During the summer, between his time at Occidental college in Los Angeles and Columbia Barack Obama - a poor student on food stamps - took a 3 week trip to Pakistan....bet you did not know that little fact. He usually skips over it in his life story. The details of this trip, and later his time at Columbia, remain a mystery. Cannonfire begins to connect some dots here. It may seem, at first, quite absurd to speculate that the young Hawaii-born Oxy student had been recruited into the American intelligence apparatus. The seeming absurdity of that idea lessens when we consider these factors...It is a good read. One that starts making sense of what seems nonsensical.
As I've said over and over - Obama's accession is not a natural outgrowth of his talents. If he wins, he may be a good President. But he's not who he says he is. He's been helped along the way by some very powerful people. And some amazing "coincidences" - Jack Ryan's sealed divorce proceedings being exposed is a good example - and the financial meltdown artfully delayed (or pushed forward) to the Autumn.
Cannonfire takes the money trail and expands it into the beginnings of a pretty good theory. A unified theory about the advent of Obama is tough. The caucus fraud, the overwhelming media bias, and endorsements that made no sense all point to some power players behind the scenes.
Rashid Khalidi is a good friend of the Obamas. Mr. Khalidi is PLO apologist who has given vocal support to suicide bombers. He was a PLO spokesman when it was a U.S. designated terror group. Take those facts alone. Now imagine if McCain or Clinton were good friends with Khalidi. What would MSNBC, Huffington, and the rest be doing with this information?? Featuring clips of Leon Klinghoffer, the wheelchair bound Jew shot and dumped into the sea aboard the Achille Largo by members of the P.L.O. - that's what.
This gets to my primary beef with the media and this campaign. Obama gets a pass on everything. EVERYTHING. How ever one comes down on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict - would the American media give a pass to any other candidate regarding this friendship? No, of course not.
Why does Obama get the all purpose pass on all his questionable connections? Please read that question as a question - not a complaint. I want to know why. Can it be as simple as "they like him"? I don't buy it. There is a reason for Obama's elevation at the cost of truth. What is it?
Ayres oversaw the maiming of American citizens. Rezko took government cash while slum dwellers, in slums he owned, froze. Khalidi supported the murder of innocents.
Any rational person questions the judgement of Obama. And yet the media does not. My hometown paper the Los Angeles Times is the latest example of blatantly covering up information that the public needs to know if it is to make an informed decision.
Gay of the Day: Ellen! Vote no on 8! Because I love her.
Previous Gays of the Day:
Kate Hutton John Amaechi Martina Navratilova Richard the Lionhearted Alexander the Great Lily Tomlin. Bessie Smith Daniel Tammet Marlene Dietrich Chad Allen James Dean
John has said repeatedly that being for Obama is a derangement syndrome. Not unlike the Bushies who, no matter what he did, still loved him.
I don't know whether it's selective memory or just blind fealty to the party but it seems that people I know who were ardent Clinton supporters don't remember anything about the primary and are behind Obama now. Perhaps the real change they're hoping for is that he won't be the man he is.
I cannot vote for a man who went to a racist church for twenty years. I can't forget that. Or that his pastor mocked my man Bill Clinton and dry humped on the alter to demean President Clinton.
I cannot vote for a man who has lied repeatedly on everything from FISA to campaign finance to Acorn and on an on.
I cannot vote for a man I am supposed to believe has such shallow relationships that everyone is "not the person I knew."
I cannot vote for a man who has stepped on everyone to get where he is with no accomplishments to speak of except his rise to the top.
I cannot vote for a man who called Bill & Hillary Clinton racists. Wait, where is Bill Clinton's office now? Could it be Harlem? Man, he is a racist.
So I didn't. God help me but I voted for McCain. It was tough. While I was standing in line looking at the sample ballot I thought, how am I going to do this? But I live in an important swing state and I put my country first. I nearly threw up when I got back to my car. It's difficult to go against what you've always done. I've always voted Democratic.
But I couldn't forget who Obama is and what he has done.
Posted on Team Sarah Pretty interesting stuff. True? Not True?
After a long and careful consideration of all the implications and possible consequences of my actions today, I have decided to go through with this in the hope that our country can indeed be guided into the right direction. First, a little personal background...I am a female grad student in my 20's, and a registered Democrat. During the primaries, I was a campaign worker for the Clinton candidacy. I believed in her and still do, staying all the way to the bitter end. And believe me, it was bitter. The snippets you've heard from various media outlets only grazed the surface. There was no love between the Clinton and Obama campaigns, and these feelings extended all the way to the top. Hillary was no dope though, and knew that any endorsement of Obama must appear to be a full-fledged one. She did this out of political survival. As a part of his overall effort to extend an olive branch to the Clinton camp and her supporters, Obama took on a few Hillary staff members into his campaign. I was one such worker. Though I was still bitterly loyal to Hillary, I still held out hope that he would choose her as VP. In fact, there was a consensus among us transplants that in the end, he HAD to choose her. It was the only logical choice. I also was committed to the Democratic cause and without much of a second thought, transferred my allegiance to Senator Obama.
Im going to let you in on a few secrets here, and this is not because I enjoy the gossip or the attention directed my way. I'm doing this because I doubt much of you know the true weaknesses of Obama. Another reason for my doing this is that I am lost faith in this campaign, and feel that this choice has been forced on many people in this country. Put simply, you are being manipulated. That was and is our job - to manipulate you (the electorate) and the media (we already had them months ago). Our goal is to create chaos with the other side, not hope. I've come to the realization (as the campaign already has) that if this comes to the issues, Barack Obama doesn't have a chance. His only chance is to foster disorganization, chaos, despair, and a sense of inevitability among the Republicans. It has worked up until now. Joe the Plumber has put the focus on the issues again, and this scares us more than anything. Being in a position to know these things, I will rate what the Obama campaign already knows are their weak links from the most important on down.
1. Hillary voters. Internal polling suggests that at best, we are taking 70-75% of these voters. Other estimates are as low as 60% in some areas - particularly Ohio and western PA. My biggest problem with this campaign's strategy was the decision NOT to offer Hillary the VP slot. She was ready and able to take this on, and would have campaigned enthusiastically for it. This selection would have also brought virtually all of her supporters into the fold, and the Obama campaign knew it. Though I have no way of knowing this for certain, and I do admit that I am relying on internal gossip, Senator Obama actually went against the advice of his top advisors. They wanted him to choose her, but the only significant opposition to this within the campaign came from Barack and Michelle Obama. In short, he let personal feelings take precedence over what was the most logical thing to do. Biden, by the way, has been a disaster inside the campaign. Everyone cringes whenever he gives an interview, and he creates so many headaches as the campaign has to stay on their toes in order to disseminate information and spin whatever it was he was trying to say.
2. Sarah Palin. Don't believe what the media is telling you about how horrible a choice she was. Again, our internal polling suggest that though she has had a minimal impact on pulling disaffected Hillary Democrats to McCain, she has done wonders in mobilizing the base for McCain. Another thing - we were completely taken by surprise with her pick. In my capacity in the research department, I looked into the backgrounds of Leiberman, Romney, Pawlenty and Ridge, and prepared briefs. I don't mind bragging that we had pretty good stuff on all of them. With Leiberman, the plan was to paint him as an erratic old-timer who didn’t have a clue as to what he was doing (pretty much a clone of McCain). In Romney, we had him pegged as an evil capitalist who cut jobs. Pawlenty was going to get the "Quayle treatment", or more precisely: a pretty face, with no valid experience. Tom Ridge was going to be used to provide a direct link from McCain to Bush. As you can see, we were quite enamored of all of them. Then the unexpected happened -Sarah Palin. We had no clue as to how to handle her, and bungled it from the start. Though through our misinformation networks, we have successfully taken some of the shine off. But let there be no doubt. She remains a major obstacle. She has singlehanded solidified "soft" Republican support, mobilized the McCain ground game, and has even had some appeal to independents and Hillary voters. This is what our internal polling confirms.
3. Obama's radical connections. Standards operating procedure has been to cry "racism" whenever one of these has been brought up. We even have a detailed strategy ready to go should McCain ever bring Rev. Wright up. Though by themselves they are of minimal worth, taken together, Rev. Wright, Bill Ayers, Father Pfelger, and now, Rashid Khalili, are exactly what the campaign does not need. The more focus on them, the more this election becomes a referendum on Obama. The campaign strategy from the very beginning was to make this election a referendum on Bush. Strategists have been banging their head on how successfully McCain has distanced himself from Bush. This has worked, and right now the tide is in his favor. People are taking a new look at Barack Obama, and our experience when this happens tells us this is not good news at all. When they take a look at him, one or more of these names are bound to be brought up. McCain has wisely not harped on this in recent weeks and let voters decide for themselves. This was a trap we set for him, and he never fully took the bait. Senator Obama openly dared him to bring up Ayers. This was not due to machismo on the part of Obama, but actually due to campaign strategy. Though McCain's reference to Ayers fell flat in the last debate, people in the Obama campaign were actually disappointed that he didn’t follow through on it more and getting into it. Our focus groups found this out: When McCain brings these connections up, voters are turned off to him. They’d rather take this into consideration themselves, and when this happens, our numbers begin to tank.
4. The Bradley Effect. Don't believe these polls for a second. I just went over our numbers and found that we have next to no chance in the following states: Missouri, Indiana, North Carolina, Florida, New Hampshire and Nevada. Ohio leans heavily to McCain, but is too close to call it for him. Virginia, Pennsylvania, Colorado, New Mexico and Iowa are the true "toss up states". The only two of these the campaign feels "confident" in are Iowa and New Mexico. The reason for such polling discrepancy is the Bradley Effect, and this is a subject of much discussion in the campaign. In general, we tend to take a 10 point percentage in allowing for this, and are not comfortable until the polls give us a spread well over this mark. This is why we are still campaigning in Virginia and Pennsylvania! This is why Ohio is such a desperate hope for us! What truly bothers this campaign is the fact that some pollsters get up to an 80% "refuse to respond" result. You can't possibly include these into the polls. The truth is, people are afraid to let people know who they are voting for. The vast majority of these respondents are McCain supporters. Obama is the "hip" choice, and we all know it.
As part of my research duties, I scour right wing blogs and websites to get somewhat of a "feel" as to what is being talked about on the other side. Much of it is nonsense, but there are some exceptions which give the campaign jitters. A spirited campaign has been made to infiltrate many pro-Hillary sites and discredit them. A more disorganized, but genuine effort has also been made to sow doubts among the unapologetically right wing sites such as redstate.com. Don't you guys get it? This has been the Obama campaign's sole strategy from the very beginning! The only way he wins is over a dispirited, disorganized, and demobilized opposition. This is how it has been for all of his campaigns. What surprises me is that everyone has fallen for it. You may point to the polls as proof of the inevitability of all of this. If so, you have fallen for the oldest trick in the book. How did we skew these polls, you might ask? It all starts with the media "buzz" which has been generated over the campaign. Many stories are generated on the powerful Obama ground game, and how many new voters were registered. None of this happens by coincidence. It is all part of the poll-skewing process. This makes pollsters change their mixes to reflect these new voters and tilt the mix more towards Democratic voters. What is not mentioned or reported on is not the "under-reported cell phone users or young voters" we hear so much about. What is underreported is you.
I changed my somewhat positive opinion of this campaign during the unfair and sexist campaign against Sarah Palin. I will never agree with her on the issues and will probably never vote for her, but I am embarrassed of what has happened. I can't ignore our own hand in all of this. What I do know is that I will not be voting for Obama this time around. Treat that as you will.
The punks who hanged Palin in effigy have finally taken their morbid, depraved stunt down. I submit to you again: If someone had foisted an effigy of Obama with a noose as a Halloween decoration they would have been strung up. This one lasted a week. And took protests from the mayor and neighbors to get down. What is so galling is that these Pods felt it was perfectly okay.
Post racial, my ass. Hanging a white women...A-Okay...for over a week.
Cuz, Mercury a wild gay man who died in 1990, has had a lasting effect on "straight" sports culture. As a sports fan I always love when certain standards are played on the loudspeakers (YMCA) and thousands of macho straight guy start singing songs written by intense, talented, out there gay guys...many of these same sports fans will vote to strip gays of basic rights this Tuesday....many will not...
I don't know if "diversity" is a useful value or not. As it is preached now, I doubt it . I do know creation/life/God/evolution puts a high value on and thrives in complexity. Life is complex. People are complex. Making room for the COMPLEXITY of life is something we all need to work on. (come to think of it, screw "diversity" - pseudo liberals of ruined this word, too. All it means now to Obama "liberals" is that people of different hues all think alike. - yeah THAT's diverse...)...
Sometimes gay folks write songs that straight sports fans sing loudly and often... it's a complex world - pay attention!
Enjoy Mr. Mercury:
Previous Gays of the Day:
Kate Hutton John Amaechi Martina Navratilova Richard the Lionhearted Alexander the Great Lily Tomlin. Bessie Smith Daniel Tammet Marlene Dietrich Chad Allen James Dean
My funny and delightful friend Heidi (since high school!) and dandy actress - many of you will remember her as Susan Ross on Seinfeld - went back to her native New Mexico to work on getting out the vote. (I went to high school and college in the Land of Enchantment, Go Lobos!) Among her many talents aside from acting, being a kick ass mom, good friend to many, is - wait for it....ukulele! - I present Ms. Heidi's Get Out and Vote Song!
The disintegrating Los Angeles Times won't release the latest Obama hate tape. The LA Times is on death's door as it is- sad that they would rather protect Obama than do the right thing - even now.
One of the ways Obama Pods compensate for their violent impulses is to insist that an anti-Obama writer "kill themselves". I have been told to commit suicide by Pods a number of times in the last few months. This is a "murder wish" on the part of the Pods - most of whom still want to believe they remain in a rational universe and their support of Obama is based in something other than fantasy and projection. Underneath this murder wish is a fear of being stripped of the fantasy. One's defense of the ego's projection is almost impossible to dislodge. As a recovered alcoholic I can testify to this.
Another Pod posted tonight telling me I should kill myself. Bad news for the Pod: I am happy and like my life. It's far from perfect but, hey, I'd be lost without a project. Great friends, the best dog ever, a decent job that makes my life seem much more glamorous than it is, and a big TV for college football (thanks to one of the great friends...).
Stating that one should commit violence against oneself is a subjugation of a violent impulse that I find in many Obama Pods. The evidence is everywhere. Homes have been shot up. People have been beaten and threatened.
This is one of the reasons I've become sublime about an Obama win. Either I'm right or I'm wrong. The only way to find out - since the media still refuses to do the job - is for Obama to take power. If I am right and Obama is a narcissistic, naive, corrupt President we will pay the price but Obama will be neutered by 2010. If I am wrong Obama will be a wise good leader who will govern from the middle and move the country out of the lunacy of the Cheney/Bush years. I win either way - self centered I admit.
I am a guy who needs to know the why of things. I want to know the answer to what has occurred this year. All who have been watching closely know that something fundamental has shifted. My judgment now is that shift is negative. Obama has been elevated by unseen power and money. Talented and smart as he is, his rise is not reflective of his talent- and certainly not of his accomplishments as there are none.
Mystery Pod also stated I "run a hate site". This also goes to confronting his/her fantasy. Any criticism - whether harsh or silly - of Obama is classified as "hate". This is not a "hate site" by any rational stretch. It is critical of Obama and the Obamamedia. And frankly hardly ranks as anti- obama sites go. In the insular world of PODs there is a lack of awareness of the breadth of the anti-obama movement. And if it is not a "movement" now it will become one quickly if he wins. Basic real fears about this man are deep and wide. Mass trashing of 40, then 50, then 60 then 70 percent of the population won't fly. Pods please start with the blog roll on this site. Look at the readers articles on any given day at RCP. Those of us who do not trust or like Obama and his minions are plentiful. We may not win the day on Tuesday - but until information comes to light that negates our views - I remain convinced we will win the war.
I have been saying for months that underneath Obama support is a mob mentality. If Obama is well ahead in polls the mob acts like a massive frat party. If a pointed question is asked or information damaging to the lightbringer is revealed a fury is released. Joe the Plumber is the latest example. A citizen who asked a simple question that the candidate gave a "boneheaded" (or revealing) answer to was trashed. We saw this happen to Clinton through out the Spring. I do not think the Obama mob will change after the election. Many will grow tired of hatred dressed up as a cause. But violence is in the hearts of many of these people. Our job is to stay alert. To tell the truth. To force reality back into the conversation and defend the values that old school liberals (like me) and true conservatives share. Some of those values are: a defense of individual liberty, a fair and open government, opposition to racism and sexism, and a legitimate, balanced press. All these values have been trashed by Obama in his pursuit of power.
I do not know who Obama is. I don't know if he's closest socialist as many say (there is evidence to suggest he is) or not. I know Obama is not who he says he is. And I know he has unleashed a lunacy on the Left. When this type of lunacy has been visited upon other countries it does not end well.
Finally -to lessen the gravity a bit - my hunch now is that the country is going Left but not hard Left.
From the GOSPEL OF THE LIGHTBRINGER. This is the only known gospel in which the ONE speaks to us in the first person.
Chapter 6 Verses 66-666
So, my children is has come to passeth that I have it sowneth up (except if you count today's Gallup poll.) I have now purchaseth mucho airtimeth on all the media outlets For 30 minutes I will speaketh of why I am the one who is to be your leader and YOU will listen For the kingdom of heaven belongeth to those who come with me to the promised land of "cool" For I am cool.
Since the time of my birtheth in Hawaii or Kenya The wise men have come to worship at my altar. Look to Ayres, and Rezko and Wright and Olberman Are they not wise men?
Look to the Democratic Socialist of amerika And Frank Marshall Davis Are they not wise?
Look to Odinga and Huffington and Hamas and Oprah and Soros All have endorsed me.
For we must taketh the wealth of the middle and give it to the rich while we sayeth we are giving it to the poor.
For we must say we are leaving Iraq While we stay in Iraq.
For we must bring Israel to heal and spliteth Jerusalem As my squire Joe Biden has warned.
For now is the time for all to come together FOR ME.
I am the Truth and the Light and the Way No one shall come before me and expect to be rewarded I say unto you: It shall be easier for Bill O to get into MY Lincoln bedroom that it shall be for a man who does not follow me to get into heaven.
So you much watch my show on Wednesday and you must be hypnotized by my greatness.
No one Prop 8! Visit the site here to see what you a can do.
Two today because I got distracted yesterday and did not post a GOTD.
Gay today: James Dean Here is the Rebel Without a Cause scene at Griffith Observatory - one of my favorite places in town.
Keeping with the So Cal theme:
Lesbian today: Kate Hutton Ms. Hutton is a Cal Tech Scientist who, along with Lucy Jones, calms all our nerves in Southern California after an earthquake. If the earth shakes in LA Kate Hutton's presence and professionalism on television ALWAYS makes things better. This lady does not deserve full marriage rights? The yes on 8 folks are bigots, pure and simple. No better than those who insisted blacks go to the back of the bus.
Previous Gays of the Day:
John Amaechi Martina Navratilova Richard the Lionhearted Alexander the Great Lily Tomlin. Bessie Smith Daniel Tammet Marlene Dietrich Chad Allen
A quick note on the Black vote. Obama is expected to get 90-95% of the Black vote. This is being discussed as "racist" - as surely that high percentage means Blacks are voting for Obama because of his race. This does not stand up. Every Democrat since 1964 has gotten between 85-92% of the Black vote. One would expect the Democratic nominee to get 90% of the Black vote. It is the norm. If Obama has an advantage this year with the Black vote it is with NEW black voters. This is to be expected. Obama is half Black. If Bill Richardson had been the nominee an upswing in Hispanic registration would have occurred, along with a lot of Brown Pride. Irish-Americans where proud and excited about John Kennedy in 1960...
Obama has used and abused the race card all year. This has harmed the cause of addressing real racism. Since Obama has run a racist and sexist campaign from the Left, this means we must be more vigilant than ever in clearly opposing real bigotry and clearly opposing "Obama racism" - bullshit that plays on guilt spewed to achieve the effect of benefiting his campaign with no regard for consequences and no concern for real victims of bigotry.
For the past few days I have been hammering at the disappointment the "whole foods nation" is going to experience with a President Obama. I am in now in good company. Alexander Cockburn is a died in the wool progressive. In The Nation he hammers at Obama and the foolish "liberals" who have guzzled the kool aid.
Obama's liberal defenders comfort themselves with the thought that "he had to say that to get elected". He did not.
After eight years of unrelenting assault on constitutional liberties by Bush and Cheney, public and judicial enthusiasm for tyranny has waned. Obama has preferred to stand with Bush and Cheney. In February, seeking a liberal profile in the primaries, Obama stood against warrantless wiretapping. His support for liberty did not survive for long...
As a political organiser of his own advancement, Obama is a wonder. But I have yet to identify a single uplifting intention to which he has remained constant if it has presented any risk to his progress.
It so odd being an anti-Obama liberal blogger. I don't have a huge problem with the rich paying more taxes. Cutting military spending at another point in our history would not bother me much either. What does bother me is the double timing being done by the Obama Democrats and the media. Imagine if Hillary Clinton had said she intended to cut the defense by 25% - Wolf Bliter would crack in half on the air. Then 100 little Blitzers would scamper about the cheap CNN set asking leading questions about America's vulnerability.
But Barney Frank, Obama Pod extraordinaire, will no doubt be ignored.
Personal interjection: I can't stop watching True Blood. And I know it is awful. If it was a sin to be hooked on really bad television I'd go to confession. I already know of at least one drinking game in which viewers chug every time a character says something stupid. I presume whoever plays is hammered after 20 minutes. When the Aryan blondie vampire king of the bayou asked to spend some time with the lead Suki this line was "acted" by her brooding vampire lover: Eric is sheriff of area 5. It is a position of great power among our kind."
Cringe.
And yet - I can't stop watching. In fact, I hate that I have to wait a week between episodes.
5 things that will startle Obama's clueless voters in the first year:
1. He will be forced to take military action against Iran. The U.S. military won't allow a Prez. O to look the other way. I know a number of prominent liberals in my community who - a few years back- insisted they would refuse to pay taxes if W attacked Iran. I wonder how they will react if BHO does? "Well gee, he's just a politician...." the stock answer when Obama sold his soul and voted for FISA???
2. He will be much harder on Israel than expected. Everyone from Samantha Power to Jesse Jackson is telegraphing as much. Many Jewish liberals are in for a shock.
3. The draw down in Iraq will be a continuation of Bush's policy. There will be no real change in Iraq policy. (though they will insist they are responsible for for the good and blame Bush for all bad)
4. The economy will go from bad to worse. The primary policy will be "bailouts" one after another after another - but they won't be directed at the "joe the plumbers" they will be for the investment class and big business i.e. those financing his campaign now. The job market is going to get grimmer. Obama is a fantastic speaker but he does not "feel your pain" like Clinton did or inspire faith like FDR did - which is what the country will need. A lot a blue collar dems that are sucking it up and voting for BHO now will turn on him with ferocity.
And his policies will be directed at helping those who brought him to the party. A hell of a lot of pro BHO younger people, thrown out of work are going to see how quickly they are thrown under the bus.
5. Budget cuts will have to be made. The military will not be cut. Even the most myopic Code Pink freaks will have a moment of lucidity.
I will be adding to this list as time goes by.....
Once elected he's going to suck. I could be wrong but nothing in his biography or resume leads me to believe that he will be a good President.
I am going to play it like he did every time he does something wrong. Just like he was against the war from the beginning I was against his presidency from the beginning.
Will all of his adoring fans heed Biden and stick with him through his mistakes? Will they still love him tomorrow when he doesn't end the war in Iraq and perhaps helps start a war with Iran? Will they still believe if he dismantles Social Security?
It will be odd that no one will admit to have voted for him. I will be taking pictures of their yard signs and proudly sporting my I told you so bumper sticker.
I am posting the ad below not because I endorse Palin as a candidate. I don't. I am almost certainly going to vote Green. However, the shafting of Palin by a biased propaganda machine usually referred to as the "media" has been severe and harsh. The way both Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin have been treated should be of concern to real liberals. The attempt to diminish Palin has been overt. This is classic sexism. Women are not taken as seriously as men. Hence the continuing difference in pay rates. Any way to exploit this lingering stereotype is amplified.
Palin did not help her cause by bumbling at least 3 interviews. But this is a matter of style not substance. Handling a confrontational interview is a learned skill. Given her new appearance on the national scene it should have been expected that she would not be good at it. The fact is Biden is a routinely a disaster in this context. His idiocies are ignored by the media. (When asked about ACORN yesterday Biden lied at least 3 times within a minute.)
The mocking of Palin is analogous to Amos and Andy in the 1930' and 40's. A riff on a stereotype meant to play off the degradation an entire group of second class citizens.
Palin is a relatively new Governor, but she is accomplished and daring. She is more accomplished than BHO by a large margin. I may not agree with some of what she has promoted but she is an effective Executive.
I will not vote for her ticket for policy reasons. Still, it is clear her treatment by the media has been bigoted and nasty.
I am bored with the election. There I said it. It seems like I should be writing "barring a large unforeseen event" here...but even a large unforeseen event would make no difference. I am bored because this election is over as far as I am concerned. Ah, if only it was THIS Tuesday. The blogger in me wants to move on to writing about what happens next. What is interesting to me now is how and when the BHO pixie dust wears off. I'd like to fast forward and get to it. But for the next 11 days the band aid will continue to be ripped off slooooowly.
All the stars have aligned for Obama. Even the GOP wants to lose this election. And who can blame them. Journalism died in the nick of time for Obama. Actually - it has been in a coma since 2003 - awakening after Katrina sunk W - idiots responding to a CAT 4 will wake anyone up. Then it died for good this year.
Questions of interest to me now: 1. Will Obama govern from the Clinton middle or the Arugula Left 2. If, as I assume, Obama governs from the middle when will the Whole Foods Nation turn? 3. Will another version of the media emerge and begin to actually report on Obama? Yes - but when? It will start with BHO's first mistake. How long will the honeymoon be? 4. What kind of executive will he be? 5. Will his ego trump his ability to lead or be an adjunct to it? 6. And that "test" Biden talked about...what will it be?
I like the sport of campaigns. It is why the primaries were so disgusting to me. The rules were clearly obliterated. The general election has been more watchable - but barely. McCain did not learn from Clinton's mistakes. Rove - who does not call me for advice - got it right recently when he said McCain needed to hammer at the Ayres/Rezko stuff much earlier. Then a "joe the plumber" moment becomes an event that shifts the landscape. Luck is the residue of design. McCain will be a gentleman senator and not a gentleman President. When the media is in love with the other guy you've got to go over their collective "heads." That seems basic. But McCain never did it. The only way he could have trumped the media obama orgy is to go after BHO hammer and tongs earlier. He has defined Obama for 40% of the population. He needs 51%.
Besides I like the ruff and tumble. Democracy is better when there is blood in the water. This is the way we get to see our potential leaders. It is also why fair trials are confrontational. The old warrior did not seem to realize he was in a war until the last 2 weeks.
I suppose Obama ran a good campaign. Who knows? The media never questioned him. He's not being elected, he's being elevated. I want to have some admiration for BHO's campaign but I am left with the sense that it was a formality. An entertainment. The collective powers that be want Obama and Obama is who they-and we- shall get.
I felt the same thing in 2000. I never thought Bush would NOT become President. The POWER was behind him. Same thing this year. Obama is owned. He may not even know it. But he is.
The nice thing here is that - whether I wrote about it or not I don't know: I can't remember - I thought this election was over a while ago and I've adjusted myself to it. And frankly, my expectations for BHO are so low it will be impossible to be disappointed.
I have a theory about the next year. Okay - a couple of theories. But one that struck me two days ago has been rolling around in my head collecting other thoughts and though it is clearly not a complete theory - I am going to midwife it now. It assumes an Obama win - sorry. The polls are all over the map and the race is probably tighter than it appears. But the media won't allow Obama to lose. How much Palin spends on her hair is now the idiotic "news" of the day. Obvious sexism aside, I, for one, would like to know how much Biden spends on booze. This non news news will continue until the election.
A year from now moderates - read as "Clinton voters" - will be much happier with President Obama than the Arugula Left that currently is frothing and foaming about the lightbringer. There is almost no way to tangibly predict what President Obama will do. His past and voting record and associations say we are going hard Left. Then again his economic and foreign policy advisers are all moderates or conservatives. The American military will be engaged in Iraq to a lesser degree. But many of those soldiers will be redeployed elsewhere. Iran will have to be dealt with whether Obama likes it or not. This will cause heartburn in the Huffington/Kos cheering section. Though the Andrew Sullivan types will justify and rationalize until their heads explode.
Israel is another matter worth thinking about. Certainly Obama will be less pro Israel than his immediate predecessors. But we will defend her regardless. The American psyche won't allow anything else. If we don't deal with Iran, Israel will - and we will come down on Israel's side - to the frustration of the hard left who see the Palestinians as the only victims in the region. The most rabid anti-Zionists that alight on the Obama site are in for a rude awakening. Allowing Iran a nuclear weapon won't be tolerable to the American military. Obama will be called an "imperialist" soon enough. Biden telegraphed as much the other day. Biden pretty much admits that Obama's response will piss off the Democratic base. I'm thinking military action against Iran after a terror strike on U.S. soil. That's just a guess.
Regardless, Obama won't allow himself to be seen as anything but muscular in dealing with trouble. The fantasy of "hope and change" won't hold up long for the Left.
On the economic front taxes will go up nominally. Conservatives will squeal. But moderates will go along. In the end Obama is being dealt the worst hand imaginable economically. He won't be blamed for a while. After about 10 months it will absolutely be considered his problem and shortly thereafter his fault. For all the yelling about "socialism" there will be no money for drastic changes. Instead of targeted tax cuts we will get targeted tax hikes AND targeted tax cuts. The usual Democratic corruption will be in evidence, replacing the usual GOP corruption.
The Supreme court will have some openings - but I would not look for Lawrence Tribe as the type that will be nominated. Look for solid moderates - like Hillary Clinton. Obama will not be expending capital forcing ideologues past the Senate and Fox news.
When Biden says tough decisions will have to be made he is, in fact, referring to the Democratic base having to swallow hard.
A moderate/left administration replacing the current right wing crew will surprise many. (I am not even sure how far left Obama will go. ) It will disappoint even more.
I could be wrong - it may be that Obama will usher in a dark age of Maoist thought as so many fear. We will probably find out soon enough.
