Then why is it that the democrat party is so full of rich people?

Top White House economic adviser Lawrence Summers received about $5.2 million over the past year in compensation from hedge fund D.E. Shaw, and also received hundreds of thousands of dollars in speaking fees from major financial institutions.

A financial disclosure form released by the White House Friday afternoon shows that Mr. Summers made frequent appearances before Wall Street firms including J.P. Morgan, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers. He also received significant income from Harvard University and from investments, the form shows.

In total, Mr. Summers made a total of about 40 speaking appearances to financial sector firms and other places, with fees totaling about $2.77 million. Fees ranged from $10,000 for a Yale University speech to $135,000 for an appearance paid for by Goldman Sachs & Co…

Imagine that. But wait there is more!

David Axelrod, the president’s top political advisor, reported in his form that he will get $3 million over the next five years from the sale of his two media consulting firms, ASK Public Strategies, LLC and AKP&D Message and Media. In addition, Mr. Axelrod took a salary of $896,776 last year from AKP&D and reported $651,914 in partnership income from the two companies.

In total, Mr. Axelrod reported assets valued between $6.9 million and $9.5 million. Mr. Axelrod’s clients were mostly political campaigns, including those of Rep. Patrick Kennedy, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, and Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. He also reported receiving money from large corporations such as AT&T Inc., Comcast Corp. and the nuclear energy company Exelon Corp…

…Valerie Jarrett, assistant to the president for intergovernmental affairs, lists a $300,000 salary and $550,000 in deferred compensation from The Habitat Executive Services, Inc., in Chicago.

Ms. Jarrett also disclosed payments of more than $346,000 for service on boards of directors that reflect her political ties, and work in Chicago real estate and community development.

She was paid $76,000 last year for service as a director of Navigant Consulting, Inc. a Chicago-based global consulting group with governmental clients. She received $146,600 for service on the board of USG Corporation, a building materials manufacturer, and $58,000 to serve on the board of Rreef American REIT II, a real estate investment trust based in San Francisco. The Chicago Stock Exchange, Inc., paid her $34,444 to serve on its board.

Deputy National Security Advisor Tom Donilon earned $3.9 million as a partner at the law firm of O’Melveny & Myers LLP, where his clients include Citigroup, Inc., Goldman, Sachs & Co., and Obama fundraiser and heiress Penny Pritzker.

Carol Browner, assistant to the president for energy and climate change, disclosed earnings of between $1 million and $5 million from lobbying firm Downey McGrath Group, Inc., where her husband, Thomas Downey, is a principal. She states $450,000 in “member distribution” income, plus retirement and other benefits from The Albright Group, a lobbying firm whose principals include former Secretary of State Madeline Albright.

And yet this is the party that wants to soak the rich. Perhaps they are jealous, or just want power for themselves. Who knows, but I’m tired of hearing about the democrats being for the little guy. Bull Shit.

h/t Michelle Malkin

How much more can Burris take before he finally has to call it quits? Maybe he will go on a road show like Blago did. That would be entertaining.

“I really feel that what I’m gonna give you here is a smoking gun.

I’m a conservative Democrat and I’m from Chicago… and I, I feel that I was betrayed.

I was in a meeting after Obama got elected and I was told by the Democratic officials in that meeting that we were gonna give billions of dollars that was gonna come down the pike, our way, and what we were to do with it was we were supposed to do with it…

We are gonna build an army of Democratic patronage jobs…. gonna completely freeze up the Republicans forever and ever…

It’s a job-capturing system, the same one they have in Chicago… everyone’s asking ‘why isn’t that money being released until 2011 and 2012?’

Because it needs to be released at a time that’s close to the election, so that they don’t go blow the money and spend it. So they’re gonna hold some back and that’s where… the real bucks will be spent, right up close to the election.

…It’s not a stimulus package, it’s not pork! It’s a job patronage system… there’s gonna be more [people] working for the Democrats in a patronage system than the United States Army…

And the jobs are gonna be camouflaged in a million different ways, whether you’re workin’ for the city, or workin’ for the state, but when the election comes around, you’re gonna be obligated to go out and get that vote… …like ACORN, except the jobs will be larger scale. I just wanted to say that, because I was really depressed when they told me, because I really thought they’d be different.

If I’ve done nothing else in my life, I’ve informed what that bill really is… it’s a job patronage system.”

here is the originating video:

h/t DirectoryBlue

From Gateway Pundit:

“Where is the G-damn f**king flag? I want the G-damn f**king flag up every f**king morning at f**king sunrise.”
(From the book “Inside The White House” by Ronald Kessler, p. 244 – Hillary to the staff at the Arkansas Governor’s mansion on Labor Day, 1991)

“You sold out, you mother f**ker! You sold out!”
From the book “Inside” by Joseph Califano, p. 213 – Hillary yelling at Democrat lawyer.

I love this next one. Nothing respecting your constituents:

F**k off! It’s enough that I have to see you shit-kickers every day, I’m not going to talk to you too!! Just do your G*damn job and keep your mouth shut.”
(From the book “American Evita” by Christopher Anderson, p. 90 – Hillary to her State Trooper bodyguards after one of them greeted her with “Good morning.”

“You f**king idiot.”
(From the book “Crossfire” p. 84 – Hillary to a State Trooper who was driving her to an event.)

“If you want to remain on this detail, get your f**king ass over here and grab those bags!”
(From the book “The First Partner” p. 259 – Hillary to a Secret Service Agent who was reluctant to carry her luggage because he wanted to keep his hands free in case of an incident.)

“Get f**ked! Get the f**k out of my way!!! Get out of my face!!!”
(From the book “Hillary’s Scheme” p. 89 – Hillary’s various comments to her Secret Service detail agents.)

“Stay the f**k back, stay the f**k away from me! Don’t come within ten yards of me, or else! Just f**king do as I s ay, Okay!!!?”
(From the book “Unlimited Access”, by Clinton FBI Agent in Charge, Gary Aldrige, p. 139 – Hillary screaming at her Secret Service detail.)

“Why do I have to keep proving to people that I am not a liar?!”
(From the book “The Survivor,” by John Harris, p. 382 – Hillary in her 2000 Senate campaign)

“Where’s the miserable c*ck sucker?”
(From the book “The Truth About Hillary” by Edward Klein, p. 5 – Hillary shouting at a Secret Service officer)

“Put this on the ground! I left my sunglasses in the limo. I need those sunglasses. We need to go back!”
(From the book “Dereliction of Duty” p. 71-72 – Hillary to Marine One helicopter pilot to turn back while en route to Air Force One.)

A right-wing network was after his presidency…including perverting the Constitution.”
(To Barbara Walters about the Republicans who impeached her husband; 20/20, ABC 6/8/2003.)

“What are you doing inviting these people into my home? These people are our enemies! They are trying to destroy us!”
(From the book “The Survivor” by John Harris, p. 99 – Hillary screaming to an aide, when she found out that some Republicans had been invited to the Clinton White House)

“Come on Bill, put your dick up! You can’t f**k her here!!”
(From the book “Inside The White House” by Ronald Kessler, p. 243 – Hillary to Gov. Clinton when she spots him talking with an attractive female at an Arkansas political rally)

I feel sorry for the men and women of the Secret Service who have to protect this bitch. I wonder what will happen if some foreign diplomat hears her say some of these things.

However I want him to succeed in his disastrous plans for raising taxes, spending uncontrollably, etc. Why? Because in doing so I hope that the American people will see what a failure the Democrat philosophy is. Tax everybody and everything, spend every one else’s money and drive our country into the ground.

The beauty is that if he succeeds in doing these things, he will ultimately fail. Fail in getting a second term. Fail his party (much like George Bush has in many ways) and people will wake up from the euphoria they are currently in over him.

The one area in which I truly wish him to succeed is in keeping this country safe. But somehow I don’t see that happening. He won’t be able to keep Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. He won’t be able to stop Russia from exerting their influence, and already radical muslims around the world are hating on him. His soft stance on terrorists will only make things worse.

Top that off with bringing someone like Janet Napolitano, who is known for being soft on security, in to run Homeland Security, someone like Leon Panetta to head CIA with no intelligence experience at all and what do you have? A disaster in the making.

So with a few exceptions, I hope he does succeed. The only problem with that is it will make the next president’s job even more difficult than this one.

As seen on Dick Morris:

Don’t think that Governor Blagojevich has waived the pay to play requirement for appointment to the Senate seat. NewsMax.com reports that Burris has already donated more than $15,000 to Blago’s campaigns. He’s made his down payment already! And Burris got a big fat state contract in return! His consulting firm was awarded a $300,000 contract from the Illinois State Department of Transportation to locate minority contractors to participate in the state’s affirmative action program to work on road projects. Burris doesn’t have to do a quid pro quo with Blagojovich. He’s got a charge account going!

Well isn’t that nice.

From Connie Hair at Human Events via Gateway Pundit.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to re-write House rules today to ensure that the Republican minority is unable to have any influence on legislation. Pelosi’s proposals are so draconian, and will so polarize the Capitol, that any thought President-elect Obama has of bipartisan cooperation will be rendered impossible before he even takes office.

Pelosi’s rule changes — which may be voted on today — will reverse the fairness rules that were written around Newt Gingrich ’s “Contract with America.”

In reaction, the House Republican leadership is sending a letter today to Pelosi to object to changes to House Rules this week that would bar Republicans from offering alternative bills, amendments to Democrat bills or even the guarantee of open debate accessible by motions to recommit for any piece of legislation during the entire 111th Congress. These procedural abuses, as outlined in the below letter obtained by HUMAN EVENTS, would also include the repeal of six-year limit for committee chairmen and other House Rules reform measures enacted in 1995 as part of the Contract with America.

After decades of Democrat control of the House of Representatives, gross abuses to the legislative process and several high-profile scandals contributed to an overwhelming Republican House Congressional landslide victory in 1994. Reforms to the House Rules as part of the Contract with America were designed to open up to public scrutiny what had become under this decades-long Democrat majority a dangerously secretive House legislative process. The Republican reform of the way the House did business included opening committee meetings to the public and media, making Congress actually subject to federal law, term limits for committee chairmen ending decades-long committee fiefdoms, truth in budgeting, elimination of the committee proxy vote, authorization of a House audit, specific requirements for blanket rules waivers, and guarantees to the then-Democrat minority party to offer amendments to pieces of legislation.

Pelosi’s proposed repeal of decades-long House accountability reforms exposes a tyrannical Democrat leadership poised to assemble legislation in secret, then goose-step it through Congress by the elimination of debate and amendment procedures as part of America’s governing legislative process.

Hopefully the word will spread about her plans and in a couple years the public will oust them like they did in 94.

He is exactly the kind of corrupt senator that the Republican’s need to weed out of their ranks.

Good bye and good riddance.

Yea everyone has a right to a good defense and all that good stuff, but would you as a President want an attorney that would possibly defend the very guy that tried to kill you? Probably not.

I guess it just goes to show that jump ship from one political power house (the Clintons) to another you get a good reward for it.

In seeking to duplicate those great times, Obama is hiring most of Clinton’s old staff. As usual though, they seem to forget history or just choose to ignore the facts. So let’s look at how Clinton’s two terms really went.

Before Clinton took office, several innovations were in the works that were prepping the economy for lift off. For the most part, personal computing was really starting to come into its own. That lead to an enormous internet boom.

But let us back up just a minute. For the first three years of his office, the economy pretty much went nowhere. It wasn’t until the GOP took office, combined with Hillary’s failure to get her health care plan through and Greenspan’s loosening of monetary policy did the economy take off. The chart below says it all.

Source IBD.

What about that budget surplus?

As for the budget surpluses, they came as a complete surprise to Clinton economic forecasters, whose static models only predicted their tax hikes on the rich would narrow the budget gap, not get it into the black.

Their “deficit-reduction plan” didn’t create the surpluses at all. They were a direct result of a tidal wave of capital-gains revenues generated by the GOP-led stock boom.

Relieved that Washington would no longer threaten to take over 14% of the economy by socializing medicine or raise taxes even higher, the market took off like a shot at that point. And capital gains tax receipts exploded, flooding federal coffers.

Clinton’s own long-term budgets predicted no surpluses of any kind during his administration and beyond.

In 1993, Clinton made his first five-year budget projections based on the new tax and spending programs he was proposing. He forecast a budget deficit of $202 billion in fiscal year 2000. In fact, the Treasury produced a record surplus that year of $236 billion.

That’s a swing of more than $400 billion. So much for central planning.

Clinton either must admit to some of the worst forecasting in history or acknowledge that some other factors besides his record tax hike closed the budget gap. But he’s copped to neither.

So, if Obama wants to duplicate the “success” of Bill Clinton, he needs to wait until 2010 and pray that the GOP takes over congress and gets things straightened out.

Take this example of a school experiment where a girl wore a McCain t-shirt and was verbally attacked for it. She said that many kids told her to “die” and that she was a “filthy republican”.

Oh yea, that is the group of people that I want to be “united” with.

Well, turns out that something is in the works. Maybe not quite the scale of MoveOn, but something for us. I’m working with a few others in bringing it to light and hopefully will be ready soon.

I’ll keep you posted.

My apologies if you don’t get it

I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face

Somehow I don’t think he knows what the term “honest” means.

I haven’t seen this sense of unity since 9/11, really, really, and 9/11 was this tragic experience that brought us all together and now we’re all brought together in the name of hope. Not since 9/11 have I experienced anything even kind of close to this.

Then Obama says this:

Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House – a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, We are not enemies, but friends though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn – I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.

Really? All I’ve seen is uniting hatred. Dividing the country between the “rich” and the “middle class”. That isn’t exactly the kind of uniting I’m looking forward to.

More:

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves – if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

I’ll tell you, our children will be bankrupt with a fat government gorging itself on money from the people, denying those that want to grow themselves in order to keep them down.

All he has done is bring a lot of pork barrel spending, and he is proud of that. Go figure.

We also need serious backing to make it happen. The question then, is who will step up? Who will fight the unions, the MoveOn.org’s, etc. Who??

7:41: Obama win Virginia. It is definitely over.

7:36: Reid and Pelosi speaking in Washington

7:34: FNC still won’t call Florida, but says it still looks really good for Obama

7:11: Iowa swings back to blue

7:04: McCain camp says “there doesn’t appear to any path”

7:03: Looks like the dems won’t get that magic number of 60 senate seats.

7:00: McCain wins Texas. No surprise.

6:50: Obama didn’t run as a liberal? Wow, that is a new one.

6:43: Obama is ahead in Nebraska. What is the world coming to?

6:18: Ohio is lost… Obama gets it. That pretty much means the country is going socialist.

6:11: Obama gets New Mexico. They must be looking forward to that $500 check!

6:09: Tom Udall takes a seat from the republicans

6:04: Bradley effect was real…

6:00: Obama gets Wisconson and New York

5:31: PA goes to Obama. Gonna be a long night…

5:26: Shaheen takes Sununu’s senate seat.

5:18: Newsmax.com has a poll about Sarah Palin.

5:13: Obama get NH.

5:09: McConnell keeps his seat. 51% to 49%. Dole loses her seat.

5:05: McCain gets TN

5:03: Biden gets to serve a 7th term as a senator. Lets hope that’s all he gets to serve as

5:00: Obama gets most of the north east, no suprise. McCain gets Oklahoma.

4:58: Florida is about to close their polls. Still waiting or the panhandle there.

4:50: McCain takes South Carolina (8EV)

4:47: Lieberman fears Democrats getting 60 seats in senate. Read Here.

4:40: says McCain’s win in KY isn’t good. That fact that he only won by 3 points suggests that Obama might win nationally by 6

4:33: Senate minority leader McConnell is at 51% but still TCTC

4:30: Several states still too close to call, including the all important Ohio.

4:27: McCain has West Virginia (5EV)

4:21: Seems I got a little Google loving for my Black Panthers doing what Democrats do best post. As I write this I’m 4th in results on the 1st page

4:10: McCain wins Kentucky (8EV) and Obama Vermont (3EV).