"WAKE UP AMERICA" "THE FORGOTTEN MAN"

Sam in the comment section pointed out more great work by McNaughton Fine Art Company. Top painting is "Wake Up America" and the bottom one is "The Forgotten Man."

WE'LL BE TALKIN' ABOUT OBAMA'S EXECUTIVE ORDERS AND DIRTY MONEY ON THIS EVENING'S ANDREA SHEA KING SHOW--9 PM ET Guest: Nick Ryan

TONIGHT: ASK Show--9 pm et, chat room open, call in 646-478-4604--see you in chat! Nick Ryan of American Future Fund will be our guest. Nick will be telling us about Give Back the Cash.

CAPITOL HILL TALK WITH THE HONORABLE ELIZABETH LETCHWORTH

THE ANDREA SHEA KING SHOW--9 PM ET

The Honorable Elizabeth Letchworth stops by for her usual Wednesday chat about what's happening on Capitol Hill. Now that it's the Christmas season and Congress wants to get out of town... again, our elected class is working fast and furiously to check all the boxes before making their getaway.

Letchworth, owner-founder of GradeGov.com, will explain what Congress has done of late and why. And we'll get her insights into what Congress has cooked up for us when they eventually return to the scene of the crime.

Make it appointment radio at 9 pm et. You'll no doubt learn something about the Washington process.

Below: Andrea Shea King (L) with Elizabeth Letchworth.

CUTTING THE FEDERAL BUDGET REALLY ISN'T THAT DIFFICULT

Terresa Monroe-Hamilton at NoisyRoom Blog has a funny video starring Chuck Woolery and his attempt at doing what the Magnificent 12 couldn't do: find $1.2 Trillion to cut from the budget. Woolery was successful. Actually, he was too successful, but we'll forgive that.

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CATCHING UP: CAIN PRESSER, GOP DEBATE, SHERIFF ARPAIO ARRIVING IN ORLANDO, AND OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST

I've been busy this week--doctors--and haven't been able to spend as much time blogging as I'd like, so I'll catch up this morning on a few items.

Herman Cain's presser the other day went better than I thought it would. Cain's in a difficult spot having to prove a negative--all in all I think it went very well. I thought his lawyer's opening remarks set the tone perfectly--it was as if he was presenting closing remarks to the jury. Excellent idea. And when Cain came to the podium, he presented himself as well as he could and did something our Dear Leader rarely does--Cain took lots of questions from the press.

This type of political lynching is nothing new, especially for the operatives out of the Illinois/Chicago Combine. This is how the Obama machine has always operated, and it's how Obama so successfully won his campaigns from the very start, with the exception of the loss to Bobby Rush--The Radio Patriot revisits Obama's political beginnings in Illinois and his staffer's MO when entering into a campaign. It's dirty, hardball politics where the ends justify the means.

Last night's republican presidential debates, put on by CNBC, had people focused on mainly two of the candidates--Cain and Perry. Cain because of the ongoing controversy of sexual harassment allegations, and Perry because he has posted several poor debate performances and this put Perry in a position to redeem himself in future debates. Perry has admitted that he hates debating and isn't the best at it--so true--but last night Perry stumbled badly when he needed to just get through the debate with no mistakes. Well it didn't turn out that way at all. Perry stumbled so badly that the gaffe will go down in debate history as one of the worst, and possibly the beginning of the end for his campaign. 53 of the longest and painful seconds in the annals of debate history. As of this morning, Perry insists he's staying in the race--when the polls and contributions head south, Perry will probably have a change of heart. There's just so much the experts can do to rebuild a candidate after so many missteps. If a candidate is to have a chance in any political campaign, at the very least he must present well in debates. Perry has proven he is not able to do this.

The other candidates did just fine last night--aside from Perry's gaffe, he did a good job, but the gaffe was so monumental that it will be the only thing remembered from his performance. Cain was forceful and in command of the issues, though he was laughed at as he reminded the audience again and again of his 9-9-9 economic plan. Now this CNBC debate was focused on economic issues but Maria was somehow able to fashion a question that involved Cain's recent sexual harassment problems. It was low class and had no place in this debate. It's a legit question, just not in this particular debate. Others, I'm sure, will disagree. The audience booed as the question was posed to Cain, then boos again erupted from the audience when Maria attempted to involve Mitt into the controversial question. Mitt deflected the question, saying he wasn't going to respond. Cain's response to her inquiry was perfectly acceptable, I thought.

The remaining candidates did a good job too. Mitt seemed presidential, in command of the issues, never stumbling. Overall, he helped himself. Ron Paul, a candidate that's hard to argue with unless, of course, he ventures into his foreign policy stances. I'm sure his supporters were pleased with his presentation. Bachmann didn't do much to enhance herself, nothing remarkable from her, just the standard Bachmann positions, so she didn't move up in the ratings. She's in a deep hole when it comes to her polling, but there's plenty of time for her to get back into the race. Money must becoming an issue with her campaign. We'll soon see how that plays out.

Being his usual energetic self on the issues, Santorum did as he usually does but can't seem to get out of the blocks when it comes to polling. It could be that this isn't his cycle. There's more presidential cycles ahead for this former senator, I don't think this is his time, though. Jon Huntsman--great job, maybe his best. Again, he's an unknown factor with little name recognition.

One of the winners from last night was Newt Gingrich, who is slowly moving up the political charts. I think he's underestimated, cunning and the smartest man in the room. His command of the issues are second to none and the other candidates know it. The panelists are aware of it too and must dislike asking him questions because he's too smart to allow a panelist to cut the ring off on him, not allowing himself to get caught in one of their traps. Newt's more than willing, as he's shown in all the debates, to give as good as he gets, especially when it comes to the media's coverage and types of questions. He's been there, done that. Watch his candidacy.

The winners last night: Newt and Herman. Losers: Rick Perry and CNBC's Maria and Jim Cramer.

*****OTHER NEWS*****

***A man who has been savaged by the msm for years--Sheriff Joe Arpaio--will be arriving in Orlando for the Choose Liberty 2012 conference. However, the msm who's usually not far behind Arpaio, is not providing coverage on the event so far. (Arpaio is investigating Obama's eligibility) We're still wondering if they'll even cover it. Well, not to worry. Our own Andrea Shea King will be there to cover the event for The Tea Party Magazine. When the msm fails to do its job, King, a big player in the New Media, is more than willing to travel to Orlando to do the job the msm refuses to do. Look for her reporting this weekend. Details at her site, The Radio Patriot. Andrea has an additional post about Karl Rove. He's no friend to the conservative movement. I think we're all beginning to realize this. Andrea reports on this too.

***John Ruberry, our man from the Greater ChicagoLand area, blogging at Marathon Pundit, is traveling to Denver for Freedonworks' BlogCon event. Tune to his blog for details and his final report. Good luck, John, and thanks for being so involved in the process. Ruberry is one of the best.

***My health situation has changed so I'll be updating my many blog friends and family very soon on how that's going. For now, I'm feeling just great. I'm about to enter into some very serious procedures and will be updating. And I've planned to document the process the best I can with blog posts and videos from the hospital because I'll soon be going in for at least four weeks and quite possibly as many as seven. More on that soon.

***TONIGHT: THE ANDREA SHEA KING SHOW--9pm et. Chat room will be open and the call in number is 1-646-478-4604. Author Brenda Elliott will be our guest this evening, and we've confirmed Jack Abramoff for Nov 21st. Mark your calendars!

***Finally, seriously consider supporting The Campaign to Defeat Barack Obama. It's one of the most important, effective organizations and deserves our support. Stop by to contribute and don't forget to sign up for their email alerts. This is the type of org that will help in bringing down Obama in his quest for a second term at 1600. Lloyd Marcus is the Chairman, Andrea Shea King is the Vice-Chair. We need your support more than ever. Ridding our nation of a Marxist is expensive, so do what you can. Thanks.

THE CAIN TRAIN'S STILL ON THE TRACKS... FOR NOW

*Tonight*: THE ANDREA SHEA KING SHOW-9pm et

This morning's Drudge headline about the latest shoe to drop on Herman Cain's campaign was not a surprise. All last week, the establishment in DC, in conjunction with the ever trustworthy MSM, attempted to put an end to the Cain Train. Didn't work. In fact, it helped Cain, holding steady in polls and taking in more in campaign contributions than ever before.

This week will be another test for Cain, and if they don't kill off his campaign this week, well, there's always next week. I have a doctor's appointment just after the presser, so I'm focused on that. But I'll probably toss my opinion out there later, and I'm sure we'll be discussing this on tonight's Andrea Shea King Show.

Speaking of Andrea, she's already posted her thoughts on this new development, so head over to The Radio Patriot and drink it in. More from Radio Patriot here. It was all too predictable. Below: Andrea with Herman Cain during a TPX IV tour stop.

Wednesday night on THE ANDREA SHEA KING SHOW: Elizabeth Letchworth of Gradegov.com and Blogtalkradio's Congressional Candor

Wednesday night on THE ANDREA SHEA KING SHOW, guest Elizabeth Letchworth joins us again for the inside scoop and analysis under the dome in Washington DC.

It's a weekly feature that's not to be missed... and if you do, well join Elizabeth on her own Blogtalkradio show on Monday and Friday at 6:30 pm et--CONGRESSIONAL CANDOR. And don't forget Elizabeth's other work of art: Gradegov.com, where you can grade your reps and communicate with them as well.

Tonight there will be more than enough news to cover so be in the chat room early for a good seat. See you in Chat!!

Below: At the CNN/Tea Party Express Presidential Debate in Tampa, Florida 2011--Andrea Shea King (L) and Elizabeth Letchworth.

"You Call This Winning?"--Ann Barnhardt

As Ann Barnhardt is known to do, she says what's on her mind. The war over Washington spending, the Tea Party reps in congress and Obama are on her mind today. Here's a snip from her American Thinker column, We The Stupid:

"I stand here in abject stupefaction. The so-called "right" or "Tea Party" in this republic is being so thoroughly rolled and defeated that I am struggling to come up with an adequate violent submission metaphor that does not involve prison rape . . . and they honesty think that they're "winning." Really? You call this winning?"

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For more debt deal analysis: The NoisyRoom, The Radio Patriot.

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"Allen West Challenges GOP"---(and boy does he!!)

Hat tip: Shoplifted from Terresa Monroe-Hamilton's NoisyRoom. (TWD's thoughts: Rep Allen West is currently holding a position he's clearly over-qualified for. Being a congressman is not the highest and best use of his time, energy and resources.)



Allen West Challenges Republican Party to Show Leadership

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THE LATEST ON THE DEBT CRISIS TALKS

**Just received this via iPhone from Andrea Shea King. Andrea is inflight back to the Space Coast from an engagement over the weekend in NYC. She'll be talking about her trip and the debt crisis as well on tonight's Andrea Shea King Show--9 PM ET.

Speaker Boehner, GOP Leaders Outline Two-Step Approach to Cut Spending, Avoid Default

WASHINGTON, DC – House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) issued the following statement on the two-step approach for cutting spending and preserving the full faith and credit of the United States that GOP leaders discussed with their Republican colleagues today:

“Republicans have put forward a responsible, common-sense proposal that meets our obligations to the American people and preserves the full faith and credit of the United States. This plan is far from perfect, but it adheres to our principles of ensuring that spending cuts are greater than any debt hike and it includes no tax increases. Importantly, it reflects the principles of ‘Cut, Cap, and Balance.’

“Time is running short and it would be irresponsible for the President to veto this common-sense plan and run the risk of default. I would encourage the Senate to pass this plan and the President to sign it.”

NOTE: This two-step approach outlined by GOP leaders today will (1) make spending cuts that are larger than any debt ceiling increase; (2) implement spending caps to restrain future spending; and (3) advance the cause of the Balanced Budget Amendment – without tax hikes on families and job creators. Here is more information on the plan:

• Cuts That Exceed The Debt Hike. The framework would cut and cap discretionary spending immediately, saving $1.2 trillion over 10 years (subject to CBO confirmation), and raise the debt ceiling by less – up to $1 trillion.
• Caps To Control Future Spending. The framework imposes caps on discretionary spending that would establish clear limits on future spending and serve as a barrier against government expansion while the economy grows. Failure to remain below these caps will trigger automatic across-the-board cuts (otherwise known as sequestration).
• Balanced Budget Amendment. The framework advances the cause of the Balanced Budget Amendment by requiring the House and Senate to vote on the measure after October 1, 2011 but before the end of the year, allowing the American people time to build sufficient support for this popular reform.
• Entitlement Reforms & Savings. The framework creates a Joint Committee of Congress that is required to report legislation that would produce a proposal to reduce the deficit by at least $1.8 trillion over 10 years. Each Chamber would consider the proposal of the Joint Committee on an up-or-down basis without any amendments. If the proposal is enacted, then the President would be authorized to request a debt limit increase of $1.6 trillion.
• No Tax Hikes. The framework includes no tax hikes, a key principle that Republicans have been fighting for since day one.

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Two-Step Approach to Hold President Obama Accountable Posted by Speaker Boehner's Press Office on July 25, 2011

All year long, House Republicans have led on the serious issues facing our country and set the terms of the debate over the debt limit. Republicans insisted if the President wants his debt ceiling increase, the American people will require serious spending cuts and reforms. This framework, while far from perfect, meets House Republicans’ criteria by (1) making spending cuts that are larger than any debt ceiling increase; (2) implementing spending caps to restrain future spending; and (3) advancing the cause of the Balanced Budget Amendment – without tax hikes on families and job creators. While this is not the House-passed “Cut, Cap, & Balance,” it is a package that reflects the principles of Cut, Cap, & Balance.

The framework outlines a two-step approach that would hold President Obama accountable and certify government spending continues to be cut as the debt ceiling is raised, despite the President’s demand for a $2.4 trillion debt limit increase all at once -- without spending cuts that exceed the hike. Here is more information on the plan:

CUTS THAT EXCEED THE DEBT HIKE

The framework includes spending cuts that would exceed the amount of the increased debt authority granted to the President. The framework would cut and cap discretionary spending immediately, saving $1.2 trillion over 10 years (subject to CBO confirmation), and raise the debt ceiling by less – up to $1 trillion – to approximately February. Congress must vote to cut spending FIRST. Then, the President may ask for debt authority of up to $1 trillion, which will be subject to a vote of disapproval by the House and Senate that can be vetoed by the President.

CAPS TO CONTROL FUTURE SPENDING

The framework imposes spending caps that would establish clear limits on future spending and serve as a barrier against government expansion while the economy grows. Failure to remain below these caps will trigger automatic across-the-board cuts (otherwise known as sequestration). This is the same mechanism used in the 1997 Balanced Budget Agreement.

BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT

The framework advances the cause of the Balanced Budget Amendment by requiring the House and Senate to vote on the measure after October 1, 2011 but before the end of the year, allowing the American people time to build sufficient support for this popular reform.

ENTITLEMENT REFORMS & SAVINGS

The framework creates a Joint Committee of Congress that is required to report legislation – by November 23, 2011 – that would produce a proposal to reduce the deficit by at least $1.8 trillion over 10 years. The committee would be made up of 12 members, three each appointed by the Speaker, House Minority Leader, Senator Majority leader and Senate Minority Leader. Co-chairs will be chosen by the Speaker and Senate Majority Leader. Each chamber would consider the proposal of the Joint Committee on an up-or-down basis without any amendments. It would not be subject to filibuster in the Senate. If the proposal is enacted, then the President would be authorized to request a debt limit increase of $1.6 trillion. The goal of the committee would be to produce legislation that reforms entitlement programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, protect them from bankruptcy, and put them on a sounder financial footing.

NO TAX HIKES

The framework includes no tax hikes, a key principle that Republicans have fought for since day one

CONGRESSIONAL EXPERT ELIZABETH LETCHWORTH JOINS ANDREA

Tonight on THE ANDREA SHEA KING SHOW, Senate expert Elizabeth Letchworth will be our guest, informing us on the latest news and trends in congress. She brings to the table nearly three decades of congressional experience--always out front of the latest news and what's in store for the American public as it pertains to our elected bodies. When it comes to the nuts-and-bolts of congressional process, Letchworth has no peers.


Elizabeth Letchworth is the Owner-Founder of GradeGov.com, 4 times elected United States Senate Secretary for the Majority/Minority, U. S. Senate-retired, presently senior legislative advisor @ Covington & Burling, LLC.

Letchworth just penned a piece for The Daily Caller where she explains why we're in this mess regarding this unusual lame-duck session. In it, Letchworth makes the case for placing the blame as far back as Ronald Reagan. In other words, a very good history lesson in how congressional trends and bad habits get started and develop over the years. From The Daily Caller:

"In this era of playing the blame game, can the blame for the current lame-duck session be pinned on President Reagan? I think it can.

"Ronald Reagan won his first presidential term in a landslide election back in 1980. That election “shellacking” produced the second largest GOP freshman Senate class in modern history, with 12 new Republican senators. The largest class of GOP senators in modern history is the incoming class, which has 13 new Republican senators. The 1980 class brought to the Senate members who had little or no experience in public service." Continue reading.

Letchworth is one of our most informative interviews. She's with us each Wednesday and always has more information than time will allow. Don't miss her interview this evening.

THE ANDREA SHEA KING SHOW--9PM ET