On taxes, the poll reported that roughly two out of three registered voters — 64 percent — would be in favor of increasing taxes on annual income over $250,000. President Obama reiterated in his deficit-reduction speech last week that he favored allowing taxes to rise on families in that income level.

I discussed this subject on FOX News Live this past Tuesday. Here’s a clip:

Hello fellow travelers,

Tired and grumpy yet? If you feel like you’re in the car with a bunch of toddlers on a cross-country trip and you’ve run out of juice boxes…well, get ready, because the diapers aren’t even poopy yet. That, friends, comes when the government shuts down (if it does) and the liberals go into full throttle freak out. The shrieking ofLouise Slaughter is only the beginning of woe. There will be more.

Politics

• First, perspective. I haven’t written on this but plan to. The CBO blog today: “The federal government incurred a budget deficit of $830 billion in the first six months of fiscal year 2011, CBO estimates in its latest Monthly Budget Review—$113 billion more than the shortfall recorded in the same period last year.” The Democrats are screaming about a piddly cuts.
• More perspective: What a shutdown means. Andmore.
• More perspective: President Obama hasdecided that the military is non-essential. His schedule. Also, even Dems grow weary of him. Sarah Palin takes him to task.
• Karl Rove is afraid of the shutdown.
• Thad McCotter kicks arse on the House floor today, putting this all in perspective.
• DC is being California-ized.
• Donald trump “a giant among pygmies“. Also,his pro-life conversion.
• Media finally admitting the obvious about Egypt?

This -N- That

• Megyn Kelly: Things not to say to a pregnant chick.
• “I Was Itching Like a Crackhead“: Study Finds College Students Addicted to Media
• Hack Attack In Russia — even the prime minister affected
• Super cool art – go look. Amazing.
• Finally, for the essential and non-essential in your life: The T-Shirt.

Have a great weekend! I bet you’ll survive whether the government is opened or not. Funny how that works.

Melissa

Hello fellow sensible people,

Wisconsin is still not decided. A couple thoughts: 1) How could the GOP not get the vote out better? 2) When it’s this close do you ever question who will win? Yeah, me neither. Also, the Democrat-controlled Senate, along with Republican Susan Collins rejected a GOP amendment that would have stopped the EPA from trying to end-around failed Cap-n-Trade legislation. Obama bureaucracies are doing work the legislators are refusing to do. All in all, a crappy political day.

Politics

• Contemplating judicial partisanship.
• Energy costs are harming the poor most of all.
• D.C. is nigh unto a full conniption considering aShutdown. This irritates me. They’ve had 4% unemployment on the back of the taxpayer when some states have unemployment rates up to 25% in some sectors. A week without pay? I know, horrors. How does it feel? It feels tense. I know this, see, because I’m a small business person and when we go on vacation for a week, guess who doesn’t get paid? I have a difficult time feeling sorry. Also, take away the pay of Congress, while you’re at it.
• Boehner got a full three minutes on the phone with the President today. Lucky him! Tonight, Reid and Boehner are meeting the Prez in the Oval office for a chit-chat to stop the potential shutdown.

Before I get more irritated, I’ll just give some links to helpful and/or more fun info.

This -N- That

• For city dwellars, this is cool.
• Gah! Found something that Houston is the worst at: Gouging on flight fares. Is your city a gouger, too?
• On the positive side, Houston and a few other Texas cities are growing fastest. Some surprises, too.
• Glen Beck is done with his TV Show. Conspiracy theories swirl.
• Studying Congress like an anthropologist. 27% of communication is taunting! So alpha…

So, while the country is going down the debt toilet, DC inhabitants are worried about a shutdown. Please remember: The Democrats had the House, Senate and Presidency all of 2010 and couldn’t find a way to put together a budget the whole year. It reached a crisis in October of 2010, and they still couldn’t do it. The Republicans in the House had a budget 45 days ago and the Dem-controlled Senate is dragging their collective feet. The Democrats need to grow up.

Melissa

If Republicans want to win in 2012 and beyond, they’ll need to shift strategy and rethink the ways in which they engage young voters.  Click to read more…

President Obama refusal to lead has made the U.S. look weak and ill-equipped. Furthermore, his inability to set policy and communicate it effectively through his staff is disturbing and deserves critical examination. Now, after more than 30 days of letting the situation fester, the president has joined international partners in militarily handing the disaster. What took so long for the president to truly involve himself in the process?

Back in February, the officials approached the situation with caution. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Libya’s initial attacks on its people “completely unacceptable,” while President Obama called for an end to Muammar Al-Gaddafi regime. Still, the overall tone was one of guarded cautiousness. At the time, this was a prudent approach, considering that American citizens were trying to escape Libya; unsavory public comments by U.S. officials had the potential to put them in danger.

But, as time proceeded and as Gaddafi continued his brutal assault on his populace, the Obama administration appeared paralyzed, disinterested and unable or unwilling to lead discussions with international leaders. Then, the White House’s communicative process appeared to very publically fall apart at the seams.

In early March, while testifying in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee, National Intelligence Director James Clapper stated his belief that Gaddafi would ultimately be victorious.He said,

“I think, longer term, the regime will prevail…I do believe Gadhafi is in this for the long haul. I don’t think he has any intention, despite some of the press speculation to the contrary, of leaving. From all evidence that we have…he appears to be hunkering down for the duration.”

Politicians were left baffled by this assessment, as Clapper’s testimony drew outrage and at least one call for his resignation. Interestingly, CNN reported that Clapper’s assessment was shared by Defense Intelligence Agency head Lt. Gen. Ronald Burgess. Yes, America: That’s two head defense officials staking the same claim. Yet, President Obama acted quickly to increase public confusion by railing against this assessment.

In a bizarre address, Obama claimed – just one day after Clapper’s testimony – that the world was “tightening the noose” on Gaddafi. The president called Clapper’s words “a hard-headed assessment about military capability” and said that they did not necessarily reflect policy. Aside from the fact that such an excuse is weak at best, something is fundamentally wrong when the nation’s top intelligence director – an individual President Obama claims to meet with daily, if not regularly – is publically contradicting the commander-in-chief.

Meanwhile, while the Obama administration couldn’t decide if it thought Gaddafi was gaining or losing ground, French and U.K. leaders were actively taking the lead to intervene. Obama’s problems didn’t stop there, as other Democrats joined in on the mixed messaging.

On the same day that President Obama dismissed Clapper’s testimony, former-president Bill Clinton threw another wrench into Obama’s Democratic toolbox of confusion. While Obama and Hillary Clinton were remaining reserved in their consideration of a no-fly zone (a proposal that was, sadly, mulled over for weeks, with little action occurring as a result), Bill Clinton was far from coy in separating himself from the administration’s stance. In reference to the no-fly zone, he said, “We have the planes to make an appropriate contribution to this. I wouldn’t do it if [the rebels] hadn’t asked. We should do it.”

The former president was right to call for a no-fly zone. Unfortunately, while President Obama continues his “on the job training,” real life situations require viable and swift action. Perhaps Hillary Clinton summarized the administration’s stance best when she explained what was preventing officials from more rapidly intervening to stop Gaddafi: “Absent international authorization, the United States acting alone would be stepping into a situation the consequences of which would be unforeseeable.”

What, exactly, does it mean for “consequences to be unforeseeable?” European leaders were already leaps and bounds ahead of the U.S. in their discussions about how to handle the crisis. No one was asking the U.S. to act alone. To the contrary, the administration should have been taking the lead to mobilize international partners to action. Instead, President Obama allowed the situation to fester for more than 30 days and virtually refused to take the helm. In the end, his fear over the world’s perception of a U.S.-led initiative led him to cede a viable role in the process.

President Obama’s perceived lack of interest and energy in dealing with this international crisis makes the U.S. look weak and unprepared. History shows all too well what happens what world leaders appear weak in the eyes of brutal dictators. Diplomacy – the president’s most beloved method for dealing with maniac foreign leaders – did anything but improve the situation. Gaddafi continued his assault, assuming that President Obama and international partners would do little to stop him.

Last week’s military strike likely serves as a reality check for Gaddafi. That said, one cannot help but leave this situation a bit worried about the president’s leadership capabilities. From the federal budget to Libya, a lack of attention, action and clear communication strategies seem to plague the administration. The president should focus on getting these items in order should he plan to receive the American people’s blessing for a second term come next November.