we all recall what happened in 2008, causing problems for his primary campaign and partially responsible for a last minute Hillary Clinton surge.

The careful media coverage, the controlled speeches and the consistent use of staging in this administration has come to a screeching halt as the American people saw in those comments, the pettiness and arrogance of this president; something the president and his people don't want to readily make visible to the American voter. In trying to sound boastful and confident, he came off as sounding petulant and thin-skinned. This rhetoric by the president has the potential to be damaging. In what was a difficult week for the Republicans with the budget agreement, the president's comments can allow them to win some of their strength back, as his two-faced comments back him into a corner and any good-faith the Republicans may have bargained with can now be put to the wayside. The question is, will the Republicans in Congress head down this road?

Bargaining Away Their Influence

Last Friday, President Obama and the Republican Congress came to an agreement to fund the government. While many in the media are saying Boehner won this round, I have my doubts. First, Republican supporters thought the Speaker needed to flex his muscles, even if it meant a shutdown. Winning with a 63 seat net gain, Republicans had the wind to their backs and a shutdown would not have had the ramifications it did in 1995. Americans are aware the Federal Government is spending too much, especially with boondoggles like the Stimulus and the Health Care Law and sent the Republicans to Washington just for that reason. Seeing this makes some of them queasy.

If I'm Obama, I'd be thinking, "Wow! If I can get the Republicans to cave now, they'll cave in 2012 and if they force a shutdown, I'll call them out on being hypocrites and inconsistent." And if I'm the media, I'm thinking, "maybe we can rile up the Democrat base for the next battle down the line by propping up Boehner."

Republicans damaged themselves by compromising and are not showing strong resolve. With ridiculously high unemployment rates, the President and the Democrats spending like there's no tomorrow, Congress needed to put their proverbial foot down and put an end to this madness. They cannot be concerned with what the President and media may say about them, they must stand behind principle. The American people would have respected a strong stand. Unfortunately, acting like an adult in Washington has now been made more challenging. As I, and other, have said before, "Losers Compromise, Winners State the Terms!"

TSA In the News and Recent Experiences

The TSA is in the news again, as this video has appeared on the Drudge Report, where a 6 year old is being searched. Again, this is a case of looking for the object and not at the person.

The above issue aside, I flew last week and I must give a thumbs up the TSA folks that I encountered at Newark and O'Hare. They expedited the process as much as possible, explained the procedures thoroughly and were very pleasant. While I'm sure this won't always be the case, I am pleased I encountered these individuals and hope to encounter many more like them in the future.

Here are some tips in dealing with the TSA and airline security procedures.
- Fly early! Airports will be quiet in the morning, lines will be non-existent and the TSA agents will be pleasant.
- In addition to using a clear gallon zip bag for liquids, also use it for electronics (eg iPod, BlackBerry/SmartPhones, chargers, GPS devices, electrical chords, etc) If these devices are packed in your carry on not together, your bag will be opened and searched.
- Before getting in line, find a chair and prepare yourself. Take out your Photo ID and boarding pass to prepare to present it, as well as clear gallon zip bags for liquids and electronics to be put though the machine.
- Wear socks since you are taking your shoes off to put through the machine.
- If asked to go through the body scanner, politely opt-out and asked to be patted down, in public, by a TSA agent of the same sex. Me personally, I am less offended by the body image, but more concerned with the level of X-Rays emitted by those machines. If children must be patted down, make sure a female agent performs the procedure.
- Keep your cool in any situation and if still wary, be sure to hit the record button on your SmartPhone before putting it through the machine.

Glenn Beck to end his FNC Show

News broke earlier today that Glenn Beck, after almost two years on the Fox News Channel, will end the run of his hour long show on the network in the 5-6PM Hour. The article states the agreement was mutual and that Beck will continue his business relationship through a production and development deal, yet I'm sure we'll hear Media Matters say he got fired, then take credit for it. In the coming months, we'll definitely know more.

In his two year run, Glenn Beck has reinvigorated the 20 minute monologue, usage of props to get his point across and has always articulated his points in a communicable and easy to understand manner and has given life and support to movements across the United States, be it the TEA Party, the 9/12 Project or the Restoring Honor Project. While there are a few things I may disagree with him on, his contributions cannot be ignored and should be heavily praised. We'll be watching to see what FNC comes up with to replace Glenn Beck.

The Three Month Window for Hillary is Open

Apparently, I'm not the only one thinking about a possible Hillary Clinton Primary Challenge in 2012. In an article by John Phillips, it looks as though many of her supporters are disenchanted with Obama and were never fully on board. His recent foreign policy stammering and comparison to Hillary's performance as Secretary of State have made this even more apparent.

As said last month, Hillary has a three month window where it will be prime territory for her to launch a primary campaign. After observing recent presidential approval ratings and listening to comments by Bill Clinton, she could very well see the opportunity present itself, she will hold nothing back this time and Republicans will enjoy watching this primary battle play out!