1. The False Narrative of the Grand Bargain on Tax Hikes

2. Obama for America stiffing Durham, NH for… $30,000. Wait, WHAT?

3. Gasland’s Josh Fox Can’t Be Bothered with Facts

4. Is YOUR Democratic politician going to the Democratic convention?

1. The False Narrative of the Grand Bargain on Tax Hikes

Over the past few months, there has been a daily trickle of establishment Republicans coming out before the media in hostage style confession statements to declare that they would accept tax increases as part of a “grand bargain” to cut the deficit. The latest member was Lindsey Graham, who stated his newfound opposition to the taxpayer pledge of Americans for Tax Reform, which he considered to be too ideologically intransigent. Tom Coburn continues to work with the “Gang of 6” in an effort to “raise revenue.”The media has extrapolated on Graham’s narrative, suggesting that Republicans are too unyielding to compromise and that they would even chase Reagan out of the party if he’d be president today. Buttressed by Jeb Bush’s comments concerning Reagan’s place in today’s Republican Party, the media is chastising us for being so stridently opposed to tax increases – even in the event of a “grand bargain” of $10 of spending cuts per $1 of tax increases.The problem with this narrative of the grand bargain is that no such agreement exists. Nor will it ever materialize.Please click here for the rest of the post.

2. Obama for America stiffing Durham, NH for… $30,000. Wait, WHAT?

The very short version: President Barack Obama is scheduled to make a campaign speech on Monday, in the town of Durham, NH. This will cost the town an estimated sixteen to thirty thousand dollars in additional overtime for cops and fire officials and whatnot. The town is taking the position that while they’d be happy to eat the cost for a Presidential visit, a campaign stop by the President is a different story; the town also claims that they’ve asked previous campaigns to foot the bill for overtime/costs. Obama for America has declined to do this, claiming that the Secret Service wants the extra security in place (this is fast becoming OfA’s favorite excuse for bad visuals); the town is now contemplating symbolically dis-inviting the President. If passed, then hi-jinks will then presumably ensue.No, really, that was the really short version.Please click here for the rest of the post.

3. Gasland’s Josh Fox Can’t Be Bothered with Facts

Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Josh Fox, he of the burning water tap, loves to scare people with the provocative word “fracking” and misleading images and claims of its potential to damage the environment, specifically groundwater.To wit, this screenshot of a cute little animated .gif at Fox’s website gaslandthemovie.com.It clearly depicts fractures from a horizontal gas well invading a freshwater aquifer. Scary! Now, consider the detail of that portion of the cartoon which depicts the fractures extending vertically up into the shallow water-bearing zone.Please click here for the rest of the post.

4. Is YOUR Democratic politician going to the Democratic convention?

Because we’re getting quite a list going of Democrats who are too frightened of being associated with the President to want to go to an Obama-dominated convention (or, as Michelle Malkin rather elegantly put it, the upcoming “Tarheel trainwreck“). So far…Please click here for the rest of the post.