Mediaboss Marketing

Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who may run for president in 2016, is leading a Republican charge to do everything possible to block President Barack Obamas move to normalize relations with Cuba.

Yet even Rubio says there may be little the Republican-controlled Congress can do.

I would concede that many of the changes that have been made today, such as diplomatic relations, fall within the purview of the presidency, Rubio told reporters today in Washington.

Rubio, whose parents left Cuba in 1956, said Republican lawmakers will use every tool at our disposal in the majority to unravel as many of these changes as possible.

Blocking funds for an embassy in Cuba and refusing to confirm an ambassador to the island nation are steps Rubio and others in his party suggested Congress might be able to take.

Were going to have a very interesting couple of years discussing how youre going to get an ambassador nominated and how youre going to get an embassy funded, said Rubio, who is set to become chairman of a panel that oversees foreign relations in the Western Hemisphere.

The president announced today that the U.S. will open an embassy in Havana and loosen a half-century-old trade and travel embargo. Fully lifting the full trade embargo would require action by Congress, where both chambers will be led by Republicans starting in January.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters today that congressional appropriations may not be necessary to set up an embassy in Cuba because theres already a significant U.S. diplomatic presence there.

Obamas action, a day after Congress adjourned for the year, sets up another fight for early 2015 between the White House and Republican lawmakers as attention begins to turn to the 2016 presidential race. Rubio is among lawmakers considering a presidential run, as are fellow Republican senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky.

The expiration of funding for Department of Homeland Security on Feb. 27 could provide an opportunity for Republicans to try to curb Obamas Cuba move. Republicans want to attach language to the measure to block Obamas orders easing deportation for undocumented immigrants in the U.S.

See the original post here:
Republicans Look for Ways to Block Obamas Cuba Policy in 2015

Im curious what has happened to the Republican Party? After all, these are the people who like to tell Americans they are the party of Lincoln, Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, and even to some extent, George H. W. Bush (the smarter Bush).

You remember those guys. They were conservative by philosophy but were always willing to work with the opposition when it was good for the country.

Generally, we knew where those presidents stood. They were fiscally conservative, believed in trickle-down economics, didnt mind being the worlds police, and felt a limited government was best for the country.

Philosophically (and based on legislation passed), those were the best of days for the Republicans but not so much anymore.

Actually, its easier to define todays Republicans, if not to understand them: If Obama is for it, they oppose it. Take the Affordable Care Act, the tragedy in Benghazi, immigration, and guns (and more guns). These have become more than political issues for Republicans: They are now obsessions that are redefining their once-great party.

Lets start with Obamacare. The House has voted six times to repeal the act and another 40 times to gut the law to the point that it could not continue to function. Republicans scream for repeal without a second thought of the devastating consequences it would have on tens of millions of Americans. They consider the pain it would cause these people to be merely collateral damage as long as the presidents reputation gets tarnished.

The obsession with Benghazi continues to amaze me and, quite frankly, most Americans. Recent surveys show that almost 70 percent of respondents feel Congress needs to move on. Heck, 39 percent dont even know where it is (6 percent thought it was in Cuba).

Certainly the tragic attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi (that would be in Libya) demanded an investigation. And there have been six of them, each chaired by a Republican and with Republicans holding a majority on the investigating committee.

All six absolved the CIA and the White House of any wrongdoing. The real kicker was a recent report from the Republican-controlled House Intelligence Committee. It found that the CIA and military acted properly in the 2012 attack in Libya. And then, with great pain, the committee concluded thered been no wrongdoing by Obama administration appointees either.

I laughed when I heard Chris Matthews on MSNBC say that All good witch hunts must come to an end. Great line, but unfortunately, not true with these guys. U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina is now heading a seventh investigation.

Go here to see the original:
Republicans, We Hardly Know Ye

Cheap Gas Is Bad, Say Progressives; Murphy/Woods Respond
Tom Woods talks to economist Bob Murphy about the opposition of fashionable opinion to inexpensive gasoline. Subscribe to the Tom Woods Show: ...

By: TomWoodsTV

Continued here:
Cheap Gas Is Bad, Say Progressives; Murphy/Woods Respond - Video

The All Progressives Congress has named a former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, as the running mate of the APC presidential candidate, Major Gen. Muhammadu Buhari(retd.).

Buhari announced the choice of the party at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, after a long wait for the unveiling of the person who will run alongside the former Head of State in the 2015 presidential election.

Osinbajo served as justice commissioner during the tenure of former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and also a top pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God.

He came into the APC secretariat in Abuja on Wednesday in a black suit, a white shirt and a red tie.

Presenting his running mate, Buhari said he had picked a man of unquestionable character, a professional and an intellectual, whom he believed would discharge the duties expected of him with utmost diligence.

I want to present to you a man of great character, a thorough professional, a man of high integrity, an intellectual and Nigerias next Vice president, he said.

Accepting the offer, Osinbajo, who said he was privileged to be offered the opportunity to serve as the running mate of the retired general, explained that he had consulted widely before taking on the task.

Osinbajo, a professor of Law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, is also an in-law to the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, having married a grand daughter of the former Premier of the Western region.

The choice of who emerges as Buharis running mate had generated intense debate and interest since the emergence of the former Head of State as the APCs flag bearer last Friday.

Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi; his Lagos State counterpart, Babatunde Fashola; the immediate former governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi ; Senator Chris Ngige and former National Chairman of the defunct All Nigerian Peoples Party, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, had previously been tipped as likely candidate for the vice presidential slot.

The rest is here:
[UPDATED] Buhari to name Osinbajo as running mate

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari(retd.), has identified leadership deficit as the major factor responsible for the challenges currently facing the nation.

He said this in a message to Nigerian Youth Groups on the occasion of his 72nd birthday anniversary in Abuja on Wednesday.

The presidential aspirant expressed optimism that with prudent management, Nigeria had the resources to meet the needs of all citizens.

According to him, a Nigeria where lives and property are safe; schools are world class, health services are available and affordable and where every Nigerian feels proud and wanted is still possible.

He promised that an APC-led administration shall focus on the creation of jobs for the youths.

To achieve this, he said an administration, which he intends to lead, shall implement strategies to immediately engage as many unemployed Nigerians as possible in quick-win schemes, while long-term programmes would be planned to make unemployment a thing of the past in Nigeria.

According to him, he has never wavered from his desire to contribute to a better Nigeria, even in the face of the most daunting challenges.

View original post here:
Leadership deficit responsible for Nigerias woes -Buhari