Romney Wins Iowa by Eight Votes Over Santorum

Mitt Romney finally took the lead as the last votes were counted in Iowa.  Romney beat Santorum by 30,015 to 30,007 -- winning by only eight votes!

Santorum has emerged as an ascending candidate and Romney is shown to be vulnerable.

Will this great showing for Santorum become a trend?  In less than a week we'll find out.   The New Hampshire primary is January 10.  The even more important South Carolina primary is January 21.

I'm in for Rick Santorum.  Michele Bachmann officially dropped out of the race today, and Rick Perry may do the same.  Let's hope they throw their support to Santorum.

Update:  Rick Perry has decided to stay in the race for the time being.

See Rick Santorum's After-Vote Speech here.

Powerline Rebuts Daily Caller About Michele Bachmann's Headaches

Apparently the Daily Caller's story on Bachmann's "incapacitating" headaches is being refuted in many places.  One is from Powerline, who says the DC article was based on an anonymous source who may have exaggerated the facts.

Read the Powerline article here.

Okay, Michele, I still love ya.  I'd rather have a president with headaches than a president who is a headache.

Michele Bachmann Absolutely Not "a Flake"

Michele Bachmann, US Congress Representative from Minnesota, has entered the fray to become the GOP's nominee for President of the United States.  The Democrats have already begun their proactive sliming of Bachmann, as they do for any serious opposition candidate.  They will belittle her accomplishments, misquote her, scour her background for any potential negatives to exploit, and do their best to destroy any credibility she may have as a candidate.  Like they have done for Sarah Palin, the Dems want to paint Bachmann as a non-serious airhead.  Bachmann, however, is no such thing.

Investor's Business Daily tells why.

Meanwhile, Politico does its part to belittle Bachmann and is refuted by Legal Insurrection.

Big Spenders Always Win, or So It Seems; Tea Party Steamed Over Budget Deal

Obama's Budget

I have been trying to get a handle on the big budget fight between Republicans and Democrats.  What I want to see is actual numbers, but there is precious little explanation on the web.  That's because numbers cause eyes to glaze over and remind readers of doing math homework in the 10th grade; it wasn't fun then and it isn't fun now.  However, as an accountant I want to see the numbers and draw my own conclusions.  Bear with me if you can stand it.  I use numbers from the 2011 budget as described at this link.

It appears that the shut down of the federal government was averted by a budget compromise engineered by Republican John Boehner, Speaker of the House.   The Democrats want to spend $3.819 trillion in 2011, adding $1.645 trillion to the national debt.  Put another way, they want to spend $1.645 trillion more than they take in from tax and other revenues.  Boehner's compromise would cut $39 billion from the planned expenditures, a percentage so small that it is barely detectable.

The Republican proposed cuts would reduce the 2011 debt increase by only 2.37%, or 2 cents for every dollar added to the debt.  These same cuts would reduce total 2011 expenditures of $3.819 trillion by only 1.02%, or a single penny for every dollar spent.  That's chump change and hardly a "victory" over Democrat fiscal malfeasance.

When you consider the total national debt of $15.476 trillion (forecast for the end of 2011), the budget reduction amounts to only 0.25% of the total national debt, or two one-thousandths of each penny of debt.

WHOOPEEE!

Anybody who thinks this is a Republican victory is delusional.  After promising to cut a paltry $100 billion (as a "serious first step"), the GOP settled for cutting only $39 billion.  Andrew C. McCarthy of National Review Online explains it further here.  He says:

So now they’ve stopped short, significantly short, of that purportedly serious step, and the reaction is, “We won!” You’ve got to be kidding me. The only thing Boehner won is future assurance that GOP leadership can safely promise the moon but then settle for crumbs because their rah-rah corner will spin any paltry accomplishment, no matter how empty it shows the promise to have been, as a tremendous victory.

Some others also "get it," namely Rand Paul and Michelle Bachmann.  Others are content, as usual, with a superficial "win."  Ooooh, we made them cut 2/1000 of each penny!  That's got to hurt!

The GOP is perpetually weak and irresolute.  We need more radical solutions to stop the fiscal insanity of the Democratic Party.  I am not sure what those solutions are, but as of right now, I am thinking of voting for Ron Paul or Rand Paul if either runs.  I will not waste my vote on a Huckabee or a Romney or other establishment Republican.

Just for the record, I have long been critical of Ron Paul and previously wouldn't have voted for him if he were running against Satan.  Now I am beginning to realize that he is a hell of a lot better choice.  We've tried Satan and he just hasn't worked out.

Michele Bachmann Delivers Tea Party Response to State of the Union Address

Democrat Senator Has Constituents Arrested for Showing Up at His Office

From Yid With Lid:

One Senator, Michael Bennet (D) of Colorado was not to happy to see his constituents. They showed up at his Hart Office building office asking to meet with the Senator in his Hart Senate Office building. Instead of a meeting with the Senator, they got a meeting with the Capitol Police The protesters were arrested about 10 a.m. were charged with unlawful entry, a Capitol Police spokeswoman said.


Read it all here.

Speeches and Prayers at Tea Party Rally in Washington, DC

Screen captures from Michele Bachmann's rally in DC today:

Top: The lovely Michele Bachmann gives closing remarks.

Bottom: A minister gives the closing prayer

Michele Bachmann & Tea Party Protesters Invade Washington DC

From Politico:

Thousands of Tea Party activists descended on Washington Thursday to protest the trillion dollar health care bill and government spending, holding signs protesting Barack Obama’s agenda while aiming chants of “you work for us” at the Capitol building. .

The gathering was organized by local Tea Party groups around the country, who are arriving in Washington this morning by the busload. Conservative leaders in Congress, led by Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), have taken to the airwaves to encourage the activists to show up on the Capitol steps and demand meetings with members of Congress. The crowd is expected to grow into the thousands by noon, when Bachmann has promised to lead some protesters to a press conference inside the Capitol to express their opposition to the health care bill in person to members of Congress. 

Read it all here.

You can also watch the protest live from Fox streaming at this link.  Look for the correct channel (channel 3) at the top of the screen.

Screen Capture:  Mark Levin rallies the crowd in Washington today

Michele Bachmann Calls for DC Rally Against Health Care Bill

This week the House is expected to debate Nancy Pelosi's 1,900 page health care bill.  Michele Bachmann, Republican Senator from Minnesota, has called for a rally on the steps of the Capitol Building this Thursday, where she will hold a press conference.  After that, the protesters who show up will enter the Capitol Building to confront politicians over the bill.  This rally appears to be an impromptu Tea Party at the Capitol.

Read more about it here.

Michele Bachmann: You Da Lady

Michele Bachmann, R-MN, is a heroine when one is sorely needed.

The Left is in a faux tizzy because she told the truth about their new god, Obama: that he's leading us down the path to economic Marxism. She also said that we have to firmly resist Obama's initiatives, to in effect carry out "an orderly revolution."

That one really sent the moonbats into orbit. Way to shake 'em up, Michele! You da lady!