My View by Silvio Canto, Jr.

AG Holder needs to go the doctor to check his hearing because he learned about the guns to Mexico before he said that he did!

2012-01-30T00:02:00.002-06:00

AG Holder is such a busy man that he's lost his hearing. I guess that's what happens to people in the Obama administration. They lose their hearing about issues like putting guns in the hands of Mexican cartels or Solyndra.

According to news reports, AG Holder has a serious hearing problem, at least he has trouble hearing anything having to do with those 2,000 guns that the Obama administration put in the hands of the Mexican cartels.

Let's read those news reports via Ed Morrissey:

"When Eric Holder testified about his knowledge of Operation Fast and Furious on May 3, 2011, he told the House Judiciary Committee that he had only been informed of the operation “a few weeks ago.” Later, Holder amended that to say that it would have been more accurate to call the time period “a couple of months.”

Does five months qualify as “a couple” or “a few weeks”?"

This is getting a little bit Clintonian: It depends what the definition of "a few weeks ago" means!

Our options are now down to two:

1) AG Holder has a serious hearing problem and should leave his job immediately and go on "disability"; and/or

2) AG Holder has not been telling the truth about any of this.

Let me bet on # 2.

It's too difficult to prove perjury but it's not hard to conclude that AG Holder is a man who has not come clean about this sorry episode.

In the meantime, the killing goes on in Mexico.

Check out our discussion with Bill Katz on Sunday:

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Calling Al Gore: Did I hear that the earth is actually getting cooler?

2012-01-30T00:01:00.000-06:00

Like many of you, I was a bit skeptical about all of this global warming stuff. It just seemed a bit too easy.

We learned today that the rush to global warming may have been a bit premature:

"The supposed ‘consensus’ on man-made global warming is facing an inconvenient challenge after the release of new temperature data showing the planet has not warmed for the past 15 years.

The figures suggest that we could even be heading for a mini ice age to rival the 70-year temperature drop that saw frost fairs held on the Thames in the 17th Century.

Based on readings from more than 30,000 measuring stations, the data was issued last week without fanfare by the Met Office and the University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit. It confirms that the rising trend in world temperatures ended in 1997." (Rose)

Like "GITMO recruits terrorists", another idiotic idea promoted by the left, we are learning that global warming may have been a lot more political hot air than anything else.

Please take out your sweaters and long sleeve shirts.

You may need them a few more weeks this year.

Check our show with Bill Katz:

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Remembering Jose Marti (1853-95)

2012-01-29T00:03:00.001-06:00

Jose Marti was born on a day like this in 1853. He died in 1895 during a confrontation with Spanish troops in the long and very costly Cuban War of Independence.

I see a picture of Jose Marti every time that I go to my parents home. My father has a pre-Castro peso bill on the wall. It is a weekly reminder of Cuba and that the pre-Castro peso actually had the same value as a dollar.

Marti's picture is part of our family pictures on the wall. It is there between our First Communion photos and other souvenirs of Cuba. My guess is that most Cuban families have a picture of Marti on their walls too.

My parents also have a Marti quote on their wall:

"*Nunca son más bellas las playas del destierro que cuando se les dice adiós.""

Our friend, Alberto de la Cruz, Managing Editor of The Babalu Blog, wrote a nice post today about one of his quotes. This is even more relevant today given all of the real stories of repression coming out of Cuba.

Jorge Ponce, a Cuban American who lives in the East Coast, and Alfredo Cespero from Miami, joined me on Saturday for discussion of Jose Marti's life and what it means for those of us who grew up in the US.

Enjoy the show:

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It's a shame that Mary did not live to see Peter Paul & Mary's 50th anniversary

2012-01-29T00:02:00.038-06:00

Did you love Peter, Paul & Mary's voices and their many wonderful songs?

We remember today that Peter Paul & Mary signed their first contract with Warner Bros:

"They took a decisive step on their path to success on January 29, 1962, when they signed their first recording contract with Warner Bros.—the label they still call home nearly half a century later.

Peter Yarrow, Noel Paul Stookey and Mary Travers ran in the same Greenwich Village circles, but had never performed together before..."

Well....and the rest is musical history. I love the music of Peter, Paul & Mary. I've collected their songs for years. They are a part of my personal soundtrack. They remind me of so many moments in my life.

Mary Travers died in 2009. We posted a couple of times about her death. Peter & Paul rarely perform anymore. However, they left us a musical legacy of beautiful tunes.

I can't pick a favorite today. However, I have not heard "Stewball" and "500 miles" in a while:

"Oh Stewball was a racehorse, and I wish he were mine.
He never drank water, he always drank wine.
His bridle was silver, his mane it was gold.
And the worth of his saddle has never been told.
Oh the fairgrounds were crowded, and Stewball was there
But the betting was heavy on the bay and the mare.
And a-way up yonder, ahead of them all,
Came a-prancin' and a-dancin' my noble Stewball.
I bet on the grey mare, I bet on the bay
If I'd have bet on ol' Stewball, I'd be a free man today.
Oh the hoot owl, she hollers, and the turtle dove moans.
I'm a poor boy in trouble, I'm a long way from home.
Oh Stewball was a racehorse, and I wish he were mine.
He never drank water,he always drank wine..."

"If you miss the train I'm on, you will know that I am gone
You can hear the whistle blow a hundred miles,
a hundred miles, a hundred miles, a hundred miles, a hundred miles,
You can hear the whistle blow a hundred miles.
Lord I'm one, Lord I'm two, Lord I'm three, Lord I'm four,
Lord I'm 500 miles from my home.
500 miles, 500 miles, 500 miles, 500 miles
Lord I'm five hundred miles from my home.
Not a shirt on my back, not a penny to my name
Lord I can't go a-home this a-way
This a-away, this a-way, this a-way, this a-way,
Lord I can't go a-home this a-way.
If you miss the train I'm on you will know that I am gone
You can hear the whistle blow a hundred miles..."

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Look to the states because there won't be any immigration reform

2012-01-28T00:02:00.113-06:00

On Tuesday night, Pres BO made another call for immigration reform. He will repeat the call at the next "5 de Mayo" speech!

As always, Pres BO will not follow up his remarks with a substantial proposal to Congress. He never does! He is just playing politics and trying to create some enthusiasm in the very unenthusiastic Hispanic community.

Like so much of the Obama presidency, it's all about rhetoric rather than substance or execution.

The Dallas Morning News nailed Pres BO's style in Wednesday's editorial:

"The nation has heard variations of these proposals before, but Obama has failed to follow through forcefully."

Where does immigration reform fit in all of this? Why do I say that immigration reform is dead?

Let's look at the electoral landscape. You start with a very weak president. You add that neither party has the willingness to tackle the issue. The result is a federal incapable of enforcing immigration laws or creating some new rules so that people can work legally in the US.

Frankly, someone needs to tell "hispanos" that immigration reform is dead. It won't happen. It is not going to happen.

Some of us would like to see "waivers" so that states can negotiate directly with people living and working here. As we saw in Utah, state legislatures are in a better position to be realistic about issuing work permits to people who are here.

Let me say it again: There won't be any immigration reform. I don't know why so many people continue to believe that there is a reform around the corner.

It won't happen at the federal level. It's time to look at Plan B, or letting the states negotiate directly with the people who are here. Otherwise, many "indocumentados' will find that going home is the only option.

Check out our Friday show:

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Hope and change: Did you hear that 27% of the audience tuned away after 5 minutes?

2012-01-28T00:02:00.105-06:00

This is rather remarkable and another example that the public is simply tired of Pres BO's speeches. We admit that he is a good speaker but getting more and more boring by the minute. Reagan was a great speaker too but he usually had something presidential to say!

We learned yesterday that the audience was down:

"37.8 million viewers watched across 14 TV networks.

That’s the fewest of the four January speeches Pres. Obama has delivered since he took office:
42.8 million watched last year,
48 million in 2010, and
52.3 million watched the president’s address to Congress in 2009."

We learned today:

"Kantar used second-by-second audience data gleaned from set-top boxes connected to TV sets from 9pm – 10:30pm. It found:

In the first five minutes, 27% of the audience tuned away.

The networks that benefited the most from the initial tune-away were TBS, USA, and ESPN

CBS and FOX showed sharp losses in viewers at the top of the program, while ABC and NBC showed noticeable gains.

Tune-away was gradual as the speech progressed. No individual topics drove significant audience loss.

After the speech, Fox News Channel quickly gained viewers, becoming the second-most watched network after NBC. This gain presumably was in anticipation of the Republican response (seen in the second graph after the jump). "

This is rather remarkable but it confirms two things:

1) Pres BO is overexposed. He needs to stop talking.

2) There is a limit to "hope and change". At some point, people actually want to hear something different.

We grew up looking forward to presidential speeches because they were important and consequential. They are not today and that's why so many people are tuning him out.

P.S. It reminds me that song "You talk too much" by Joe Jones. He does "talk too much":

"You talk too much You worry me to death
You talk too much You even worry my pet
You just talk Talk too much
You talk about people That you don't know
You talk about people Wherever you go
You just talk Talk too much
You talk about people That you've never seen
You talk about people You can make me scream
You just talk you talk too much
You talk too much You worry me to death
You talk too much You even worry my pet
You just talk Talk too much
You talk about people That you don't know
You talk about people Wherever you go
You just talk Talk too much
You talk about people That you've never seen
You talk about people You can make me scream"

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I support Romney but Santorum was fabulous last night!

2012-01-27T07:37:00.001-06:00

It's easy to see why so many people like Rick Santorum. He was very good last night.

First, he answered the Latin America question perfectly. He pointed out that the Obama administration has overlooked this continent. He reminded us that Iran is expanding its influence south of the border and that's a very serious threat to our national security. It was one of the best questions and answers of the many debates.

Second, his comments about Mrs Santorum were unbelievable. Have you ever seen a candidate speak that way about his wife? This is a great family. I loved the answer. I'd bet that there were tears all over the land as he spoke of his wife, the child that they lost and raising 7 kids.

Third, his comments about faith were very good too. He reminded us that "faith" is all over The Declaration of Independence.

Again, Romney will win Florida and probably start wrapping up the nomination. However, I hope that he considers Santorum as a VP candidate because we've all been very proud of his work in these debates.

P.S. Check out some of our recent shows:

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Pres BO engages in the worst kind of deception regarding Mr Buffett's secretary

2012-01-27T00:01:00.025-06:00

We have never seen anything like this before.

We have never seen a US president take "class warfare" to such a perverse level. We've seen this in Latin America, from Juan Peron to Evo Morales, but not here.

First, Pres BO completely misrepresented the case or story of Mr Buffet and his faithful secretary. (By the way, what is Mr Buffet getting from this administration to go through all of this?)

Second, Pres BO presents it as some great injustice in the tax code, i.e. "the rich are not paying their fair share".

Third, Pres BO confuses "investment income" with "salary & wages".

John Wesley Gordon explained it today:

"Since Buffett’s income comes overwhelmingly from investment income and he is one of the richest people in the world, of course the people working for him in his office pay a higher percentage of their incomes in FICA taxes.

And, as I have discussed earlier, he ignores the fact that his investment income, from dividends and capital gains, has already been taxed–at 35 percent–at the corporate level.

So the personal taxes he pays on it are double taxation.

His actual effective tax rate is closer to 44 percent than 15 percent.

He’s paying far more in taxes, as a percentage of income, than his secretary."

This is very important. Mr Buffett has already paid income taxes. He is now paying taxes on the investment. This is why he is currently paying a "lower rate".

All of this is a bit too technical for many people. In other words, Pres BO's demagoguery is ideally suited to exploit the situation.

Mr Buffett and his secretary were on TV today and the ABC correspondent did not ask them any questions or explain to the audience that this is all a big "scam".

The WSJ has a great editorial today and I hope that most people read it: The Buffett Ruse

Yes, this is a "ruse" and one giant distraction from Pres BO's record.

My fear is that many people will believe it.

Click here for our Thursday show:

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Janet to BO: I don't care what you think of my book!

2012-01-26T08:32:00.002-06:00

It was not a good day for Pres BO:

First, he got the news that the speech had a very low audience, i.e. down 12%!

Second, the Fed confirmed that a full recovery is years away. In other words, the stimulus did not stimulate!

Third, job approval is still under 50%!

According to news reports, Pres BO and Gov Brewer had a little confrontation about the lady's book. I have not read the book but apparently Pres BO did not like a reference about him in the pages. (Our friend Bill Katz has a message for Pres BO)

Beyond the book, I think that we saw a couple of things on display when Janet met BO:

First, Janet does not like BO & BO does not like Janet.

Second, Arizona is sick and tired of the Obama administration playing politics with the state.

Third, the Arizona legislature is going to investigate how 2,000 ATF guns ended up with the Mexican cartels.

Fourth, and most important, Pres BO refuses to go the border and see the area for himself.

So it was a case of very bad chemistry when Janet met BO!

What does it mean? Not much! However, I don't think that it will help Pres BO's image in the Middle East having a woman stick a finger in his chest!

Check out our Wednesday commentary:

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Pres BO should drop the "class warfare" rhetoric and adopt Pres Reagan's "growth oriented policies"!

2012-01-26T00:02:00.058-06:00

We've had two big recessions since World War II. They are the 1981-82 recession, related to oil prices and inflation, and the 2008-09 recession made worse by the mortgage banking crisis.

In 1981, Pres Reagan bet on capitalism. In 2009, Pres Obama bet on expansion of government.

I think that we can now review the results and Pres Reagan is clearly ahead.

Today's WSJ editorial makes the point:

"The President inherited a deep recession, but in political terms that should have been a blessing.

History shows that the deeper the recession, the sharper the recovery, and Mr. Obama was poised to take credit for the economy's natural recuperative powers.

Instead, we've had the weakest recovery since the Great Depression and stubbornly high joblessness.

The nearby chart compares rates of quarterly growth during the Reagan and Obama economic recoveries.

The comparison is apt because both recoveries followed deep recessions in which the jobless rate reached more than 10%.

Once the Reagan recovery got cooking, in 1983, growth stayed above 5% for 18 months and never fell below 3.3% for 13 consecutive quarters.

In the Obama recovery, growth has never exceeded 4% in any quarter and fell off markedly in mid-2010 through the third quarter of 2011.

For the first nine months of 2011, growth averaged less than 1.2%.

The economy finally picked up again in the fourth quarter, but still at a rate that is subpar for a recovery that long ago should have become robust and durable."

To be fair, the world in 1984 was a little different than today. We did not have China back then. We did not have the European banking crisis and the Japanese economy was doing a lot better. We also did not have the "baby boomers' ready to go on Social Security.

At the same time, we did have presidential leadership willing to tackle issues and offer bold solutions. We don't have today. I would argue that most our problems today stem from Pres BO's unwillingness to get in the game and lead.

In 1984, Pres Reagan ran for reelection boasting his record. It was called "Morning in America". He carried 49 states and 60% of the popular vote. He came within a few thousand votes of winning Minnesota and making it an electoral college sweep.

We don't expect that Pres BO will be talking a great deal about his record in the upcoming election. He will run a campaign of "scare tactics" and "class warfare" because that's all that he has at his disposal. It won't be pretty even if wins. He will divide the country and find it very difficult to govern if he wins.

Check out Wednesday commentary about the speech:

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Pres BO's speech: Not a word about entitlement reform or debt reduction!

2012-01-25T08:09:00.001-06:00

Last night, I watched a Luntz Focus Group discuss Pres BO's speech. The bottom line is that all of this "hope and change" and "poll tested cliches" are not working anymore.

It is not working because Pres BO is not proposing solutions to real problems. He is not proposing anything bold. It is the same stuff that we heard in the campaign. It is "hope and change" but we need solutions.

Pres BO did not talk about the federal budget deficit, i.e. over a $1 trillion. We remind you that our federal budget deficit relative to GDP was 3% under Pres Bush and almost 10% under Pres BO. In other words, the deficit has TRIPLED!

Pres BO did not talk about soaring health care costs. BO-Care is now in the Supreme Court because 26 states have filed a lawsuit against the proposal. From Florida to Texas, the states are in rebellion because the federal government keeps imposing mandates that they have to pay for!

Pres BO did not talk about the looming Social Security and Medicare crisis. We desperately need entitlement reform because these programs are unsustainable. We are not Greece but we are heading in that direction.

Pres BO spoke of new energy resources but killed the Keystone Pipeline.

Pres BO used Mr Buffet's secretary to score an awful "class warfare" point. She pays income taxes but Mr Buffet is earning money from investments. The difference is critical. The difference is also essential to attract investment.

The bottom line is that Pres BO needs to stop lying about who pays taxes in the US. As we've posted before, the top 1% pay 37% of all of the income taxes. This "class warfare" is awful demagoguery that will only divide the nation and promote envy between groups.

We add that our current laws do not prevent Pres BO and other rich Dems from paying more taxes than they are required to pay. Maybe Pres BO, the Kennedys, the Kerrys, Mr Buffet and other very rich "Hollywoodies" who lean left, can set the example by mailing in more tax payments than they are supposed to.

Pres BO spoke about fairness. However, Solyndra, and other companies, got loan guarantees because the investors were big Obama campaign contributors.

Last, but not least, we are all very happy that Bin Laden is dead. Nevertheless, it would have been nice if Pres BO had given Pres Bush a little credit for starting the process and "water boarding" the terrorists who told us where Bin Laden was hiding.

At the end of the end of the day, this is a campaign speech intended to distract voters about the Obama record. Again, it did not work with the Luntz Focus Group that watched the speech last night. In fact, the disappointment with Pres BO was profound, specially among those who voted for him.

Did you get the feeling that you've heard some of these lines before? You have:

Check out our Wednesday commentary on the speech:

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Gov Daniels made more sense in 15 minutes than Pres BO's "shameless 90 minute class warfare" speech

2012-01-25T00:01:00.039-06:00

Pres BO delivered his 4th, and hopefully last, State of the Union address.

It featured more of the same: Let's tax the rich and blame everybody else. In other words, "shameless class warfare" that divides us between rich and poor, black and white, Hispanic and non-Hispanic, boss and employees, etc.

After the speech, Gov Daniels of Indiana gave the GOP response and the contrast was rather amazing.

Pres BO blamed Republicans although the Senate is actually controlled by Democrats.

He said nothing about Solyndra, other loan guarantees to companies going under and not a word of how 2,000 guns ended up in the hands of Mexican cartels.

At the end of the day, we heard another speech full of slogans and cliches but little about restoring confidence in the economy.

Gov Daniels reminded us that the private sector creates jobs not government. He spoke eloquently about Pres BO's mistakes, such as tying up $787 billion in a stimulus that did not stimulate OR a very unpopular health care program that a majority (52%) wants to repeal.

Joseph Curl has a great column today. I hope that you read it before the speech last tonight:

"There is one person — one American among the 300 million of us — who is not to blame for the state of the union. Everyone else, each of you, in some small or large way, bears some share of the blame, but not this guy. Not one little bit.

P.S. Check out our show:

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1,000 days late: Will Pres BO call on the Senate Democrat majority to pass a budget?

2012-01-24T00:03:00.022-06:00

Tax the rich....tax the rich and tax the rich again. However, we are still waiting for the Senate Democrat majority to actually pass a budget. They have not passed a budget for 3 years or 1,000 days.

What's the problem with a Senate Dem majority that does not pass a budget?

First, shouldn't our legislators pass budgets?

Secondly, and more important, it is illegal to operate without a budget:

"The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 ^[1] (CBA) is quite clear that passing a budget is not optional.

It states, “On or before April 15 of each year, the Congress shall complete action on a concurrent resolution on the budget for the fiscal year beginning on October 1 of such year.”" (PJ)

Pres BO should call on the Senate Democrat majority to pass a budget.

He won't because this is not about governing. This is all about distracting voters with slogans and cliches.

Tonight, you will hear about "fairness" and everybody paying their "fair share". You won't hear a thing about encouraging investors to invest, employers to hire people or making it easier for Texas to operate without the intrusions of "the out of the control EPA".

Obama 101: "Slogans and cliches" rather than governing.

P.S. Here are some of our recent shows:

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It was a great Sunday of football games!

2012-01-24T00:02:00.023-06:00

It is no surprise that the conference championship games got such large audiences: AFC Title Game Highest Rated In 18 Years, NFC Game Top Rated In 17 Years

The Baltimore-New England game was intense. The Ravens had a wonderful drive and put themselves in a position to tie the game with a field-goal. Unfortunately, the kicker did not make it.

The New York-San Francisco game was impacted by the rain. I think that they would have scored a lot more points without the steady rain. Nevertheless, they went into overtime and NY won with a FG.

I did not have a favorite in these games. However, we got two great games to watch.

NY and NE will now play in the Super Bowl. Everybody expected NE to be there but NY is still a surprise for many of us. I can still remember when they wanted to fire the coach in NY just a few weeks before they beat Dallas to clinch the NFC East and a ticket to the post season.

My guess is that all of the experts will pick NE but don't underestimate NY. Speaking of the NY-SF game, Bill Katz and I had fun talking politics and watching the game on Sunday night:

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A few thoughts about South Carolina

2012-01-24T00:01:00.047-06:00

Thank God that I didn't bet any money a week ago about the South Carolina primary. I was positive that Romney would win and begin wrapping up process of the GOP nomination. How did that work out?

It did not happen and we are now entering what could be a long haul to the nomination. In other words, it could be the most intense and contested nomination since then Gov Reagan and Pres Ford in 1976.

Why did Gingrich win? The answer is complicated but let's try a couple of ideas:

First, Gingrich had two spectacular debates. I mean spectacular. Juan Williams (FOX) and John King (CNN) threw a couple of "fat pitches down the middle of the plate" and Gingrich hit them 500 ft over into the parking lot. Gingrich's answers will go down in the debate hall of fame.

Gingrich attacked the media and that will always fly at a conservative gathering. I should add that conservatives have an honest gripe with the media. In other words, we conservatives don't think that we are getting a fair chance from many "in the tank for Obama" reporters.

Second, Romney was very weak with his tax returns answer. I don't think that Romney has a problem but his confusing answer made things worse.

Third, South Carolina was perfect for Gingrich. Frankly, I thought that our Gov Perry would win SC when he entered the race in September.

What happens now? It's Florida and Romney needs a victory. I don't think that a defeat in Florida is the end of Romney but he needs to win.

The bottom line is this: The GOP primary voters want a candidate who will fight and stand up to Obama. Therefore, Romney needs to get a bit more aggressive.

The fight goes on and that's not a bad thing. It will force the candidates to get better and get all of the dirt out. In other words, there won't be any October surprises, like the Bush DWI that came out a few days before the 2000 election.

My guess is that Romney is still the favorite but don't be surprised if this thing goes up and down several times.

Click here for our chat with Barry Casselman, The Prairie Editor:

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2012: I'd rather hitch my wagon to Romney or Santorum!

2012-01-23T00:04:00.013-06:00

Like many of you, I jumped up and down when Newt Gingrich manhandled John King and answered Juan Williams' question.

I thought that the ABC interview was just a rehash of old news and the timing was questionable to say the least.

I thought that Juan Williams' question was typical liberal nonsense about racism.

Nevertheless, I'm not comfortable with Gingrich as a potential nominee.

First, has Gingrich ever run anything? We've seen with Obama that executive, or governing, experience is actually a good thing.

Second, has Gingrich ever won an election outside of his Georgia district or the very conservative South Carolina primary?

Third, do people really think that Obama is going to accept something like the Lincoln-Douglas debates? Are you crazy? Obama will try to have the least exposure this fall because he has a lousy record to defend.

Fourth, have people looked at Gingrich's negatives? specially with women?

Again, I love Newt and cheered him all the way during these debates. However, this is about defeating Obama and Gingrich does not beat him in any head to head poll.

Yes, it's true that Reagan was behind Carter at this point in 1980. However, Reagan had that sunny disposition that Gingrich does not have.

Romney may not be perfect but he has executive experience and conservative instincts. And he is in a dead heat with Obama in the polls!

Check out our conversation with Bill Katz:

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"Yes we can" disenchantment update: Maureen Dowd has had it with the man that she blindly fell in love with in 2008!

2012-01-23T00:03:00.007-06:00

Today, Maureen reminds us how disappointed she is with her man:

"Despite what his rivals say, the president and the first lady do believe in American exceptionalism — their own, and they feel overassaulted and underappreciated. We disappointed them.

As Michelle said to Oprah in an interview she did with the president last May: “I always told the voters, the question isn’t whether Barack Obama is ready to be president. The question is whether we’re ready. And that continues to be the question we have to ask ourselves.”

They still believed, as their friend Valerie Jarrett once said, that Obama was “just too talented to do what ordinary people do.”

My guess is that Maureen speaks for a lot of Dems. They jumped on a bandwagon that was full of slogans and cliches BUT has taken them nowhere, or at least not where they thought it was destined to go.

When will Maureen file for divorce? When will she do it? I don't know but we will keep reading her NY Times columns. She is obviously an angry and frustrated woman who fell for the man who told so many what they wanted to hear.

Click here for our chat with Bill Katz of Urgent Agenda:

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39 years of Roe v Wade EQUALS millions of abortions

2012-01-23T00:02:00.037-06:00

We recall today the 39th anniversary of Roe v Wade, or the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the US.

Before Roe v Wade, abortion was a state matter or an issue settled by voters not unelected judges.

My opposition to abortion, or Roe v Wade, is based on two factors;

1) Abortion is the taking of a human life. What else is it? Why does any woman have an abortion anyway? (Of course, I'm not talking about those isolated and rare cases where the mother's life is in jeopardy)

2) Abortion is a state issue. I think that voters, and legislatures, should decide whether or not abortion is legal in their jurisdictions.

Last, but not least, there is the way that Roe v Wade has "poisoned" our judicial appointments. We've turned every Supreme Court nomination into a battle over Roe v Wade.

We pray that Roe v Wade is overturned. We will be a better country without Roe v Wade.

Check our chat with Bill Katz of Urgent Agenda:

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A word about Joe Paterno

2012-01-23T00:01:00.008-06:00

We just learned that Joe Paterno passed away from cancer. As a sports fan, I've followed Coach Paterno's career for a long time. He was a legend and may have been the greatest college coach ever.

Coach Paterno was more than a coach. He understood that academic performance was also important. He reminded his players that they need to set up a Plan B, or an education.

Over the years, I've heard Penn State alumni speak well of Coach Paterno. He was a "father figure" for many of these young men.

Paterno's career ended abruptly with a scandal. However, you have to look at his life completely and assess his full record.

Rest in Peace Coach Paterno.

We spoke about this with Bill Katz on Sunday night:

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Let me dedicate this one to that English teacher who took us to see "Romeo & Juliet" many years ago!

2012-01-22T00:02:00.079-06:00

A few days ago, I heard "Just like Romeo and Juliet", a great song recorded many years ago by The Reflections. I don't think that they had another hits.

It reminded me of a "school days" story.

Back in my younger days, they released a version of "Romeo & Juliet" starring a pretty young woman named Olivia Hussey. She was very young when she made this movie, i.e. 17 or 18.

I learned years later that Olivia was born in Argentina. Her father was British and the mother was from Buenos Aires. Wonder how they discussed the Falklands War in that marriage?

With all due respect, I can not recall the fellow who played Romeo. I just can't. I remember that all of the girls in the bus were madly in love with him but I don't remember seeing him in another movie.

However, we did talk a lot about Olivia in the school cafeteria. She was very popular with the boys.

I can still remember how our high school class took a bus and went to see "Romeo & Juliet" one afternoon after lunch.

It was supposed to be an "educational experience" but it turned into a bit of a mess whenever Romeo and Juliet kissed on the screen. It became a bit of a contest between the boys who were bored to death and girls who were so involved in the story.

I felt bad for the teacher. She was trying to teach us about "culture and literature" but ended up learning a lesson about high school kids who were probably not mentally ready to watch something as complicated as a love story such as this one:

Here is "Just like Romeo & Juliet" by The Reflections, a great song from the days of Top 40 radio. I loved this song:

"Finding a job tomorrow morning,
Got a little something I want to do.

Gonna buy something I can ride in

Take my girl dating at the drive-in,

Our love's gonna be written down in history

Just like Romeo and Juliet

I'm gonna buy her pretty presents,

Just like the ones in the catalog.

Gonna show her how much I lover her

Let her know that one way or the other,

Our love's gonna be written down in history

Just like Romeo and Juliet

Talk about love and romance,

Just wait till I get myself straight.

I'm gonna put Romeo's fame right smack dab outta date.

Right now I'm speculating,

Wonder what tomorrow's gonna really bring.

If I don't find work tomorrow

It's gonna be heartaches and sorrow,

Our love's gonna be destroyed by a tragedy

Just like Romeo and Juliet"

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If you love pop music trivia then you'll love that "Venus in blue jeans" turns 50 this year!

2012-01-22T00:01:00.014-06:00

For as long as I can remember, I've been a huge fan of pop music history and trivia.

Last week, I checked the top 100 of 1962 and found some absolutely wonderful songs that turn 50 this year or 2012. (By the way, I should tell you that I'm one of those strange people who likes to check "old radio play lists")

To be honest, I was not listening to the radio back in 1962. However, I picked up all of these songs in the 1970's when there was a revival of this music with "American Graffiti" & the "Happy Days" TV show.   Thank you Fonzi, Richie & Mrs C!

I got hooked and have enjoyed these tunes ever since.

This is "Venus in blue jeans" by Jimmy Clanton, one of my favorites from that period.   It was an international hit and made the top 100 of 1962.

Jimmy Clinton was from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He had a few hits but "Venus in blue jeans" was his biggest!  And it was a great song:

"She's Venus in blue jeans Mona Lisa with a pony-tail
She's a walking, talking work of art She's the girl who stole my heart
My Venus in blue jeans Is the Cinderella I adore
She's my very special angel too A fairy tale come true
They say there's seven wonders in the world
But what they say is out of date
There's more than seven wonders in the world
I just met number eight
My Venus in blue jeans Is everything I hoped she be
A teenage goddess from above And she belongs to me
My Venus in blue jeans Is everything I hoped she be
A teenage goddess from above And she belongs to me."

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We are still waiting for President "class warfare" to explain how 2,000 weapons ended up in the hands of Mexican cartels!

2012-01-21T12:02:00.002-06:00

We hear that Arizona is launching an investigation on how those ATF guns ended up with the Mexican cartels:

"Arizona's state legislature will open its own investigation into the Obama administration's disgraced gun-running program, known as "Fast and Furious," the speaker of the state House said Friday.

Speaker Andy Tobin created the committee, and charged it with looking at whether the program broke any state laws — raising the possibility of state penalties against those responsible for the operation."

Thank God for the Arizona legislature! I'm glad to see that someone up here cares about the violence tearing up our border.

Of course, there is urgency here because the US-Mexico border is as dangerous as ever:

"According to the Mexican government, from January through September 2011 2,276 deaths were recorded in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, which borders Texas and New Mexico.

A Nov. 2011 Congressional Research Service (CRS) report states that over nearly the same period – January through October 2011 – 2,177 civilians were killed in Afghanistan, where a U.S.-led war against the Taliban is underway.

It did not provide a breakdown of responsibility for that period, but said that in 2010, 75 percent of civilian deaths were attributed to the Taliban and other “anti-government elements.”

Per capita, a person was at least nine times more likely to be murdered in Chihuahua last year than in Afghanistan. (Chihuahua has 3,406,465 inhabitants, according to Mexico’s 2010 census; the CIA World Factbook reports that in July 2011 the estimated population of Afghanistan was 29,835,392.)"

We obviously sympathize with the good people of Mexico and their daily struggles against the cartels. Our consumption of illegal drugs is creating the demand that the cartels are supplying.

The horrific violence in Chihuahua confirms the importance of tracking down these ATF weapons and making sure that they are not being used to kill more Mexicans or US nationals.

It's time for Pres BO to explain to Mexico how 2,000 weapons ended up south of the border and in the hands of Mexican cartels! We need to hold someone responsible for this and it should start with AG Holder!

Tags: Guns to Mexican cartels scandal To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the My View by Silvio Canto, Jr. Thanks!

DEBT and why the US is now #10 in the freedom index!

2012-01-21T00:04:00.030-06:00

The Heritage Foundation is out with The Freedom Index:

"The United States’ economic freedom score of 76.3 drops it to 10th place in the 2012 Index.

Its score is 1.5 points lower than last year, reflecting deteriorating scores for government spending, freedom from corruption, and investment freedom.

The U.S. is ranked 2nd out of three countries in the North America region, and its overall score remains well above the world and regional averages."

We are behind 9 other countries, including Canada, Chile, New Zealand and Australia.

The Index looks at "rule of law", "limited government", "regulatory efficiency" and "open markets".

Our ranking is still high and the US is indeed an excellent place to invest and do business. We also have a deep respect for property rights and contract law.

Our biggest weakness is debt, or exactly what we are NOT talking about in these presidential debates.

We spoke about the Index with Dr Johnson on the Friday show:

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The Texas maps: A victory for voters and a defeat for unelected judges!

2012-01-21T00:03:00.030-06:00

We've been following the story of the Texas maps and the legal battles associated with them.

The issue is this: Who gets to draw the maps? The legislature? Unelected judges?

The answer is the legislature, or the people elected by voters.

It looks like the Supreme Court agrees. They threw out the Texas map drawn up by unelected judges.

Don't get me wrong. I am sensitive to the history of segregation or vote intimidation in the old South. It is a fact.

However, we live in 2012 not 1952. We need to get over the past and live in the present. We do not have any structural vote intimidation in today's Texas.

Here is the bottom line: Redistricting is political not a judicial matter. The legislature, not judges, draw up the maps.

Click here for the Friday and our chat with Tom Washington:

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A question about Newt's ex-wife but NOT ONE question about foreign policy!

2012-01-20T00:04:00.005-06:00

Newt nailed CNN at the very beginning and that was good.

However, we did not have a single mention of foreign policy in the entire debate. Is that crazy or what?

The candidates were asked about illegal immigration, an issue that has a national security component. Yet, I did not hear a question about Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Egypt and so on.

I understand that the public wants to hear about the economy but foreign policy does not go away because we avoid it.

On the domestic side, there was only a passing reference to the Keystone Pipeline and no significant discussion of debt, the deficit or entitlements.

Check our Friday commentary:

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Tags: The South Carolina CNN debate To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the My View by Silvio Canto, Jr. Thanks!