Since my last post was about the leader we should have had, this one will be about the one we sadly had to let slip away.

Barack Obama at the Invictus Games with Prince Harry. 

Greeting the players

Being awesome

He brought his buddy Biden along as well

But don't think that all Obama is doing is showing up for photo ops, nothing could be further from the truth.

He is also still blowing people away with his words.

Courtesy of Thompson Citizen: 

Former U.S. President Barack Obama said Friday that closing borders won't create future jobs because what's changing industries like manufacturing are automation and artificial intelligence. 

Obama told a Toronto luncheon on Friday that the transition from an agricultural to an industrial economy happened over the course of 150 years, but that the technological revolution is happening in 20 years. He said it's hard for governments to catch up to the pace of disruption. 

Obama said over the next 25 years, advanced economies will have to confront the fact that there is not going to be enough high-paying full-time work as we traditionally conceive it. 

"You'll still see auto companies doing pretty well and you'll see us manufacturing the goods that we use in the United States or Canada, but you'll walk through those factories and they'll be empty because they'll be run by robots and AI," Obama said. 

"The biggest challenge that we face in terms of maintaining good manufacturing jobs in our countries come from automation, and that is going to accelerate."

After the speech at the $1,000 a plate gathering attendees were asked their impression of the former American President:

"He still has this incredible optimism about Canada, the U.S., the world, in spite of how challenging our times are right now. It's very good for us to hear that," Glenda Rissman said. 

Sharing a similar sentiment, Cynthia Dale said her "first takeaway is how inspiring it was and how ludicrously humble he is. He's so humble about what he did and what he continues to do."

One group of Canadian high school kids even skipped school to see him:

A group of high school students skipped class to see the former president. 

It was "an experience you can't get in school," Abby Mcclellan said. 

Ava De Pagter said she loves just "what he stands for; everyone should be equal. No matter the race or gender."

Yes, he is in fact one of a kind. 

And we were blessed that we had him for as long as we did.

Somebody should warn California that Sarah Palin is headed their way.

Courtesy of The Press-Enterprise:  

Sarah Palin is coming to the Inland Empire. 

Palin, the 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate and former governor of Alaska, will be at the Riverside Convention Center at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 24, with her husband, Todd, for an American Diabetes Association (ADA) event honoring four men with “Father of the Year” awards. 

“Serving as ADA ambassadors, these honorees bring awareness to ADA as well as the importance of fatherhood,” read an association news release. 

The Palins will present the award to Walker Evans, an off-road racing legend and longtime Riverside resident. In a phone interview, Evans said he’s known the Palins for about four and a half years and that Sarah Palin has stayed at his home. 

A nine-time Baja 100 champion and Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee, Evans said he’s stayed at the Palins’ home in Wasilla, Alaska and helped Todd Palin in the Iron Dog snowmobile race. 

“(They’re) just a great family and (Todd’s) a great guy to hang out with,” said Evans, who has donated to the campaigns of President Donald Trump and Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona. “They’re just a joy to be with.”

"Joy to be with?" I'm guessing Walker Evans is a heavy drinker perhaps? 

Gee, flying all the way to California for such a small event. And yet Alaska was too far away for Palin to travel all the way to Ohio for the GOP convention?

Interesting.

Hey maybe Palin can make it a twofer and find a local car wash or pet grooming salon that is having a grand opening and needs some old washed up has been to help cut the ribbon?

You know, just to make the trip worthwhile.

Our last real President made an appearance in New York yesterday.

President Obama leaving 160 5th ave just now pic.twitter.com/kowtqnif9W

— Allan Smith (@akarl_smith) February 24, 2017

Courtesy of Yahoo: 

Former President Barack Obama caused quite a commotion Friday when he stopped inside a New York City office building. 

A large crowd gathered outside, trying to catch a view of Obama as he left 160 Fifth Ave. in Manhattan. 

It was not immediately clear what the former president was attending to during his stop. A representative for the president's foundation declined to comment. 

In the liberal enclave of Manhattan, Obama was met with loud cheers as he walked to his motorcade.

I swear it is almost a shock to the system to see the super cool former President after this last month of watching his petulant orange tinged replacement.

Seriously what would you sacrifice to have this man back in the White House leading this country?

Donald Trump is apparently choosing cabinet members based on their appearance. No, I am not kidding.

Ooh, she looks qualified.

Courtesy of the Washington Post:  

Donald Trump believes that those who aspire to the most visible spots in his administration should not just be able to do the job, but also look the part.

“Presentation is very important because you’re representing America not only on the national stage but also the international stage, depending on the position,” said Trump transition spokesman Jason Miller. 

To lead the Pentagon, Trump chose a rugged combat general, whom he compares to a historic one. At the United Nations, his ambassador will be a poised and elegant Indian American with a compelling immigrant backstory. As secretary of state, Trump tapped a neophyte to international diplomacy, but one whose silvery hair and boardroom bearing project authority.

The parade of potential job-seekers passing a bank of media cameras to board the elevators at Trump Tower has the feel of a casting call. It is no coincidence that a disproportionate share of the names most mentioned for jobs at the upper echelon of the Trump administration are familiar faces to obsessive viewers of cable news — of whom the president-elect is one. 

“He likes people who present themselves very well, and he’s very impressed when somebody has a background of being good on television because he thinks it’s a very important medium for public policy,” said Chris Ruddy, chief executive of Newsmax Media and a longtime friend of Trump. “Don’t forget, he’s a showbiz guy. He was at the pinnacle of showbiz, and he thinks about showbiz. He sees this as a business that relates to the public.” 

“The look might not necessarily be somebody who should be on the cover of GQ magazine or Vanity Fair,” Ruddy said. “It’s more about the look and the demeanor and the swagger.”

It may seem hard to believe that a guy who looks like an orangesicle melting in the sun would choose these important positions based on appearance, but considering the fact that this guy once owned the Miss Universe pageant and chooses his wives from a modeling catalogue that really does not seem that far fetched.

Especially if you remember that Trump also hired and fired female employees at his golf resort if they were "not pretty enough."

Even among his own children he clearly likes the pretty one the best.

Of course knowing this only makes the apparent passing over of Sarah Palin for a position in his administration even more humiliating for a woman who came out early in support of the pussy grabber, and whose entire persona is built around her now fading looks.

Perhaps the most disquieting Time magazine cover I have ever seen.

I swear this guy CANNOT take a picture without it making people feel that he is getting ready to make some disgusting sexual proposition, or try to sell them some stolen merchandise.

Here is the link to the actual article, but in my opinion there can be nothing written in the pages of the magazine that can change my gut reaction to this cover photo.

In fact Cruz is so repellent that high school students in the Bronx threatened to stage a walk out if he even showed his face.

And with a face like that who can blame them?

Carly Fiorina claims when it comes to appearance there is a double standard in how the media treats conservative female candidates and how it treats Hillary Clinton.

Courtesy of Crooks and Liars:  

Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina suggested on Sunday that conservative women faced a "double standard" because they were attacked with sexist remarks about their appearance while Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton was not. 

Fox News host John Roberts pointed out that hosts of ABC's The View had said that Fiorina looked "demented" because she forced herself to smile throughout the Republican presidential debate. 

"Is there a double standard here for Republican women?" Roberts asked. "I can't imagine that they would say things like that about Hillary Clinton." 

"Oh, ya think? Yeah," Fiorina replied. "I think there's a double standard... There is nothing more threatening to the liberal media in general and to Hillary Clinton in particular than a conservative woman. So, of course there's a double standard." 

"Conservative women from Sarah Palin to Michele Bachmann to Carly Fiorina are long used to this," she added. "It will not stop me, it will not scare me."

First off it is totally untrue that Hillary does not receive criticism based on her appearance, or demeanor.

In fact Sarah Palin herself recently mocked Hillary for smiling after the Benghazi hearings. 

Yeah, how dare she express a human emotion while the conservatives are trying to portray her as the heartless Dragon lady.

And by the way male politicians are also called out for looking sweaty, crazy, angry, bored, or, in the case of Ben Carson, unconscious.

As for the appearances of female conservatives being judged more harshly that Hillary's appearance, it should be pointed out that Hillary has never traded on her looks in order to gain attention like Sarah Palin has done repeatedly.

Nor has she obviously subjected herself to plastic surgery in order to appear more youthful and attractive unlike some people we could mention.

So is there a double standard?

Yes, the public treats phonies, and political prick teases, far more harshly than they do more authentic female politicians.

Get over it.

Donald Trump on Carly Fiorina: "Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that?"

This comes courtesy of a quite revealing Rolling Stone piece on Trump.

At one point Trump is sitting back watching a Fox News segment: 

When the anchor throws to Carly Fiorina for her reaction to Trump's momentum, Trump's expression sours in schoolboy disgust as the camera bores in on Fiorina. "Look at that face!" he cries. "Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president?!" The laughter grows halting and faint behind him. "I mean, she's a woman, and I'm not s'posedta say bad things, but really, folks, come on. Are we serious?" 

Now I will admit that some of Fiorina's plastic surgery seems a little ill advised, and sometimes, to be honest, kind of distracting.

But that is her choice, and says nothing about her ability to run the country.

Also unlike certain others we could mention Fiorina is not attempting to use her looks to attract attention, or deflect criticism.

Besides has the Donald looked in a mirror lately?

Yeah I think he better hope that the voters are not nearly as shallow as he clearly seems to be.

It should be noted that later Trump attempted a little damage control by claiming that when he said "Look at that face" he was really talking about her persona.

Man, Trump is really courting that low intellect vote isn't he?

Sarah Palin 2.0 revealed. Update!

This is what arrived in my inbox along with the photo:

We had a very special guest visit our Scottsdale location! Sarah Palin enjoyed a Luxurious Shampoo Blow out and.

I think we can all agree that Palin looks pretty good in this photo, and significantly better than she has looked in recent appearances.

The question to ask is WHY is she working so hard on her appearance?

Is she getting ready for some new TV appearnaces?

Is she planning on showing up to Donald Trump campaign stops to see if she can get another slice of pizza out of him?

Or is Todd out of the picture and now she is trolling for a new official purse carrier?

Well whatever the reason it is beyond clear that makeover is only skin deep.

Check out Palin's Facebook response to Erick "I have no balls" Erickson's apology:  

Erick Erickson, 

Today a friend forwarded your apology for mocking my family – again – and in answer to your point, yes, I do remember people taking repeated potshots at my family, friends, and supporters (many of whom politely pointed out to you and your staffers that the sleazy photoshopped picture you ran of me was indeed fake, but were dismissed and mocked repeatedly for doing so.) Also, in your summary of our interactions, you forgot to mention things like your public comparison of me to L. Ron Hubbard (and not in a way that would make Tom Cruise proud). Apparently you’ve forgotten your other indiscretions, including elevating your staffer, Mr. Wolf, who has been trashing my daughter and entire family on Twitter for days now. Adult males like y’all are just delightful to work with in that GOP machine. Since your man there appears to be your go-to-guy when you want to diss me or my family, try telling him that your organization’s gleeful perpetuation of your problems involving taking unwarranted shots at various conservatives makes it almost silly to take seriously your after-you’ve-been-busted apologies. But thanks for suggesting one anyway today; it’s accepted. 

And since we’re clearing the air here, you need to make peace with Mr. Trump and Dr. Carson, whom you also delight in besmirching. They are obviously very sharp, successful, courageous men who certainly did not draw first blood in the battles you picked with them. Do it, so we may have a strong, positive, uncensored primary to elect the strongest nominee to assure there is no “third term” for Barack Obama. And just so you know going forward, a mama grizzly is always going to defend her cubs – especially from a Wolf. 

- Sarah Palin 

PS: By the way, Erick, it’s August. Why don’t you chill out while Donald Trump brings 24 million people to watch Republican debates, when these debates are full of talented, well-spoken individuals advocating beautifully for our shared values?

She even posted a photo of a grizzly chasing a wolf to further make the point that Erickson is running with his tail between his legs.

You know you can slather makeup on a serpent all you want, but at the end of the day it is still a venomous little creature who is going to fang you the minute you get too close and drop your guard.

Update: So here is the Twitter account for the RedState staffer that has Palin's panties in  bunch.

And here is one of his most recent tweets:

Alright I'm done with this Palin nonsense. It's been fun but her clan is so small now it doesn't even drive traffic. On to bigger targets.

— Leon Wolf (@LeonHWolf) August 15, 2015

Okay, now THAT is both insightful and funny. 

Well it looks like Sarah Palin is finally going to Louisiana to stump for what looks to be the "Unity Rally" part two.

Losing candidate Rob Maness and loser at everything Sarah Palin to be in Louisiana on November 15.

Courtesy of The Hill:  

Sarah Palin will travel to Louisiana this weekend to throw her weight behind Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who is seeking to finish off an impressive Republican midterm campaign cycle by taking out incumbent Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) 

Palin, Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson, and Tea Party Senate candidate Rob Maness, who challenged Cassidy in the general election, will be on hand for a Republican “unity rally” in Monroe on Saturday, according to a source familiar with the event.

Now it should be noted that THIS rally will be in Monroe, Louisiana and not at the Olde College Inn in  New Orleans as Palin originally stated last week.

As it turns out THAT rally already took place, with Palin nowhere to be seen.

But now we have this new "Unity Rally" sans any political heavyweights, though it DOES feature one of those Duck Dynasty Dipshits.

Gee you know I hate to be a cynic but it almost feels that this was quickly thrown together for some reason. Hmm, I wonder why?

The Hill also mentions Palin's lack of clairvoyant abilities:  

Maness had attacked Cassidy for months, saying he was a part of the problem in Washington, and Palin predicted a Maness victory over Cassidy as recently as late October, but both are now singing Cassidy’s praises.

But hey Joni Ernst won, so who cares how many Palin endorsees flamed out during the primaries and general elections, right?

So look perhaps Palin was wrong about which Unity Rally she was going to attend, I mean if they are all going to be called the "Unity Rally" that COULD prove a little confusing.

And perhaps she was also wrong in identifying which town or city it was being held in, but if you look at a map it turns out that Louisiana has a whole bunch of towns and cities so one could see how that could be confusing.

The point is that she is now attending a "Unity Rally" for Bill Cassidy, just like she said she was.

So she is not a liar dammit!

Sarah Palin invited to speak at CPAC. Just when you thought the Republicans could NOT get more desperate.

Palin's last appearance on Fox News before they fired for being too stupid and not hot enough to compensate for it anymore.

Courtesy of the American Conservative Union:

The American Conservative Union (ACU) today announced former Vice Presidential Candidate and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will address CPAC 2013 – the 40th annual Conservative Political Action Conference. America’s largest gathering of conservative leaders and activists will be held Thursday, March 14 – Saturday, March 16, 2013.“We are pleased to again welcome Governor Sarah Palin to CPAC in March,” said ACU Chairman Al Cardenas. “Governor Palin electrified the crowd in 2012 and we are thrilled to welcome her back this year.” 

Sarah Palin was the 2008 Vice Presidential Nominee and is the former Governor of Alaska. Governor Palin first made history on Dec. 4, 2006 when sworn in as the 11th and first female governor of Alaska. In August 2008, Senator John McCain selected Governor Palin to join him as his running mate in his historic presidential campaign. Governor Palin is the first woman to run on the Republican Party’s presidential ticket. 

Since her vice presidential run and governorship, Sarah Palin has remained one of the leading conservative voices in the nation and has authored one of the most successful non-fiction books of all time, Going Rogue, An American Life. She has consistently focused attention on dozens of national races that have changed the face of Congress and continues the fight to bring commonsense conservatives to public office.

God they used her entire mythological bio straight from the pen of her publicist/ghostwriter/Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme fetcher.

I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so. Of COURSE Palin is not going away for good. Where is the money in that?

However  it appears that CPAC is using her mostly as an attention getting sideshow act rather than a policy setting performer in the main tent. Palin, much like the bearded lady and JoJo the Dogface Boy, is good for drawing the gawkers but I seriously doubt they want her name assigned to any serious policy debates or strategy sessions.

However it looks like this convention is taking the "let's throw something at the wall and see what sticks" approach literally, as they have invited just about EVERYBODY even remotely linked to Republicans, conservationism, or the Teabaggers to this gathering.

Here take a look:

Previously announced confirmed featured speakers include: U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, former U.S. Representative Artur Davis, Heritage Foundation President-Elect Jim DeMint, Heritage Foundation President Dr. Edwin Feulner, ACU Board Member Carly Fiorina, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Newt Gingrich, U.S. Senator Ron Johnson, NRA President and ACU Board Member David Keene, NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre, U.S. Senator Mike Lee, U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, Radio Host and Breitbart.tv Editor in Chief Larry O’Connor, U.S. Senator Rand Paul, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, U.S. Representative Paul Ryan, former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum, U.S. Representative and Republican Study Committee Chairman Steve Scalise, Eagle Forum Founder Phyllis Schlafly, U.S. Senator Tim Scott, U.S. Senator Pat Toomey, former U.S. Representative Allen West, U.S. Representative Ann Wagner, and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker.

I think the only names missing are members of the Bush Administration, Rush Limbaugh, and the propaganda spinners over at Fox News. 

Gee I'm almost surprised they did not invite abstinence only spokes model Bristol Palin and "Wide Stance" advocate Larry Craig to the party. Maybe their invitations are lost in the mail.