Crossposted from Flopping Aces

Obama up to his tricks once again. Here he is responding to the fact that gun sells have risen 49% since he was elected:

“I believe in common-sense gun safety laws, and I believe in the second amendment,” Obama said at a news conference. “Lawful gun owners have nothing to fear. I said that throughout the campaign. I haven’t indicated anything different during the transition. I think people can take me at my word.”

Oh really?

It’s one thing to say you support the 2nd Amendment, but your actions over the years show us something different all together:

But National Rifle Association spokesman Andrew Arulanandam said it’s not Obama’s words — but his legislative track record — that has gun-buyers flocking to the stores.

“Prior to his campaign for president, his record as a state legislator and as a U.S. Senator shows he voted for the most stringent forms of gun control, the most Draconian legislation, gun bans, ammunition bans and even an increase in federal excise taxes up to 500 percent for every gun and firearm sold,” Arulanandam said.

Lets not forget how he answered the same kind of question in 1996:

“Do you support state legislation to … ban the manufacture, sale and possession of handguns?” asked one of the three dozen questions.

“Yes,” was Obama’s entire answer.

Here he is back in September saying that he doesn’t want to take guns but if he did flip-flop (Obama never flip-flops right?) he couldn’t do it anyways:

A woman in the crowd [in Duryea, PA] told Obama she had “heard a rumor” that he might be planning some sort of gun ban upon being elected president. Obama trotted out his standard policy stance, that he had a deep respect for the “traditions of gun ownership” but favored measures in big cities to keep guns out of the hands of “gang bangers and drug dealers’’ in big cities “who already have them and are shooting people.”

“If you’ve got a gun in your house, I’m not taking it,’’ Obama said. But the Illinois senator could still see skeptics in the crowd, particularly on the faces of several men at the back of the room.

So he tried again. “Even if I want to take them away, I don’t have the votes in Congress,’’ he said. “This can’t be the reason not to vote for me. Can everyone hear me in the back? I see a couple of sportsmen back there. I’m not going to take away your guns.’’

Classic Obama.

How can we forget this from his lips:

Obama said he believes in the Second Amendment, but that there is plenty of room for added gun regulations. “There is an individual right to bear arms, but it’s subject to commonsense regulation,” he said.

Some more facts on Obama and guns from the NRA:

FACT: Barack Obama opposes four of the five Supreme Court justices who affirmed an individual right to keep and bear arms. He voted against the confirmation of Alito and Roberts and he has stated he would not have appointed Thomas or Scalia.

FACT: Barack Obama voted for an Illinois State Senate bill to ban and confiscate “assault weapons,” but the bill was so poorly crafted, it would have also banned most semi-auto and single and double barrel shotguns commonly used by sportsmen.

FACT: Barack Obama voted to allow reckless lawsuits designed to bankrupt the firearms industry.

FACT: Barack Obama wants to re-impose the failed and discredited Clinton Gun Ban.

FACT: Barack Obama voted to ban almost all rifle ammunition commonly used for hunting and sport shooting.

FACT: Barack Obama has endorsed a 500% increase in the federal excise tax on firearms and ammunition.

FACT: Barack Obama has endorsed a complete ban on handgun ownership.

FACT: Barack Obama supports local gun bans in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and other cities. (Curt-But once ban was overturned he flip-flopped)

FACT: Barack Obama voted to uphold local gun bans and the criminal prosecution of people
who use firearms in self-defense.

FACT: Barack Obama supports gun owner licensing and gun registration.

FACT: Barack Obama refused to sign a friend-of-the-court Brief in support of individual Second Amendment rights in the Heller case.

FACT: Barack Obama opposes Right to Carry laws.

FACT: Barack Obama was a member of the Board of Directors of the Joyce Foundation, the leading source of funds for anti-gun organizations and “research.”

FACT: Barack Obama supported a proposal to ban gun stores within 5 miles of a school or park, which would eliminate almost every gun store in America.

FACT: Barack Obama voted not to notify gun owners when the state of Illinois did records searches on them.

FACT: Barack Obama voted against a measure to lower the Firearms Owners Identification card age minimum from 21 to 18, a measure designed to assist young people in the military.

FACT: Barack Obama favors a ban on standard capacity magazines.

FACT: Barack Obama supports mandatory micro-stamping.

FACT: Barack Obama supports mandatory waiting periods.

FACT: Barack Obama supports repeal of the Tiahrt Amendment, which prohibits information on gun traces collected by the BATFE from being used in reckless lawsuits against firearm dealers and manufacturers.

FACT: Barack Obama supports one-gun-a-month handgun purchase restrictions.

FACT: Barack Obama supports a ban on inexpensive handguns.

FACT: Barack Obama supports a ban on the resale of police issued firearms, even if the money is going to police departments for replacement equipment.

FACT: Barack Obama supports mandatory firearm training requirements for all gun owners and a ban on gun ownership for persons under the age of 21.

Either way you look at it, his history shows us that we all should be very worried about our right to buy and bear arms.

More here.

Also:

Why Let A Economic Crisis Go To Waste

U.S. News columnist James Pethokoukis takes a look at Obama’s economic recovery plan and can see the same failed strategies tried by the US in the 30’s and Japan in the 90’s:

“The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep,” Obama said on election night. And there’s no doubt that many other countries plagued by imploded asset bubbles and resulting banking crises have suffered a long stretch of bad times. In Sweden, between 1990 and 1993, the economy shrank by 6 percent. Japan experienced a “lost decade” in the 1990s. Then, there was the 1990-91 recession here in America. Even after the economy started expanding again, the unemployment rate kept rising until it hit 7.8 percent in June of 1992 vs. a low of 5.2 percent in June 1990. So, certainly America is at risk for an extended case of the blues.

And that’s what is so frustratingly weird about Obamanomics and the plan for hundreds of billions, if not trillions, of dollars in “stimulus” spending. If the goal is to turn around the economy as quickly as possible, why would we turn to the same economic playbook that America ran in the 1930s and Japan in the 1990s? In both cases, massive government spending failed to bring back prosperity. And it’s unlikely to work this time, either. Economists Susan Woodward of UCLA and Robert Hall of MIT are dubious. In their cowritten blog, the duo opined that “timing may be a problem . . . Complicated projects take time to ramp up to high spending and employment levels. . . . All of these proposals for stimulating state and local spending suffer from a common problem—they will end up generating employment for highly specialized businesses and workers, rather than stimulating economic activity more broadly. A large-scale infrastructure program will drive up the profits of the limited number of firms.” That conclusion dovetails nicely with a 2005 study, “What Are the Effects of Fiscal Policy Shocks?” which looks at U.S. economy policy since 1955 and concludes that “a deficit-spending shock weakly stimulates the economy.”

What would work?

…a plan that creates confidence by enhancing the long-term rewards for working, saving, and investing. Take the 1980 Reagan tax cuts, for instance. As Arthur Laffer, Stephen Moore, and Peter Tanous point out in their new book, The End of Prosperity, the bulk of the Reagan reductions didn’t kick in until 1983, and they were somewhat offset by the 1982 corporate tax increases. But when the full weight of the tax cuts was felt, the economy took off like a rocket, rising 4.5 percent in 1983 and 7.2 percent in 1984. Imagine if the capital-gains tax were slashed immediately. The stock market would soar, automatically increasing the net worth of tens of millions of Americans.

But a plan such as that is blasphemy to a Socialist. And really…why would they want to fix the economy when even the new Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, said just a month ago:

“You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. This crisis provides the opportunity for us to do things that you could not do before.”

Going to be a long four years.

Finally:

Obama Backer, Illinois Governor Blagojevich (DEMOCRAT) Arrested For Attempt to Sell Appointment to Obama’s Senate Seat and Other Corruption Charges!

ROD BLAGOJEVICH: this Senate seat “is a f#*%ing valuable thing, you just don’t give it away for nothing.”

Culture of corruption in Obama’s Chicago bags another criminal!

Questions about Obama’s ties to corrupt scheme!

Obama friend, convicted slum lord Tony Rezko, at heart of scheme!

President-elect Barack Obama, right, greets Illinois Gov. Rob Blagojevich, left, at the Bipartisan meeting of the National Governor’s Association at Congress Hall, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008 in Philadelphia, Pa. Looking on are Gov. of Indiana., Mitch Daniels, left center, and Gov. of Ohio, Ted Strickland, right center.

Upon winning their respective elections, both President Clinton and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made sweeping statements that their time in office would be the “most ethical in history.”

It hasn’t gone unnoticed that President-Elect Obama has yet to make such a sweeping declaration. Might it be that there are just too many skeletons in the Obama closet? Can it be that after a campaign which was fueled by the biggest money machine of all time that the chickens are coming home to roost (to use Rev. Wright’s famous phrase) a bit early?

Today’s arrest of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich on multiple corruption charges strikes pretty near the top of the Obama pyramid scheme. The criminal complaint (PDF here) outlines an astounding array of charges and connections to numerous persons who, like Rezko, also have direct personal ties to Obama.

The charges are extraordinary. According to them, Blagojevich and his fundraising cronies used the power of state contracts and jobs to extort campaign contributions. Blagojevich went so far as to threaten the loss of an $8 million grant to a children’s hospital if an executive didn’t contribute $50,000 to his campaign and tried to get the editorial board of the Chicago Tribune fired in return for a $100 million deal benefitting the paper.

But the most extraordinary charge of all is that Blagojevich attempted to sell Obama’s now vacant seat in the U.S. Senate to the highest bidder or trade it in return for an appointment by Obama. The Governor of Illinois has sole power to appoint a replacement to the seat.

What follows is an excerpt of the 76 page criminal complaint filed with the arrest this morning.

CRIMINAL COMPLAINT

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
V. ROD R. BLAGOJEVICH, and
JOHN HARRIS

II. SUMMARY OF PROBABLE CAUSE

c. Defendants ROD BLAGOJEVICH and JOHN HARRIS, together with others, attempted to use ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s authority to appoint a United States Senator for the purpose of obtaining personal benefits for ROD BLAGOJEVICH, including, among other things, appointment as Secretary of Health & Human Services in the President-elect’s administration, and alternatively, a lucrative job which they schemed to induce a union to provide to ROD BLAGOJEVICH in exchange for appointing as senator an individual whom ROD BLAGOJEVICH and JOHN HARRIS believed to be favored by union officials and their associates.

14. As detailed below, in early October 2008, the government obtained information
that ROD BLAGOJEVICH was accelerating his corrupt fund raising activities to accumulate as much money as possible before the implementation of ethics legislation on January 1,2009, that would severely curtail ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s ability to raise money from individuals and entities conducting business with the State of Illinois.
…
III. FACTS ESTABLISHING PROBABLE CAUSE

4. Evidence Concerning Efforts to Obtain Personal Benefits for ROD BLAGOJEVICH in Return for his Appointment of a United States Senator[PDF page 56]
…
87. By law, after the President-elect’s resignation of his position as a U.S.Senator,
which was effective on November 16, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH has sole authority to appoint his replacement for the two years remaining of the President-elect’s Senate term. See 10 ILCS 5/25-8. During the course of this investigation, agents have intercepted a series of communications regarding the efforts of ROD BLAGOJEVICH, JOHN HARRIS, and others to misuse this power to obtain personal gain, including financial gain, for ROD BLAGOJEVICH and his family. In particular, ROD BLAGOJEVICH has been intercepted conspiring to trade the senate seat for particular positions that the President-elect has the power to appoint (e.g. the Secretary of Health and Human Services). ROD BLAGOJEVICH has also been intercepted conspiring to sell the Senate seat in exchange for his wife’s placement on paid corporate boards or ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s placement at a private foundation in a significant position with a substantial salary. ROD BLAGOJEVICH has also been intercepted conspiring to sell the Senate seat in exchange for millions of dollars in funding for a non-profit organization that he would start and that would employ him at a substantial salary after he left the governorship.
…
92. On November 4, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH spoke with JOHN HARRIS regarding the potential vacant Senate seat. ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that the “trick . .. is how do you conduct indirectly . . . a negotiation” for the Senate seat. Thereafter, ROD BLAGOJEVICH analogized his situation to that of a sports agent shopping a potential free agent to various teams, stating “how much are you offering, [President-elect]? What are you offering, [Senate Candidate 2]? . . . Can always go to. . . [Senate Candidate 3].” Later ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that he will make a decision on the Senate seat “in good faith . . . but it is not coming for free. . . .It’s got to be good stuff for the people of Illinois and good for me.” ROD BLAGOJEVICH states “[President-elect], you want it? Fine. But, its got to be good or I could always take [the Senate seat].”

93. On November 5, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH spoke with Deputy Governor A regarding positions that ROD BLAGOJEVICH might be able to obtain in exchange for the soon-to-be vacated Senate seat. Among the potential positions discussed were Secretary of Health and Human Services and various ambassadorships. Deputy Governor A noted that the cabinet position of Secretary of the Energy is “the one that makes the most money.” Deputy Governor A stated that it is hard not to give the Secretary of Energy position to a Texan, but with ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s coal background it might be a possibility.
94. On November 5, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH spoke with JOHN HARRIS regarding what ROD BLAGOJEVICH could obtain for the Senate seat. After discussing various federal governmental positions that ROD BLAGOJEVICH would trade the Senate seat for, ROD BLAGOJEVICH asked about “the private sector” and whether the President elect could “put something together there. . . .Something big.” Thereafter, HARRIS suggested that the President-elect could make ROD BLAGOJEVICH the head of a private foundation. ROD BLAGOJEVICH told HARRIS that he should do “homework” on private foundations “right away.” ROD BLAGOJEVICH asked whether he could get a high-ranking position at the Red Cross. HARRIS stated that “it’s got to be a group that is dependent on [the President-elect],” and that a President probably could not influence the Red Cross. ROD BLAGOJEVICH told HARRIS to “look into all of those.”
95. On November 5, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH talked with JOHN HARRIS and Deputy Governor A. They discussed potential private foundations with which ROD BLAGOJEVICH might be able to get a position in exchange for filling the Senate seat and,in particular, those foundations that are “heavily dependent on federal aid” and which, therefore, the White House would have the most “influence” on. ROD BLAGOJEVICH wanted to know how much the positions being discussed pay.
…
98. On November 7, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH talked with Advisor A about the Senate seat. ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that he is willing to “trade” the Senate seat to Senate Candidate 1 in exchange for the position of Secretary of Health and Human Services in the President-elect’s cabinet.

99. Later on November 7, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH discussed the open Senate
seat in a three-way call with JOHN HARRIS and Advisor B, a Washington D.C.-based consultant. ROD BLAGOJEVICH indicated in the call that if he was appointed as Secretary of Health and Human Services by the President-elect, then ROD BLAGOJEVICH would appoint Senate Candidate 1 to the open Senate seat.
…
100. a. ROD BLAGOJEVICH expressed his interest in figuring out a way to make money and build some financial security, while at the same time potentially participating in the political arena again. ROD BLAGOJEVICH mentioned the Senate seat, the dynamics of a new Presidential administration with the strong contacts that ROD BLAGOJEVICH has in it, and asked what if anything he can do to make that work for him and his wife and his responsibilities as Governor of Illinois.
…
b. ROD BLAGOJEVICH asked what he can get from the President-elect for the Senate seat. ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that Governor General Counsel believes the President-elect can get ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s wife on paid corporate boards in exchange for naming the President-elect’s pick to the Senate. Governor General Counsel asked, “can [the President-elect] help in the private sector. . . where it wouldn’t be tied to him? . . .I mean, so it wouldn’t necessarily look like one for the other.”
…
c. ROD BLAGOJEVICH said that the consultants (Advisor B and another consultant are believed to be on the call at that time) are telling him that he has to “suck it
up” for two years and do nothing and give this “motherfucker [the President-elect] his senator. Fuck him. For nothing? Fuck him.”
…
102. Later on November 10, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH and Advisor A discussed the open Senate seat. Among other things, ROD BLAGOJEVICH raised the issue of whether the President-elect could help get ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s wife on “paid corporate boards right now.” Advisor A responded that he “think[s] they could” and that a “President elect . . . can do almost anything he sets his mind to.” …
103. … ROD BLAGOJEVICH and Advisor A discussed leaking to the same particular Chicago Sun-Times columnist that ROD BLAGOJEVICH is seriously considering Senate Candidate 5 for the open Senate seat, in order to send a message to the President-elect that there are options for the Senate seat beyond Senate Candidate 1.
…
104. On November 11, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH talked with JOHN HARRIS about the Senate seat. ROD BLAGOJEVICH suggested starting a 501(c)(4) organization (a non-profit organization that may engage in political activity and lobbying) and getting “his (believed to be the President-elect’s) friend Warren Buffett or some of those guys to help us on something like that.”
…
105. Later on November 11, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH talked with Advisor A. Advisor A indicated that he will stay “on top” of getting the Senate Candidate 5 information leaked to the particular Sun Times columnist. ROD BLAGOJEVICH again raised the idea of the 501(c)(4) organization and asked whether “they” (believed be the President-elect and his associates) can get Warren Buffett and others to put $10, $12, or $15 million into the organization. Advisor A responded that “they” should be able to find a way to fund the organization.
…
107. On November 12, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH talked with Advisor B. ROD BLAGOJEVICH discussed with Advisor B his idea for a 501(c)(4) organization. Advisor B stated that he likes the idea, but liked the Change to Win option better because, according to Advisor B, from the President-elect’s perspective, there would be fewer “fingerprints” on the President-elect’s involvement with Change to Win because Change to Win already has an existing stream of revenue and, therefore, “you won’t have stories in four years that they bought you off.”
…
110. On November 12, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH talked with Advisor B. ROD BLAGOJEVICH told Advisor B that he told SEIU Official, “I said go back to [Senate Candidate 1], and, and say hey, look, if you still want to be a Senator don’t rule this out and then broach the idea of this 501(c)(4) with her.”
…
112. On November 13, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH talked with JOHN HARRIS. ROD BLAGOJEVICH said he wanted to be able to call “[President-elect Advisor]” and tell President-elect Advisor that “this has nothing to do with anything else we’re working on but the Governor wants to put together a 501(c)(4)” and “can you guys help him. . . raise 10, 15 million.” ROD BLAGOJEVICH said he wanted “[President-elect Advisor] to get the word today.”
…
114. Later on November 13, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH spoke with Advisor A. ROD BLAGOJEVICH asked Advisor A to call Individual A and have Individual A pitch the
idea of the 501(c)(4) to “[President-elect Advisor].” Advisor A said that, “while it’s not said this is a play to put in play other things.” ROD BLAGOJEVICH responded, “correct.”

Reports indicate that Obama wanted Valerie Jarrett, a Chicago lawyer and advisor to Obama to be appointed to the Senate seat.

Curious Timing

I would appear Federal Prosecutor Fitzgerald, who made a name for himself as the Special Prosecutor in the Valerie Plame CIA leak case, had ample evidence to indict Blagojevich on state corruption charges prior to the November election when it might have given voters further insight into the corrupt political environment Obama emerged from. Even more curious is why Fitzgerald choose to spring his trap before Blagojevich named a Senate replacement? Wouldn’t it have made the case stronger to wait a few more weeks and determine whether Blagojevich and Obama might actually have made a deal?

Again, the timing on both points indicates a desire to shield Obama. Is Fitzgerald hoping to keep his job in the next Administration?

Questions for Obama

1. Were you aware of Governor Blagojevich’s request for help with a position for him and his wife?
2. Which of your staff had contacts with Gov. Blagojevich or his go betweens?
3. Did you make, or ask staff or other individuals to make calls on behalf of securing a position for Gov. Blagojevich or his wife?
4. What safeguards do you have in place to prevent this same kind of Chicago corruption from taking place in your new Administration?

With trillions of dollars up for grabs for bailouts and other federal projects in a new Obama Administration the opportunity for Chicago style corruption is very high. It’s compounded by the hundreds of millions in campaign cash raised by Obama and a nationwide network of fundraisers.