Optimist in chief, Larry Kudlow, has a pessimistic post on the state of the economy. The jobs report released this week, is weak. Obama's tax and spend policies contribute and he's killing the market:

But Obama’s temporary tax credits and social spending offer no growth effects. At the same time, the government’s fiscal nymphomania has scared everyone into thinking the U.S. is going bankrupt. The president himself has said there’s no money left. It’s scary enough to keep your savings under the mattress.

And if you add all the talk of nationalizing health care and energy (cap-and-trade) to the rest of Bailout Nation, it’s not hard to understand why people are shying from risk.

Stocks are the single-best barometer of our nation’s future economic health, and the stock market began to rise in early March. But over the past month, with all these new big-government tax-and-regulatory threats, the stock rally has stalled. And the June jobs report caused an immediate 2 percent sell-off for equities.

I do the best I can to be optimistic about our nation’s future. But realistically, the current picture is not particularly good.

.

If you have a location in need of a sign showing your support of the Team GOP-VA contact your local Republican committee or the candidates campaigns directly...

.

Bob McDonnell for Governor...

Bill Bolling for Lt. Governor...

Ken Cuccinelli for Attorney General...

.

Check out the above video and text to the McDonnell campaign for the chance to win tickets to the upcoming Governor debates...

The Deeds campaign is letting no moss grow under their feet in these lazy days of summer...

At a mid-day media event, earlier today in NoVa, US Senator Mark Warner pulled out some big guns from the Virginia business community, in a powerful show of support for Creigh Deeds, from a sector that has traditionally been seen as a solidly Republican base. Not so much anymore. After successive pro-biz Warner and Kaine administrations, Warner's popularity is clearly evident in his sustained clout with many in the commercial and industrial business sectors. The Warner pro-biz coat-tails are now carrying over to Deeds. Chris Graham at the Augusta Free Press covered the subsequent tele-conference.

Graham's commentary and audio recording of the presser can be found here at the Augusta Free Press

***************

DEEDS PRESS RELEASE

DEEDS ANNOUNCES “BUSINESS LEADERS FOR DEEDS”

~ U.S. Senator Mark Warner helps launch bipartisan group ~

~ To be led by Caps owner, ex-AOL executive Ted Leonsis ~

ARLINGTON -- Democratic candidate for governor Creigh Deeds today announced the formation and leadership of “Business Leaders for Deeds,” a broad-based group of bipartisan, statewide business leaders who have agreed to advise and promote Deeds’ candidacy. “Business Leaders for Deeds” will be led by Ted Leonsis of McLean, the majority owner of the Washington Capitals and Washington Mystics. Leonsis also is a former AOL vice chairman, a venture capitalist and philanthropist. U.S. Senator Mark R. Warner joined Deeds and Leonsis at today’s announcement. Warner is a former telecom executive who’s pragmatic approach during his term as Virginia Governor (2002-06) resulted in Virginia’s designation as the nation’s “best managed state” and “best state for business.”

“I appreciate the support and the expertise these business executives will bring to our effort, because these men and women recognize that their businesses are only as strong as the people who power them,” Senator Deeds said. “Our administration will be working hard every day to create opportunity and jobs for Virginians, and these business leaders will be a key part of our bipartisan efforts to better position the Commonwealth to emerge stronger from our economic challenges.”

“I am impressed by Creigh’s focus on quality education, technology and innovation as the cornerstones of Virginia’s economic future,” Mr. Leonsis said. “’Business Leaders for Deeds’ will bring together leading executives from across the state to advise Creigh during the campaign – and, more importantly, after his election this fall.”

“I have known and worked closely with many of these community and business leaders, and I appreciate their willingness to step-up and support Creigh’s bipartisan focus on producing real results that move Virginia forward,” Senator Warner said. “We cannot leave any region of Virginia behind as we work together to strengthen our economy and position the Commonwealth to compete in this global economy.”

Other members of “Business Leaders for Deeds” so far include: Douglas M. Adams of Maiden, Retired President of The Country Vintner, Inc.; Jane Inskeep Barrell of Culpeper; Co-Owner of Culpeper Management, LLC; Robert M. Blue of Richmond, Senior Vice President of Public Policy & Corporate Communications for Dominion Corporation; The Honorable Sandra Bowen of Richmond, former Senior Vice President of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, former Virginia Secretary of Administration and Commonwealth; William M. Camp, Jr. of Franklin, principal of Holliknoll Farm; James K. Candler of Lynchburg, Chairman of Candler Oil Company, Inc.; Judith P. Carter of Orange, Principal of Germanna Title Company; Laurie C. Crigler of Madison, Vice President of L&D Associates, Inc.; Edward C. Dalrymple of Mineral, Vice President of Chemung Contracting; Charlotte B. Dammann of McLean, Associate Broker of Faulconer Realtors Inc.; Joseph R. Daniel of Culpeper, President of Jefferson Homebuilders; Joshua P. Darden, Jr., of Norfolk, President of Darden Properties Inc.; Carlos Del Toro of Stafford, President & CEO of SBG Technology Solutions, Inc.; Susan Y. “Syd” Dorsey of Mechanicsville, Director of Sales & Marketing at Astyra Corporation; G.S. “Sandy” Fitz-Hugh, Jr., former President of the Bank of America – Virginia; David Goode of Norfolk, former Chairman, President and CEO of Norfolk Southern Corporation; Mark Goodwin of Richmond, former Senior Vice President of UPS Freight; William C. Hall, Jr. of Richmond, Vice President of Corporate Communications & Community Affairs for Dominion Corporation; Robert D. Hardie of Charlottesville, Managing Director of Level One Partners, LLC; Cabell S. Harris of Richmond, President of WORK Labs; Jimmy Hazel of Oakton, principal of Angler Environmental; John T. “Til” Hazel, Jr. of Broad Run, founder and former chairman of the Virginia Business Higher Education Council; William R. Hedrick of Bluefield, President of Fort Chiswell Construction Corporation; Ted Hontz of Stafford, Vice President of Basic Commerce and Industries, Inc.; Kenneth Jones of Richmond, Owner and President of Prestige Construction Company; James L. Keen of Vansant, CEO of Keen H.R. Services, Inc.; Austin Ligon of Richmond, co-founder and retired CEO of CarMax Inc.; Mark C. Lowham of McLean, Senior Vice President of WEST*GROUP; Charles H. Majors of Danville, President & CEO of American National Bank & Trust Company; John F. Malbon of Virginia Beach, CEO of Papco, Inc.; Mark R. Merhige of Richmond, President of Shockoe Properties; Bittle Porterfield, III of Roanoke, President of Rice Management Company; Richard S. “Major” Reynolds III of Richmond, Managing Director of Reynolds Trust; Gilbert “Gil” Rosenthal of Richmond, retired owner of Standard Drug Company; Tom Rosenthal of Richmond, CEO of Med Outcomes, Inc.; Walter Rugaber of Meadows of Dan, former President and Publisher of The Roanoke Times; The Honorable Elliot Schewel of Lynchburg, Former President of Schewel Furniture Company and former State Senator; Ranjit K. Sen of Richmond, President & CEO of CXI; R. Chris Walters of Abingdon, financial advisor; Naomi Weathers of Chester, Owner and President of Weathers Engineering Inc.; Blair K. Williamson of Charlottesville, President of S.L. Williamson Company, Inc.; Alan S. Witt of Newport News, CEO of Witt Mares, PLC; Linda Zecher of Charlottesville, Corporate Vice President, Worldwide Public Sector of Microsoft Corporation. # # #

By Michael Winship
July 2, 2009

California should just be done with it and rename the entire state "Neverland Ranch."

Read on.

The old broad isn’t sounding too keen on the Obama administration’s press games.

If only the Republicans could stay scandal free for a week or two maybe they could make some real headway.

Tweet This Post 

Just when you think the NRCC can't stoop any lower, they out do themselves.



This one has already begun to backfire. WDBJ-TV in Roanoke has already refused to air the blatantly false ad.

The NRCC ad credits a Washington Times editorial for its claim that the Waxman-Markey bill would make electricity prices “skyrocket,” costing families $1,870 a year. But the NRCC is wrong.

The Washington Times editorial took the figure from a Heritage Foundation analysis that concluded “the GDP hit in 2020 was $161 billion (2009 dollars). For a family of four, that is $1,870.” But a decrease in gross domestic product is a different calculation than an increase in electricity costs.

The DCCC has it's own take on the recent ad:

“The NRCC has a track record of running ads so deceptive and misleading that local TV stations refuse to air them or have to remove from the airwaves,” said Jessica Santillo, Southern Regional Press Secretary. “Clearly, Washington Republicans realize that the truth is not on their side so they resort to deceptive and false attack ads. Virginians deserve to hear the facts about how this bill will reduce our dependence on foreign oil, not be subject to scare tactics.”

By Robert Parry
July 2, 2009

The FBI has released reports on 20 interviews and five conversations conducted with Iraq’s deposed dictator Saddam Hussein before he was put to death, but none of the disclosed Q and A deals with the role of the Reagan administration in delivering key components for Iraq’s chemical and biological weapons in the 1980s.

Read on.

I’d keep my mouth shut about the stimulus spending, especially since we don’t know if it’s going to work. We have two and a half years to watch. Voters will be angry if they took on all that debt and have nothing to show for it but a bigger hole…….

In January of this year, Governor Kaine and State Senator Creigh Deeds announced plans to expand legislation related to the Governor’s green jobs initiative–Renew Virginia–a program launched in December of 2008.  Today, Kaine met with members of the Roanoke Clean and Green Business Coalition, Roanoke City Council members and City officers to tout Roanoke’s contributions to his Renew Virginia initiative.

Deeds and Kaine teamed up during the January 2009 legislative session to promote passages of legislation to strengthen on the Initiative, a program for the development of sustainable domestic energy and the creation of well-paying so-called smart wage jobs for the next several decades.

Deeds has served at Kaine’s request on the Commonwealth’s Commission on Climate Change and is a member of  the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources committee.  Deeds penned the act creating Virginia’s Land Preservation Tax Credit, one of the most effect conservation laws in the Nation.

Governor Kaine came to Roanoke to laud the Star City’s efforts to take his Renew Virginia to the private sector.  “No other community has done what Roanoke has done,” pronounced the Governor, who was fresh off of a visit to the downtown Market and a bike ride on the Roanoke River Greenway.

This afternoon at The State & City Building on West Campbell Avenue in Roanoke, Kaine was introduced by Roanoke City Councilwoman Gwen Mason–her Clean and Green Initiative has attracted a dozen local businesses which have a combined carbon footprint larger than the City of Roanoke’s municipal government.

SCH AUDIO:  Gwen Mason describes the Star City’s Clean and Green Business Coalition.

SCH Audio: Governor Kaine’s remarks Thursday afternoon in Roanoke.

 

Much time has passed since Feb 17, the day Obama signed his $787 billion economic stimulus package into law. In the days leading up to this, we all heard countless times of the “shovel ready projects ready to go” to put America back to work. Now that nearly 5 months has passed, I have been unable to find a single one. I have traveled widely throughout the state, into areas of MD, WVA, and PA, expecting to see a lot of guys with shovels, after all, $787 billion does buy a lot of shovels, even in this day and age doesn’t it ?

Nope, nada, not a one.

Read today the unemployment rate hit a recent high, one not reached in something like 26 years. Guess this means that others are having the same difficulty finding these projects meant to get America back to work, particularly the unemployed.

So today I would like you all to help me in this quest. Should you find a “Shovel Ready Project” underway, please post information about it here.

What doesn’t count :

Someone planting his or her tomato plants.

Cleaning up after your dog, horse, or Senator.

The burying of guns or cash in the back yard to prevent government confiscation.

Projects begun prior to the stimulus, such as the Mixing Bowl. We will very likely find the Lost Ark before this project is completed, even if we stimulus the hell out of it.

Should we find none, I would guess that is because we are in the midst of a very non-stimulating stimulus.

Let's review.

When former oil industry lobbyists in George W. Bush's White House rewrote scientific reports to downplay concerns about global warming and manufacture false doubts and controversy, Republicans stayed absolutely silent.

Now that the EPA is "ignoring a scientific study by a non-scientist that it never commissioned and which hasn't been published in any scientific journal," Republicans are claiming it's one of the biggest political scandals in American history.

You know, it's too bad Republicans have stood up against science on evolution, stem cells, Terri Schiavo, and climate change (just to name a few). Otherwise, their outrage might carry a shred of credibility.

But who needs credibility? That doesn't matter to the mainstream media. They have no choice but to uncritically report everything Republicans say. I mean, that's what journalism is all about, right?

Tweet This Post 

Mr. Baseball on the Boulevard, himself, Charlie Diradour, now wants reconciliation.

Today Charlie Diradour extended his hand in peace to those in the opposite dugout at a press conference he called. Connecticut, the giant Indian sculpture, looked down over the scene, a thick layer of pollen dusted over its head and shoulders.

Click here to read the story by Al Harris at Richmond BizSense.

Diradour said he is shutting down his web site, BaseballontheBoulevard.com and launching a new web site called FriendsofRichmond Baseball.com. He also called upon Mayor Dwight Jones to respond to the Opening Day Partners proposal to refurbish The Diamond for $28 million.

Diradour claimed no one in Jones' office has gotten in touch with ODP's chairman Peter Kirk, who released his company's plan to the public on June 9.

Via John Elledge comes a note about the state's new ban on texting while driving. Who is exempt from the law? Why lots and lots of folks...in government. Consider this exemption:The operator of any emergency vehicleSounds simple...until we get to this:For the purposes of this section, "emergency vehicle" means:1. Any law-enforcement vehicle operated by or under the direction of a federal, state,

You’ve probably already seen video clips of yesterday’s kerfluffle between the White House Press Corps and Press Secretary Gibbs, but just in case…

Now my question to our gentle readers here is this:  In this outburst in defense of the Fourth Estate, are we finally witnessing a split between liberals and progressives?

Some folks might argue, “What’s the difference?”  Some of the more cynical or reactive (read: progressive) But that would probably be the wrong take on this. Just as much as Republicans have fissures underneath the surface, I am quite certain the Democrats have the same. In that light, there really are two differing philosophies at work.

I’ve often commented on how liberalism and conservativism in the United States are really just two ends of the same political philosophy — that of classical liberalism. The neo-conservative or progressive flavors are something much more different; the former smacking of empire, the latter smacking of socialism.

What Chip Reid and Helen Thomas did yesterday was highly unprecedented.  What’s more though, they are entirely in concert with the principles behind free speech, open government, and everything — at least in rhetoric — that liberals purport to believe.

Contrast this with the narrowly controlled PR machine that has been Obama’s image since the Democratic primary.  Prepackaged questions, fake online presence, staged shots, teleprompters… openness and sunshine, this President is not.

Progressives have been keen to continue to polish and shine Obama into something which old Roman emperors would have marvelled.  Liberals, that old left arm of classical liberalism, seem to be instinctively revolting against a movement more keen to treat Americans as more attuned to appetites and soundbites rather than citizens uniquely aware that their elected officials should be conserving the public trust.  In as much as this is an American maxim, good people no matter what their political persuasion would like to know their unvarnished questions are being answered… not prescreened.

It’s good to see a little rebellion amidst the WH Press Corps from time to time.  Though I will probably never agree with or share the same sentimentalities as many of the left-leaning journalists at the top of the food chain, every once in awhile it’s worth noting that reason exists on the other side of the aisle.

The hardest working reporter in Virginia (aka Garren Shipley) dove into the mammoth cap and tax bill and unearthed a number of gems from its musty bowels, including this one:Other provisions in the law have the potential to be a major headache for shade-tree mechanics who might want to work on their own air-conditioners.Starting in 2014, the federal government would begin phasing out R-134a, the