Harrolds.Blogspot.com
Monday, November 30, 2009
values - Who's contributing or paying for the 2010 elections (or buying candidates?)
OpenSecrets.org: Contributors by issue, including: Abortion Pro-Choice and Anti-Abortion Pro-Life to candidates & their campaigns running in the 2010 Election
o'commissar - Transformation of America [redux, expanded list]
From: jrp Sent: Monday, November 30, 2009
This is quite a list. Unfortunately, most people aren't paying attention.
When Obama wrote a book and said he was mentored as a youth by Frank, (Frank Marshall Davis) an avowed Communist,
people said it didn't matter.
When it was discovered that his grandparents, were strong socialists, sent Obama's mother to a socialist school,
introduced Frank Marshall Davis to young Obama,
When it was discovered that his grandparents, were strong socialists, sent Obama's mother to a socialist school,
introduced Frank Marshall Davis to young Obama,
people said it didn't matter.
When people found out that he was enrolled as a Muslim child in school and his father and step father were both Muslims,
When people found out that he was enrolled as a Muslim child in school and his father and step father were both Muslims,
people said it didn't matter.
When he wrote in another book he authored "I will stand with them (Muslims) should the political winds shift in an ugly direction."
When he wrote in another book he authored "I will stand with them (Muslims) should the political winds shift in an ugly direction."
people said it didn't matter.
When he admittedly, in his book,said he chose Marxist friends and professors in college,
When he admittedly, in his book,said he chose Marxist friends and professors in college,
people said it didn't matter.
When he traveled to Pakistan , after college on an unknown national passport,
When he traveled to Pakistan , after college on an unknown national passport,
people said it didn't matter.
When he sought the endorsement of the Marxist party in 1996 as he ran for the Illinois Senate,
When he sought the endorsement of the Marxist party in 1996 as he ran for the Illinois Senate,
people said it doesn't matter.
When he sat in a Chicago Church for twenty years and listened to a preacher spew hatred for America and preach black liberation theology,
When he sat in a Chicago Church for twenty years and listened to a preacher spew hatred for America and preach black liberation theology,
people said it didn't matter.
When an independent Washington organization, that tracks senate voting records, gave him the distinctive title as the "most liberal senator",
When an independent Washington organization, that tracks senate voting records, gave him the distinctive title as the "most liberal senator",
people said it didn't matter.
When the Palestinians in Gaza, set up a fund raising telethon to raise money for his election campaign,
When the Palestinians in Gaza, set up a fund raising telethon to raise money for his election campaign,
people said it didn't matter.
When his voting record supported gun control,
When his voting record supported gun control,
people said it didn't matter.
When he refused to disclose who donated money to his election campaign, as other candidates had done,
When he refused to disclose who donated money to his election campaign, as other candidates had done,
people said it didn't matter.
When he received endorsements from people like Louis Farrakhan and Mummar Kadaffi and Hugo Chavez,
When he received endorsements from people like Louis Farrakhan and Mummar Kadaffi and Hugo Chavez,
people said it didn't matter.
When it was pointed out that he was a total, newcomer and had absolutely no experience at anything except community organizing,
When it was pointed out that he was a total, newcomer and had absolutely no experience at anything except community organizing,
people said it didn't matter.
When he chose friends and acquaintances such as Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn who were revolutionary radicals,
When he chose friends and acquaintances such as Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn who were revolutionary radicals,
people said it didn't matter.
When his voting record in the Illinois senate and in the U.S. Senate came into question,
When his voting record in the Illinois senate and in the U.S. Senate came into question,
people said it didn't matter.
When he refused to wear a flag, lapel pin and did so only after a public outcry,
When he refused to wear a flag, lapel pin and did so only after a public outcry,
people said it didn't matter.
When people started treating him as a Messiah and children in schools were taught to sing his praises,
When people started treating him as a Messiah and children in schools were taught to sing his praises,
people said it didn't matter.
When he stood with his hands over his groin area for the playing of the National Anthem and Pledge of Allegiance,
When he stood with his hands over his groin area for the playing of the National Anthem and Pledge of Allegiance,
people said it didn't matter.
When he aired his views on abortion, and a host of other issues,
When he aired his views on abortion, and a host of other issues,
people said it didn't matter.
When his background was either scrubbed or hidden and nothing could be found about him,
When his background was either scrubbed or hidden and nothing could be found about him,
people said it didn't matter.
When the place of his birth was called into question, and he refused to produce a birth certificate,
When the place of his birth was called into question, and he refused to produce a birth certificate,
people said it didn't matter.
When he had an association in Chicago with Tony Rezco, a man of questionable character,
When he had an association in Chicago with Tony Rezco, a man of questionable character,
who is now in prison and had helped Obama to a sweet deal on the purchase of his home,
people said it didn't matter.
When it became known that George Soros, a multi-billionaire Marxist, spent a ton of money to get him elected,
When it became known that George Soros, a multi-billionaire Marxist, spent a ton of money to get him elected,
people said it didn't matter.
When he started appointing czars that were radicals, revolutionaries, and even avowed Marxist/Communist,
When he started appointing czars that were radicals, revolutionaries, and even avowed Marxist/Communist,
people said it didn't matter.
When he stood before the nation and told us that his intentions were to "fundamentally transform this nation" into something else,
When he stood before the nation and told us that his intentions were to "fundamentally transform this nation" into something else,
people said it didn't matter.
When it became known that he had trained ACORN workers in Chicago and served as an attorney for ACORN,
When it became known that he had trained ACORN workers in Chicago and served as an attorney for ACORN,
people said it didn't matter.
When he appointed cabinet members and several advisors who were tax cheats and socialist,
When he appointed cabinet members and several advisors who were tax cheats and socialist,
people said it didn't matter.
When he appointed a science czar, John Holdren, who believes in forced abortions, mass sterilizations and seizing babies from teen mothers,
When he appointed a science czar, John Holdren, who believes in forced abortions, mass sterilizations and seizing babies from teen mothers,
people said it didn't matter.
When he appointed Cass Sunstein as regulatory czar and he believes in "Explicit Consent", harvesting human organs with out family consent,
When he appointed Cass Sunstein as regulatory czar and he believes in "Explicit Consent", harvesting human organs with out family consent,
and to allow animals to be represented in court, while banning all hunting,
people said it didn't matter.
When he appointed Mark Lloyd as diversity czar and he believed in curtailing free speech,
taking from one and giving to another to spread the wealth and admires Hugo Chavez,
When he appointed Mark Lloyd as diversity czar and he believed in curtailing free speech,
taking from one and giving to another to spread the wealth and admires Hugo Chavez,
people said it didn't matter.
When Valerie Jarrett was selected as Obama's senior White House advisor and she is an avowed Socialist,
When Valerie Jarrett was selected as Obama's senior White House advisor and she is an avowed Socialist,
people said it didn't matter.
When Anita Dunn, White House Communications director said Mao Tse Tung
was her favorite philosopher and the person she turned to most for inspiration,
When Anita Dunn, White House Communications director said Mao Tse Tung
was her favorite philosopher and the person she turned to most for inspiration,
people said it didn't matter.
When he appointed Carol Browner as global warming czar, and she is a well known socialist working on Cap and trade as the nations largest tax,
When he appointed Carol Browner as global warming czar, and she is a well known socialist working on Cap and trade as the nations largest tax,
people said it doesn't matter.
When he appointed Van Jones, an ex-con and avowed Communist as green energy czar, who since had to resign when this was made known,
When he appointed Van Jones, an ex-con and avowed Communist as green energy czar, who since had to resign when this was made known,
people said it didn't matter.
When Tom Daschle, Obama's pick for health and human services secretary could not be confirmed, because he was a tax cheat,
When Tom Daschle, Obama's pick for health and human services secretary could not be confirmed, because he was a tax cheat,
people said it didn't matter.
When as president of the United States ,he bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia,
When as president of the United States ,he bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia,
people said it didn't matter.
When he traveled around the world criticizing America and never once talking of her greatness,
When he traveled around the world criticizing America and never once talking of her greatness,
people said it didn't matter.
When his actions concerning the middle-east seemed to support the Palestinians over Israel, our long time friend,
When his actions concerning the middle-east seemed to support the Palestinians over Israel, our long time friend,
people said it doesn't matter.
When he took American tax dollars to resettle thousands of Palestinians from Gaza to the United States,
When he took American tax dollars to resettle thousands of Palestinians from Gaza to the United States,
people said it doesn't matter.
When he upset the Europeans by removing plans for a missile defense system against the Russians,
When he upset the Europeans by removing plans for a missile defense system against the Russians,
people said it doesn't matter.
When he played politics in Afghanistan by not sending troops the Field Commanders said we had to have to win,
When he played politics in Afghanistan by not sending troops the Field Commanders said we had to have to win,
people said it didn't matter.
When he started spending us into a debt that was so big we could not pay it off,
When he started spending us into a debt that was so big we could not pay it off,
people said it didn't matter.
When he took a huge spending bill under the guise of stimulus and used it to pay off organizations, unions and individuals that got him elected,
When he took a huge spending bill under the guise of stimulus and used it to pay off organizations, unions and individuals that got him elected,
people said it didn't matter.
When he took over insurance companies, car companies, banks, etc.
When he took over insurance companies, car companies, banks, etc.
people said it didn't matter.
When he took away student loans from the banks and put it through the government,
When he took away student loans from the banks and put it through the government,
people said it didn't matter.
When he designed plans to take over the health care system and put it under government control,
When he designed plans to take over the health care system and put it under government control,
people said it didn't matter.
When he set into motion a plan to take over the control of all energy in the United States through Cap and Trade,
When he set into motion a plan to take over the control of all energy in the United States through Cap and Trade,
people said it didn't matter.
When he finally completed his transformation of America into a Socialist State,
When he finally completed his transformation of America into a Socialist State,
people finally woke up........
but it was too late.
Any one of these things, in and of themselves does not really matter. But.... when you add them up one by one you get a phenomenal score that points to the fact that our Obama is determined to make America over into a Marxist/Socialist society. All of the items in the preceding paragraphs have been put into place. All can be documented very easily. Before you disavow this, do an internet search. The last paragraph alone is not yet cast in stone. You and I will write that paragraph. Will it read as above or will it be a more happy ending for most of America ? Personally, I like happy endings.
If you are an Obama Supporter, please do not be angry with me because I think your president is a socialist. There are too many facts supporting this. If you seek the truth you will be richer for it. Don't just belittle the opposition. Search for the truth. I did. Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Constitutionalist, Libertarians and what have you, we all need to pull together. We all must pull together or watch the demise of a society that we all love and cherish. If you are a religious person, pray for our nation.
Never before in the history of America have we been confronted with problems so huge that the very existence of our country is in jeopardy. Don't rely on most television news and what you read in the newspapers for the truth. Search the internet. Yes, there is a lot of bad information, lies and distortions there too but you are smart enough to spot the fallacies. Newspapers are a dying breed. They are currently seeking a bailout from the government. Do you really think they are about to print the truth? Obama praises all the television news networks except Fox who he has waged war against. There must be a reason. He does not call them down on any specifics, just a general battle against them. If they lie, he should call them out on it but he doesn't. Please, find the truth, it will set you free.
Our biggest enemy is not China, Russia, or Iran; no, our biggest enemy is a contingent of politicians in Washington DC
If you are an Obama Supporter, please do not be angry with me because I think your president is a socialist. There are too many facts supporting this. If you seek the truth you will be richer for it. Don't just belittle the opposition. Search for the truth. I did. Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Constitutionalist, Libertarians and what have you, we all need to pull together. We all must pull together or watch the demise of a society that we all love and cherish. If you are a religious person, pray for our nation.
Never before in the history of America have we been confronted with problems so huge that the very existence of our country is in jeopardy. Don't rely on most television news and what you read in the newspapers for the truth. Search the internet. Yes, there is a lot of bad information, lies and distortions there too but you are smart enough to spot the fallacies. Newspapers are a dying breed. They are currently seeking a bailout from the government. Do you really think they are about to print the truth? Obama praises all the television news networks except Fox who he has waged war against. There must be a reason. He does not call them down on any specifics, just a general battle against them. If they lie, he should call them out on it but he doesn't. Please, find the truth, it will set you free.
Our biggest enemy is not China, Russia, or Iran; no, our biggest enemy is a contingent of politicians in Washington DC
o'bribe care - Reid Senate BUYOFF PROVISION & new taxes for you
Reid Senate BUYOFF PROVISION Gets 60 Votes!
Alert: We Have the Chance to KILL THE BILL IN THE NEXT CLOTURE VOTE there is a long way to go we must continue keep the pressure on. Even as a barrage of over 288,006 faxes from our members POURED in to the U.S. Senate Friday and Saturday... bought off Democratic Senators still voted to destroy our freedom in health care.
Reid successfully bought Senator Mary Landrieu (D) of Louisiana for $100 million of your tax dollars. Landrieu said "I've decided... to move forward, but much more work needs to be done." Louisiana is the only state that qualifies for the Reid Senate BUYOFF PROVISION ". Schumer, D-N.Y said his party is determined to push through ObamaCare with or without Republican support.
Landrieu did not offer to remove the provision and refuse the buyoff but instead made her intent clear. She said "My vote should in no way be construed by the supporters of this current framework as an indication of how I might vote on the final bill." "Landrieu's vote tonight is unequivocally a vote in favor of President Obama's $2.5 trillion government-run health care plan.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) issued the following statement in response to Landrieu's vote:
"Obviously the pressure from President Obama and Democrats in Washington finally got to Senator Landrieu, because she not only reversed her previous assertion that a government-run plan was too costly, but she completely ignored the increasing unemployment rate in her state and the growing national deficit when she cast the 60th vote for Obama's costly health care plan tonight."
Senate ObamaCare creates a new marriage penalty by imposing a tax on individuals who make $200,000 annually but hitting married couples making just $50,000 more.
That's one of 17 new taxes imposed by the bill, which also creates a levy on elective plastic surgery - some call it "BOTAX" - and places a 40 percent excise tax on those who have generous health care plans.
"If you have insurance, you get taxed. If you don't have insurance, you get taxed. If you need a life-saving medical device, you get taxed. If you need prescription medicines, you get taxed," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, who is leading the fight against the bill.
Those legislators will be feeling the WRATH of voters next year -- but WE still have our work cut out for us NOW!
And we CAN defeat it there!
In fact... we can stop this bill COLD. Here's how:
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) must now set the date for the next cloture vote to end all debate over Republican objection and the bill would be pushed onto the Senate calendar for a final vote.
BUT... Reid's sneek attack last weekend sets up the next critical cloture vote likely next week to PASS THE SENATE OBAMACARE BILL. This will require 60 votes to succeed -- and there's a GOOD CHANCE that Reid does NOT have those 60 votes!
If Republicans filibuster this motion, he will need 60 votes to invoke cloture and shut off debate. If cloture fails the bill will die!
THIS IS IT -- one of our BEST chances to kill this bill, before it even gets off the ground!WE HAVE NOT LOST. The bill pushed by Obama, passed by leftist Democrats in the House -- and rejected unanimously by all Senate Republicans -- must now be debated in the U.S. Senate... Reid's Senate version of ObamaCare calls for:
• Hiding the $2.8 Trillion price tag by not accounting for actual costs
• Major reductions in Medicare befits to seniors.
• Major Tax Increases on every American to pay for it all.
• Reid called for increasing the Medicare payroll tax.
The radical leftists in the SENATE were able to PAY OFF SENATORS to get their bill to the floor?
But we have STILL have a chance to stop them in the SENATE... TODAY! Remember, this bill is the worst of all possible bills. It's chock full of every far-left special interest socialistic dream imaginable. Here's some of what's in its TWO THOUSAND PAGES:
- The current version will give billions of dollars of taxpayer healthcare benefits to ILLEGAL ALIENS in America. It would allow illegal aliens to use the new healthcare "exchange" and would not require verification to keep illegal aliens out of the other parts of the proposed federal healthcare system. Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus fought back against reports that leaders would add Senate language to block illegal immigrants from participating in the insurance exchange.
- It will create a nationwide federal government program, the "public option," which will pay for abortion on demand -- with federal funds, of course, because that is what federal agencies spend.
We MUST NOT let them ignore us any longer!
We all remember when President Obama stood in front of a joint session of Congress -- and LIED. He LIED when he said they weren't planning to set up "end-of-life panels" -- his cronies have promoted the idea for a long time now. He LIED when he said his "reforms" wouldn't insure illegal aliens -- it has been clearly shown that there would be NO WAY to prevent this from happening. He LIED when he said that his "government option" health care plan would not force taxpayers to pay for abortions -- the Obama-backed House bill would explicitly authorize the federal government insurance plan to pay for elective abortions and would explicitly authorize taxpayer subsidies for private abortion insurance.The American people are TIRED of being lied to -- which is why over ONE MILLION of us went to Washington, D.C., to bring the voice of the MAJORITY to the doorstep of Congress. You see, the "sleeping giant" in America has been awoken... and we aren't going back to sleep... not while our own government tries to cram a socialist health care plan down our throats!
And on top of all of this... the fact remains that we can't AFFORD this plan! In the face of an estimated $1.85 trillion federal budget deficit for FY2009 and projected trillion dollar annual deficits for the foreseeable future, how can anyone in Congress vote for this health care plan, which will cost over $1 trillion over the next ten years? Plus, Congress is facing at least $53 trillion of unfunded liabilities due to its passage of the previous entitlement programs, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the recent addition of prescription drug coverage for Medicare. How can anyone in Congress vote for a new entitlement program for health care when Congress has not even begun to face up to this unfunded liabilities problem?
Well, they're trying to -- but WE can stop them, with YOUR help!
TAKE ACTION: Even the Democrats are now admitting that it's conceivable that we might not even get passage this week on the usually perfunctory motion to proceed to debate. That's because Republicans will filibuster even that, requiring 60 votes... and there are at least two Democrats who could join that filibuster. BUT THEY NEED TO HEAR FROM US TO BE CONVINCED! We CANNOT let the radical liberals in Congress -- and the White House -- force this plan for socialized health care on the American people! That's why we've set up our website to enable you to send a strong message to every single member of the U.S. Senate, OPPOSING this outrageous plan.
We CAN do this! In 1993, First Lady Hillary Clinton tried to force a less radical form of socialized health care down our throats, thinking that they could do it since the Democrats controlled Congress AND the White House.What was the result? 1994, and the Republican Revolution. The liberal Democrats are "shooting themselves in the foot" again by trying to pass even more radical socialized health care this time -- but we CAN stop them! For about what it would cost you in time and telephone charges, you can send Blast Faxes to Democrats, Republicans, Independents -- EVERYONE in the U.S. Senate, DEMANDING that they REJECT this socialized health care plan NOW. The vote is scheduled for TODAY! Please, take action right away to STOP this bill dead in its tracks! Defend America, Alan Gottlieb, AmeriPAC, President and Founder of www.Ameripac.org P.S. According to a survey of 1,000 likely voters released by the group Conservatives for Patients' Rights, 53 percent of those who say they are likely to vote in the November 2010 election oppose the "public option" type of plan just passed by the U.S. House, compared to 39 percent who like the idea.
THIS ATTEMPT BY LIBERALS TO SHOVE "OBAMACARE" DOWN OUR THROATS IS OUTRAGEOUS -- and it MUST be stopped! Send your faxes right away to make sure these Senators get a STRONG message, to REJECT the socialized plan of "Obamacare" NOW -- Thank you!
TELL THE SENATE TO REJECT SOCIALIZED HEALTH CARE BETTER KNOWN AS "OBAMACARE": SEND YOUR FAXES NOW! https://secure.conservativedonations.com/ameripac_obamacare3?a=3321
Please make checks payable to AmeriPAC: American Political Action Committee (AmeriPAC), PO Box 1682, Dept Code 3321, Bellevue, WA 98009-3321 Paid for by AmeriPAC, a federally-authorized and qualified multicandidate political action committee. Contributions to AmeriPAC will be used in connection with federal elections. Maximum contribution per individual per calendar year is $5,000. Contributions from foreign nationals and corporations are prohibited. Contributions are not deductible for federal income tax purposes.
o'bow'n scrape'n grovel - "He is the One" Remember in November!
"I never will, by any word or act, bow to the shrine of intolerance or admit a right of inquiry into the religious opinions of others." ~~ Thomas Jefferson (b.1743-d.1826), 3rd President of the United States: 1801-1809
Remember in November: 2010 & 2012!
Remember in November: 2010 & 2012!
o'judgeme - by the company he keeps
From: gg/tj Sent: Sunday, November 29, 2009
Find a moment to study and reflect, you may be surprised! Or not. GG
Find a moment to study and reflect, you may be surprised! Or not. GG
Boy, isn't this accurate! tj
 During the 2008 Presidential campaign Senator Barack Obama told audiences "Judge me by the people with whom I surround myself." Okay, comrade: Any questions? THE FACTS: Senator Obama's Hidden Socialist Ties Click on charts & photos for details   |
o'bow - The "Awakening" of a news person
From: baja Sent: Sunday, November 29, 2009 (photos & 'toon added)
He Can't Take Another Bow
by PEGGY NOONAN, WSJ, 28 NOVEMBER 2009
This week, two points in an emerging pointillist picture of a White House leaking support not the support of voters, though polls there show steady decline, but in two core constituencies, Washington's Democratic-journalistic establishment, and what might still be called the foreign-policy establishment.
From journalist Elizabeth Drew, a veteran and often sympathetic chronicler of Democratic figures, a fiery denunciation of?and warnning for?the White House. In a piece in Politico on the firing of White House counsel Greg Craig, Ms. Drew reports that while the president was in Asia last week, "a critical mass of influential people who once held big hopes for his presidency began to wonder whether they had misjudged the man." They once held "an unromantically high opinion of Obama," and were key to his rise, but now they are concluding that the president isn't "the person of integrity and even classiness they had thought."
She scored "the Chicago crowd," which she characterized as "a distressingly insular and small-minded West Wing team." The White House, Ms. Drew says, needs adult supervision?"an older, wiser heaad, someone with a bit more detachment."
As I read Ms. Drew's piece, I was reminded of something I began noticing a few months ago in bipartisan crowds. I would ask Democrats how they thought the president was doing. In the past they would extol, with varying degrees of enthusiasm, his virtues. Increasingly, they would preface their answer with, "Well, I was for Hillary."
This in turn reminded me of a surprising thing I observe among loyal Democrats in informal settings and conversations: No one loves Barack Obama. Half the American people say they support him, and Democrats are still with him. But there were Bill Clinton supporters who really loved him. George W. Bush had people who loved him. A lot of people loved Jack Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. But no one seems to love Mr. Obama now; they're not dazzled and head over heels. That's gone away.
He himself seems a fairly chilly customer; perhaps in turn he inspires chilly support. But presidents need that rock-bottom 20% who, no matter what's happening?war, unemployment?adore theireir guy, have complete faith in him, and insist that you love him, too.
They're the hard 20 a president always keeps. Nixon kept them! Obama probably has a hard 20 too, but whatever is keeping them close, it doesn't seem to be love.
From journalist Elizabeth Drew, a veteran and often sympathetic chronicler of Democratic figures, a fiery denunciation of?and warnning for?the White House. In a piece in Politico on the firing of White House counsel Greg Craig, Ms. Drew reports that while the president was in Asia last week, "a critical mass of influential people who once held big hopes for his presidency began to wonder whether they had misjudged the man." They once held "an unromantically high opinion of Obama," and were key to his rise, but now they are concluding that the president isn't "the person of integrity and even classiness they had thought."
She scored "the Chicago crowd," which she characterized as "a distressingly insular and small-minded West Wing team." The White House, Ms. Drew says, needs adult supervision?"an older, wiser heaad, someone with a bit more detachment."
As I read Ms. Drew's piece, I was reminded of something I began noticing a few months ago in bipartisan crowds. I would ask Democrats how they thought the president was doing. In the past they would extol, with varying degrees of enthusiasm, his virtues. Increasingly, they would preface their answer with, "Well, I was for Hillary."
This in turn reminded me of a surprising thing I observe among loyal Democrats in informal settings and conversations: No one loves Barack Obama. Half the American people say they support him, and Democrats are still with him. But there were Bill Clinton supporters who really loved him. George W. Bush had people who loved him. A lot of people loved Jack Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. But no one seems to love Mr. Obama now; they're not dazzled and head over heels. That's gone away.
He himself seems a fairly chilly customer; perhaps in turn he inspires chilly support. But presidents need that rock-bottom 20% who, no matter what's happening?war, unemployment?adore theireir guy, have complete faith in him, and insist that you love him, too.
They're the hard 20 a president always keeps. Nixon kept them! Obama probably has a hard 20 too, but whatever is keeping them close, it doesn't seem to be love.
******
Just as stinging as Elizabeth Drew on domestic matters was Leslie Gelb on Mr. Obama and foreign policy in the Daily Beast. Mr. Gelb, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations and fully plugged into the Democratic foreign-policy establishment, wrote this week that the president's Asia trip suggested "a disturbing amateurishness in managing America's power." The president's Afghanistan review has been "inexcusably clumsy," Mideast negotiations have been "fumbling." So unsuccessful was the trip that Mr. Gelb suggested Mr. Obama take responsibility for it "as President Kennedy did after the Bay of Pigs."
He added that rather than bowing to emperors - Mr. Obama "seems to do this stuff spontaneously and inexplicably" - he should begin to bow to "the voices of experience" in Washington.
When longtime political observers start calling for wise men, a president is in trouble.
It also raises a distressing question: Who are the wise men and women now. Who are the Robert Lovetts, Chip Bohlens and Robert Strausses who can came in to help a president in trouble right his ship. America seems short of wise men, or short on those who are universally agreed to be wise. I suppose Vietnam was the end of that, but establishments exist for a reason, and it is hard for a great nation to function without the presence of a group of "the oldest and wisest" who can not only give sound advice but help engineer how that advice will be reported and received.
Just as stinging as Elizabeth Drew on domestic matters was Leslie Gelb on Mr. Obama and foreign policy in the Daily Beast. Mr. Gelb, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations and fully plugged into the Democratic foreign-policy establishment, wrote this week that the president's Asia trip suggested "a disturbing amateurishness in managing America's power." The president's Afghanistan review has been "inexcusably clumsy," Mideast negotiations have been "fumbling." So unsuccessful was the trip that Mr. Gelb suggested Mr. Obama take responsibility for it "as President Kennedy did after the Bay of Pigs."
He added that rather than bowing to emperors - Mr. Obama "seems to do this stuff spontaneously and inexplicably" - he should begin to bow to "the voices of experience" in Washington.
When longtime political observers start calling for wise men, a president is in trouble.
It also raises a distressing question: Who are the wise men and women now. Who are the Robert Lovetts, Chip Bohlens and Robert Strausses who can came in to help a president in trouble right his ship. America seems short of wise men, or short on those who are universally agreed to be wise. I suppose Vietnam was the end of that, but establishments exist for a reason, and it is hard for a great nation to function without the presence of a group of "the oldest and wisest" who can not only give sound advice but help engineer how that advice will be reported and received.
******
Mr Obama is in a hard place. Health care hangs over him, and if he is lucky he will lose a close vote in the Senate. The common wisdom that he can't afford to lose is exactly wrong - he can't afford to win with such a poor piecce of legislation. He needs to get the issue behind him, vow to fight another day, and move on.
Afghanistan hangs over him, threatening the unity of his own Democratic congressional base. There is the growing perception of incompetence, of the inability to run the machine of government. This, with Americans, is worse than Mr. Obama's rebranding as a leader who governs from the left.
Americans demand baseline competence. If he comes to be seen as Jimmy Carter was, that the job was bigger than the man, that will be the end.
Which gets us back to the bow.
In a presidency, a picture or photograph becomes iconic only when it seems to express something people already think. When Gerald Ford was spoofed for being physically clumsy, it took off. The picture of Ford losing his footing and tumbling as he came down the steps of Air Force One became a symbol. There was a reason, and it wasn't that he was physically clumsy. He was not only coordinated but graceful. He'd been a football star at the University of Michigan and was offered contracts by the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers.
But the picture took off because it expressed the growing public view that Ford's policies were bumbling and stumbling. The picture was iconic of a growing political perception.
Obama bowing pictures are becoming iconic, and they would not be if they weren't playing off a growing perception. If the pictures had been accompanied by headlines from Asia saying "Tough Talks Yield Big Progress" or "Obama Shows Muscle in China," the bowing pictures might be understood this way: "He Stoops to Conquer: Canny Obama shows elaborate deference while he subtly, toughly, quietly advances his nation's interests."
But that's not how the pictures were received or will be remembered.
It is true that Mr. Obama often seems not to have a firm grasp of or respect for protocol, of what has been done before and why, and of what divergence from the traditional might imply. And it is true that his political timing was unfortunate. When a great nation is feeling confident and strong, a surprising presidential bow might seem gracious. When it is feeling anxious, a bow will seem obsequious.
The Obama bowing pictures are becoming iconic not for those reasons, however, but because they express a growing political perception, and that is that there is something amateurish about this presidency, something too ad hoc and highly personalized about it, something . . . incompetent, at least in its first year.
It is hard to be president, and White Houses under pressure take refuge in thoughts that become mantras. When the previous White House came under mounting criticism from 2005 through '08, they comforted themselves by thinking, They criticized Lincoln, too. You could see their minds whirring: Lincoln was criticized, Lincoln was great, ergo we are great. But of course just because they say you're stupid doesn't mean you're Lincoln.
One senses the Obama people are doing the Lincoln too, and adding to it the consoling thought that this is only the first year, we've got three years to go, we can change perceptions, don't worry.
But they should worry. You can get tagged, typed and pegged your first year. Gerald Ford did, and Ronald Reagan too, more happily. The first year is when indelible impressions are made and iconic photos emerge.
Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page A15, Copyright 2009 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Mr Obama is in a hard place. Health care hangs over him, and if he is lucky he will lose a close vote in the Senate. The common wisdom that he can't afford to lose is exactly wrong - he can't afford to win with such a poor piecce of legislation. He needs to get the issue behind him, vow to fight another day, and move on.
Afghanistan hangs over him, threatening the unity of his own Democratic congressional base. There is the growing perception of incompetence, of the inability to run the machine of government. This, with Americans, is worse than Mr. Obama's rebranding as a leader who governs from the left.
Americans demand baseline competence. If he comes to be seen as Jimmy Carter was, that the job was bigger than the man, that will be the end.
Which gets us back to the bow.
In a presidency, a picture or photograph becomes iconic only when it seems to express something people already think. When Gerald Ford was spoofed for being physically clumsy, it took off. The picture of Ford losing his footing and tumbling as he came down the steps of Air Force One became a symbol. There was a reason, and it wasn't that he was physically clumsy. He was not only coordinated but graceful. He'd been a football star at the University of Michigan and was offered contracts by the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers.
But the picture took off because it expressed the growing public view that Ford's policies were bumbling and stumbling. The picture was iconic of a growing political perception.
Obama bowing pictures are becoming iconic, and they would not be if they weren't playing off a growing perception. If the pictures had been accompanied by headlines from Asia saying "Tough Talks Yield Big Progress" or "Obama Shows Muscle in China," the bowing pictures might be understood this way: "He Stoops to Conquer: Canny Obama shows elaborate deference while he subtly, toughly, quietly advances his nation's interests."But that's not how the pictures were received or will be remembered.
It is true that Mr. Obama often seems not to have a firm grasp of or respect for protocol, of what has been done before and why, and of what divergence from the traditional might imply. And it is true that his political timing was unfortunate. When a great nation is feeling confident and strong, a surprising presidential bow might seem gracious. When it is feeling anxious, a bow will seem obsequious.
The Obama bowing pictures are becoming iconic not for those reasons, however, but because they express a growing political perception, and that is that there is something amateurish about this presidency, something too ad hoc and highly personalized about it, something . . . incompetent, at least in its first year.
It is hard to be president, and White Houses under pressure take refuge in thoughts that become mantras. When the previous White House came under mounting criticism from 2005 through '08, they comforted themselves by thinking, They criticized Lincoln, too. You could see their minds whirring: Lincoln was criticized, Lincoln was great, ergo we are great. But of course just because they say you're stupid doesn't mean you're Lincoln.
One senses the Obama people are doing the Lincoln too, and adding to it the consoling thought that this is only the first year, we've got three years to go, we can change perceptions, don't worry.
But they should worry. You can get tagged, typed and pegged your first year. Gerald Ford did, and Ronald Reagan too, more happily. The first year is when indelible impressions are made and iconic photos emerge.
Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page A15, Copyright 2009 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved
RenewAmerica Newsletter: November 30, 2009
Exclusive interview with Senator Inhofe
WES VERNON, RA ANALYST — The big media may think they can go on forever ignoring the Climategate scandal - - whereby "respected" scientists have been caught red-handed doctoring evidence so as to perpetrate the fraudulent perception of man-made "global warming"... (more)
November 29, 2009
JOSEPH FARAH — It's a funny thing about "consensus." Often we are told that because society has reached a "consensus" on a given topic, debate about it should be all but be extinguished. Those who are not part of the "consensus" are often ridiculed and marginalized... (more)
November 29, 2009
CHRISTOPHER BOOKER — A week after my colleague James Delingpole, on his Telegraph blog, coined the term "Climategate" to describe the scandal revealed by the leaked emails from the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit, Google was showing that the word now appears across the internet more than nine million times... (more)
November 29, 2009
ASSOCIATED PRESS — The 60 votes aren't there any longer. With the Senate set to begin debate Monday on healthcare overhaul, the all-hands-on-deck Democratic coalition that allowed the bill to advance is fracturing already. Yet majority Democrats will need 60 votes again to finish... (more)
November 29, 2009
ASSOCIATED PRESS — Osama bin Laden was unquestionably within reach of U.S. troops in the mountains of Tora Bora when American military leaders made the crucial and costly decision not to pursue the terrorist leader with massive force, a Senate report says... (more)
November 28, 2009
WARNER TODD HUSTON — The reason that I could never get elected to any government position is the same reason why conservatives have a tough time getting elected and, if they end up elected, can't govern in this era of the ill-educated voter. First I'll lay out my main principles... (more)
November 28, 2009
WORLDNETDAILY — The 3rd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Philadelphia has upheld a school district's ban on Christmas carols such as "Silent Night," "Joy to the World," "Oh, Come All Ye Faithful" and "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" - - and approved "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Frosty the Snowman"... (more)
November 28, 2009
FOX NEWS — The nativity crèche and the menorah are no longer welcome inside the Washington state Capitol after Gov. Chris Gregoire banned non-government displays, including religious ones, from inside the building... (more)
November 28, 2009
WORLDNETDAILY — A poll released today shows Americans' belief in the current health-care system has risen dramatically in the last year, and support for a socialized solution to a health-care "crisis" has nearly evaporated... (more)
November 28, 2009
SCOTT LAZAROWITZ — If there's anything worse than a private-sector monopoly, it's a government-run monopoly. The difference is that in the private sector, everyone is free to compete and remove the monopolist's monopoly status, while a government monopoly forbids competition and compels the citizenry to patronize its operation... (more)
November 28, 2009
MICHAEL BILLY (PUBLISHED APR. 18) — On May 11, the US Post Office is raising the price of stamps by 2¢. Even in the face of increasing prices, many people will argue that the Post Office is necessary because a private organization could never perform these functions for a similar cost... (more)
November 28, 2009
THOMAS SOWELL — You can't really understand politics until you understand that politicians are not trying to solve our problems. They are trying to solve their own problems - of which getting elected and re-elected are No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. Whatever is No. 3 is far behind... (more)
November 27, 2009
MICHELLE MALKIN — As we gather round the Thanksgiving table, bow our heads in prayer and feast on the holiday bird, it is only fitting to take a moment to fete the unforgettable turkeys of 2009: (1) The stimulus. Back in February, I wrote that if the trillion-dollar stimulus plan were a Thanksgiving dinner entree, it would be a Turbaconducken... (more)
November 27, 2009
FOX NEWS — Conservative activists in the Republican Party are pushing a proposal to deny funding to GOP candidates who fail what is being called a purity test, a move that is being met with skepticism by some Republican commentators... (more)
November 27, 2009
NEWSMAX — You haven't heard it from America's mainstream media yet - - even Fox News hasn't covered it - - but the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Dr. John P. Holdren, is a key player in the Climategate e-mails flap, which is shaping up as the biggest scandal in the history of modern science... (more)
November 27, 2009
WORLDNETDAILY — President Obama's new anti-Semitism czar serves on the board of a controversial Israel-lobby group accused of working against the Jewish state, while her writings suggest Israel's policies are to blame for anti-Semitism... (more)
November 27, 2009
HERBERT LONDON — As many analysts have noted, political correctness has insinuated itself into the analysis of the murders at Fort Hood. Far better to rationalize the atrocity by referring to the assailant, Major Nidal Hasan, as a deranged individual, rather than a radical Muslim intent on bloodshed... (more)
November 27, 2009
CHRISTIAN POST — More than 150,000 people have so far signed the Manhattan Declaration, just a week after the document was unveiled. And one of the document's drafters, Chuck Colson, hopes the number will soon reach a million so that Christians would put America on notice that they will not compromise their faith, no matter what... (more)
November 27, 2009
GOUVERNEUR TIMES — The election results certified by the St. Lawrence County Board of Elections for New York's 23rd Congressional District contain some numbers that are mathematically impossible. These numbers were requested in person and transmitted by e-mail just hours before certification on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009... (more)