PoliPundit.com

GOP may have a chance at keeping the seat;
Kentucky Sen. Jim Bunning, the most endangered Republican up for reelection in 2010, appears headed for retirement after giving his leading GOP rival the blessing to prepare to run for his seat next year.
Have no idea what Secretary of State (KY) Trey Grayson is like.

Mickey Kaus:
The union’s ownership [of GM] so does not seem a problem. It seems a virtue. Let the UAW, as new owner of GM, pay the price for the overgrown work rules of its locals. Let the UAW demand above-market raises from itself. Let the UAW try to raise money from new lenders after the [...]

So, if Chrysler is going to file for bankruptcy, why exactly did we taxpayers spend several billion dollars over the last few months to stave off that bankruptcy?
And does turning General Motors into Government Motors help ensure that GM becomes more efficient and builds better cars?
These chickens will come home to roost at some point, [...]

AP Fact Check: Not so fast, slick:
“That wasn’t me,” President Barack Obama said on his 100th day in office, disclaiming responsibility for the huge budget deficit waiting for him on Day One.
It actually was him – and the other Democrats controlling Congress the previous two years – who shaped a budget so out of balance.
And [...]

Twelve points;
The Conference Board said its Consumer Confidence Index surged this month, jumping 12 points to 39.2, its highest level since November. The reading came as a relief to investors as consumers, worried about falling home prices, rising unemployment and a slumping stock market, have been reluctant to spend since last fall.
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Beware bankers bearing gifts:
Over the past couple of months, we have seen a sucker’s rally in bank stocks that is not going to last. We believe many bank stocks that have doubled or tripled from their lows, will soon fall to new lows.
Recent easing of “mark-to-market” accounting rules have allowed banks that previously wrote [...]

Rush Limbaugh today;
“A lot of people said, well Specter, take McCain with you, and his daughter. Take McCain and his daughter with you,” talk show host Rush Limbaugh declared during the early hour of his Tuesday program.
hat tip to acroso.

Can you name which two?

First came Toomey;
Former Rep. Pat Toomey officially threw his hat into the 2010 Pennsylvania Senate race Wednesday in a bid to unseat five term incumbent Sen. Arlen Specter.
Then Arlen jumps;
WASHINGTON (AP) – Veteran Republican Sen. Arlen Specter disclosed plans Tuesday to switch parties, a move intended to boost his chances of winning re-election next year [...]

More precisely, FHA is the new put-option mortgage. As we said way back in January 2007 with Countrywide stock flying high around $40:
The mortgage industry calls them pay-option ARMs, because the buyer has the option to pay a full mortgage payment or a lot less. In reality, they are put-option ARMs, because the buyer [...]

I subscribe to and enjoy Conde Nast’s Portfolio magazine. They did some good muckraking on Friends of Angelo, FrankenDodd, and other recent scandals.
Now, just two years after launch, publisher Conde Nast is shutting it down.
Conde Nast Publications said it is closing Portfolio, the glossy business magazine it launched with fanfare two years ago.
Portfolio staffers [...]

Years ago as a Reservist, I participated in an exercise called “Dark Winter.” That exercise forever changed how I would view government preparation for pandemics and greatly influenced my unwavering support in the Bush Administrations preparation for same.
In Florida we take hurricanes seriously and “plan for the worst and pray for the best.” The [...]

Worst of both worlds: California ranks 48th among states in economic freedom and 37th in personal freedom, for an overall ranking of 47th.
We’ve got the economic benefits of socialism, and the human rights benefits of fascism! Who could ask for anything more?
And that’s before Schwarzenegger’s massive tax increases!

100 days, 100 mistakes. Just to name a few:
1. “Obama criticized pork barrel spending in the form of ‘earmarks,’ urging changes in the way that Congress adopts the spending proposals. Then he signed a spending bill that contains nearly 9,000 of them, some that members of his own staff shoved in last year [...]

Here in the Seattle area, we’re blessed with verdant greenery, rugged beaches, and serene mountains. Everywhere you look, there’s something unique and interesting to enjoy.
So why am I seeing tourism ads on TV for… Michigan??
I don’t understand why anyone would choose to visit Michigan. Looking out on my deck at Lake Washingon, I can’t fathom [...]