REDLINE || Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Published: Wed, 01/21/15

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REDLINE

The Right Stuff In The Morning

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Good morning! In the news today: Obama talks unity again but delivers what is roundly panned as a divisive speech, offering proposals the GOP will never pass and even taunting his opponents; GOP reacts with derision; dubious foreign policy claims; terror overseas continues, with twelve stabbed in Israel; Shiite rebels take Yemen; and Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, applauded for SOTU response, but she fails to even mention immigration;

Have a great day.

Keith

Obama delivers defiance . . . President Barack Obama struck a defiant tone for his dealings with the new Republican-led Congress on Tuesday, calling on his opponents to raise taxes on the rich and threatening to veto legislation that would challenge his key decisions. Reuters

Exit stage Left . . . Emboldened by a stronger economy and a series of recent policy initiatives, President Obama on Tuesday night made clear that he is committed to cementing a liberal legacy and aimed to reframe the broader debate on what constitutes American success. Washington Post

GOP: Speech divisive . . . Republicans charged Obama with putting forth a highly divisive State of the Union speech that offered no new proposals and included a plan to raise $320 billion in new taxes that had no chance of passing Congress. "He's just being confrontational," said Jenny Beth Martin, co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots. "He knows that's not going to pass either chamber of Congress. Newsmax

State of the Union Strong? Public Not Buying it

Election? What election? . . . President Obama wasn’t about to let last year’s election results damper his second-to-last State of the Union address. In fact, the president led what appeared to be something of a pep rally during his hourlong speech on Tuesday. The Hill

Obama's dubious foreign policy claims . . . President Obama Tuesday evening made several questionable claims regarding foreign policy and the war on terror. NBC’s Richard Engel nicely outlines several of them. White House Dossier

Obama touts pacifism . . . President Obama, in his annual state of the union speech, defended six years of pacifist, diplomacy-dominated national security policies that he portrayed as aimed at defeating new threats and protecting the planet. Washington Free Beacon

Lack of grace . . . President Obama made no mention Tuesday night of Sen. Mitch McConnell’s recent ascension to majority leader, even though he will likely play a major role in congressional negotiations this year. The Hill

Video || Obama's State of the Union

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In other Obama-related news . . .

Eric Holder, civil libertarian? . . . Attorney General Eric Holder Friday moved to limit a practice that I can’t even believe is happening. I have to be careful here, because it seems so unlikely, but Eric Holder has apparently struck a blow for freedom. White House Dossier

Obamacare website sharing private info . . . The government’s health insurance website is quietly sending consumers’ personal data to private companies that specialize in advertising and analyzing Internet data for performance and marketing. Washington Times

AP Reporter: Obama headed to India for a parade . . . Associated Press White House reporter Julie Pace says President Obama is headed for India “basically for a parade and a visit to the Taj Mahal,” noting that the voyage is emblematic of the terminal stage of any presidency, “the non-essential foreign travel stage.” White House Dossier

Obama Schedule || Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Iran peace talk price tag: $11.9 billion . . . The Obama administration on Wednesday paid $490 million in cash assets to Iran and will have released a total of $11.9 billion to the Islamic Republic by the time nuclear talks are scheduled to end in June, according to figures provided by the State Department. Washington Free Beacon

Ernst: The GOP feels your pain . . . The Republican Party toned down partisan rhetoric in its official response to the President Obama’s State of the Union speech Tuesday night, focusing on the party’s plans and ideals instead of directly responding to the administration’s agenda. Washington Examiner

George Will: A "semi-star" is born.

But Ernst doesn't even mention immigration.

Video || Joni Ernst – Republican State of the Union Response

Rand Paul finds lots of "free stuff" . . . Sen. Rand Paul said he heard President Barack Obama talk a lot about "free stuff" in his State of the Union speech Tuesday night, but didn’t hear much about how it will be paid for. Newsmax

Cruz takes a mulligan . . . Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, successfully improvised an eloquent response, seamlessly hitting a series of prepared talking points criticizing the Obama administration . . . for about forty seconds. And then he needed a redo. Mediaite

GOP seeks immigration Plan B . . . Options include passing a new border security bill or challenging Obama’s immigration moves in court, without jeopardizing Homeland Security funding. Politico

Shiite rebels take over Yemen palace . . . Shiite rebels shelled the residence of Yemen's leader and swept into the nearby presidential palace Tuesday in what a top army commander said was an unfolding coup. Fox News

Twelve Israelis stabbed on Tel Aviv bus . . . Twelve Israelis were wounded in a stabbing attack on a Tel Aviv bus on Wednesday morning, three of them seriously. The assailant is named Hamza Mohammed Hasan Matrouk, a 23-year-old male from the West Bank. Haaretz

Dramatic video of terrorist pursuing victims

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