Why is President Obama trying to politicize the holidays?

By Byron York
....Here at home, this Thanksgiving brings an effort by the Obama administration to turn a day of giving thanks into a day of discussion about the virtues of national health care. On Wednesday afternoon, just hours before Thanksgiving, President Obama's Twitter account -- which has more than 40 million followers -- sent out this message: "Make sure everyone who sits down with you for #Thanksgivukkah dinner is covered." ("Thanksgivukkah" refers to this year's rare overlap of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah.)
The president's tweet linked to a photo of a young man sitting at a table with a turkey and a menorah. The accompanying text: "Celebrating Thanksgiving. Lighting the Hanukkah candles. Talking about health insurance. Gotta love dinners like these."
Now is the time to state definitively: The United States is not communist East Germany. It's not in any way close to being communist East Germany. So why is the Obama administration seeking to politicize Thanksgiving? And Hanukkah, too? At the very least, why invite the ridicule and derision that inevitably follow?

Obama's cave-in to Iran may be worse than we knew

By Thomas Lifson
While Americans enjoyed their day of thanks and feasting yesterday, news emerged from the Arab world about a shocking dimension of the cave-in to Iran at Geneva. If true, this report from Al-Arabiya is highly disturbing:

Iran and the United States are to establish a joint chamber of commerce within a month, with direct flights also planned, an Iranian official said Wednesday in a newspaper report.

...Iran remains in full possession of its nuclear potential, has not renounced its aim of wiping Israel off the map, and continues to be the leading sponsor of worldwide terrorism. Yet the United States is starting to treat it as a friendly nation? I am tempted to verge into profanity.

Why on earth would we want direct flights from Iran to the United States? Iran would control the cargo hold on such flights, which would be able to enter American airspace. Does anyone think the Itanians are so respectful of human life that they would not martyr a planeload of passengers (sending the Muslims to heaven in their view) for the pleasure of detonating a nuke a few thousand feet above New York City?

An outbreak of lawlessness

By Charles Krauthammer
For all the gnashing of teeth over the lack of comity and civility in Washington, the real problem is not etiquette but the breakdown of political norms, legislative and constitutional.
Such as the one just spectacularly blown up in the Senate. To get three judges onto a coveted circuit court, frustrated Democrats abolished the filibuster for executive appointments and (non-Supreme Court) judicial nominations.
...The violence to political norms here consisted in how that change was executed. By brute force — a near party-line vote of 52 to 48 . This was a disgraceful violation of more than two centuries of precedent. If a bare majority can change the fundamental rules that govern an institution, then there are no rules. Senate rules today are whatever the majority decides they are that morning.
What distinguishes an institution from a flash mob is that its rules endure. They can be changed, of course. But only by significant supermajorities. That’s why constitutional changes require two-thirds of both houses plus three-quarters of the states. If we could make constitutional changes by majority vote, there would be no Constitution.

Group Receives $1.1 Million Grant to Gather Obamacare Success Stories

By Leah Barkoukis

With so much negative Obamacare coverage in the news, it’s no wonder that one “nonpartisan” group has been given a $1.1 million grant to create a database of success stories (unlike, you know, these). Over to you, Fox News:

Families USA, which describes itself on its website as a non-profit dedicated to “the achievement of high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans,” received the $1,100,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Oct. 4.
The grant, which was first reported by CapitolCityProject.com, is meant to help Families USA expand the database of “real people” sharing their stories of enrolling in ObamaCare. Families USA solicits such stories on its website, asking Americans to submit their examples of how they are benefiting from the Affordable Care Act to educate others.
“The best way to do that is to tell your story, giving a real example of the status quo and the impact of change,” the website says.

Cancer Patient Who Says Obamacare Canceled His Health Insurance Now Says He’s Being Audited by the IRS

A cancer patient who said publicly that his health coverage was canceled because of Obamacare now says he’s being audited by the Internal Revenue Service.

...“Monday I got a certified letter, I went down and got it and it’s from the IRS and they are auditing my books from 2009,” Elliott said.He said he didn’t own a business at that time, and in fact was working for the government. He said he’s paid his taxes every year and is not any kind of a tax evader.

The Thanksgiving guide to making conservative arguments liberals can understand

By Timothy P Carney
....Your liberal relatives generally trust government regulations to solve problems. They don’t sweat the costs to the economy as much as you do. Throw in a healthy distrust of Corporate America — often even an unhealthy disdain for it — and progressives (this is what they call themselves these days) end up regarding regulation as a force for good.
You can plant a seed of skepticism about regulators’ ability to do good, though, by pointing to the salad course Trevor brought. The organic, local, sustainable kale in it might be impossible to get after the Obama administration’s food safety rules go into effect.
The Food Safety Modernization Act that Obama signed is finally being implemented, and it has locavores up in arms. Quote Nathanael Johnson at Grist (your relatives know this site): “Everyone wants safer food, but some small farmers fear the rules could force them out of business.”
...You may worry about Social Security’s long-term solvency, but Aunt Carol, on the verge of retirement, doesn’t give a fig. As a self-employed businessperson, you may resent the 12.4 percent you pay in Social Security taxes, but Nephew Trevor — still working on his Master of Arts in Social Justice — thinks FICA is a houseplant.
Also, FDR is still probably a god to these relatives, so you’ve got an uphill battle convincing them Social Security needs reforming. Here’s one place to start: Social Security is funded by a regressive tax and it redistributes wealth from minorities to whites.
Here's a line for you: For every $100 that white beneficiaries pay in taxes, they receive $113 in benefits, blacks receive $89 and Hispanics receive $58. That's from liberal blogger Brad Plumer at Wonkblog (Note: every progressive under the age of 35 flatters himself as a “wonk.” So impress your nephew by throwing in a humblebrag faux apology like. “Sorry to get so wonky, but ... ”)
Social Security’s redistribution isn’t due to some racist Republican rule change. It’s due to the nature of the tax (hitting your first dollar, but then stopping after about $110,000 in income) and the nature of the payouts. White people live longer and are less likely to be immigrants, so they earn more credits and collect for longer.

Ass Clown College of the Week: Minnesota State University Moorhead

By Eric Owens
Minnesota State University Moorhead is The Daily Caller’s Ass Clown College of the Week because it has threatened to can a bunch of professors and eliminate entire academic departments in order to cope with a $5 million budget deficit.
The administrative division is, of course, not on the chopping block.
Also, despite its severe budget shortfall, the regional public university managed to find enough money less than a year ago to pay a stipend to “visiting scholar” Bill Ayers.
Among much else, history, physics, English and computer science are currently up for purging at MSUM. In contrast, the administrative division and the all-important rock-climbing wall will remain safe.