Between being under the weather for several weeks, the holidays and being out of town for a couple of weeks, I have nearly taken more time off from this blog then Obama has been running up $1.5 million golf vacations.

So, on that note, I will open the New Year with a harsh warning for the new GOP majority in the House. Remember WHY you were elected. For those that did elect you surely will come November 2012. Which is not all that far away now, is it?

Let us start with Rep. Darell Issa, who may prove to be the most powerful man in either house Congress for the calendar year 2011 and possibly for quite a few years after that. It all depends.

That is, if he does what he said he was going to do not too long ago:

Video link from Real Clear Politics via Pundit and Pundette:

Not this.

From Michelle Malkin:

Already, Issa has flip-flopped on his promise to probe the Joe Sestak/White House bribe scandal and softened his criticism of corruption in the Obama administration. And Doug Powers called attention to his strange comments quoted in a post-midterm conference call in November: “I want to prove the pundits wrong. My job is not to bring down the president. My job is to make the president a success.”

Just a humble reminder: Issa’s job — and this goes for every GOP House leader — is not to mollify Beltway pundits.

Their job is not to manage White House p.r. and “reach across the aisle” and “get things done” for the sake of bipartisanship.

The Issa’s, Boehner’s and Cantor’s are treading on very thin ice. The slightest bit of compromising or even the appearance of that four letter word in today’s political world, “bipartisanship” will bring out even more people to truly remake this congress and start the long, laborious process of rolling back this government at every level.

You think 2010 was bad for (mainly Dem) incumbents? 2012 could make 2010 look a stripper just taking off her coat in the dressing room, if the GOP leadership fumbles the ball this time around.

You are out of do-overs, GOP. Man up or leave.

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On the heels of Renee Ellmers being certified as the winner in NC-2, two more Democratic incumbents have joined Rep. Bob Etheridge in conceding their races.

First up, twenty-eight year incumbent Democrat Solomon Ortiz.

From CBS News:

Democratic Texas Congressman Solomon Ortiz has conceded defeat to Republican newcomer Blake Farenthold.

Ortiz’s concession came late Monday, after a South Texas recount confirmed he had lost a House seat he held for nearly three decades.

The 73-year-old congressman said that although he hadn’t seen official results, he believed he picked up about 150 votes in the recount – but still lost to Farenthold by about 650.

From NPR:

That’s the net number of Republican pickups in the House in the 2010 elections. Rep. Dan Maffei (D), first elected from New York’s 25th Congressional District in 2008, has thrown in the towel, conceding defeat to Ann Marie Buerkle (R). The margin is about 567 votes, give or take, out of more than 209,000 cast.

With three more races yet to decided, the GOP House gain in Election 2010 now stands at 63.

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Well, some good news on the fraud front.

Rep. Bob “Half-Nelson” Etheridge conceded his race with Renee Ellmers for the NC-2 race.

From WRAL.com

The State Board of Elections on Tuesday certified the results of an election that saw Republicans gain ground across North Carolina.

The certification came less than a week after a recount in the 2nd Congressional District led Democratic Rep. Bob Etheridge to concede his race to Republican candidate Renee Ellmers.

I give due consideration to Rep. Etheridge for not dragging this out and/or taking it to court.

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Well, how delicious is this?

Very much so.

Some of you might remember (soon to be former) Rep. Melissa Bean (D-IL).

She was the one who back during the Town Hallfest of 2009 had the audacity to try and charge her constituents for the privilege of meeting with her to “discuss” such things as ObamaCare.

Well, it seems that even those who are used to such shake-and-bake jive that genetically come from those that graft, err…”serve” in Illinois politics had had enough.

From NBC Chicago via Michelle Malkin:

Republicans get to add another red seat to Congress.

Following the completion of ballot counting, Democratic Rep. Melissa Bean on Tuesday night called her Republican challenger, Joe Walsh, and conceded the race for Illinois’ 8th Congressional District.

Roughly 300 votes separated the two candidates.

In a statement, Walsh congratulated Bean on the “vigorous” campaign and thanked her for her six years of public service.

“We can turn all of our energies to advancing the legislative agenda the people of the 8th District have told me to pursue: more responsive government, less borrowing against our children’s future, and a common sense approach to deal with the economic challenges facing our country,” he said, adding that he’ll be back in Illinois soon to “personally thank all those who worked to hard to send me to Congress.”

Walsh was a Tea Party favorite, and a group from Palatine called his victory “the upset of 2010.”

Maybe next time, she should call it a Tupperware Party and give everyone free tubs of butter and call it even.

Along with Alan “Straightjacket” Grayson’s loss, this pickup is especially gratifying. For it shows that arrogance as well as insanity will not be tolerated anymore.

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As Jim Geraghty and Michelle Malkin have noted in their post-election reports of races that are still undecided, there are several races that will come down to absentee ballots and just as likely down to that dreaded word, that is, if you are one who prefers honest elections. Recount.

One in particular, stands out. That of NC-2, which pits Renee Ellmers against Bob “Half Nelson” Etheridge. After Tuesday night, Ellmers’ margin was enough to avoid an automatic recount. Suddenly, as described below, it fell under that threshold and now Etheridge is pushing hard for a recount. Along with his army of DNC lawyers. Meanwhile, the NRRC is completely ignoring Ellmers pleas for money and help.

From Ellmer’s site:

Dear Supporters,

Election night, after the ten counties in my district had reported their votes, I led Bob Etheridge by 2,100 votes. (That number is crucial because under North Carolina law Congressman Etheridge is not entitled to an ‘automatic recount’ if he trails by more than 1% – or 1,888 votes.)

Then, yesterday afternoon – unexpectedly – the vote totals changed. The State Board of Elections reported my lead had dropped to 1,600 votes. Two hours later Bob Etheridge announced he intended to call for a recount.

As a result, last night my campaign began hiring attorneys – eleven attorneys in all. One in each county to monitor each recount and an attorney to work with the North Carolina State Board of Elections.

Right now, our best estimate of the minimum cost we face is $50,000. But, of course, my campaign spent every penny we had before the election.

Yesterday, we appealed to the National Republican Congressional Committee for support, asking if they could contribute to help pay the costs of this recount. Their answer, unfortunately, was, No – that we would have to raise the money to pay for the recount ourselves.

I was afraid that would be their answer. Months ago, I went to Washington and asked the National Republican Congressional Committee and many conservative leaders to help my campaign. Many conservative groups – like the Susan B. Anthony List, Concerned Women of America, Freedom Works, and Sarah Palin’s Sarah PAC all helped, but the NRCC declined. Later, they did support other campaigns in North Carolina – which, unfortunately, lost – but we never received their support. In fact, their spokesman told the press “that the campaign wasn’t ready for prime time” – which actually made it even harder for us to raise money. So, I am doubtful we will get support from the NRCC to help with the expense of the recount.

Right now, I lead Bob Etheridge by 1,600 votes. That lead should hold up. But we can’t take anything for granted. We must leave no stone unturned to insure a fair recount. We cannot allow the kind of mishap that happened in Minnesota – when Al Franken was elected – to repeat itself in North Carolina.

This morning my campaign manager set up a special fund – Renee Ellmers for Congress Recount Fund – to pay for the recount. I never dreamed I’d be asking you for another donation two days after the election – but I need to raise $50,000 ‘yesterday.’ The maximum you may give is $2,400. Each contribution – whatever the amount, whether it’s $25, $250, or $500 – is crucial and will be deeply appreciated. Could you send a donation and mail it today? Or, better still, click here, to give on my website.

I apologize for asking for another gift so soon – but I am sure you understand.

As ever, thank you and best wishes.

Renee Ellmers

Which is one reason why it was massively important for the GOP to capture so many statehouses and so many statehouse seats (in addition to a few Secretary of State positions). If you are a GOP candidate running outside of a less than 80% registered GOP district, you cannot afford to finish within the Margin of Fraud, since 9 times out of 10, the Democrat machine and all it’s attendant sleazy lawyers and union thugs will recount their way to a stolen election.

Please go here to and donate to the Ellmers recount fund.

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You cannot make this stuff up.

First the 57-year old woman in a man’s body, (to paraphrase Ann Coulter) gets caught making donations to a couple of Dems who were running in 2010 (including doing so while interviewing said Dem) and is given the pink boot by MSNBC.

Then one, Chris Hayes, who is the editor for The Nation, this nation’s longest running Communist digest, is tapped as the Olb’s replacement. Only to be laid aside when it is discovered that, he too, had opened up his wallet to one Dem who was running in 2008.

From The Wall Street Journal via Doug Powers:

Chris Hayes, tapped Friday by MSNBC to fill in for the indefinitely suspended Keith Olbermann as host of the prime-time political show “Countdown,” gave money to two Democratic campaigns in recent years. Now, following that disclosure, MSNBC says Mr. Hayes won’t get the gig after all.

Mr. Hayes, editor of The Nation, a liberal magazine, made a series of donations to Josh Segall, an Alabama Democrat, who ran for Congress in 2008 and considered running in the Democratic primary for this election. Mr. Hayes donated $1,500 to Mr. Segall in 2008 and $250 in December 2009, according to Federal Election Commission records.
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Several hours later, MSNBC said Mr. Hayes was no longer slated to take Mr. Olbermann’s place. The network said it would name a new replacement soon.

Suggestion: Just put a Tickle Me Elmo in the chair, spin it around every 10 seconds and it will provide more entertainment, less spin and higher ratings then trying fill it with disgruntled, failed Yale TA’s.

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From NewsMax:

Veteran political analyst Dick Morris says there are “real problems” developing in the Senate races in Pennsylvania and Illinois. “The exit polls show Republicans winning,” Morris says.

“But in Illinois, with a third of the votes counted, we’re down 14 percent.

“And in Pennsylvania, with a fifth of the votes counted, we’re 13 points down.”

Seeing that it is those two states, I would lean towards the latter.

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