Posts

Americans Didn’t Tune In for State of the Union Address

/0 Comments/in , /by

Tuesday’s State of the Union address sure has gotten attention for the ways in which some Republican members reacted to President Joe Biden’s lies, but among the chatter, it’s worth wondering if people actually tuned in for the address?

Not really, it turns out, given that just 27.3 million people watched, according to data from Nielsen across 16 networks. That’s a decline of 29 percent, as is mentioned in Deadline’s headline. The Hill mentioned in their headline that the ratings took “a nosedive.”

Those ratings look even worse when compared to previous years, and the lack of viewers in the demographics that Biden needs support from. As Deadline mentioned:

That figure is the lowest audience for a SOTU in at least 30 years, according to Nielsen records. Biden’s 2021 speech to a joint session of Congress drew 26.9 million, but that event, coming just a couple months into his presidency, was not an official State of the Union speech.

The Nielsen figures were measurements of 16 TV networks. Last year, 38.2 million watched across 16 networks.

(Read more from “Americans Didn’t Tune In for State of the Union Address” HERE)

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE.

‘Sick’: Democratic Senator Shows off His ‘Heart’ Abortion Pin at SOTU

/0 Comments/in , /by

Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) wore an “abortion” pin that included a heart inside the letter “o” to the State of the Union address Tuesday night, sparking criticism online.

The Democratic Party has become increasingly radical in its abortion stance, moving away from the oft-cited “safe, legal, and rare” position to advocating for taxpayer-funded abortion on demand.

“I’m wearing my abortion pin from [Planned Parenthood Federation of America] to tonight’s State of the Union address,” Markey captioned two photos. “Abortion is essential healthcare and we need to codify this right.”

(Read more from “‘Sick’: Democratic Senator Shows off His ‘Heart’ Abortion Pin at SOTU” HERE)

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE.

State of the Union 2015: Obama Deceives America Again

/10 Comments/in , /by

The Daily Signal laid out a number of lies that Obama told during Tuesday’s State of the Union 2015:

1. Budget Deficit Primed to Grow, Not Shrink

President Obama touted shrinking deficits in today’s State of the Union address. This is about the only time in the foreseeable future the president will get to say that. The average annual deficit over the next decade is projected at $950 billion, just shy of a trillion. Starting this year and looking out as far as projections go, the deficit–absent further policy changes–is only heading in one direction: Up. Why address chronic and rising deficits confronting the nation, when you can enjoy a talking point while it lasts?

2. Obama’s Regulations Weren’t Sensible, They Guarantee Future Bail-Outs for Big Banks, Paid for by the People

President Obama claims credit for crafting “sensible regulations” that will prevent another financial crisis as well as a new government “watchdog” to protect consumers. But the massive Dodd-Frank regulation statute actually entrenches the concept of “too-big-to-fail,” the very concept upon which bailouts are based. And the new “watchdog,” the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, has exploited its unconstrained regulatory powers over virtually every aspect of consumer finances, including banking services, mortgages and credit cards—none of which had any connection to the financial crisis. The result has been higher costs for financial services and fewer options, which actually has inhibited the economic recovery and consumer welfare.

Read more about the disappointing State of the Union 2015 HERE.

_____________________________________________

Illegal Alien Seated with Michelle Obama as Guest of Honor at SOTU

By Susan Jones. Ana Zamora, who came to the United States illegally, is among the 22 people selected to sit with First Lady Michelle Obama at tonight’s State of the Union address.

This is an honor bestowed on people who provide a human face for the liberal agenda that President Obama will lay out. Ana is the face of Obama’s executive amnesty, which conservative Republicans call an affront to the U.S. Constitution.

The White House describes Ana as a “letter writer, student, DREAMer.” She was brought here illegally as a child by parents who were themselves illegal aliens, and that’s exactly why she’s being honored by the White House.

If President Obama has his way, Ana and her parents will never be deported. They will be among the millions of “undocumented immigrants” who are allowed to stay in this country, something that is contrary to current law, but in accordance with directives issued by President Obama after Congress refused to enact his immigration plan. (Read more from this story HERE)

_____________________________________________

Proposed Tax Hikes Part of Every One of Obama’s State of the Union Speeches

By Jason Russel. Proposed tax hikes on capital gains and banks [were] included in President Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday . . . The announcement continues Obama’s tradition of proposing tax hikes in his six previous State of the Union addresses dating back to 2009. Here’s a list detailing Obama’s proposed tax hikes:

2015

Obama will call for a capital gains tax hike on high-earners from 23.8 percent to 28 percent, nearly double the 15.35 percent rate when he took office. He also wants to change the treatment of inherited capital gains so that inheritors end up paying more to the government. Banks with assets over $50 billion would also be hit with a new 0.07 percent tax on their liabilities, raising $100 billion over 10 years. These changes combine for a $300 billion tax increase over 10 years.

2014

Obama proposed closing tax loopholes to raise effective tax rates and using the revenue for infrastructure spending. He also wanted to close tax breaks that he said give “$4 billion a year to fossil fuel industries.” The 2014 State of the Union had the fewest references to taxes of Obama’s addresses so far. (Read more about the proposed tax hikes HERE)

_____________________________________________

Ingraham: Obama Tax Proposal About Populist Theme For Hilary Clinton

By Ian Hanchett. Talk radio host Laura Ingraham said that President Obama’s tax proposals were about “trying to set a populist theme for Hillary Clinton” on Tuesday.

“He’s [Obama] getting his party ready for 2016. He wants to do what George W. Bush couldn’t do in 2008. George W. Bush couldn’t campaign…for the Republican nominee…They didn’t want him anywhere near the conventions” she stated.

Ingraham continued “Obama wants to be the anti-Bush when it comes to that, so he wants to set the themes for 2016. What he’s doing in this State of the Union speech is not thinking he’s going to get all this passed through Congress, he won’t…but he’s trying to set a populist theme for Hillary Clinton.” (Read more from this story HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

‘Duck Dynasty’ Star Turns Heads at State of the Union

/1 Comment/in , /by

Photo Credit: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Photo Credit: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Robertson attended the speech as a guest of Louisiana Rep. Vance McAllister, and he stood out in the sea of coats and ties with his long beard, untucked white shirt, and signature American flag bandana around his head.

“It was neat being here,” he told reporters after the speech. “It’s cool to be here. Neat experience.”

From the moment Robertson arrived in the Capitol complex, he was in high demand — multiple lawmakers tweeted pictures of themselves posing with him before the speech.

Read more from this story HERE.

State of the Union 2014 Fact Check

/1 Comment/in , /by

Photo Credit: John Shinkle/POLITICO

Photo Credit: John Shinkle/POLITICO

President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address prodded Congress to act on issues like immigration and economic inequality, with a warning that he won’t hesitate to act unilaterally if lawmakers drag their feet.

But the real audience wasn’t the lawmakers in the chamber. The president was trying to sell his policies and his leadership to tens of millions of people watching at home.

With that rare, outsized audience comes the temptation for the president to put some spin on his arguments that might not otherwise fly or gain traction in Washington.

Here’s POLITICO’s analysis of some of the key parts of Obama’s speech, and where the truth may have been shaped or even stretched in the process:

Obamacare numbers game

Obama: “More than 9 million Americans have signed up for private health insurance or Medicaid coverage.”

Read more from this story HERE.

TV Ratings: State of the Union, With 33.3 Million Viewers, Hits 14-Year Low

/2 Comments/in , /by

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Larry Downing

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Larry Downing

With final ratings in for the State of the Union address, Nielsen Media puts the grand total just shy of last year’s for a 14-year low.

The gross average audience of 13 networks airing President Barack Obama’s speech puts viewership at 33,299,172. That’s down from the 33.5 million that tuned in for the 2013 speech for its lowest showing since 2000. (President Bill Clinton’s final address in office averaged 31,478,000.)

Read more from this story HERE.

There He Goes Again

/3 Comments/in , /by

Screen shot 2014-01-29 at 2.46.13 AMListening to the President’s address last night, I was struck by how similar his remarks were to those he made when accepting the Democratic nomination for the Presidency in 2008. His faith in the federal government’s ability to best control the economy has not wavered. In 2008, candidate Obama spoke disparagingly of the long-discredited Republican belief that the best way to create economic growth is through less government intervention and enacting policies that encourage people to take risks, build, create jobs, and enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Barack Obama offered instead a new vision, which was really a repackaged old one, of achieving the right kind of growth (as he sees it) through taxing and spending and regulating. His rhetoric promised to take America to new heights, unfortunately only the National Debt has seen them. After five-plus years of Obamanomics, the unemployment rate remains nearly what it was when he took office, and true unemployment much higher. We have the lowest labor participation rate since the early 80s before those “long-discredited” policies implemented by Ronald Reagan, Republicans and many Democrats brought about what some have called “America’s 25 year boom.” The United States experienced the greatest economic expansion in its history, creating tens of millions of new jobs and causing unemployment to drop to under 5 percent.

The truth that Barack Obama should now be able to see, but apparently still does not, is that Big Government does not work. It is the lesson we have had to relearn as a nation about every 30 years since the New Deal. America can once again be the land of opportunity the President spoke about, but it will require policies that encourage risk and business expansion, not punish them through higher taxes and onerous regulations.

We can also reform healthcare, so costs are brought down and Americans are able to control their health choices and keep their healthcare plans, but it will require repealing ObamaCare. The Affordable Care Act’s perverse incentives are causing premiums to skyrocket and millions of Americans to lose their coverage, contrary to assurances made by the President.

America can build upon its position as the energy development leader in the world, but it will require a Chief Executive who is a friend and not a foe to one of the brightest spots in the American economy. Obama boasted of the nation’s record oil production under his tenure, but that development is, in great measure, on private lands. Development on public lands, including here in Alaska, is being thwarted at every turn by this Administration. Exhibit A is its intransigence regarding opening ANWR, despite majority support for it in the state.

Finally, and most importantly, in seeking to implement his vision for America, the President’s complete disregard for the Constitution is unprecedented. Nothing could be more antithetical to the republic our Founders established than the President Obama’s refusal to enforce laws duly passed by the Congress or to “act” without authorization from the people’s representatives or the Constitution.

The President needs a new faith: the path to restoring the American dream does not come from more government bureaucracy, it comes from more American ingenuity.
___________________________________
Randy DeSoto co-wrote the documentary film I Want Your Money, comparing the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama. He authored the book We Hold These Truths.