Month: April 2013

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Our Daily Thread 4-26-13

Good Morning!

It’s Finally Friday! 🙂

And on this day in 1607 the British established an American colony at Cape Henry, Virginia.

In 1865 John Wilkes Booth was killed by the U.S. Federal Cavalry.

In 1931 New York Yankee Lou Gehrig hit a home run but was called out for passing a runner.

In 1964 the Boston Celtics won their sixth consecutive NBA title. They would win 2 more before the streak would end.

And in 1986 the Chernobyl nuclear disaster occurred.

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Quote of the Day

“How far that little candle throws its beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world.”

William Shakespeare

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I don’t know why, but the older I get, the more I like country music.

Even this guy. Weird.

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Anyone have a QoD for us?

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Prayer Requests 4-26-13

Who has a request or praise to share today?

Psalm 5:1-3

1 Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation.

2 Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.

3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

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News/Politics 4-26-13

What’s of interest in the news today?

Open Thread.

Boston Bombing suspect #1 was on 2 watch lists. From TheWallStJournal

“U.S. authorities put alleged Boston bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev on two separate watch lists in 2011 after Russian security agencies twice reached out to their American counterparts, raising new questions about missed opportunities to prevent the attack.

U.S. officials said Wednesday that at the request of the CIA, Mr. Tsarnaev was added to a broad database called Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment, which holds hundreds of thousands of names flagged by multiple U.S. security agencies.”

“The FBI’s earlier contact with Mr. Tsarnaev already had caused his name to be put in another database, called TECS, which is used by U.S. police and national-security agencies, two law-enforcement officials said.”

Here’s more on suspect #2 being read Miranda rights and the effect it had on questioning. And who sent the judge and public defender? The DoJ. From WLTX

“Sixteen hours after investigators began interrogating him, Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev stopped talking after being read his constitutional rights.

Officials briefed on the interrogation say the 19-year-old suspect went silent after a magistrate judge and a representative from the U.S. Attorney’s office gave him his Miranda warning. The officials insisted on anonymity because the briefing was private.”

The FBI was not pleased. They were under the impression that the exemption gave them 48 hours to interrogate. That ended after 16 hours. Megyn Kelly has that and more from Fox News.

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All 5 living President’s attended the dedicating of the George W. Bush Presidential Center. From USAToday

“Bush opened his remarks with wry humor. He joked that there was a time in his life that he wouldn’t be found in a library, much less found one, and noted that Obama, unlike the other ex-presidents, has a job.

Noting Alexander Hamilton’s concern that ex-presidents would wander the nation like “discontented ghosts,” Bush said, “Actually, I think we seem pretty happy.” Bush, a stickler for punctuality, began his remarks a few minutes early.

He thanked his wife, parents, former aides, world leaders and his vice president, Dick Cheney, adding, “I’m proud to call you friend.””

Liberals hate that too. They acted as you’d expect, so no link to them. Why encourage them?

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Democrat leaders have changed their mind on that ObamaCare exemption for Congress. They claim it wasn’t their intent to do so. From TheHill

“Republicans hammered Democrats for allegedly seeking to  carve themselves out  of a requirement in the healthcare law.

Democratic leaders said Thursday they’re not seeking an exemption from a  central requirement of ObamaCare — that members of Congress and their staff  purchase healthcare coverage through insurance exchanges.”

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Frank Lautenberg has introduced legislation which will have the public paying for Peace Corps rape victims to have abortions. From Lautenberg.Senate.gov

“Today, U.S. Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) introduced legislation to ensure that basic health care benefits are offered to women in the Peace Corps and provide them with the same standard of health care that most women with federal health care coverage already receive. Lautenberg’s bill corrects the current inequity in law that prevents the Peace Corps from offering any abortion coverage for volunteers, even for volunteers who have been sexually assaulted or when the life of the woman is endangered.

“We must not stand idly by while Peace Corps volunteers continue to be subjected to this gross inequity in their health care coverage,” Lautenberg said.  “Peace Corps volunteers choose to provide a valuable public service despite inherent risks to their safety, including sexual assault, and it is unacceptable that their own country restricts their access to care.  My legislation would ensure that Peace Corps volunteers don’t have to forfeit their rights or jeopardize their health when they volunteer to help underserved populations throughout the world.”

“The “Peace Corps Equity Act of 2013” would allow the Peace Corps to provide its volunteers with health insurance coverage for abortion in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman is endangered.  Almost all other women covered under federal health plans receive this same coverage.  With more than 1,000 Peace Corps volunteers having experienced sexual assault over the past decade, this technical fix is needed to protect the reproductive rights of women in the Peace Corps.  The bill is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).”

I find it strange that the Senator mentions sexual assaults as justification. But he doesn’t address what they are going to make the Peace Corps do in order to address this threat that female workers face in many foreign countries. These assaults are all too common. There are even websites advising women not to join, and they claim the Peace Corps covers it up. The Senator should be more concerned with preventing the assaults, and calling the Peace Corps to task for their failures, rather than just aborting the sometime result.

The following links come with a CONTENT WARNING!!! because it’s adult subject matter, and it’s difficult to read some of these stories. The Senator is treating a symptom, not the problem.

From TheHuffingtonPost

“Jessica Smochek told members of Congress on Wednesday that, after being brutally gang-raped in Bangladesh in 2004, a Peace Corps medical officer refused to give her a proper physical examination. Instead, the medic confiscated the former English teacher’s cellphone so that she could not alert her fellow volunteers and instructed her to tell anyone who asked about her sudden departure from the program that she was returning to the U.S. to get her wisdom teeth out. When Smochek arrived in Washington, D.C., a Peace Corps official asked her to write down everything she had done to provoke the attack.

“Shortly after I left, the country director — who never attempted to contact me after I was raped — called a meeting of several women in my former volunteer group and told them, without my permission, what had happened to me,” she said. “Then, he told them that rape was a woman’s fault and that I had caused what happened to me by being out alone after 5:00 PM. As for the other women in the group, who had been very vocal about being constantly stalked and afraid, he threatened them with administrative separation.”

Smochek was one of a growing number of former Peace Corps volunteers who are speaking out about the sexual assaults they endured while serving abroad. Their stories have sparked Congressional hearings, as well as pledges for institutional reform.”

More From About.com

“Is the Peace Corps safe for women? The news that over a thousand female Peace Corp Volunteers (PCVs) have been raped or sexually assaulted in the past decade has prompted Congress to hold hearings on the matter. These findings, reported by ABC News on their investigative news show 20/20 in mid-January 2011, are the most recent in a long line of stories that suggest the Peace Corps is more interested in protecting its reputation than its female volunteers throughout their two-year volunteer overseas assignments.”

Some victims have even submitted affidavits to Congress. From TheWashingtonPost

The Senator has a misguided approach to the problem, and it isn’t a solution at all.

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Our Daily Thread 4-25-13

Good Morning!

On this day in 1831 the New York and Harlem Railway was incorporated in New York City.

In 1859 work began on the Suez Canal in Egypt.

In 1898 the U.S. declared war on Spain. Spain had declared war on the U.S. the day before.

In 1901 New York became the first state to require license plates for cars. The fee was $1.

In 1928 a seeing eye dog was used for the first time.

In 1953 U.S. Senator Wayne Morse ended the longest speech in U.S. Senate history after 22 hours and 26 minutes.

In 1967 Colorado Governor John Love signed the first law legalizing abortion in the U.S.

And on this day in 1980 in Iran, a commando mission to rescue hostages was aborted after mechanical problems. While evacuating, a helicopter and a transport plan collided and exploded, killing 8 U.S. servicemen. The mission was to free American hostages that had been taken at the U.S. embassy in Tehran on November 4, 1979. The event took place April 24th Washington, DC, time.

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Quote of the Day

“Anti-Americanism from abroad would not be such a problem if Americans were united in standing up for their own country.”

Dinesh D’Souza

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Today’s music is from Jerry Leiber. I know, who’s he right? Well he’s a songwriter, not a singer. But you’ve heard his work…

But he and his writing partner were not fans of Presley’s version of their song. Despite this, they wrote several more songs for him, including this one…

His other work included this classic….

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Who has a QoD for us today?

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Prayer Requests 4-25-13

Who has a prayer request or praise to share today?

Proverbs 3:19-28

19 The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.

20 By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.

21 My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:

22 So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.

23 Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.

24 When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.

25 Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.

26 For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.

27 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.

28 Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and tomorrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.

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Life Matters 4-25-13

Here’s a few stories you may find of interest.

The first is very encouraging. And once again, it’s adult stem cells which are showing promise. From USNews

“Scientists have discovered an antibody that can turn stem cells from a patient’s bone marrow directly into brain cells, a potential breakthrough in the treatment of neurological diseases and injuries.”

“Richard Lerner, of the Scripps Research Institute in California, says that when a specific antibody is injected into stem cells from bone marrow—which normally turn into white blood cells—the cells can be triggered to turn into brain cells.

“There’s been a lot of research activity where people would like to repair brain and spinal cord injuries,” Lerner says. “With this method, you can go to a person’s own stem cells and turn them into brain cells that can repair nerve injuries.”

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The judge in the Kermit Gosnell case has admitted he made an error, and has re-instated 1 of the dropped murder charges. From LifeNews

“Common pleas court Judge Jeffrey Minehart admitted he “erred” when dropping the murder charge for Baby C, who was killed in an abortion-infanticide when he was a victim of an attempted abortion but was born alive and tossed in a shoe box, with Gosnell staffers confirming they saw him breathing for 20 minutes.

Gosnell faces eight total murder counts — one for killing a woman in a botched abortion and seven for killing babies in abortion-infanticides that involved live-birth abortions and snipping their necks after birth. The judge received heavy criticism yesterday for dropping three of the murder charges.

Gosnell refused to testify, and the defense rested. From LifeNews

“Today, Gosnell’s co-defendant, Eileen O’Neill, an unlicensed doctor who worked at Gosnell’s Women’s Medical Society abortion clinic, decided not to testify for herself in her own defense against the charges she’s incurred.

As a result, the Gosnell defense has concluded without the embattled abortion doctor ever taking the stand and with Gosnell attorney Jack McMahon offering very little in his defense.

McMahon tersely announced, “Defense rests,” as the  jury was seated after lunch.”

Fox News will air a one hour special on the case at 9 p.m. on Sunday, May 5th.

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The NY state GOP has vowed to block any of Gov. Cuomo’s abortion expansion attempts. From LifeSiteNews

““Expansion of late-term abortion is extreme, in my opinion. It’s not progressive, it’s extreme,” Senator Dean Skelos told the Associated Press.

In his State of the State address in January, Cuomo threw his support behind a sweeping abortion expansion bill that would lift restrictions on third-trimester abortions, allowed non-doctors to perform the procedure, and enshrine a fundamental right to “terminate a pregnancy” in New York state law.  The New York Catholic Conference warned that if the bill were to pass, the state’s Catholic hospitals could be forced to shut down.

The governor has since backpedaled.  His staffers now insist he only wants to preserve the status quo on abortion in New York.  But details of Cuomo’s abortion proposal have not been forthcoming, even as the governor has tried to broker a deal.

Given NY’s horrible abortion numbers, anything that tries to increase it is worth fighting against.

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News/Politics 4-25-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

It appears from press reports that Boston bomb suspect #1 was on a watch list, yet it didn’t help, or work as it’s supposed to. From Reuters

“The name of one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, was listed on the U.S. government’s highly classified central database of people it views as potential terrorists. But the list is so vast that this did not mean authorities automatically kept close tabs on him, sources close to the bombing investigation said on Tuesday.”

“After being put in the TIDE system, his name was entered in another database, this one maintained by the Homeland Security Department’s Customs and Border Protection bureau which is used to screen people crossing U.S. land borders and entering at airports or by sea.

Tsarnaev was flagged on that database when he left the United States for Russia in January 2012 but no alarm was raised, presumably because the FBI had not identified him as a threat after the interview.”

It was the CIA who asked that his name be put on the list. From TheWashingtonPost

“The CIA asked the main U.S. counterterrorism agency to add the name of one of the suspected Boston Marathon bombers to a watch list more than a year before the attack, according to U.S. officials.

The agency took the step after Russian authorities contacted officials there in the fall of 2011 and raised concerns that Tamerlan Tsarnaev — who was killed last week in a confrontation with police — was seen as an increasingly radical Islamist and could be planning to travel overseas. The CIA requested that his name be put on a database maintained by the National Counterterrorism Center.”

“The CIA’s request came months after the FBI had closed a preliminary inquiry into Tsarnaev after getting a similar inquiry about him from Russian state security, according to officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.

The new disclosure suggests that the U.S. government may have had more reason than previously known to scrutinize Tsarnaev in the months leading up to the bombings in Boston.”

John Kerry has made some statements that raised eyebrows. From Politico

“Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday that Tamerlan Tsarnaev returned from Russia last year “with a willingness to kill people.”

“Well, of course we have the same problem. We just had a young person who went to Russia, Chechnya, who blew people up in Boston,” Kerry said. “So he didn’t stay where he went, but he learned something where he went and he came back with a willingness to kill people.”

His remarks appear to go further than those made by other U.S. officials, who have said they haven’t determined yet if Tsarnaev received terrorist training during his 6-1/2 month stay in Russia. Tsarnaev and his younger brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, are suspected of carrying out the Boston bombings last week.”

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And in an unrelated domestic terrorism case we have some interesting testimony from Floyd Lee Corkins II, the Family Research Council shooter. His motivation? He explained to investigators that he attacked the group’s headquarters because the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) identified them as a “hate group” due to their traditional marriage views. The hate preached by the SPLC motivated him. From TheWashingtonExaminer

““Southern Poverty Law lists anti-gay groups,” Corkins tells interrogators in the video, which FRC obtained from the FBI. “I found them online, did a little research, went to the website, stuff like that.””

“The Southern Poverty Law Center still lists FRC as an “anti-gay” hate group on the “hate map” Corkins used. “The SPLC’s reckless labeling has led to devastating consequences,” said FRC President Tony Perkins.  “Because of its ‘hate group’ lists, a deadly terrorist had a guidemap to FRC and other organizations.  Our staff is still reeling from the attack, and the chilling effect this could have on organizations that are simply fighting for their values is outrageous.”

And yes, there’s a short video.

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And the Obama admin and DHS have been handed a loss in federal court. It’s not the final decision, but the judge feels the ICE Agents Union is likely to prevail. The Union filed suit over the admin insisting that agents NOT do their jobs. It’s a shame that these folks had to sue, but the admin only enforces laws it likes. From BusinessWeek

“A court challenge by federal immigration agents seeking to block President Barack Obama’s deferred-deportation initiative will probably succeed, a judge said.

U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor in Dallas today put off his own decision on whether to grant the request for a preliminary injunction by 10 U.S. Immigration and Customs agents. He asked both sides to file additional arguments no later than May 6.”

““The court finds that DHS does not have discretion to refuse to initiate removal proceedings” when the requirements for deportation under a federal statute are met, O’Connor said today in a 38-page decision, referring to the Department of Homeland Security.”

More here from TheWashingtonExaminer

“The judge’s comments come one day after Napolitano scolded the union, during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the Gang of Eight’s immigration bill, for challenging the policy she and Obama have implemented.

“There are tensions with union leadership, unfortunately,” Napolitano told Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., on Tuesday. “Here’s what I expect as a former prosecutor and attorney general: that is that law enforcement agents will enforce the law in accordance with the guidance they are given [by] their superiors.”

Sessions faulted Napolitano for refusing to meet with the ICE officers’ union. “I have never heard of a situation in which a group of law officers sued their supervisor, and you, for blocking them from following the law,” he said. “They weren’t complaining about pay, benefits, working conditions — they were saying their very oath they took to enforce the law is being blocked by rules and regulations and policies established from on high, and that this is undermining their ability to do what they are sworn to do.””

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Our Daily Thread 4-24-13

Good Morning!

On this day in 1800 the Library of Congress was established with a $5,000 allocation.

In 1877 U.S. federal troops were ordered out of New Orleans. This ended the North’s post-Civil War rule in the South.

In 1898 on this day, Spain declared war on the U.S.

In 1953 Winston Churchill was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.

And in 1981 the IBM Personal Computer was introduced.

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Quote of the day

“All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.”

Winston  Churchill

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Sing, Sing, Sing, but there’s no singing.

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Who has a QoD for us today?

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Prayer Requests 4-24-13

Who can we pray for today?

And be sure to keep Gambia and those ministering there in your prayers as well. 🙂

Proverbs 3:1-8

1 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:

2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.

3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:

4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.

8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.

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News/Politics 4-24-13

What’s interesting out there today?

Open Thread, as always.

Me…. I’m beating that horse again. From Boston.com

“Russian authorities alerted the FBI not once but “multiple’’ times over their  concerns about Tamerlan Tsarnaev — including a second time nearly a year after he was first interviewed by FBI agents in Boston — raising new questions about whether the FBI should have focused more attention on the suspected Boston Marathon bomber, according to US senators briefed on the probe Tuesday.”

More on the mosque they attended here. From USAToday

“The mosque attended by the two brothers accused in the Boston Marathon bombing has been associated with other terrorist suspects, has invited radical speakers to a sister mosque in Boston and is affiliated with a Muslim group that critics say nurses grievances that can lead to extremism.

Several people who attended the Islamic Society of Boston mosque in Cambridge, Mass., have been investigated for Islamic terrorism, including a conviction of the mosque’s first president, Abdulrahman Alamoudi, in connection with an assassination plot against a Saudi prince.”

Check out the link. This place has a long list of radicals that have spoken there. And many of them have also been investigated for terrorism ties.

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The Ricin letters suspect has been released. From NBCNews

“Charges were dropped Tuesday against the Mississippi man suspected of mailing ricin-laced letters to President Obama and other public officials — as authorities searched the home of another man hoping to find clues in the expanding investigation.

“I respect President Obama and love my country. I would never do anything to pose a threat to him or any other U.S. official,” Paul Kevin Curtis said at a news conference Tuesday.”

More from FoxNews

“The Mississippi man charged with sending ricin-laced letters to President Obama  was released on bond Tuesday, as the FBI searched the Mississippi home of a  possible second suspect amid an apparent probe into whether the first suspect  might have been framed. ”

“Shortly afterward, FBI searched the home of a possible second suspect. The FBI  zeroed in on this individual earlier in the day, a source told Fox News.”

More on another possible Ricin attack, from  WaPo 

“Federal authorities are investigating another potential ricin attack at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Southeast Washington, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Tuesday.”

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Some pretty disturbing details are emerging in the Texas plant explosion. If true, arrests and prosecutions need to happen. From TheNYPost

“The fertilizer plant that exploded and wiped out much of a small Texas town last week once stored 1,350 times the amount of ammonium nitrate that typically triggers federal safety oversight, officials said.

Yet a person familiar with Department of Homeland Security operations said the company that owns the plant, West Fertilizer, failed to tell the agency about the potentially explosive fertilizer it stored last year, as required.”

Much more here from HuffPo/Reuters

“Fertilizer plants and depots must report to the DHS when  they hold 400 lb (180 kg) or more of the substance. Filings this  year with the Texas Department of State Health Services, which  weren’t shared with DHS, show the plant had 270 tons of it on  hand last year.

A U.S. congressman and several safety experts called into  question on Friday whether incomplete disclosure or regulatory  gridlock may have contributed to the disaster.

“It seems this manufacturer was willfully off the grid,”  Rep. Bennie Thompson, (D-MS), ranking member of the House  Committee on Homeland Security, said in a statement. “This  facility was known to have chemicals well above the threshold  amount to be regulated under the Chemical Facility  Anti-Terrorism Standards Act (CFATS), yet we understand that DHS  did not even know the plant existed until it blew up.””

With a Hat Tip to HRW

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Several charges against Kermit Gosnell have been dropped by the judge. From LifeSiteNews

“A federal judge has dropped nine charges – including three murder charges and one count of infanticide – against Philadelphia abortionist Kermit Gosnell, as his trial resumed this morning.

Local media report the judge has determined Gosnell will not face three counts of murder, one count of infanticide, and five counts of abuse of a corpse. The latter charges related to Gosnell’s keeping the severed feet of aborted babies in jars in his clinic.

Gosnell still faces the remaining four charges of first degree murder in the deaths of newborn babies, and an additional charge of third degree murder over the death of one of his abortion clients.”

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“What difference does it make?”

Well now we know why she wasn’t concerned with the truth getting out and was reluctant to answer questions. It was to protect herself and the White House. The House has issued it’s Benghazi report, which blames Hillary Clinton. From TheWashingtonExaminer

“A critical report drafted by five GOP-led House committees has determined that reduced security at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi in the days leading up to the Sept. 11, 2012, attack was approved by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The report also found that White House and high-ranking officials at the State Department changed CIA talking points following the attacks, which killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others, in order to shield the State Department from “criticism for inadequate security levels” on the ground in Benghazi.

The 46-page report provides a timeline of events leading up to the attacks in Benghazi and investigation that followed.”

A larger view of the report can be viewed here at Scribd.com

And it also appears that like her husband, she has lied under oath. From TheWashingtonExaminer

“House Republicans released their report on the investigation into the Benghazi terrorist attack, having concluded that then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was not telling the truth when she told Congress that she wasn’t aware that officials at the U.S. mission in Benghazi had requested extra security.

“The specific security requests pertaining to Benghazi, you know were handled by the security professionals in the department,” Clinton told Congress in January. “I didn’t see those requests, they didn’t come to me, I didn’t approve them, I didn’t deny them.”

The House report suggests that Clinton received a request for more security from Gene Cretz, who preceded Christopher Stevens as ambassador to Libya.

Not only did she receive and see the request, her signature was on the response cable which denied the request.

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Democrats have been insisting the last few days that we need to pass the immigration/amnesty bill to protect against terrorism. It would do nothing of the sort. It’s what it really does that they are in a hurry to get done. From Politico

“The immigration proposal pending in Congress would transform the nation’s  political landscape for a generation or more — pumping as many as 11 million new  Hispanic voters into the electorate a decade from now in ways that, if current  trends hold, would produce an electoral bonanza for Democrats and cripple  Republican prospects in many states they now win easily.

Beneath the philosophical debates about amnesty and border security, there  are brass-tacks partisan calculations driving the thinking of lawmakers in both  parties over comprehensive immigration reform, which in its current form offers  a pathway to citizenship — and full voting rights — for a group of undocumented  residents that roughly equals the population of Ohio, the nation’s  seventh-largest state.”

“If these people had been on the voting rolls in 2012 and voted along the same  lines as other Hispanic voters did last fall, President Barack Obama’s  relatively narrow victory last fall would have been considerably wider, a  POLITICO analysis showed.”

THIS is the goal. It always has been.

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