Friday Digest: Democrats Have a New Election Strategy

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Subscribe to The Patriot Post — It's Right and It's FREE: click here. Digest · December 2, 2011 Government Economy Security Culture The Foundation "We are either a United people, or we are not. If the former, let us, in all matters of general concern act as a nation, which have national objects to promote, and a national character to support. If we are not, let us no longer act a farce by pretending to it." --George Washington Government Divide and Conquer Democrats' new electoral strategy It's official: In the 2012 election, Democrats will rely completely on the votes of minorities, lower class government dependents, and the highly educated affluent, while giving up any pretense of trying to get the votes of white working class people. This may seem anathema to a party that features labor unions as one of its prize special interests, but private sector union workers make up an increasingly smaller portion of the workforce. Hispanics, however, are a fast-growing demographic, blacks are solidly Democrat, and the Occupy Wall Street movement has energized the entitled and the supposedly educated, so Democrats are betting they can win without working whites. Yet it's not the plan that's strange, it's the explicit acknowledgment of it. Thomas Edsall, writing in the New York Times, says, "The 2012 approach treats white voters without college degrees as an unattainable cohort. The Democratic goal with these voters is to keep Republican winning margins to manageable levels, in the 12 to 15 percent range, as opposed to the 30-point margin of 2010 -- a level at which even solid wins among minorities and other constituencies are not enough to produce Democratic victories." So how can Democrats still win elections after having announced these intentions? They're telling working whites, "We don't need you," while at the same time hoping those voters won't leave completely. Part of the reason for the strategy is that between 2008 and 2012 the white share of the electorate will shrink by 2 percent, while the aforementioned coalition's share will increase by the same amount. Also, there's a tacit lowering of the bar. As Ruy Teixeira and John Halpin write for the Center for American Progress (a leftist "think tank" funded by socialist financier George Soros and run by former Clinton operative John Podesta), it's The Path to 270: Demographics versus Economics in the 2012 Presidential Election. The path to 270. Barack Obama won 365 electoral votes in 2008. Lowering the bar means shafting an entire demographic and still winning is plausible. Of course, we hope Obama takes Jimmy Carter's path -- going from 297 electoral votes in 1976 to just 49 in 1980. As for the new -- or rather publicly admitted -- coalition, a large segment includes those who either receive or demand assistance from the federal government, i.e., the Occupy movement, which, incidentally, left behind 30 tons of trash in LA after cops arrested 300 while removing the protesters. More than 5,000 Occupiers have now been arrested across the nation. How many Tea Party activists were arrested? Edsall writes of these entitled miscreants, "A top priority of the less affluent wing of today's left alliance is the strengthening of the safety net, including health care, food stamps, infant nutrition and unemployment compensation. These voters generally take the brunt of recessions and are most in need of government assistance to survive. According to recent data from the Department of Agriculture, 45.8 million people, nearly 15 percent of the population, depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to meet their needs for food." Obviously, Democrats promise to keep the gravy train running. Meanwhile, productive citizens, small business owners and those without "sufficient" education -- the bitter clingers -- are told to take a hike. Democrats know they have no shot at convincing these voters that more entitlements, more regulations, more taxes and more debt are the way to restore prosperity. Just this week, Obama insisted, "Every single thing that we care about is at stake in the next election. The very core of what this country stands for is on the line." It seems that with their desperate new electoral strategy, Democrats have fully embraced the hate-filled group-against-group tenets of identity politics. Worse, however, is that they seem to have publicly declared their belief that "the very core of what this country stands for" no longer includes working-class white people. What do you think of the Democrats' strategy? This Week's 'Alpha Jackass' Award Make sure you're sitting down for this one. Barack Obama this week held a fundraiser in New York City, where guests paid $35,800 a plate to hear this tripe: "Our kids are going to be fine. And I always tell Malia and Sasha, look, you guys, I don't worry about you. ... [T]hey're on a path that is going to be successful, even if the country as a whole is not successful. But that's not our vision of America. I don't want an America where my kids are living behind walls and gates and can't feel a part of a country that is giving everybody a shot." Imagine how many poor, hungry kids could have eaten for $35,800. The Obamas: Regular 99 percenters. Meanwhile, Thanksgiving was the topic of Obama's last weekly address. However, he failed to mention God (a.k.a. He to Whom We Give Thanks) in his Thanksgiving commentary, instead noting "how truly lucky we are." Did You Know? The Patriot Post's Digest represents a collaborative effort of more than 30 contributors and editors who bring their passion and expertise from all walks of life. Thursday and Friday in particular represent some pretty long days and nights (trust us!) as we refine our publication to ensure an accurate and penetrating analysis of the week's news, policy and opinion. Indeed, this is what you, our readers, have come to expect over the last 15 years. Many Patriots volunteer their time and effort to our mission, while others receive only a modest salary. Nonetheless, our costs are substantial. If you find today's Digest interesting, inspiring or informative, we humbly ask that you consider donating to our 2011 Year-End Campaign with a secure online donation. Or, if you prefer to support us by mail, please use our printable donor form. We must raise $183,634 to keep it coming your way. Thank you! Nate Jackson Managing Editor News From the Swamp: Super Failure The U.S. Congress Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, humorously dubbed the Supercommittee, failed in its mission to devise a way to trim $1.2 trillion from the budget over the next 10 years. The blame game over who caused the failure lasted for much of the week with Democrats predictably blaming Republicans for refusing significant tax increases even though they themselves refused to consider cuts or reforms to the entitlements that are driving the debt. With this latest shot at a grand bargain now wasted, elected officials are turning their attention to smaller measures, such as extending the payroll tax cut. There is no economic data to suggest that the payroll tax cut has done anything to spur employment, but the White House and many Democrats insist on continuing the plan. Republicans initially opposed the extension because it hasn't revitalized the economy (in fact, growth has slowed this year) and because the Democrats want to "pay for it" with a 3.25 percent surtax on millionaires, three-quarters of whom are small business owners. That's on top of the possibly expiring Bush tax cuts, which will hit those same taxpayers. As The Wall Street Journal put it, "Perhaps Democrats can explain how taking money from employers is going to lead them to hire more workers." Republicans, however, are bowing to political pressure as Democrats gladly label the GOP as hypocritical on taxes -- willing to raise taxes on workers but opposing tax increases on the wealthy. The real problem, of course, is that government spends too much, not that it takes in too little. So far, very few people in Washington really want to address that stubborn fact. From the Left: Barney Frank to Retire Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) announced this week that he will retire at the end of his term, bringing an end to his 32-year congressional career. Mean, condescending and stubborn as a jackass to the end, Frank continues to deflect any blame for his role in the financial crisis. In 2003 and 2005, Frank claimed that government-sponsored mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were sound institutions, and he supported their practice of forcing banks to grant home loans to borrowers with questionable credit. It was this subprime lending that led to Fannie and Freddie's shaky balance sheets, a nationwide foreclosure crisis and, ultimately, a global financial meltdown. Frank later created, with retired Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act, a sweeping set of regulatory shackles that seeks to take over the banking industry under the guise of reforming it. Frank is confident that the law will never be repealed, but he is clearly not confident about Democrats' chances in 2012. As ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee, Frank would become Chairman if Democrats were to retake the chamber next year. The fact that he's retiring indicates he doesn't believe that they will, and his retirement could signify a wave of Democrat House members running for the exits ahead of next year's elections. Frank isn't even confident about his own chances, telling reporters this week that the redrawing of his district would mean a fresh constituency and a very hard campaign convincing new people to vote for him. As Comedy Central's Jon Stewart quipped, "So Frank's reason for stepping down is that, if he did run in 2012, he would, for the first time in decades, have to actually make himself appealing to voters." In 2010, he faced the toughest fight of his career after 15 mostly uncontested terms that included a 1989 male prostitution ring run out of his DC apartment. Frank promises to spend the remainder of his term fighting the dismantling of Dodd-Frank, but he did manage to find time to sign on to a bill that would repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board, a significant portion of ObamaCare. The IPAB is an appointed board that, beginning in 2014, would be the ultimate decision maker regarding how much medical care Medicare patients will receive. This is the death panel that Frank and other leftists emphatically promised us in 2009 didn't exist. Barney remains a class act to the end. New & Notable Legislation Democrat Sens. Harry Reid (NV) and Ben Cardin (MD) have introduced the End Racial Profiling Act, calling for the prohibition of federal funds to state and local law enforcement agencies that practice any aspect of racial profiling in carrying out their investigations. The bill is clearly meant to punish states that seek to enforce illegal immigration laws. "Racial profiling" is defined so broadly and situations in which profiling would be unacceptable are so numerous that it would effectively strip police officers of much of their ability to perform their duties. In other news, House Republicans' half-hearted attempt at a balanced budget amendment failed, falling 23 votes short of the two-thirds necessary to amend the Constitution. The fundamental problem with the proposal was that it contained no provisions on taxation or spending, leaving Paul Ryan, Chairman of the Budget Committee to comment, "This version ... makes it more likely taxes will be raised, government will grow and economic freedom will be diminished." Ryan was one of four Republicans to vote against the measure. The Senate Thursday night passed the Defense Authorization bill, which includes a few interesting provisions. One ends the military ban on sodomy and bestiality. Don't ask, don't tell, right? Also, there's a provision that any suspected al-Qa'ida terrorists, including U.S. citizens captured in the country, may be held by the military indefinitely. The implications of that could get interesting. On the Campaign Trail: As Cain Falls, Gingrich Rises Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain faces another allegation of sexual misconduct. This time it was from a woman named Ginger White, who claims that she had an off-and-on 13-year affair with Cain and that she has the phone records to prove it. White may not be the most credible person to come forward with such accusations (but then again, people who have affairs generally have credibility problems). She has a history of financial problems, a string of evictions, a previous sexual harassment claim that was settled out of court, and a lawsuit by a former business partner that was later dismissed. Cain announced that he was "reassessing" his campaign, which has, of late, become a colossal distraction and a treasure trove to media talkingheads and late-night comics. Oddly enough, Cain continues to lose supporters to a resurgent Newt Gingrich, who won the coveted endorsement of the New Hampshire Union Leader last week. Gingrich's candidacy had been written off earlier this year, and his penchant for self-destructive comments and actions, such as sitting on a couch with Nancy Pelosi to profess his support of anti-global warming legislation, has made even his closest supporters nervous. But the endorsement from the conservative-leaning publication in the nation's first primary state, coupled with the former Speaker's impressive debate performances, makes Gingrich a viable alternative to Mitt Romney, who has yet to garner the support of more than about a quarter of Republican voters. The Union Leader's endorsement is not a guarantee of success in the primary, but it's a sure sign that Newt's once-moribund candidacy is now full of life. Economy A Swift Kick in the Eurozone The economic crisis in the so-called "Eurozone" has become critical. This week a spike in Italian bond prices -- almost doubling levels in October -- foreshadowed serious problems with Italian debt. With interest rates having already risen three percentage points on both long- and short-term treasury bills, each increase of a percentage point adds roughly €20 billion in new debt-servicing costs. Continuing this trend will likely lead to a crash in Italy, which in turn, "would inevitably lead to the end of the euro, causing the deadlock of the process of European integration and resulting in unforeseeable consequences." So says newly appointed Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, citing his frank discussions with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Seeking to stem that trend, the Federal Reserve rushed to open cash spigots to foreign banks, expanding a program that allows them to borrow dollars at lower rates. The hope is that easing borrowing costs to banks will temporarily stem the breakdown of global financial markets and give Europe more time to deal with its debt crisis. The anticipation of more cheap money sent financial markets soaring in the U.S. and Europe, but as with previous cash infusions this stopgap measure merely buys time: the rapidly growing tab is coming due. What "tab" is that? Well, for one, a half-century of beggar-thy-neighbor socialist entitlements and completely unchecked government spending has amassed a debt that is simply unserviceable. Along with this latest installment of the "rearranging-deck-chairs-on-the-Titanic" Euro-saga, debt holdings of both Portugal and Hungary have been downgraded to "junk," with the promise of more downgrades to follow. Although European leaders publicly proclaim that a Eurozone breakup is "impossible," European banks are quietly preparing exactly that: a return to a multi-currency Europe. Such a breakup would be devastating. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski stated that it would pose a greater threat to Poland than "tanks, terrorism or missiles." According to Swiss bank UBS, resulting bank runs and financial crises could cost smaller countries like Greece up to 50 percent of their GDP in the first year and 15 percent in subsequent years. For larger countries like Germany, the story is only slightly less bleak: 25 and 12.5 percent, respectively, in the first and subsequent years. Reiterating the official U.S. position on the crisis, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney echoed comments made in October by the Chosen One. Declaring that the crisis had "created a headwind" for an already sluggish U.S. economy, Mr. Carney reminded us, "[W]e need to take decisive action on things that we can control." Carney added that European economic difficulties make it "much more difficult for us to create good jobs at home." Such look-at-that-speck-in-your-eye-not-the-plank-in-my-own statements highlight the sheer hypocrisy of the Hope-&-Change cabal and also signal the administration's latest "tactic" for turning the U.S. economy around -- namely, blame Europe. While it is true Europe's house is not in order, blaming Europe for U.S. economic woes is not sufficient. Europe did not accumulate the $15 trillion U.S. debt bill, Europe is not responsible for implementing the U.S. entitlement system, and Europe did not mandate the current anti-business, anti-growth and anti-freedom policies of this administration. While the stronger countries in Europe are doubling down on an already bad bet -- that bailouts can save the European economy from the fundamental flaws of a Ponzi-scheme socialist entitlement system -- Team Chosen is doing them one better: Ignore the root cause of the problem and blame it on someone else. Ultimately, neither problem will be solved without real fiscal reform, notably the shedding of two continents' worth of entitlement spending and socialist policies. Unemployment November employment numbers are out today and they bring mixed news. Bloomberg reports, "The jobless rate declined to 8.6 percent, the lowest since March 2009, from 9 percent, Labor Department figures showed today in Washington. Payrolls climbed 120,000, with more than half the hiring coming from retailers and temporary help agencies, after a revised 100,000 rise in October." Seems like good news. Unfortunately, part of the reason is that 315,000 Americans left the workforce altogether. Another part is that retailers have hired seasonal help. Bloomberg also notes, "The so-called underemployment rate -- which includes part- time workers who'd prefer a full-time position and people who want work but have given up looking -- decreased to 15.6 percent from 16.2 percent." Furthermore, "The jobless rate has exceeded 8 percent since February 2009, the longest stretch of such levels of unemployment since monthly records began in 1948." This long after the recession supposedly ended, things should be looking much brighter than this. Welcome to Obamanomics. Post your thoughts on employment. Regulatory Commissars: EPA Takes Up Auto Design Try as they might to catch up to fuel economy standards set by Congress a few years back, Detroit automakers concede that the EPA's new standards -- set without benefit of congressional hearings or one of those nasty floor votes Democrats aren't assured of winning -- will prove difficult to attain without radically changing their business model and making cars less safe. Citing the 1970 Clean Air Act for the EPA's unprecedented regulating of the automotive market, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson unilaterally decided to double fuel economy standards in 15 years to 54 miles per gallon. Granted, when numbers like 56 or even 62 miles per gallon as a fleet-wide average were bandied about, "only" 54 miles per gallon is a bit of a relief. But the EPA's own estimate pegs the cost of the new rule at an astounding $157 billion (a low estimate), which will be passed on to consumers. The National Automotive Dealers Association estimates that the price of cars will increase an additional $3,100 thanks to the new standards. While Congress is trying to restore more realistic numbers that were worked out among automakers, safety advocates, and the federal government, it's not likely any change will occur unless a new administration is sworn in come 2013. By then Detroit may already be on a road they're forced to travel by an overzealous regime. Around the Nation: Drilling Ebb and Flow Domestic oil production provides further proof that Barack Obama's economic policies are at best ineffective and at worst driving this country into the ground. Approval for drilling applications in the Gulf of Mexico has dwindled to a pathetic 35 percent. To make matters worse, there is now an unprecedented 115-day wait for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement to issue its decision. The historical averages for approval are 73.4 percent and 61 days, respectively. These policies are not only harming the post-spill recovery effort in the Gulf, but they are having an equally detrimental ripple effect throughout the country. Some 700 local jobs would be created from each rig, and allowing drilling projects to move forward would generate revenue for both the public and private sectors. Yet every cloud has a silver lining. The Obama administration's bureaucratic quagmire hasn't completely stifled American innovation. The oil and gas production industries are growing, though as noted already they could be growing even more. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 440,000 Americans at work in these industries, up 80 percent since 2003. This is due not to government stimulus money or other handouts but good old-fashioned private investment. While the government continues to flush money down green toilets for the likes of Solyndra, there have been incredible developments in horizontal drilling and hydraulics. Contrary to the multipliers and other magical equations employed by Keynesians, these are actual numbers, showing actual progress. All we need is a government that will back off and allow this growth in other sectors. Meanwhile, the U.S. is set to become a net exporter of petroleum products such as gasoline and diesel for the first time in 62 years. Granted, we're also the world's largest importer of crude oil, but it speaks well of American capacity and productivity that our exports are soaring. ObamaCare: Waivers and Taxes States are still lining up for waivers from ObamaCare. While several states including Nevada, Wisconsin, Maine and Iowa (purely coincidentally, these were all blue states in 2008 but are very much in play in 2012) have won waivers, other states, such as Delaware, North Dakota, Indiana and Louisiana, have not been so fortunate. As blogger Doug Powers correctly points out, however, "The real red flag isn't who was denied or approved, but that states are clamoring for waivers at all from something that purportedly will improve the quality of everyone's life. If it's this painful on the front end, what's it going to be like at the back end? Probably like most back ends." Meanwhile, some are already beginning to feel ObamaCare's kick in the back end. Michigan-based Stryker Corporation, a global medical device company, recently announced it's laying off 5 percent of its workforce because of the law. "The targeted [employee] reductions and other restructuring activities are being initiated to provide efficiencies and realign resources in advance of the new Medical Device Excise Tax scheduled to begin in 2013," the company noted. Industry-wide, ObamaCare's 2.3 percent tax is expected to cost $20 billion in revenue over 10 years. In July, one major trade group representing the medical device industry warned that the tax would "undermine ... [the] industry's ability to create and maintain good jobs in the U.S." Unfortunately, this prediction is proving true. This administration may give lip service to job creation, but talk is cheap, and ObamaCare is proving to be anything but. Security Warfront With Jihadistan: Trouble With Pakistan As the Obama regime continues preparations to remove U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014, the region remains intensely hot. Last Saturday, a joint U.S.-Afghan patrol was fired upon across the Afghan-Pakistani border, apparently by Pakistani troops. The U.S. patrol called in air strikes, and two Pakistani border posts were destroyed, killing 24 Pakistani soldiers and sparking anti-American riots. Islamabad retaliated by closing its Afghan border crossings to NATO supplies, telling the U.S. to vacate a Pakistani air base used by American drones, and boycotting an international conference aimed at stabilizing Afghanistan. The air strikes have also jeopardized Barack Obama's hope of enlisting our supposed ally's support in the Afghan war as the U.S. role winds down. This is not the first attack on our forces by Pakistan. With a large percentage of its military being sympathetic to, or even members of, the Taliban and al-Qa'ida, those forces often use whatever chance they get to shoot at U.S. troops. Unfortunately, Pakistan has us over a barrel, since more than 40 percent of all supplies sent to U.S. forces in Afghanistan are shipped via Pakistani ports and roads. Additionally, Pakistan allows us to use its airspace, including the use of three air bases from which Predator drones are operated. But given the increasing hostility from Pakistan, maybe it's time for the U.S. to redirect the billions of dollars in aid given to Islamabad and start building a better logistics route and system that steers clear of Pakistan's Islamist leanings, or at least use the threat of reduced aid as a big stick to bring the Pakistani military under control. The problem is, we can't live with them, but we can't live without them either. Is Pakistan a friend or foe? Tensions Rise With Iran Another week, another explosion at an Iranian nuclear facility. The first one destroyed a large portion of a military complex and killed a key figure in Iran's ballistic missile program. This latest one occurred in Isfahan, damaging a facility that prepares uranium for enrichment. Iran continues to assert that both explosions were accidents though there is reason to believe they doth protest too much. A growing list of unusual incidents relating to Iran's nuclear program suggests that a covert sabotage effort is underway. Nuclear scientists have been killed in a plane crash, by a mysterious drive-by bomber, and by unmanned aerial vehicles crashing into a nuclear facility. The Stuxnet and Duqu computer viruses also did substantial damage. Whether it's Israel, Britain or the U.S. -- or all of the above -- may the effort continue. In perhaps related news, The Wall Street Journal reports, "On Tuesday, around 200 protesters belonging to the plainclothes Basij militia stormed the British Embassy and its residence compound in Tehran, vandalizing the property and causing significant damage." The British responded by evacuating the embassy and ordering all Iranian diplomats to leave the UK immediately. France, Germany and the Netherlands have also recalled their ambassadors to Tehran. Recall that in 2008, Barack Obama declared that he would meet with the leaders of Iran "without pre-condition." Maybe he should call Jimmy Carter for advice. Culture Second Amendment: Hiding Something "The Obama Administration has abruptly sealed court records containing alarming details of how Mexican drug smugglers murdered a U.S. Border patrol agent with a gun connected to a failed federal experiment that allowed firearms to be smuggled into Mexico," reports Judicial Watch. Border Patrol agent Brian Terry was murdered last December in Arizona with a gun obtained through Operation Fast and Furious. Attorney General Eric Holder testified to Congress last month, however, that the government wasn't responsible. Now, further information regarding that case will be withheld from the media and the public. So much for transparency. Fortunately, The Washington Times obtained some of the details before they were sealed. The Times reports, "A now-sealed federal grand jury indictment in the death of Border Patrol agent Brian A. Terry says the Mexican nationals were 'patrolling' the rugged desert area of Peck Canyon at about 11:15 p.m. on Dec. 14 with the intent to 'intentionally and forcibly assault' Border Patrol agents." Manuel Osorio-Arellanes, a cartel member, was also shot in the firefight and awaits trial for second-degree murder. That he hasn't yet been tried suggests that Obama has a great deal more to hide in this administration-concocted operation that has taken hundreds of lives. And to think that Leftists drove Nixon out over a second-rate burglary of the DNC office. Climate Change This Week: A Decline Not Hidden Perhaps the global warming hysteria brought on by claims that our planet is hotter than at any point since temperatures have been recorded can't be refuted by a single piece of research, but a new climate study published in Science Magazine found that global temperatures are not influenced by the amount of carbon dioxide in the air as previously thought. Even if current CO2 levels were doubled, Earth's temperature would rise only about 3.1 degrees Fahrenheit, not 3.6 degrees to 8.6 degrees as estimated in the 2007 report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Furthermore, in the dry language of the study's seven co-authors, "Assuming paleoclimatic constraints apply to the future as predicted by our model, these results imply lower probability of imminent extreme climatic change than previously thought." Translation: the ecofascist hype was just blown away. Of course, that's not going to stop the true believers from castigating "deniers" or pointing out that any extreme weather we have experienced in recent years is symptomatic of drastic climate change, nor will it halt their demands that government continue combating a problem that's truly beyond mankind's ability to rectify. The debate about whether we are causing climate change is not really about temperatures, but about power and control over our wallets and our lifestyles. Some of us realize that and are realistic about what can be done. Let's see if those who still think mankind is influencing the climate in a negative way can hide the decline in their credibility based on this new research. In related news, Sunday will mark the 2,232nd consecutive day in which the U.S. has not been hit by a major hurricane. That's a new record, despite dire warnings from warmists. Knoxville Murder Update There is an unbelievably cruel update on the "hate crime" rape/torture/mutilation/murders of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom, the subject of "Murder in Black and White" by Mark Alexander. Alexander focused on this case because, despite the clear racial implications -- the victims were white and the assailants are black -- there was a virtual media blackout on the incident. On Thursday, it was announced that the sentencing judge, Richard Baumgartner, a New York native and longtime Democrat, has been removed from the bench on account of his habitual drug use. Though juries rendered the verdicts in these trials, lawyers have won a retrial for all four convicted murderers because Baumgartner was likely impaired during their trials. That means the families of the two victims will have to go through the horrors of these trials once again. What a travesty of justice. What do you think about the Knoxville case? And Last... Obamanomics has many people in a slump these days, including GM and even Santa Claus. General Motors is dealing with bad publicity for its electric car, the Volt. Touted as the latest, greatest "green" automobile, the heavily subsidized Volt is powered partly by battery and partly by gasoline. Unfortunately for GM -- and possibly some unlucky owners -- three Volts have actually caught fire in crash testing. GM at first offered loaners to any skittish owners and is now working on a full-blown recall and an offer to buy back Motor Trend's Car of the Year from any owner who fears a fire. Sounds like the perfect investment for the Obama administration. Meanwhile, a Michigan school for would-be Santa Clauses is teaching these mall Santas how to deal with the Obama economy -- including how to quickly size up a family's financial situation and possibly scale back a child's gift request. Also part of the training is how to answer the tragic question, "Can you bring my daddy a job?" A school lecturer said, "Santas have to be sure to never promise anything." It's a sad state of affairs, to be sure, but on the bright side, at least Santa's sleigh won't be catching fire. Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus et Fidelis! Nate Jackson for The Patriot Post Editorial Team (To submit reader comments click here.) Patriot News Review Nearly $1M in Federal Funds for Online Soap Opera Unemployment Rate Falls to 8.6% GAO: $13b Mortgage Bailout Could Be Necessary Reid: Raise Taxes, Feed Struggling Civil Servants 100-0: Senate Against Obama on Iran Bank Sanction Fail: Coke Cancels Global Warming-Themed Cans More News The Right Opinion Edwin J. Feulner: Moving Forward on Missile Defense Oliver North: Incendiary Iran L. Brent Bozell: Hollywood's Soda-Pop Statism Michelle Malkin: Miley Cyrus, Occupier Poster Girl Jonah Goldberg: The Problem With China Envy David Limbaugh: Obama Pleads for 4 More Linda Chavez: Egyptian Elections Pose Danger for US Mona Charen: Where Ron Paul Is Right Charles Krauthammer: Mitt vs. Newt Ann Coulter: Once You Go Conservative Black, You Better Watch Your Back Burt Prelutsky: The Missing Links George Will: Unintended Consequences More Opinion Grassroots Commentary Thanksgiving Unions: Something to Consider Malignantocracy The Impact of Debt Ceiling on American Economy Is Overestimated The Union Leader Misleads Again Democrat Racism More Commentary Policy and Analysis Heritage Foundation Insider Heritage Foundation Research American Enterprise Institute Center for Strategic and International Studies The Cato Institute Hoover Institution National Rifle Association Ludwig von Mises Institute Citizens Against Government Waste National Center for Policy Analysis The Heartland Institute (Please pray for our Armed Forces standing in harm's way around the world, and for their families -- especially families of those fallen Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, who granted their lives in defense of American liberty.) 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