The Chicago Tribune reported today that some dude named Bruce Elloit who owns a bar on the North Side of Chicago painted a nude picture (bizarrely using his own daughter as the model) of Governor Sarah Palin and hung it mockingly on the wall in his tavern. At least no female is being objectified or humiliated at the hands of this caring, considerate, tolerant liberal. Nope, no sexism here. Because of course, what does being a crass, disrespectful putz matter when compared to being a good liberal who hates the likes of Palin and McCain, right?
I guess, at least, on the other hand it's comforting to know that when Hillary reads this she'll fume over yet another "first" Palin beat her to.
Mona Charen writing in the National Reviewfills in some of the missing pieces of the recent mortgage collapse and identifies some key players in the demise of institutions like Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Guess which politician running for president was involved? (Hint: his name rhymes with "a sock")
“Experience should teach us to be most on our guard to protect liberty when the government’s purposes are beneficial. Men born to freedom are naturally alert to repel invasion of their liberty by evil-minded rulers. The greater dangers to liberty lurk in the insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well-meaning but without understanding.”
-Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis
When I was in 3rd grade my youngest brother poured a glass of milk, thinking it was soap, into my fish tank and proceeded to clean the bowl with a toothbrush. I had lazily neglected to clean the bowl myself for some time and although it was a thoughtful gesture on my brother’s part, it resulted in both my fishes (Andre Dawson and John Wayne) being flushed down the toilet. As soon as I got new fish (The Hawk and The Duke) and fresh water that next week, some ground rules were put in to place as to when and how my brother would be able to visit with my pets.
Now obviously I didn’t believe he meant the fish any malicious harm. In truth, the very fact that he didn’t mean any harm combined with his youthful penchant to confuse milk for soap is what made him all the more of a threat to any unsuspecting little goldfish in the house.
Democrats in Washington today remind me an awful lot of my youngest brother all those years ago. The milky suds of liberalism have, despite the good intentions of those who advocate their usage, been confused for the thorough Irish Spring-like cleansing of conservatism this country’s economy, government, and culture has been in need of for many years. Republicans certainly have been negligent in keeping the fish bowl in proper, working order the past 8 years, but it seems clear to me that more milk certainly isn’t the answer to our current predicaments.
The problem with liberalism is liberalism. The problem with conservatism is conservatives. The Left chases after an ideology and political philosophy that is inherently flawed. The Right’s tenets are more closely aligned with the original intentions of our Founding Fathers, and have the added bonus of common sense and facts hedging those convictions. Unfortunately and unavoidably, they also have just as many fallen human beings running things as the Left does. I’ve yet to find a political party that has cornered the market on unethical behavior or incompetence. (But then again, the perpetual failures of our federal government are the reasons we as a nation have traditionally been leery of their schemes and prefer the voluntary nature of free markets.)
The difference here is that conservative principles, if actually practiced by our government and used as a political barometer by voters, will provide America with the best possible opportunity to succeed in the future. In short: conservative "things" (like adherence to our Constitution and the Invisible Hand of the free market), if followed correctly, work. Modern Democrats, however, are stuck with the consistently-proven-to-be-wrong liberal ideology of LBJ, Jimmy Carter, and Nancy Pelosi that cannot work no matter who is running the show.
As the fat swan said to the ugly swan: “I can lose weight, but you’re stuck.” Barack Obama and Joe Biden don’t care any more or any less for their country than John McCain and Sarah Palin. In fact, the primary problem with the Obama-Biden ticket’s ill-advised support for things like increased spending, increased taxes, bloated bureaucracy, and precipitous withdrawal from Iraq is not that they don’t truly want what is best for America, but that they are so convinced what they propose will work.
On one hand it was sweet that my little bro wanted to do me a “solid” and clean my tank. It’s nice to have family members who earnestly seek the good of their siblings. But when his sincerity led to disaster, if I equally cared for him and his development as a person, it was my duty to sympathetically point out the error of his ways and firmly warn him that it cannot happen again. (Flush my fish once, shame on me. Flush my fish twice, you’re getting a wedgie.)
Two quick examples of the unreliability exhibited by liberals like Obama and Biden I’m talking about: First, it is a reality that by lowering taxes, government’s tax revenues actually go up. During his first term, President Bush and Congress (the ones who authorize any tax cut or spending proposal) cut taxes and since have seen record-setting revenues come in to the U.S. Treasury. The problem of the course was out-of-control spending in Washington. Some blame the War in Iraq, but when the levels of our GDP we spend on national defense are at historic lows (even for times of peace); the answer to the deficit is not found in Baghdad. When taxes are cut, in conjunction with curtailed spending, revenues go up and the deficit goes down.
Obama’s plan? More than $750 billion per year in increased spending projects and a $1 trillion dollar tax hike on that same 3% who already are paying more than their “fair share.” In a time of economic turmoil, largely caused by the implosion of lending giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (two big-government liberal institutions that Democrats like Obama took campaign money from but did nothing to heed warnings of their inevitable collapse), the man who blames Bush’s plans and mocks McCain’s has decided to do more of the thing Bush got wrong (over-spend) and none of what McCain has consistently been right about (across-the-board tax cuts).
What is a responsible, thinking, informed adult suppose to think of such thoughtlessness? Because he says he means well and “cares” more than the other guy, I’m to trust Senator Obama with the reigns of an economy he clearly doesn’t believe in (because he is a far-Left Socialist when it comes to economics)? Republicans have made mistakes, and McCain is no economic guru, but this is madness.
Second example: The single most important vote of Obama’s political career, and the most important foreign policy issue in 5 years, was the decision whether or not to implement the president’s “surge” plan in early 2007. Barack Obama, a man who has visited Iraq once in the past three years, decried the plan and insisted that military action would never work. He called for immediate, precipitous withdrawal regardless of the acknowledged potential genocide and civil war that would ensue. Fast-forward to Fall of 2008 and now the junior Senator from Illinois claims that his strategy for withdrawal is being proven right because troops are coming home after the incredible turnaround in safety and political progress the surge he voted against was responsible for.
This is a staggeringly reckless position to take. Hear me: whatever your feelings might be about why we went to Iraq, a war Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden voted for, no serious contender for Commander-in-Chief can so blatantly put aside facts of success, realities-on-the-ground, and the advice of men like General Petraeus (a registered Democrat) and still be considered a legitimate option for running the military.
Senator Obama might really want what is best for you and me, but his zeal seems to have lapped his abilities and voting record on the racetrack of this seemingly never-ending presidential campaign. He's a "new" breed of politician who happens to be the most liberal voting Senator. He has no noteworthy piece of legislation to his name, but can revamp the government and economy. Abortion is so “above [his] pay grade” that he’s certain it should be on-demand through the 3rd trimester and entirely federally funded. He went to a church for 20 years but never heard any of the same anti-American, neo-Marxist rantings from his spiritual mentor I found on YouTube (and the church’s own website). It's not his "hope" I fear; it's his judgment.
All it would take to turn this government and economy back to the “for us, by us” entities they once were is for Americans to stop voting based purely on race, or eloquence, or how much disdain you have for citizens of Red or Blue states, and actively pursue the truth behind the sound-bites and email donor letters you receive from the various campaigns.
Check out bi-partisan websites like FactCheck.org. If you usually watch nothing but MSNBC, tune in for half an hour of Glenn Beck on CNN Headline or Bill O’Reilly on Fox News. If the only monologues you are aware of come from John Stewart and Letterman, give Rush Limbaugh and Dennis Prager an hour of your time. Follow up on any and all facts either side reports that confuse you or make you mad. Learn more about this nation’s founding and history (pre-MTV). Take a second to investigate what type of economic system a country has to have for things like TiVo and iPhones to exist.
Do something. Read something. Seek the counsel of someone wiser than yourself. (Might I suggest starting with John Adams, Adam Smith, and G.K. Chesterton.)
It doesn’t really matter how much Barack the Organizer cares for our communities. Experience, passion and zeal are only helpful if pointed in the right direction.
Ann Coulter takes the Left's forced play for religious voters to task in her powerful latest piece which, if nothing else, should at least give you a chuckle or two. Good girl, Ann!
...you propose an idea to Ben and Jerry's and they reject you for being too far-Left. PETA is wanting the ice cream legends to start using...get this...human milk instead of cow's milk for their product. I kid you not.
Oh, and btw, they are Obama supporters and have raised millions for his campaign.
Although President Bush is still in office for more than 3 more months, in the minds of most Americans he has been inconsequential for a while. My favorite writer/thinker in the world today, Charles Krauthammer, recently sat down with the president and recounts some of the reasons why he believes Bush will be remembered more like Truman than Nixon.
What a mistake it was for Obama to pick this guy. Even the New York Times cannot help but marvel at the train-wreck known as Joe Biden.
"But the reality for Mr. Biden is that while running mates are second-fiddlers by definition, the phenomenon of Ms. Palin has rendered him something of a fourth or fifth fiddle. It is not like last month, when reporters swarmed Mr. Biden’s Delaware home and delegates swooned at the Democratic convention. He is now trailed by just a few national reporters, and struggling to break through in a race marked by historic firsts, political celebrities and charismatic newcomers — none named Joe Biden."
I am not sure if Barack Obama's campaign is trying to lose this election, or if they are just so partisan and foolish that they don't care about the truth any more. In the latest installment of "I'll say whatever it takes to win this thing" news, the Obama people put out an ad attempting to link Rush Limbaugh and John McCain as being two peas in a racist pod. The ad, run in Spanish in four states with significant Latino populations, "claims" that both Limbaugh and McCain have it in for all immigrants, legal or otherwise. Wow.
Few "minor" problems with this. 1) McCain and Limbaugh don't like each other and don't see eye to eye on this VERY topic (immigration). 2) McCain and President Bush angered Limbaugh and conservatives by attempting to grant amnesty to upwards of 20 million illegal aliens last year. 3) The quotes the ad attributes to Limbaugh, again, someone who doesn't even like McCain all that much, are categorically taken out of context.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE read this column from The Politico and watch the television ad (or read the transcript if you don't "habla espanol"). This is rubbish, and regardless of your personal feelings about either Limbaugh or McCain, this is the very type of "dirty" politics Barack the Messiah ensured us would never be apart of his campaign. He was to bring the races together....by race-baiting and lying (in Spanish no less) to foster resentment between the races. Gross!
The Russkies are providing defense missiles to both Iran and Venezuela to prevent their "peaceful" nuclear sites from attack. This is a problem when a supposed ally and member of the G8 is aiding and abetting two of the most dangerous regimes in the world.
Oh shoot, I forgot, we have nothing to worry about. Obama said he can talk countries like this off the ledge. Phew. Never mind, we'll be fine.
Oh Chevy Chase, you sage, tell me more about your political views....they are fascinating! Oh, and btw, say hello to your career if you ever happen to see it again. Thanks, "Man of the House."
One of the biggest financial supporters of the Clinton's has promised to endorse and raise money for John McCain. We'll take all the help we can get, I suppose.
Why Sarah Palin is fascinating the nation and driving the Left nuts
by: R.J. Moeller
It wasn’t supposed to happen this way.This was his time.He had played the New York Giants spoiler role to the Clinton’s New England Patriots political dynasty in the Democratic primaries.He was up against an old dude with a goiter who didn’t know how many houses his wealthy wife owned, and looked alarmingly similar to the disgruntled neighbor with the high fence who has yet to return all those nerf balls he insisted at the time were, “Mine now!”What in the name of change happened to Barack Obama’s coronation as our next president?
She happened.The pit bull with lipstick happened.From the northern woods of a place the map in my atlas calls “Alaska” came what appeared to be a normal human being in elected office who embodied many of the traditional, conservative values the majority of Americans still believe in.The “Thrilla’ from Wasilla,” Governor Sarah Palin, has exploded on to the American political landscape like few politicians since….umm, well….since Barack Obama at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.What a difference four years and one less chromosome makes, huh?
By all accounts, the choice Senator John McCain made to select Palin as his vice presidential running mate was a risky one.Predictably, the liberal media pundits told him to prove how bi-partisan he really was by picking Independent-Democrat Joe Lieberman, something that guaranteed a fracture in the Republican Party and an Obama-Biden victory in November.Conservatives, who already had their qualms with McCain’s record, couldn’t agree on whom he ought to pick, and with what was presumed to end up being a lackluster selection of some gutless moderate Republican, things looked bleak.
However, the old dog proved he had a few new tricks still yet up his sleeve and blindsided everyone by introducing a talented, articulate, beautiful, gun-toting, corruption-fighting mother of 5 from a state that even the media couldn’t call “fly-over country.” (Flights from New York to LAX typically don’t detour in Anchorage.)
The mainstream media, liberal Democrats, and the entire Obama campaign have absolutely no idea what to do about the insurgence of Sarah Palin.She is as much of a mystery to secular-progressive Americans as she is a comforting breath of fresh air to conservatives.She is an enigma to the Manhattan-San Francisco crowd which doesn’t see, know, or care to interact with the same “little guys”, the ones who cling to their “guns and religion”, the Left claims to have in mind when they propose sweeping Socialist reforms.
The emergence of Palin has knocked liberals off their game largely in my opinion because of her beliefs in traditional Christian morals and teachings, and because she defies many of the feminist stereotypes the women of The View ensure us are necessary for any female to be happy and content.
Governor Palin was married at a young age to her high school sweetheart and happens to still love “her guy”; something the Sex and the City girls would say cripples a woman’s chance for personal and relational fulfillment.She had three of her kids before the age of 30; something Jane Fonda would say is tantamount to strapping bowling balls to your ankles before swimming in the ocean.She is a life-long member of the NRA and avid moose hunter; something that would likely motivate the average liberal English teacher (oxymoron) at your child’s public school to assign a writing project called “Why Republicans Hate Nature.”She has attended churches that teach orthodox Biblical doctrines like only believers in Christ’s death and resurrection will go to heaven and God will ultimately judge the world for sin; something apparently even an increasing number of liberal Christians find hokey and outdated.
She decided in her 40’s, while holding elected office, to have a child she knew would be born with down syndrome; something pro-choice advocates scoff at the thought of and more than 80% of Americans decide against.She raised a daughter who, despite making a poor decision in getting pregnant at the age of 17, possesses the quality of character to own up to her mistake, have the baby, and marry the father; something that Barack Obama hopes his own daughters, should they get pregnant out of wedlock, never have to “suffer” through.
Democrats are finding it difficult to attack Governor Palin because many of the things the Left sees as critique-worthy are the very things millions of Americans (including middle-class “Reagan Democrats”) celebrate and endorse.You know, the same people who have turned out to elect Republicans 7 out of the last 10 presidential elections.
Is Sarah Palin the reincarnation of Ronald Reagan?Of course not.Is she the most qualified candidate in the UnitedState for vice president?Certainly not.Was the fact that she’s a total babe who can speak and present herself well a contributing factor in McCain’s decision to pick her as his running mate?You better believe it.
When they attack her for being under-qualified, Obama’s campaign foolishly re-opens in the mind of voters that he is in fact the most under-qualified candidate for Commander-in-Chief in the last century.The experience and record of executive leadership Palin boasts, although thinner than one would like, is thicker than Barack’s and reveals an actual reformer who cut spending, taxes, and took on her own party’s corruption before worrying about that of the Democrats in Alaska.Those politics don’t sound usual to me.
When they attack her for being a mom who might not get to spend as much time with her kids if elected vice president, and insinuate that it was selfish of her to have Trig (her newborn with Down syndrome), the Left exposes that the supposed solidarity of the feminist movement was only for those who believed in liberal dogma.The millions of married, strong, courageous, loving, working, women with kids that love God, family, and country (and in that order) are the same who actually go out and vote.More than 70% of married women vote Republican.Palin speaks the language of, and identifies with, far more of the women in this country than the Left realizes, even if those women don’t agree with the totality of her political platform.
This election is ultimately between John McCain and Barack Obama, and what matters to John and Jane taxpayer are the issues.For my part, I want lower taxes, smaller government, judges who interpret the Constitution (not hijack it), and politicians who take seriously the Creator-endowed “right to life.”I like the 2nd amendment, a strong military, hunting/fishing enthusiasts, and politicians who put corrupt members of even their own party in their crosshairs like a 12-point buck during Moose season.
Most of all, I want a leader who is proud of this nation, believes in the free market principles that creates opportunities for everyone, and does not think European socialism is the best and only answer to very real problems this country faces.
Sarah Palin is all of that.The fact that she is a positive person, attractive, and gives a nice speech is the Democrats’ problem, not mine.
Jonah Goldberg of the L.A. Times offer his two-cents on what the Palin nomination has meant to the Presidential race thus far, and what implications it might have over the next 55 days.
Thomas Sowell is a voice of clarity in an unclear political world. His piece today is a must-read on a major difference in the ways the Left and Right in America see the world and this year's election.
Here's an excerpt: "Experience" is often just a fancy word for the mistakes that we belatedly realized we were making, only after the realities of the world made us pay a painful price for being wrong.
MSNBC has FINALLY booted the two biggest blowhards this side of Robin Williams from their political coverage. The "Insufferable One" Keith Olbermann and Chris "Hardball" Matthews received the lowest ratings of any network during their coverage of the Republican National Convention. The two most condescending people on television got what they deserved.
For further proof that conservatives are more intellectually honest and pragmatic about their candidates, read the thoughts of my favorite columnist, Charles Krauthammer, here.
Tonight we got our first real taste of the woman who I predict will be the first female president of America some day: Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK).
She was funny, articulate, on-point, attractive and devastatingly effective in her speech. Here is the transcript and here is some video of her landmark performance at the Republican National Convention.
Meanwhile....in "Please take us seriously" Land....Joe Biden said this today. You're running on the right issues, Democrats. Trust me.
Last night during the GOP's convention, MSNBC bit off more than it could chew by seeking out an interview with former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. Enjoy this exchange, and tell me where on any of his points Newt is wrong.
Catch Newter on The Daily Show this evening with John Stewart (10pm Central).
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