The Water Cooler is written by Washington Times staffers.
By Anthony Bowe — Published November 6, 2009 Comments
An attack by a U.S. Officer at the Fort Hood Military Base Thursday killed 13 people, 12 of them soldiers, and injured 28 others. Friday, the nation and its leaders mourn the loss of the victims in the largest attack of its kind at a U.S. military base. The suspected gunman, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, is in a local hospital in critcle but stable condition after receiving several gunshot wounds. Texas Bloggers offer vital information on how to help victims, report news, and provide commentary: Burnt Orange Report: List of places to give blood in Texas to support Fort Hood victims.PoliTex: U.S. House to honor Fort Hood soldiers. “U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, will ask the U.S. House today to pass a resolution honoring Fort Hood soldiers and their families, after Thursday's deadly shooting.” Trail Blazers Blog: U.S. Leaders react to Fort Hood attack.Millard Fillmore's Bathtub: Texas flags at half-staff ...
by Kerry Picket — Published November 6, 2009 Comments
Today's Water Cooler lineup of off the beaten path online stories are: The Democrats are still short votes on the health care bill, the Army says that the Fort Hood shooter said "Allahu Akbar" before the massacre, and President Obama gaffes from a shout out during a speech. RedState:Where We Stand on Health Care Democrats are still short votes by double digits. Boston Herald: Army - Suspect said ‘Allahu Akbar!’ before shooting The base commander at Fort Hood says soldiers who witnessed a shooting rampage that left 13 people dead reported that the gunman shouted "Allahu Akbar!" before opening fire at the Texas post. NewsBusters: Obama Gives Shout Out to 'Congressional Medal of Honor Winner' Who Isn't Ah, the dangers of giving shout outs without a teleprompter. Crow is not a Medal of Honor recipient.
by Kerry Picket — Published November 6, 2009 Comments
In this video clip, protesters of the House health care bill rallied with GOP lawmakers on Thursday, as pages of the bill were thrown to the crowd to pass along to their representatives during visits to their congressmen's offices.
by Kerry Picket — Published November 5, 2009 Comments
A long line of protesters stood outside of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's office today after GOP lawmakers encouraged rally attendees to visit their representatives about the health care bill. There are reports of 10 arrests according to the Capitol Hill Police. Ms. Pelosi's office says those arrested were affiliated with the pro-life group Operation Rescue. The speaker's office also confirmed that pages of the health care bill were torn up in front of her office. The video below taken by the, Washington Times Water Cooler, shows protesters chanting, "kill the bill." Ms. Pelosi's Press Secretary, Drew Hammill, released the following statement: “While the Party of No holds a rally to once again say no, our health insurance reform bill was endorsed by the AARP and the AMA, and on the House floor, we passed bipartisan legislation to create jobs by extending unemployment benefits and extend the homebuyer tax credit We are continuing ...
by Anthony Bowe — Published November 5, 2009 Comments
A long-awaited plan to restructure California's water system was passed by the state's legislature on Wednesday. Pressure to pass a new water plan was highly publicized, and threats from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to veto policy makers' bills in recent weeks led to several closed-door meetings among Assembly members. The end result is being criticized as imperfect, but praised as “historic.” It is the largest comprehensive water overhaul since the 1960s. From the San Francisco Chronicle: “The historic legislation, praised by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, enables the state to closely control water delivery and use statewide. It imposes strict conservation rules in urban areas and supports the restoration of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta ecosystem. It also paves the way for the construction of dams, levees and a controversial canal to bypass the delta and carry water from the Sacramento River to Central and Southern California.“The state's voters would decide in November 2010 whether to ...
by Kerry Picket — Published November 5, 2009 Comments
Today's Water Cooler lineup of off the beaten path online stories are: An Asiatic bear killed two terrorists in Kashmir, will the left risk it all to implement their agenda?, and the USS New York arrives in New York. BBC:Bear kills militants in Kashmir A bear killed two militants after discovering them in its den in Indian-administered Kashmir, police say. American Thinker: Will the Left Try a Kamikaze Rush? Obama's power has peaked -- and judging by the Clinton backlash of 1994, when the GOP won the House for the first time in forty years, it's downhill from here on out. TheConservatives.com: Assault Ship New York Arrives in New York The USS New York - made with 7 tons of steel from the World Trade Center - will be officially commissioned this weekend.
by Kerry Picket — Published November 4, 2009 Comments
In the midst of New York's 23rd District race, a disturbing amendment allowing inmates to volunteer for non-profits was given the thumbs up from New York voters by an overwhelming 67 percent. According to the New York Times, the amendement would allow New York's State Legislature to write a law allowing prisoners to volunteer at churches, social service groups, and other nonprofit organizations. As of December of 2008, around 60,000 inmates are currently serving time in the state's correctional facilities, according to New York's Department of Correction. The Washington Times Water Cooler spoke to Queens Democrat Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry, who chairs the Assembly's Correction Committee, about the details of future legislation as a result of the amendment's passing. "It will set limits on how it's used. This is the first step in passing the bill on how it's used. Precautions were obviously [made], so that no inmate will be forced to ...
by Kerry Picket — Published November 4, 2009 Comments
Today's Water Cooler lineup of off the beaten path online stories are: Democrats describe 2009 election losses as anti-incumbency, Al Gore's junk science enriches him while hurting the economy, and Obama’s “Bush Did It” Narrative. National Review Online: Anti-Incumbency vs. Anti-Democrat But if I might clarify something for the folks at the Today show and elsewhere: Congress is not divided into the Republicans, the Democrats and the much reviled "Incumbents." The Democratic party is the incumbent party. Real Clear Markets: Gore Asks Us To Commit Economic Suicide Gore replied he was only being a good businessman in a capitalist economy, that he was putting his money where his mouth was. Perhaps, but at the same time he is advocating policies based on junk science FrontPageMag.com: Obama’s “Bush Did It” Narrative Obama is a product of his education and early life, in which America being culpable for a variety of sins ...
by Kerry Picket — Published November 4, 2009 Comments
Democrat Bill Owens won New York's 23rd congressional seat this evening. Mr. Owens beat Conservative candidate Doug Hoffman by three percentage points. New York Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava, while already out of the race, was still listed on the ballot today. As a non-candidate this evening, she managed to pull in six percent of the district's vote. It remains to be seen how Ms. Scozzafava's numbers took away or added to from either Mr. Owens's or Mr. Hoffman's final tally. The Water Cooler expressed concerns over Ms. Scozzafava's listing on ballot the day she left the race and locals had been unaware of Ms. Scozzafava's withdrawal. While the left will spin this race as a rejection of conservatism, a few things should be remembered. The New Jersey and Virginia races give a better hint of what could very well be in store for 2010. The Republican Congressional win of 1994 happened ...
by Kerry Picket — Published November 3, 2009 Comments
In the final hours of New York's 23rd District election, Mr. Hoffman's Plattsburgh campaign office reported that a tire of a poll watcher for the Hoffman campaign was slashed. However, it turned out the poll watcher's tire caught a glass bottle at some point during his drive to the polls. The Washington Times Water Cooler spoke to Hoffman campaign spokesman Rob Ryan about the incident.: "There were people out there, and the report that came to us was that a tire had been slashed, and we reported it to the press. There was stuff we'd been suspecting stuff would go on in Plattsburg the whole time, and we were told a tire was slashed. These things happen last hours of the campaign." Mr. Ryan attributed the error to campaign volunteers who are new to helping out on political campaigns.: "We've got a bunch a people coming in from all over ...
by Anthony Bowe — Published November 3, 2009 Comments
Normal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 On this election day a stiff tie in the polls for Governor of New Jersey is happening between Democrat incumbent Jon Corzine and Republican challenger Chris Christie. New Jersey bloggers comment: BLOGS ON CHRISTIE In The Lobby: Why haven't state's newspapers followed robocall story? Politics Patrol: GOP asks ELEC to probe robocalls. "A letter from the Christie campaign’s law firm said, “It has just recently come to our attention that the New Jersey State Democratic Committee has made ‘in kind contributions’ to the independent gubernatorial candidate, Christopher Daggett. These robocalls commenced yesterday and are continuing …” The letter says unless the calls are done with the cooperation of Daggett they are against the law." In The Lobby: Why haven't state's newspapers followed robocall story? Dan Cirucci: Christie comments at the polls. Blue Jersey: Christie faces possible copyright suit from Monte Python. Save Jersey: Christie-Guandagno Election Day Schedule. ...
by Kerry Picket — Published November 3, 2009 Comments
Today's Water Cooler lineup of off the beaten path online stories are: Scozzafava Robocalls For Democrat Doug Hoffman, Rep. Jim Moran compares the GOP to the Taliban, and New Jersey Democrats pay for Independent Candidate's Robocalls. HotAirPundit.com: Scozzafava Robocalls For Democrat Doug Hoffman in New York Hi, this is Dede Scozzafava calling on behalf of Bill Owens. And I wanted to let you know that I am supporting Bill for Congress. Weasel Zippers: Rep. Jim Moran: "If Republicans Were Running in Afghanistan, They'd Be On The Taliban Ticket".... At a get-out-the-vote rally in Fairfax County, Moran said: “I mean, if the Republicans were running in Afghanistan, they’d be running on the Taliban ticket as far as I can see.” Townhall: New Jersey Dems Paying for Independent Candidate's Robocalls The phone commercial concludes with the legalize saying it was "a project of the NJDSC"--the New Jersey Democratic State Committee--and the address given is ...
by Kerry Picket — Published November 2, 2009 Comments
The Washington Times Water Cooler spoke with Ron McDougal, husband of former New York GOP 23rd District candidate Dede Scozzafava at a Bill Owens rally in Watertown, New York. Mr. McDougal answered questions about whether his wife would switch parties and talked about her endorsement of Democrat candidate Bill Owens. The Water Cooler also asked Mr. McDougal how much union involvement had with his wife's endorsement of Mr. Owens. Transcript to come.
by Kerry Picket — Published November 2, 2009 Comments
Vice President Joe Biden addressed supporters at a rally for Bill Owens, the Democratic candidate for New York’s 23rd District. The vice president attacked supporters of Conservative candidate for New York's 23rd District Doug Hoffman. In the following clips, he takes shots at Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin. Transcript to come.
by Kerry Picket — Published November 2, 2009 Comments
Today's Water Cooler lineup of off the beaten path online stories are: The AP downplays any importance to GOP wins tomorrow, the drama of New York's 23rd district race continues, and a Washington Post editor punches a reporter. HotAir.com: AP pre-spin: These elections mean nothing and the GOP is doomed Gallup’s generic ballot, at the moment, looks eerily similar to how it looked before the GOP tidal wave in 1994. All meaningless. PajamasMedia: The GOP ‘Stalinists’ and Dede Scozzafava There has been a lot of talk about “purges” and whether “moderates” have a place in the Republican Party, but that certainly doesn’t capture the spirit of the drama that has just unfolded in New York’s 23rd congressional district. Ace of Spades HQ: Washington Post Editor Punches a Reporter Allen swung twice, with one punch hitting Roig-Franzi, according to sources.
