Republicans Say The Sardonic Things

From the actions President Obama has taken, since he came into office, one must conclude that Socialism really works. Why else would he be expanding government management and regulation of markets, while redistributing billions of dollars? All this time Socialism actually was a viable economic model for developed nations. The question then becomes, why didn't anyone else try this? Did nobody else realize that this miracle system was available to them? I want to know who I can thank for opening my eyes to this hidden gem. I have never been more proud of my Government. The world must be green with envy at the brilliance of our dear leader.

I only wish that some other nation had tried this economic system before we began this journey into uncharted waters. Then we might know for sure that Socialism will work. What am I saying? Of course it will work. How could I even begin to question the judgment of such an inspiring man? Like great actors of yesteryear, he has been able to capture our hearts and speak to our very souls. Not since Ricky Martin has a person taken such control of a stage. Even his use of a teleprompter speaks to his willingness to embrace the future, while casting aside the outmoded method of familiarizing oneself with the material.

I count myself fortunate to have been alive to bear witness to the dawning of this new age. He has given new life to a dying nation and we will forever sing his praises. Like Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Lyndon Baines Johnson, and James Earl Carter, Jr., he will raise this nation to new heights. There's only one thing left to say. Yes We Can!


-The Political Pundito aka Harold Stickeehands-

We're Turning Japanese? Yes, I think so

First of all, the current economic decline is a natural correction resulting from the bursting of the bubble economy in the housing market. Instead of this being a short and severe correction, it will be a long and drawn out one. This is because we did not allow market forces to correct the situation by permitting bad banks to go under and be taken over by solid banks with good lending practices. This is no different that what happened in Japan in the late 1980's and 1990's, except that we have the advantage of crippling every other nation with our bruised economy.

The single greatest action the Federal Government could have take to restore confidence in the system would have been to freeze spending on all government programs, while making strategic cuts to wasteful programs. By reforming the benefit system for social security, establishing a plan to gradually increase the retirement age, reducing the liability burdens on health care providers, and reforming the accounting practices in the Pentagon, the projected Federal deficit would have been significantly reduced. This would have demonstrated to the rest of the world that we were serious about making corrections to our reckless spending and that, in turn, would have restored the confidence of international investors in the American system. They would have then looked to the US as the responsible place to invest their money in these challenging economic times. An increase in capital investment would have resulted. The increase in capital investment would have triggered an increase in jobs and consumer confidence. That would have been the most efficient plan for a quick and responsible recovery.

Sadly the powers that be chose to go a different way and as a result they will all but guarantee a long and painful recession. The best we can hope to do now is to stop flushing money away through pointless bailouts, forget the failed policy of tax credits, and reform social security in order to prevent an even more painful situation in the coming decades. All of this is unlikely with a President Obama, since reforming social security would be the first courageous move ever taken in his life.

The people will likely demand further government action to relieve their pain in these times. The country is best served if this relief comes in the form of infrastructure projects that will benefit our economic future for decades to come. While government spending programs are, in general, a bad idea, the least offensive of these are public works projects. At the very least, all citizens will benefit from improved roads, more efficient communication lines and an updated energy grid, by reducing the costs of the private sector. Infrastructure projects, unlike welfare and other progressive social programs, actually benefit all citizens. The private sector is far more efficient than government bureaucracy and we would all be best served by competitive bidding that wasn't influenced by political considerations (yes, I'm looking at the union bosses). A consolation prize of sorts for America is that Obama's proposed stimulus plan isn't a complete waste.

Obama's plan does have a couple of good public works projects. Sadly, a couple public works projects are the only good things in the entire 700 billion plus proposal. What's worse is that Obama's plan will likely end up being even more of a pork riddled orgy of union handouts, cash to pay off credit cards, and green technology that will do little to help the economy. But, it will satisfy political interests on the left and give the perception that he cares. And really, isn't that all that matters.

The current economic crisis, in all its glory, was not anticipated by many. But, that is no excuse for the ignorance so many in power demonstrated in their subsequent responses. Some talking heads have now come around to the reality that the current crisis we are facing is quite similar to the one Japan faced (I so called it in my blog on that other site before you talking head bastards). Unfortunately, the talking heads have little to no understanding of why that recession dragged on for a decade and they are now recommending many of the actions that kept Japan in the recession. Japan could not, for cultural reasons, make the tough choices to allow some institutions to go under and for unemployment to rise in the short term. We, for political reasons, also seem to be incapable of making the tough choices that need to be made.

The connections of key members of the Bush administration to large financial entities that were involved in the market meltdown are largely to blame for the poor response to the crisis created by the democrats and their friends in the housing and mortgage industries. Until these ties are broken (and they won't be) there will not be the kind of reform that needed to take place months ago. In short, you're in for a long painful recession America. But on the plus side you now have something to discuss with your Japanese friends, besides the fine points of Bukkake.

Rage, Rage Against The Dying of the Light

What does an inexperienced politician, with socialist tendencies, have to do to win the Presidency of the United States of America? Not much, apparently. But, he does require a lot of help. He requires a biased media that is blindly supportive of his candidacy. The help of the extremely rich, and famous, will also be required. Finally he will need the support of an astonishingly ignorant electorate.

His support in the media does not have to be complete. But, it helps when 90% of print and televised media is on your side. Where is the proof of this clear bias you might ask? Lets just look at the treatment that a fellow Democrat was subject to during the primaries. During this period of the election the media demonstrated their bias to such an extent that they began treating one of their former favorites like she was a Republican. It was so transparent and blatant that even the rocket scientists at Saturday Night Live felt the need to mock, the clearly over the top, bias within the media. When a Democrat gets the Republican treatment, it's clear to all, but the most willfully ignorant, that the fix is in. But, this is not enough for the candidate to win. They require help from some familiar, and some not so familiar, faces.

The role of the extremely rich, and famous, is to allow their star power and prestige to benefit the candidate they support. And, like in no other election, they made their presence felt. From the ridiculous get out the vote videos, to Oprah's endorsement of THE ONE, the Hollywood crowd have made their vacuous voices heard. But, let's not forget the role of the extremely rich. THE ONE has also benefited from the active help of one of the least ethical people on the planet, George Soros, and a future exploiter of the tax exempt foundation loophole, Warren Buffett. With the help of such men, THE ONE has enjoyed unprecedented support from 527's, and other nonprofit organizations, as well as undeserved confidence and credibility concerning economic matters. Even with the help of the rich and famous, THE ONE wouldn't have made it this far, without his greatest source of support, the masses.

Only with an electorate made up of the ignorant and emotional, could THE ONE even begin to HOPE to win. Thanks to a nation of voters that have been conditioned by shows like American Idol, THE ONE has been able to run a campaign on nothing more than affective language and imagery. How else could the people of this nation be convinced to vote for a candidate that embraced, a racist theology, a domestic terrorist, and a socialist ideology. All while accomplishing little of significance in his life, let alone his political career. His greatest accomplishment is a speech. Yes, the greatest achievement of note, by the next President of the United States of America, is that he was able to make a speech during the 2004 Democratic Convention. The ignorance and irrationality of the American electorate cannot be ignored, given the results of this election.

What brought us to this point on November 4th 2008? Nothing short of a perfect storm. Major media with an agenda, the rich and famous flexing their collective muscle, and a populous that has exercised their franchise in willful ignorance. This is a turning point in this nation's history, but we have a choice.

Those of us who dissent can choose to call it a day and stop trying, or we can say NO. We can decide to never let this happen again. We can decide to make the day the Dem's are celebrating, the day we are preparing. We can focus on the elections in two years that will determine who runs Congress. We can decide to repeat the revolution of 1994, only this time we will learn from our mistakes. We will live up to our word and not spend like Democrats. We will not allow THE ONE to use Congress to get re-elected. We will prevent THE ONE from destroying this country from within and protect our Constitution from perversion.

In the face of a horrible loss, we can choose to be like our founders, stand up for principle and refuse to let what they fought so hard for, be destroyed for the sake of political convenience. We are Americans. We can do great things. Let's decide to prove that tonight by not letting defeat fill our hearts. Instead, let's allow our resolve to be further strengthened for the fight that will come in 2010.

Tonight is not a night to celebrate, but it is a night to join together for a common cause and realize that, while we have taken a hit, this is far from the end. There is a quote that states, “Everyone has a plan until they've been hit.” Well my friends, we have just been hit. It's our time to stand up, dust ourselves off, and prove that we will not be defeated so easily. As a great man once said, “The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted, it belongs to the brave.” Let's prove him right.