Illinois Review

Obama’s Triple Crown of Scandals

By Teri O'Brien - 

There will be no Triple Crown winner, but we do have a troika of Obama scandals, all of which were in the news this week. This morning on CNN, a gleeful Jessica “Barack Just Smiled at Me!” Yellin, celebrated their latest poll, which shows that these messy questions about unethical, or even illegal, behavior by members of his administration has not diminished the endless love the American people have for the Dear Leader. She’d fit right in in North Korea.

Some, including the members of the House Ways and Means Committee, who held a hearing last week about the IRS’ targeting of Tea Party and conservative groups, are less enamored. Former Acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller, who recently decided to move his previously scheduled exit to his cushy retirement up by a couple of weeks, responded to requests to know who initiated this policy with shoulder-shrugging, bored evasiveness.

His demeanor said “Whatever. I don’t really care what happened. Let’s get this over with.” He couldn’t say. He didn’t know. He didn’t remember. Cue The Carpenters. This has only just begun. What do we know after this hearing? Some Republicans are opening talking “impeachment,” but is that really helpful? Is “scandal” really an agenda, especially when we learned last week that the House is close to a deal on “comprehensive immigration reform?” Short answer: no.

Whistleblowers' attorney Victoria Toensing talks Benghazi Coverup

By Teri O'Brien - 

During a week when Barack Obama had to state that rumors of his demise are greatly exaggerated, the reality is that rumors of al Qaeda’s demise, fueled by the One’s desire to perpetuate his pre-election mantra that “GM is alive and Osama bin Laden is dead,” are the thing that has been seriously, and dangerously exaggerated, as demonstrated by both Benghazi and Boston.

The Benghazi coverup is beginning to unravel.

In a terrific piece of reporting, Steve Hayes of the Weekly Standard confirms this weekend what we knew all along; specifically, “senior Obama administration officials knowingly misled the country about what had happened in the days following the assaults.”

Where’s my shocked face?

This coming Wednesday, three whistleblowers, all career State Department officials, will testify before Rep. Darryl Issa (R-CA) and his Oversight and Government Reform Committee. We are delighted that their attorney, the amazing Victoria Toensing, will be our guest Sunday.

When a "Flip Flopper" is a Statesman

By Teri O'Brien -

Cue the “Dynasty” theme. Here comes another Bush, this time Jeb, heart throb of the RINO wing of the GOP, testing the waters for a presidential run in 2016 with--what else?--a book about--what else?--immigration. This week Jeb is being busted by democrats as a shameless panderer on that issue based on comments in his book on the “path to citizenship.” He was for it, before he was against it, they say. I hold no brief for former Florida governor Bush, but I can’t help but notice that the critique of his alleged “flip flop” sounds a lot like the position taken by one William Jefferson Clinton on the issue of so-called “same sex” marriage. Mr. Clinton, as you know, signed the Defense of Marriage Act, an enactment despised by the Left almost as much as they despise Dick Cheney.

Rauner The Outsider

By Sam Pierce -

Given that conservatives I respect seem to be considering supporting Bruce Rauner, I am perplexed. After checking the political donations by him and his wife, I am more perplexed. While the majority of his political donations since have been to Republican organizations and candidates, it is hard to imagine why Republicans and "conservatives" are supporting a man whose 2002 contributions were as follows (http://www.campaignmoney.com/finance.asp?type=in&cycle=02&criteria=rauner&fname=bruce):

A Week in Bizarro World

By Teri O'Brien - 

This week was one of bizarre spectacles, over and above the 2^nd inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama, praise be his name. That event featured Richard Blanco’s poem “One Today.” “My face your face” is part I remember. Seriously? “My ass, your ass,” I thought. Of course, I’m probably just a peasant who doesn’t appreciate great art from a man who is both Latino and an open homosexual, and therefore, above criticism.  Then the great speech by the One himself. I didn’t notice. Did they hand out the little red books to the assembled cadres there or is Organizing for Action going to send those out using their tax-deductible contributions?

In other bizarro world events, consider the following:

Why Obamacare is Not a Done Deal

By Teri O'Brien -

Secretary of State Kathleen Sebelius has given the states a reprieve from Obamacare’s mandate that they set up the health insurance exchanges necessary to implement the law. Or has she extended the deadline, hoping that they won’t realize that they are now in the position to torpedo Barack Obama’s entire redistributionist, job-destroying, health-care rationing, death-panel mandating scheme? No wonder people like MS-NBC’s Chris Matthews hate the Tenth amendment.

Some people appear hell bent on turning Thanksgiving, which has traditionally been a wonderful time to reflect on our blessings and bask in an attitude of gratitude, into an opportunity to re-enact the Jerry Springer show by engaging in fist fights over smartphones and stampedes to purchase flat screen TVs. Others view the day as an opportunity to bus in rent-a-mobs to big box stores to engage in annoying pro-union agitation, which is largely ignored by the employees of those stores. I’m no fan of the SEIU or National Education Association, as you know, but do those who say that it’s wrong to make retail employees work on Thanksgiving have a point?

Durbin attempts to sneak through controversial UN treaty

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin deceptively attempted to get the anti-child, anti-parent, anti-traditional family United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) treaty passed in the U.S. Senate. Readers can call Senator Durbin (numbers at bottom of the linked page) and express outrage. 

Here's more from former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum on the issue -

Last night, Democratic Senator Dick Durbin from Illinois tried to bring up the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and pass it by Unanimous Consent - an effort where senators can push through legislation without an actual vote. Senator Mike Lee of Utah objected to the action, and the treaty was thankfully not considered. We all owe a debt of gratitude to Senator Lee. Had he not been on the Senate floor at that time to voice his opposition, the treaty may have made it through the Senate -- no questions asked.

Dick Durbin's Eccentric Pretensions

by Mark Rhoads

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) had a fine education at Georgetown University from 1962 to 1969 in relatively narrow special fields such as foreign service studies and the law. But his primary career over the last forty years has been devoted to seeking and holding politcal office, not the practice of law. I think even some of his fans might admit that economics has never been his strong suit.

They Are Stealing You Blind (and it's perfectly legal): Today on the Teri O'Brien Show

by Teri O'Brien

Today we’ll examine the latest Washington drama, the supposed looming default by the United States of America. This debt crisis inspired Barack Obama, fresh from yet another ego refueling in front of an assemblage of swooning gullible twenty-somethings, to put on a clinic in petulant, self-righteous demagoguery at last Friday afternoon’s press conference. We’ll unpack that performance, and share the latest from the Sunday shows, as the Chicken Little media attempts to make sure that their guy doesn’t let this “crisis” go to waste by failing to trick the Republicans into raising taxes.

Today on the Teri O'Brien Show, 6/19/11

by Teri O'Brien

A happy Father’s Day to all of the dads out there! It’s a shame that Barack Obama’s father is not here to celebrate the day with him and his family, having passed away several decades ago. I’ll leave it to you whether I refer to Frank Marshall Davis or Barack Hussein Obama.

The question of the One’s paternity is particularly relevant today, not only because it is Father’s Day, but because that pesky eligibility issue has arisen again, this time in the context of GOP rising star Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. Do you agree that Sen. Rubio is not an Article II “natural born citizen,” and regardless, does that really matter anymore in this post-Constitutional age of Obama? Many elected Republicans, and a few Democrats, including the perpetually outraged Dennis Kucinich and the military phobic Dick Durbin, have expressed concern over President Obama’s alleged violation of idiotic the War Powers Act. Shouldn’t we be more concerned over his shredding of the Constitution, not only by the very act of assuming the presidency, but all the destruction he has caused since assuming office in his quest to “remake” America? 

Just Say No. Dynasties and the DREAM Act. Today on the Teri O'Brien Show

by Teri O'Brien

Democrats, both the elected variety and the ones who have never faced the voters, sometimes also called “journalists,” love dynasties, but the week that was brought many reminders of why it is wise to be wary of them. Of course, it’s no surprise that those enamored of identity politics, the government-sanctioned racism known as “affirmative action,” and crony capitalism would be all for hereditary entitlement, but you’d think that the Kennedy example would be enough to cure everyone else. Yet we still see the offspring of political and media figures in positions they could only dream of occupying had they picked the wrong parents. Whether it’s Luke Russert and Peter Doocey cruising into on-air cable gigs before the ink on their diplomas is dry, or the vacuous twenty-something daughters of two prominent members of Congress suddenly presented to the public as brilliant political analysts, in some cases, family connections appear to have more to do with success than merit. 

We’ll unpack the latest controversy involving dueling publicity seekers, the mentally-vacant Meghan McCain and self-described rodeo clown/ex DJ turned supposed intellectual Glenn Beck. Did Beck go too far with his morning zoo like antics, including false vomiting at the mention of a “naked” Miss McCain? What did her dad Sen. John McCain have to say about Beck’s bit? We’ll hear his response, which suggests that even though he opposes torture for suspected terrorists, he might not have a problem using it on talk show hosts.

"Gov Moonbeam", "WTF" and "Geezer" alert on Teri O'Brien today

by Teri O'Brien

It’s official: as we’ve long noted over the past two years on the Teri O’Brien Show, we are re-living the 1970’s. Governor Moonbeam is governor of California, Jimmy Carter is the president, and, not coincidentally, once again, the powder keg known as the Middle East is ready to explode. We’ll will focus on the real cause of the chaos in what can only hope will not become the new Iran, Egypt, and also answer the question, “did Facebook start a chain of events that will topple Hosni Mubarek’s government?”

You probably didn’t notice that Barack Hussein Obama delivered another lifeless, banal pitch for throwing more of your money down various government boondoggles and ratholes, which was supposed to fill his Constitutional obligation to report on the state of the union. This campaign speech/lecture, aka the “WTF speech,” was greeted by his acolytes in the Jurassic media with the usual embarrassing swooning, punctuated by the endless repetition of praise for his wise “turn to the center,” and his Reaganesque rhetoric. We’ll unpack this borefest, and expose the phoniness of Obama’s deathbed conversion to governing as a moderate, and explain the devious hidden agenda that we must defeat if the country we grew up in will continue to exist. 

Illinois Senator Stumping for Reid and Against "Tea Party Extremists"

by Susan Ryan

Dick Durbin "alerts" pop up in my email occasionally.  He's worried about his Nevada friend's job.  From a Dick Durbin "Urgent" message:

Harry Reid has been such a stalwart fighter for our progressive agenda in the Senate, and now he needs our help -- so we're making Harry the third of five candidates who I'm asking you to support with a $30 contribution before Election Day.

Harry is facing a tough re-election campaign this year against a right-wing opponent, Sharron Angle, who just raised $14 million from "tea party" extremists all across the country.

Dick Durbin looks up from under the bus

vy Mark Rhoads

According to Politico, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) can't get the White House to commit to putting President Obama's "presitge" on the line to campaign for Alex Giannoulias. CLICK HERE TO READ DETAILS.

Pierce: Those Sordid Senate Dems

by Sam Pierce

One may read the title of this post and accuse me of being redundant. Please excuse the repetition. I think it is justified because there might be some who don't realize just how sordid the Senate Dems can be. The depths to which they have sunk should be shocking, and perhaps would be to those who consider our Senate with apathy or not at all.

Some have watched and listened as the Senate Dems with help from the teleprompter President, their liberal colleagues in the House, (and too many Republican turncoats) have waged battle after battle against liberty, responsibility, and limited Constitutional government. To the attentive, the sordid nature of those Dems who infest the Senate comes as no surprise.

The Durbin Dilemma

By Mark Rhoads

Assistant US Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) has both an opportunity and a danger to face because he is confronted with the same difficult challenge that every party leader in either party always faces in any legislative body over many years.  Durbin is close to his lifetime goal of becoming Majority Leader of the Senate in case Harry Reid loses his seat in Nevada (more likely each day) and the Democrats still keep the majority after November (less likely each day).

Giannoulias' answers coming "soon"

Chicago Public Radio's playing a clip of U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin saying the Democrats' U.S. Senate nominee Alexi Giannoulias is "prepared to answer" the questions about his family bank's failing and it will happen "soon":

DURBIN:There are a lot of people who want to attribute all sorts of things to him, but most people in fairness will say, you know 'he's been away from this for four years, and banks are failing' he needs to answer these questions, he's prepared to answer these questions and it will happen soon.

Can't help but wonder what the delay is -- learning from a crisis management coach how to convince the public Alexi's tip-toeing through the Broadway Bank disaster shouldn't be an issue, getting acting lessons on how to present the response in a contrite, yet confident and non-chalant presentation, checking the whole act out with focus groups, running Democratic campaign committee polling, or a dozen other reasons. 

Evidently, we're to hear Giannoulias' answers very, very soon.  At least that's what Uncle Dick says.

Durbin and Dumber: Attack of the Liberally Ill

by Sam Pierce

The symptoms are on full display as liberally ill members of our federal government exert their power (enumerated or seized) campaign against free citizens. The symptoms are also apparent in the behavior of those who support the actions of the liberally ill. Two prominent sufferers of liberal illness are in the spotlight today, Durbin and Dumber (or Durbin and Biden).

Illinois' own Dick has sent a plea to the e-mail addresses of those he believes to be his supporters. Sruely some are liberally ill enough to support Dick, but some of us find our addresses on the list as a result of a phishing expedition in the form of a poll on a public option in the bureacratic takeover of our healthcare. This particular plea allows Dick to reach his constituents with glaring hypocrisy and a faux moral high ground. Neither of which should be surprising since Dick is ill enough to believe that a majority of people want a public option in their healthcare deform (not a typo). Dick takes umbrage with Senate rule 22, the very same rule he among so many other liberally ill Senators (including President Obama) fought to preserve... when it was convenient for them.

Dick and Ted's Bogus Journey

by Sam Pierce

The senior embarrassment...I mean Senator from the state of Illinois, Dick Durbin, seems to be concerned about the prospect of Ted Kennedy's legacy being thrown off the bridge by the voters of Taxachusetts. How could this be? Does the Massachusetts electorate have a referendum before them that will bring Mary Jo Kopechne back from the dead? Perhaps the good people of Massachusetts are voting to ban the sale of Teddy's brand of Scotch.

Neither of those scenarios appear to be the case. The cause for Dick's consternation seems to be the possibility that the Kennedy family grasp on the collective throat of the state may be slipping. Dick is disturbed by the possibility that the seat once held by the sea lion of the Senate might fall into Republican hands. Worse still, this might hinder the seizure of Americans' healthcare decisions by politicians and bureacrats appointed by politicians!

A Message from Dick

by Sam Pierce

I was fortunate to have received the great news from our illustrious Senator Dick (Durbin), having voted in his little poll on the "public option". Here is the message from Senator Dick:

Dear sam,

We already knew that a majority of Americans support the inclusion of a public health insurance option in the final health care reform bill.

But now that the results of our online poll are in, something else is now clear: the American people who voted for change last November will settle for nothing less than a robust public option.