Weekly Wrap-Up

The Weekly Wrap-Up is a day early and a few paragraphs longer this week, but there’s a lot to talk about, so let’s get started...

The big story this week has been the taxpayer-funded bonuses handed out to AIG executives. Too bad the Oscars are over and done with. Surely the liberals in Washington – the very people who wrote all this bailout legislation – would be up for some acting awards after their displays of shock and outrage over this whole mess.

My two Best Actor nominees are President Barack Obama and Senator Chris Dodd from our next-door neighbor, Connecticut.

According to the Washington Examiner, “Senator Barack Obama received a $101,332 bonus from American International Group in the form of political contributions...”

http://www.examiner.com/x-268-Right-Side-Politics-Examiner~y2009m3d17-Obama-Received-a-101332-Bonus-from-AIG

Meanwhile, Chris Dodd – already accused of getting a sweetheart mortgage deal (http://www.portfolio.com/news-markets/top-5/2008/06/12/Countrywide-Loan-Scandal, thanks to The Weekly Standard for the link) – “confessed to adding language to a spending cap in the stimulus bill last month that specifically excluded executive bonuses included in contracts signed before the bill’s passage,” according to FOX News.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/03/18/sen-dodd-admits-adding-bonus-provision-stimulus-package/

Turns out Sen. Dodd also got more than $100,000 in campaign contributions from AIG during the 2008 election cycle.

Sen. Dodd is being pressured to give that money back, but he’ll certainly need it. He’s facing a tough reelection battle against former Rep. Rob Simmons, and possibly some other big-name challengers (economist Larry Kudlow has even been mentioned).

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/16/simmons-to-challenge-dodd-in-connecticut-senate-race/

Of course, the Conservative Party is focused on some key races here in New York, but it will be interesting to see how things play out in the Nutmeg State.

Already bored with the AIG scandal? Don’t worry – there are a week’s worth of outrages to think about. We’ve got President Obama trying to force through his most controversial proposals with little or no serious debate...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/17/AR2009031703798.html

We’ve got the left-wing activist group ACORN – “[a] group with a history of voter fraud,” says FOX News in an understatement – helping conduct the upcoming Census. Will the “red states” have any residents after they’re done counting?

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/03/17/lawmakers-concerned-role-acorn-census/

We’ve got Big Labor pushing “card check” legislation that would take away a worker’s right to a secret ballot in union elections. It will be interesting to watch Sen. Shumer and especially Sen. Gillibrand pander to Big Labor on this one...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123716333620835923.html

And right here in New York, you’ve got Scott Murphy – the liberal Democrat running for Sen. Gillibrand’s old seat – suggesting that he talked campaign strategy with the Obama Administration in “the Situation Room”... which, as The Weekly Standard points out, is “reserved for dealing with national security issues.”

http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2009/03/is_the_white_house_using_the_s.asp

As our last and very successful Call to Action indicated, President Obama has some terrible ideas when it comes to national security and America’s troops. Would we be surprised to hear that the White House Situation Room is being turned into a campaign office?

What will surprise us in the coming week? Check here every day for the latest news and commentary. Have a great weekend!