Journalistic Yoga for the 24/7 News Cycle

PPPS (Littleton)—In our continuing efforts to keep abreast of trends in the journalism profession, PPPS performed a survey of course offerings at leading journalism schools across the country. We found that the most popular course among journalism students was one which combined concepts from psychology, journalism and eastern religion.

Although the course was variously titled at different institutions, here is a typical course listing example from the esteemed Columbia School of Journalism.

J304 - Journalistic Yoga for the 24/7 News Cycle 

Journalistic Yoga combines extreme logical contortion with peaceful dissociation from reality.

Students will learn how to practice a daily regimen of journalistic yoga as a coping mechanism for creating stories to meet the frantic demands of the 24/7 news cycle. Successful completion of the course counts as 5 credit hours towards both the Traditional Journalism and Opinion Journalism degrees.  

9AM M W F - Pundit Pete Lecture Hall

Prerequisite: J201/Psy214 - Conservative Thought & Other Political Diseases

Editorial Note: As this story was about to be posted, Patriarch Pete popped in and remarked, "Hell, they have a special course in that now? Why back in my day, that was just part of Journalism 101."

Readers Want to Know: Several of our readers have written, or tweeted questions regarding the source and inspiration for Journalistic Yoga. So, we asked our leader, Pundit Pete to share a bit of his thinking process for selecting and writing (making up) a story. Here's what Pete had to say about Journalistic Yoga:

Well, I owe it all to Clive Crook, and his article at the Atlantic web site titled Why I Think Obama Is Losing. Crook, while spot on in his conclusion, takes an amazingly tortuous route to get there, full of hopeful delusion, misplaced reasoning, and a reliance on instinct when his own internal logic fails him. 

In successive steps, Crook first poses common sense, logical reasons for Obama's fall in the polls, then convinces himself (and he hopes, his readers), that the true reasons lie elsewhere, presumably because the true reasons are too painful for a liberal mind to comprehend. Later on in the article, he actually makes a few good points, but the reader is so worn out by then, that those points are unappreciated. 

Ah, but I digress. Here's an example, right where Crook first launches into faux reason number one:

Why do I say this?

It's not because the country is sick of Obama. ........blah blah blah...... my feeling is, the country still wants him to succeed. If voters do reject him in November, for many people it will be with regret.

Hello, Clive, the country is sick of Obama. And that regret you sense; it's coming from many of the people who voted for him. The country doesn't want him to succeed, they fear that he might.

Ah, but I digress. Or should I say, ah, I return? ...... yes, I almost forgot. You all were interested in how the yoga thing came about. Well, OK.....

About half way through Crook's article, wracked with the pain of mental contortions, but blissful in the  peace that comes from denial, BAM - IT CAME TO ME. The last time I felt this way was while doing yoga! 

And from that simple revelation, an entire theory of journalistic thought soon arose, complete with college courses and soon-to-be awards, the first of which will, with much appreciation, be given to Mr. Clive Crook, formerly a distinguished writer at the Atlantic (as others can attest, a Pundit Pete Press Service award is not universally considered a career boost)........and then Mr. Crook can enroll in  .......let's see.......in the Dan Rather Clinic for Recovering Journalists........where, naturally, he will receive Journalistic Yoga Therapy.........and.......

Ah, the mind of Pundit Pete, once engaged, is a force unstoppable, a thing of beauty, n'est-ce pas?

So there you have it, beloved readers, prepared or not, you've entered far into the depths of the mind of Pundit Pete.....where there is no turning back...........no escape.....and (we hope) a paid subscription.......

Unless of course, you engage in a bit of journalistic yoga. That just might be enough to save you!

God bless.

Totally Unrelated Update Which We Thought We Would Share Anyway - June 5, 2012:
Best Graduation Speech Ever at Columbia School of Journalism

Update - June 6, 2012

Totally Related TRUE Story 

When our leader, Pundit Pete, just makes up stories like this, we figure OK, let him run with it, figuring, what harm could it do?, and, there's no possible connection to the real world anyway, and our readers (most of them anyway) will probably figure it out, and move on to important stuff.

BUT, TRUTH IS INDEED STRANGER THAN FICTION, thanks to our friends in India. They offer an actual Journalistic Yoga degree! And there's still a few days left to sign up. We are planning on enrolling several of the PPPS staff.

This is why the Indians are set to ace out China and the U.S. for the title of new world superpower.

PPPS Story Causes International Rift - Putin Pulls Out of G-8

PPPS (Moscow)—Breaking from FOX News, confirmed by PPPS Moscow office.

Putin pouts over slogan slight.

After reading the disappointing news about how close his suggested slogan came to being selected by the Obama campaign, Russian President Vladimir Putin has apparently reacted in anger, pulling out of the upcoming G-8 Summit at Camp David and his scheduled meeting with President Obama next week.

This story was first broken by FOX News, and has now been confirmed, and details have been added, by PPPS Moscow Correspondent, Pyotr "the Great" Pete.

In a story published by PPPS on Tuesday, May 8 about the Obama Campaign slogan selection process, it was revealed that this slogan idea, FORWARD for FLEXIBILITY, offered in a gesture of international good will by the newly elected President of Russia, was given top consideration, but ultimately rejected in favor of the more simplified campaign slogan, FORWARD. 

Pyotr Pete's sources inside the Kremlin reported that Putin was furious after reading the PPPS article, and wanted to take more drastic measures, but that cooler heads, including former President Mevedev, prevailed, convincing Putin to send a symbolic message.

Our Chief White House Correspondent, Political Beat Pete, indicates that staff in the White House, the State Department and in the Obama campaign, have been scrambling to counter today's bad news. Sources indicate that the President has dispatched Chief Campaign Spokesman, David Axelrod to Moscow, instead of Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, to try and iron out the problem.

Mr. Axelrod is reported to be authorized to offer up a future Obama campaign stop in Moscow and a private dinner with George Clooney as compensation for Putin changing his mind about the G-8 Summit. However, rumors circulating that the DNC might also be offering a change in the location of Democratic National Convention from Charlotte to a more receptive venue in Moscow or St. Petersburg, could not be confirmed.

We will provide updates as this story unfolds.

Background Links:
Inside the Obama Campaign Slogan Selection Process
Putin Opts Out of G-8 Summit

Inside the Obama Campaign Slogan Selection Process

Haraz N. Ghanbari/AP photo

PPPS (Chicago)—President Obama officially launched his campaign for reelection last Saturday with a kickoff rally in Ohio and with the release of a new, bold fresh campaign slogan. 

We asked our Obama campaign reporter, Protester Pete, recently reassigned from covering the now-defunct Occupy Movement, to provide us with insight into the  presidential campaign slogan selection process.

Celebrating a mission accomplished in Chicago.

Pete spent the weeks prior to the official campaign launch embedded among the predominately young, pigment-challenged and non-Native American staff at the Obama Campaign Headquarters in Chicago. That's Pete in the lower right of this photo taken at the historic moment when the President appeared on screen to announce the winning slogan.

The Chicago celebration was the culmination of a grueling five-week marathon of brain storming sessions, staff retreats,  slogan chanting practices, voter focus group testings, and late night meetings involving visiting campaign advisers and interns. The campaign also solicited slogan ideas from outside supporters as part of an appeal for a $3 campaign donation sent out by Michelle Obama. The campaign  literally received tens of suggestions from this appeal and, after spell checking, these were added to the list of staff-generated ideas.

The campaign staff came up with an ingenious method for organizing and narrowing the list of potential slogans. After an initial paring down of the dozens of slogan ideas to the 64 most promising, the slogans were ranked and written on a giant NCAA-style bracket posted in the campaign conference room. At the end of each week the President would make his selections to cut the number of slogans in half using a special cell-phone app which could be accessed from anywhere: aboard Air Force One; on the golf course; or in the midst of a fundraising dinner.

With just a few days before the official campaign kickoff, and with pressure mounting to meet poster and sign printing deadlines, only four slogans remained. Protester Pete was able to obtain copies of the ready-to-be-printed versions of the "Final Four" slogans, each of which provides a unique perspective on the various themes considered for the national campaign.

Slogan submitted by Rush Limbaugh

The first of the final four slogans was one originally submitted by radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh. Through focus group testing, it was determined that this slogan appealed to the conservatives, independents and so-called Reagan Democrats who regularly tune in to Limbaugh's show and who may form a critical voting block in a number of swing states. In the end, the President rejected this slogan because he would need to credit Limbaugh at the same time he will  be trying to shut down Limbaugh's show through an FCC enforcement action and pressure on advertisers.

Slogan submitted by Vladimir Putin

The second slogan was one suggested by the now, newly elected President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, who submitted it, along with a modest donation, on the campaign web site. The genius in this slogan is that it simultaneously reminds voters from other nations of the President's international reputation for nimbleness in negotiation, while also demonstrating to U.S. voters the President's willingness to work towards bi-partisan compromise with Congress soon after he is reelected. Unfortunately, this slogan did not rate very high in the trust category among the majority of focus group participants.

Slogan submitted by Citizen Pete

David Axelrod and Citizen Pete

The ultimate runner-up to the winning slogan was one submitted by an active supporter, Citizen Pete, who apparently also has a knack for messaging, including one recent message sent to the House Minority Leader.  In the end, none of the focus groups, or a majority of the campaign staff, deemed this slogan to be credible, despite the fact that it mirrors some of the stated goals of the administration posted on the White House web site. Rumor has it that this slogan was vigorously promoted by senior Campaign spokesman, David Axelrod. Our research indicates that Mr. Axelrod may be a close friend of Citizen Pete.

The final and winning slogan is actually a condensed version of the other three, boiled down to a single, forceful, actionable word - FORWARD.

The official Obama Reelection Campaign slogan.

Besides the obvious simplicity, this slogan conveys both movement and direction. And, despite focus group feedback indicating that the slogan held no real meaning and was confusing, the President astutely concluded that confusion was it's greatest asset, leaving him to weave in whatever meaning he chooses to convey to a particular audience.

The slogan can also be adapted into a chant for rallies, and is easily pronounced by temporary, undocumented campaign workers hired for street events and voter registration campaigns.

Well done Mr. President. We salute you!


UPDATE 10-May-2012: 
PPPS STORY CAUSES INTERNATIONAL RIFT  (h/t FOX News)

After reading the disappointing news about how close his suggested slogan came to being selected by the Obama campaign, Russian President Vladimir Putin has apparently reacted in anger, pulling out of the upcoming G-8 Summit at Camp David and his scheduled meeting with President Obama next week. More later......See related story here.

UPDATE 11-May-2012 - Forward Defined - American Thinker

President Obama Set to Kickoff Performance of Executive Duties Today

President Obama cutting waste in Senate-passed budget.

PPPS (Washington)—Presidential spokesman Jay Carney announced that President Obama is set to formally begin performing his Executive Duties as of noon today.

This announcement came in response to questions posed by several members of the White House Press Corps regarding a revised White House schedule which appeared to replace some of  the President's previously scheduled golf outings, vacation planning, and fundraising dinner events with a notation "scheduled time working in Oval Office."

A team of PPPS reporters and researchers, led by chief White House Correspondent Political Beat Pete, is currently pouring over a mountain of White House logs and scheduling data to determine if this Friday afternoon will in fact be the first instance of the President Obama performing his official executive duties since his inauguration in January, 2009.

Speaker of the House John Boehner

In a cynical, partisan response, radical Republican Speaker of the House, John Beohner told reporters, "It sounds more like a photo op for the President's campaign, which by the way, is "formally" beginning tomorrow, even though by all accounts, it never ended after the last election."

In response to a follow up question regarding what the President's duties might entail, Carney told the assembled press corps, "The President has a number of important goals for today, including cutting the deficit in half and going through the recently passed Senate budget line by line to reduce waste."

David Axelrod on FOX News Sunday Reminds Reader of Past Encounter

PPPS (Littleton)—Our loyal reader and sometimes contributor, Citizen Pete, sent us a note after viewing Chris Wallace's interview with David Axelrod on FOX News Sunday.

Dear Editor,

Watching David Axelrod on FOX News Sunday brought back fond memories of when I debated him last June. 

I can certainly sympathize with Chris Wallace trying to get a word in edgewise once Axelrod gets rolling. 

But I got in a few. Axelrod is good, but no match for Citizen Pete.

Your loyal reader,

Citizen Pete

Here is a link to our interview with Citizen Pete about his debate with David Axelrod, former Senior Adviser to the President and current Obama campaign spokesman.

And here are links about the FOX News Sunday Interview which focus on Axelrod's now famous faux pas, where he appeared to endorse Mitt Romney's solution for the economy.
FOX News
Washington Post
RedState
New York Post

UPDATE June 17, 2012 — An Analysis of the Axelrod Fauz Pas from Master Axelrod Debater, Citizen Pete

David Axelrod is a master of spin and perfecter of the "astroturf" method of political persuasion, but when he gets rolling, sometimes his mouth gets out ahead of his brain. That was certainly the case on FOX News Sunday.

The funny part is that Axlerod's faux pas came not when Chris Wallace was challenging him or trying (vainly) to interrupt and redirect the conversation, but when he offered him the softball question at the end - here you go, I'm setting you up, summarize your best talking point on what this election is all about from your candidate's perspective.

I think that Axelrod's mind is wired (especially when doing a FOX News interview) to respond to a question in this way:

1. first, deflect away from or deny the truth posed in the question,
2. then quickly drop a subtle untruth or two designed to set up for......
3. the full offensive based on a new bold fresh lie,
4. then, finish with a barrage of unrelated talking points before the host can regain control.

Chris Wallace's closing, straight forward "tell me what you want us to hear" question threw him off his game. Axlerod simply could not shift gears fast enough. And Wallace just sat back and smiled. 

I liken it to "pulling the chair" on an NBA big man down under the basket. Way to go Chris!

Retro 2009 Tea Party Signs Spotted at Anti-Obamacare Rally

PPPS (Denver)—In a surprising twist, two Tea Party signs originally carried at a 2009 Protest of Obamacare, resurfaced on Tuesday at a Hands Off My Healthcare Rally in Denver sponsored by Americans for Prosperity. The Denver rally was one of many across the nation in protest of Obamacare, and included speeches about aspects of the law by several noted conservative and Tea Party activists.

Puzzling Message of the Week — Straight from the DNC

PPPS (Littleton)—As a fair and balanced news service, we are quite reticent to criticize either political party, especially the one that was first to nominate and elect an African-American president.  But there are times when even the most successful of promotional powerhouses, the Democratic Party, produces a  political message that is....how do you say it?...... puzzling.

Tea Party Group Posts Obamacare Message: Pelosi Not Pleased

PPPS (Littleton)—The mysterious Bridge to Nowhere Tea Party has apparently surfaced again, this time with a message for former Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.

Citizen Pete photo, 2012. (Click to enlarge)

Pelosi, when shown a picture of the bridge protest, was reported to have remarked, "We are very proud of our accomplishment in passing the Affordable Care Act, and we will fight all efforts by uncaring Republicans to repeal it. We just need to implement more of the law, so the American people can find out what's in it."

On another note: Jefferson County Sheriff's Department deputies were apparently dispatched to the bridge. Look for updates.
Related Links: Seven of Obamcare's Biggest Failures - Alyene Senger

Quote of the Week — It's a tie.

PPPS (Littleton)—For the first time, due to the quality of entries this week, we were unable to pick just one Quote of the Week. So we picked two! We've called it a tie.

Fresh from the Tweetosphere we have this tweet from Tweeter Paul Combs (@PAC43):

"Your Wallet: The One Place Democrats Are Willing to Drill."

And from a comment posted below an article at the Washington Examiner by Byron York, regarding President Obama's miraculous conversion to pipeline promotion, and his taking credit for the same, Lagnafrah wrote this:

"I have directed my administration to facilitate the continued southerly flow of the Mississippi River."  — Barack Obama

Green Energy Protest Highlights Overspending

PPPS (Lakewood)—A small group of Tea Party radicals braved stiff winds and abundant sunshine on Saturday, March 10 to express their displeasure with the cost of a government solar energy project. Our undercover correspondent, Progressive Pete was there to cover the story. The protest took place at the Denver Federal Center Solar Park in Lakewood, Colorado.

Although Progressive Pete experienced technical difficulties with his hidden video camera (see below), one of the Bridge to Nowhere Tea Party members, Citizen Pete, was kind enough to send us this photograph, which was apparently altered to include captions. Despite the alterations, it fairly depicts the protesters' message.

Photo submitted by Citizen Pete (click to enlarge)

Our readers should note that despite the attempt to disguise there logo by placing it in the upper left portion of the photo, this protest is clearly the work of the mysterious Bridge to Nowhere Tea Party, as PPPS previously suspected in our earlier exclusive pre-protest scoop on the protest.

Based upon their protest signs, the Bridge to Nowhere Tea Party, appears to be concerned about the cost of the Solar Panel Project. As protester, Citizen Pete indicated, "These solar panels are just one of the many examples of the waste of federal Stimulus Bill funds on uneconomical  green energy projects. $40 million dollars with a payback of decades is outrageous. But at least this got built. With Solyndra, they just poured the money into the pockets of a few well-connected friends, with nothing but a big fat IOU that will never get repaid."

When asked about the puzzling reference to "Pipeline" in their protest banner, Pete just shook his head and said, "This represents one of the dumbest decisions in recent history. Our President denies an approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline, which would have brought oil from Canada to reduce our dependence on less-stable, and sometimes hostile, foreign governments, would have created thousands of jobs, and would have lowered the price of gasoline. And all of it would have been paid with private funds. Oh, and then our two Senators, Udall and Bennett just voted to confirm that stupid decision. Now come on, how dumb is that."

Clearly, Citizen Pete, feels pretty strongly about the decision.

On another note, two competing news organizations, local TV stations CBS 4News and Fox31 News, must have had similar technical difficulties, most likely due to the wind. Crews from both stations showed up, filmed the protest and interviewed Citizen Pete, spokesman for the Bridge to Nowhere Tea Party, but neither aired a report.

It's hard to imagine that a story of this magnitude with national significance would not air locally or nationally. But, as with many important stories, the Pundit Pete Press Service was the only major news organization to bring you the "Stories we'd like to see", even if we have to overcome technical challenges.

Thanks to the diligent efforts of our technical staff, we were able to recover a small portion of the video from Progressive Pete's hidden camera. The strong winds obliterated most of the audio, but a short conversation among the protesters can be heard in the background. We leave it our readers (viewers) to interpret their radical conversation.

WARNING - STUPID VIDEO FOLLOWS - DON'T WASTE TIME WATCHING

Progressive Pete continues his undercover investigations of the radical Tea Party Movement. More stories to follow.

Related Links & Updates:
Payback From Federal Center Solar Project To Take Decades « CBS Denver
Solar Company That Received $400 Million Taxpayer Loan Lays Off Large Percentage of Work Force
The Battle of Keystone XL Continues 
Weld County suspected storm clouds over Abound | Energy Policy Center
Barack Obama pushes for $1bn green tax credits | Environment | guardian.co.uk
Green Energy: King of Corporate Welfare - HUMAN EVENTS
Obama's energy abyss
Obama in 2008: Americans need to suck it up and pay more for energy
Obama's Oil Flimflam - Charles Krauthammer weighs in 
Firm sells solar panels to itself, taxpayers pay (Mar 19 - Examiner)
Oil Production of Federal Lands has Dropped (Mar 22- Big Government)

Rumor of Green Energy Project Protest in Colorado

PPPS (Lakewood)—Our undercover correspondent, Progressive Pete, has intercepted a disturbing Tea Party group post with subtle hints of a plan to protest a green energy project located in this quiet suburb west of Denver on Saturday.

The target of the protest appears to be the celebrated Denver Federal Center Solar Panel Park, which was built at a low cost of only $40 million in Stimulus funds and will pay for itself in as little as 30–50 years, well within the industry standard of 2–3 times the useful life of a solar panel, and only 10–20 times the life of a government-backed solar panel company.


The puzzling message the group is purported to be posting?

GREEN ENERGY = RED INK

TRADE PANELS FOR PIPELINE

The protest message may include an obscure reference to the recent denial by President Obama of a permit for the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada and yesterday's Senate vote to cut off the privately funded, job-creating, gas-price-lowering project.

It remains to be seen whether this protest will have any effect on the national energy policy conversation.

Of note: this rumored protest is remarkably similar to a protest three weeks ago. PPPS staff are vigorously pursuing the story of a potential link to the illusive Bridge to Nowhere Tea Party.

Patriotic Song Going Viral

PPPS (somewhere in the midwest) At the Pundit Pete Press Service, we are honored to be the first major news organization to post this patriotic music video just as it's starting to go viral on YouTube. Just remember, you saw it here first.

 

Emarie, sings at Veteran's Day event at her school. Her mom, Tami (playing guitar) wrote the song.

We think it's fantastic. Made a few staff leak a bit. We'll update with more information on these budding music video stars and true Patriots.

More from CPAC 2012

PPPS (Washington) Several readers have written asking for more information about CPAC 2012. So here is a collection of small reports and personal stories written by various Pundit Pete Press Service staff who attended the conservative conference in Washington, DC, February 9-11.

Pedestrian Pete meets Jesse Watters from Fox News

During the CPAC 2012 conference, Pedestrian Pete, the "man-on-the-street" correspondent for the Pundit Pete Press Service, was most often occupied with interviews of Occupy DC protesters on the street outside the conference hotel.

However, during a break in the action, Pete met one of his heroes, Jesse Watters of Fox News and O'Reilly Factor fame in the hotel lobby. Pete was so overwhelmed and at a loss for words, that he forgot all of his interviewing skills, but he was at least able to snag a photograph. Pete said Jesse didn't say much either, no doubt because he was equally overwhelmed to meet Pedestrian Pete.

Political Beat Pete and Bret Baier Discuss the State of Journalism

Stacy on the Right photo, 2012

In a brief moment of professional camaraderie, Political Beat Pete, Chief White House Correspondent for the Pundit Pete Press Service, and Bret Baier, former Chief White House Correspondent for Fox News, and current anchor for the popular Fox News Channel show Special Report with Bret Baier, discussed the declining state of professional journalism.  Both agreed that Fox News and the Pundit Pete Press Service were among the stalwarts maintaining a fair, balanced and professional approach to covering the news.

Pete then went on to compliment Baier for being one of the only truly professional journalists on TV today and thanked him for his great show. Baier, who said he thought he remembered meeting Pete once in the back of the White House press room, returned a similar compliment. During the meeting, Pete was accompanied by Stacy on the Right, one of the classiest bloggers you are ever going to meet, who snapped the historic photo.

Keep Checking Back - More Stories to Come

As Pundit Pete, Eiditor-in-Chief of the Pundit Pete Press Service, is fond of saying "Good journalism sometimes takes time, which can be a problem in this world of constant deadlines and 24-hour news cycles. However, for some truly important stories, a journalist needs to allow time for the imagination to kick in, so that he can properly embellish a story to meet the standards our readers have come to expect." 

So have patience, dear readers, there is more to come.

Update:  For some great CPAC photos, check out freelance photographer Mark Taylor's Flickr site.

Obama Demonstrates Remarkable Understanding of Economics

PPPS (Littleton) President Obama, in an email letter to supporters yesterday, demonstrated a remarkable understanding of economics and the relationship between demand and price.

Here is the email that one of our readers, Citizen Pete, received from the President.

Peter --

Tomorrow night, we'll pick the first of four supporters who will sit down with me for dinner.

I'm hoping you'll take me up on the invitation.

Donate $2 or whatever you can today to be automatically entered for the chance to be my first dinner guest.

These meals are one simple thing that sets this campaign apart. The seats at our table don't belong to any Washington lobbyist or powerful interest.

These seats are yours.

Donate $2 or more today and be automatically entered to win:

https://donate.barackobama.com/The-First-Guest

Hope to see you,

Barack

Just last summer, dinner with the President was being offered for a minimum donation of $5. Then, in the fall, when Citizen Pete responded to the President's personal email, the minimum donation was set at $3. Now we see that the price has been dropped to $2.

When there is only a limited demand for something, you drop the price to stimulate more demand. What a brilliant strategy the President is employing here. With such advanced economic thinking at the top, there is reason for optimism.

One note of caution: according to Citizen Pete, "the price for dinner with the President will have to drop a ways below $2 before it reaches my price point."

Tea Party Group Posts Controversial Message on Bridge

PPPS (Littleton) A Tea Party group in Colorado has posted a controversial message on a pedestrian bridge, highlighting local government waste and national policy decisions which impede economic recovery and job creation.

At least that's what the Bridge to Nowhere Tea Party spokesman, Citizen Pete, claims their puzzling message "Will trade bridge for pipeline" implied. Our own correspondent Protester Pete covered the event disguised as a disinterested exercise enthusiast, who happened to be carrying a hidden video cam.

Research of the Pundit Pete Press Service archives indicates this is not the first time Citizen Pete and the Bridge to Nowhere Tea Party have posted their radical messages on this bridge.

However, this is the first time we have been able to secretly capture the elusive Pete on video, including his lengthy, yet implausible, rant claiming government interference in the economy. Here is the raw, unedited video that Protester Pete, under great personal danger, was able to obtain. 

We should note that a search of the internet also revealed a remarkably similar video of Citizen Pete posted  by another one of the Tea Party activists.

During our observation of the Bridge to Nowhere Tea Party event, we encountered an individual, accompanied by his wife and two daughters, who took offense at the message on the bridge. One of the Tea Party activists, Regan Benson, recorded the confrontation.

As Citizen Pete discussed afterwords,  "Exercising our right of free speech through thought-provoking, creative, and sometimes humorous messages on a bridge seems to illicit the most rude and aggressive behavior from those on the left who disagree with us. I mean we are Tea Party folks, the nicest people you'd ever like to meet. People who love and care about this country enough to try and save it. And on top of that, we never leave a mess. So, what gives these people, including many of our leaders in DC and so called "journalists" at major news organizations, the right to call us nasty names? Something is wrong with this picture."

Other PPPS posts about the Bridge to Nowhere Tea Party:

Interesting Press Release About Tea Party Protest in Colorado

Merry Christmas

Protest Groups to Reimburse County for Costs of Black Friday Bridge to Nowhere Event

Citizen Pete Sends Us Something Priceless

Tea Party Finds Use for $3 Million Bridge to Nowhere

 Tea Party Not Dead - Rumor of Tea Party Protest In Colorado

9 News Stories:  

Group protests 'Bridge to Nowhere'

Protesters Take Stance on Bridge to Nowhere

Update February 22 - Clarification on Keystone Pipeline from White House:

Carney: Obama Didn't Turn Down The Keystone Pipeline

Interesting Press Release About Tea Party Protest in Colorado

PPPS (Littleton) We received this interesting press release this morning about a potential Tea Party protest here in Colorado, dispelling the myth that the Tea Party is dead. We'll be sending Protester Pete to cover the event.

Protest to Shine Light on Rising Gas Prices and On Government Decisions Affecting Citizens

Individuals in Jefferson County will draw attention to rising gas prices and government decision making when they assemble peacefully on the pedestrian bridge over Wadsworth Boulevard on Saturday, February 18, 2012, at 1–3 P.M.  

Littleton, CO—February 18, 2012—Citizens of Jefferson County, Colorado, will gather on the pedestrian bridge at Southwest Plaza today (Saturday) to point out rising gas prices. They will also highlight the impact of government on their lives. 

Organizers plan to post a “Flash Card Message” on the bridge; it is a fairly inexpensive means of communicating, which can be duplicated by citizens in other communities. In the message today they will juxtapose a decision by local government and a decision by federal government, in order to get people thinking about how government is working, or not working, today.  

“The poor decisions made by our government officials locally and nationally impact us all in higher gas prices and a dampened economy,” said Peter Boddie, organizer of the event, who is also a blogger and Tea Party activist. “Government needs to stop preventing American citizens from working and really stepping on the gas to spur this economy.”

"Cut Deficit in Half" Still Goal for New White House Budget

PPPS (Washington) In a surprising discovery this morning, a loyal reader named Citizen Pete, wrote us to point out that despite the criticism the President's new budget has received,  it is comforting to know that the  goal is still to cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term.

And how did Pete know you may ask?

Why he went to the source: the White House web site. There under the issues section for Fiscal Responsibility, the President proudly outlines his goals.

• Cut the deficit in half by the end of the President’s first term.
•  Review the budget line-by-line for waste.
•  Return to honest budgeting.

On Fox News Sunday, Chris Wallace raised the issue with White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew, as though it were a broken promise from 2009, little realizing that it was still the goal of this White House.

But we are confident in the President's sincerity and his determination to achieve the goals he sets out. We are looking forward to pouring over his new budget for the clues to cutting the deficit in half by the end of this year, for some of those blank lines where waste has been removed, and of, course, for the return to honest budgeting.

It is now incunbent upon Congress to quickly pass the Presdent's budget so that we can all find out what's in it. A unanimous vote, like the President received in the Senate last year for his 2011 budget proposal, would go a long way towards showing our citizens and the world that we are serious about reducing our deficit. Plus, such a timely vote would go far in removing the stigma of a "do-nothing Congress."

Note to Readers & Other Bloggers: As you check out the White House web site, please make a time-stamped copy of what you find. We are curious as to just how long they leave up the President's "goals" for all to see. This post filed at 8:44 AM MST.

Update February 17: related story by Philip Klein in the Washington Examiner White House Still Touting Pledge to Halve Deficit

Update February 21:  One week after the story was first posted here at PPPS, "Cut deficit in half" goal still up on White House web site.

Update February 24: White House web site story link posted on HotAir today. Thanks Ed. 
Update February 28:  Still up there. They must not follow Pundit Pete. Go figure.
Update March 14: One month later, still up there. Mmmm..... how long can this go?
Update April 9: Still up there. How's that line-by-line thing working out? GSA anyone? 
Update May 1:  Still up there. We're sure that those cuts are coming soon.

Update May 18: Up there for last time. You can see the page as recorded on the internet archive Wayback Machine. The page was changed on May 19 as a follow up to the formal launch of the President's 2012 campaign which occurred on May 5. It seems that when starting a new campaign, it is important to have a whole new set of promises, and to obliterate any record of the many previous promises that you did not meet. 

Udate September, 2013: For nostalgia sake, as we head into this year's round of debt ceiling debates, here is the original video announcement from 2009. Enjoy!  

(h/t Theodore Alton McElroy)

President Obama Makes Surprise Visit to Conservative Conference

PPPS (Washington) Conservatives gathered in Washington, DC for CPAC 2012, the "super bowl" of  right-wing politics, were astonished to find a last-minute substitution on the morning speaker schedule. After the announcement had circulated throughout the Marriott conference center, the conference ballroom was packed to the rafters when President Obama strode onto the stage.

The President's well-known wit and charm were on full display as he quickly won over what arguably could be described as  a skeptical, if not hostile, crowd with his opening line.

"Ya know, I always wanted to give a speech from the same podium Rush Limbaugh once used."

The President then proceeded with what many are saying is a new-found conservatism, perhaps mirroring his most recent "Catholic conversion". The President peppered his speech with many new, and some not-so-new, proposals to return fiscal sanity to government.

Chief among them was a bold statement that he would "cut the deficit in half by the end of my first term." A few thought this sounded vaguely similar to a claim that had once appeared on the White House web site back in 2009, but must have long ago been purged in the face of over $4 trillion in new debt during the subsequent three years. A few others were made more uncomfortable by the reference to a "first term", as if there were a possibility for a second.

The President added other bold initiatives like which might have been lifted directly from the speeches given the previous day by presidential hopefuls Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney, or Newt Gingrich. For example he said he would "review the budget line by line for waste."

One promise, to "return to honest budgeting" and not use war funding gimmicks, must have warmed the heart of Representative Paul Ryan, sitting between Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in the front row.

Still, there were some in the audience who remained skeptical. Even they lost all resistance to applauding when, in the middle of his speech, the President appeared confused and at a loss for words.

Then, after a long pause,  he delivered up this one liner with a smile, "Do ya think maybe you could get the teleprompter to work properly? It seems to have developed a glitch or two, including a few words I’m pretty sure I didn’t write.”

The President then went on to document a long list of cost-cutting measures and accomplishments, which when totaled up at the end of 2015 (at a similar point in his second term) will have resulted in over $5 billion in savings.

When the President concluded his speech with a promise to remove all obstacles to his relentless pursuit of deficit cutting measures, such as a do-nothing Congress and the Constitution, the crowd was buzzing with energy. We interviewed several attendees as they filed out of the main ballroom.

Some, including several in the Santorum camp, and the one Gingrich supporter we were able to find, expressed considerable doubt about the sincerity of the President's new conservative credentials.

Citizen Pete, an attendee from Colorado sporting a fresh Santorum sticker, put it this way. "Look, I'll bet this new conservative thing will have worn off by the time he passes through the Occupy protesters outside the hotel, on the way to his next fundraising event."

Many of the Romney supporters we interviewed, however, seemed willing to take the President at his word, and were at least hopeful that the President's shift to the right would hold.

The President's surprise appearance has added a little excitement and some controversy to what would otherwise have been described as a pretty dull event, as most conservative gatherings are presumed to be.

Everyone is now looking forward to what the closing speaker, former Governor Sarah Palin, will have to say.

CPAC 2012 - Day 2

PPPS (Washington) Survived BlogBash - more on that later.

Confronted this guy at the party for making liberals unconfortable. Then I told him my David Axelrod story. He liked it. Now, if I could just remember his name.

Random Thoughts from CPAC 2012

PPPS (Washington) WOW!

Great, crisp, sunny, Colorado morning here in DC to welcome the out-of-town contingent from the Pundit Pete Press Service.

After a short trip on the Metro, we arrived at the conference center, the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel - the one with the Cain's Solutions bus parked in front.

Citizen Pete, who came along as the winner of our Loyal Reader Award for 2012, was thrilled!

Pundit Pete, while in line to obtain press credentials for the organization, got to meet another Pete, Peter Foster, U.S. editor for the London Daily Telegraph.  (Not saying whether a job offer was made.)

Stacy on the Right photo

They really take care of the press here at CPAC. Food, beverages, and free internet!

Meeting lots of fellow bloggers. Stacy on the Right (literally) and to my left is Tom White of Virginia Right!

Jim DeMint just got done outlining the conservative case for changing America back, one Senate at a time. Check out his SenateConservatives web site.

UPDATE - Marco Rubio gives rousing speech.

"We don't have a national energy policy, we have energy politics."

"We have candidates who fight over who is more like Ronald Regan. Do the Democrats fight over who is more like Carter?'

"The President looks like he's a really good father, and a really good husband........but he's a terrible president!"

"Being an American is a blessing, and it's also a responsibility."

"The greatest thing we can do for the world is, to be America."

Marco Rubio gave an awesome speech. He could go far.

UPDATE: A certain governor from Texas came by Blogger's ROW. He's now speak'n at the podium.

When Governor Perry entered the room, everyone rushed over to meet him. By the time I figured out what was going on, the line was too long, so I went back to my table to blog. When I next looked up, there was the governor, extending his hand to meet me. I shook his hand and gave him my card, then took this pic. He seemed pretty nice, and promised to check out Pundit Pete.

From his speech. "If it's half-time in America, I fear for what will happen if we let this president start as our quarterback in the second half."