We Can't Survive Four More Years

Two things to see or watch. The first, a graphic that has to get wide attention:

The second is a video that has gone viral today on conservative sites and should be a commercial broken up into four parts and run during Modern Family and other popular shows: What have we gotten ourselves into with this guy?

Monday Evening News & Notes

The Phillies avoided a sweep at the hands of the Red Sox while the Mets invent new and creative ways to lose then get whacked 15-0 yesterday by those Yankees. Overall a good weekend.

Here's what's happening:

-Here we are less than 200 days into The Greatest Administration evah and we hear Michelle Obama's name come up in discussion of a scandal. I'd say it was Hillaryesque but Hillary waited at least a few months. You can take the politician (or his wife) out of Chicago but you can't take the Chicago out of the politician (or his wife).

-Everything is bigger in Texas; including protests against Nacy Pelosi, evidently.

-Obama's destroyed the economy, set capitalism back decades, screwed up GM and Chrysler and for his latest trick wants to overhaul financial markets. What could go wrong?

-Hey, all it took was a president who turned hard to the left to make Americans remember that we are, essentially, a center-right country.

-Global cooling is making Gore look more like an idiot than ever before. A tough task, that.

Liberal Verbally Whoops Another Liberal; Liberals Excited

The buzz of the leftosphere today is the supposed ass-kicking suffered by CNBC's Jim Cramer at the hands of John Stewart. I guess their thinking is that it was the voice of capitalism getting beaten by, what, the voice of socialism? Something along those lines I imagine.

Anyway, what people fail to realize is that Cramer is an Obama supporter and supports large portions of his policies from socialized medicine to withdrawal from Iraq. Many liberals are Wall Streeter's--like half of BHO's administration and left-winger's like Jon Corzine, the governor of New Jersey. Most people at places like Goldman-Sachs and other huge brokerages are classic New York libs and always have been. They're not these deeply conservative "greed is good" types that many libs suppose them to be.

So Cramer gets verbally bitch-slapped by Stewart and the lefties rejoice as if he actually beat a formidable foe. Anyone with half a brain knows that liberals are notoriously horrible debaters and Cramer is just another in a long line. I suggest Stewart move up to the big leagues and try the same thing against Rush Limbaugh or Karl Rove and he'll see that it's a bit different debating those heavy hitters then beating up an intellectual minor-leaguer like Jim Cramer. If Stewart wants to go at it with a real free marketeer capitalist who has the facts to smoke him, let him try his luck against Neil Cavuto or better yet, Ann Coulter.

So enjoy this moment libs and Mr. Stewart, you've beat up on the intellectual equivalent of a 90-pound sixth-grade girl. You should be proud.

Obama Takes the Oath

Both he and Chief Justice Roberts butchered it--Obama talked over Roberts and Roberts recited it wrong. An inauspicious beginning to say the least. Add to that the fact that classless Bush haters taunted the out-going prez and you have about what I expected today. Well, that and the markets tanking.

Oh yeah, don't forget a little bit of race baiting from the man who gave the benediction:

Benediction at Obama 's inauguration, Rev. Joseph Lowery: 'Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around... when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right. That all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen. Say Amen'...

On another note it was a good day for America but the media still fails to realize that 46% of Americans didn't vote for Obama and the saturation coverage is over done to the point of nausea.

Honestly, I want the man to succeed, I really do. But his policies in concert with Pelosi and Reid and a compliant media will lead us down a road it will take decades to undo.

Whither Conservatism?

There's been much in the media written about the end of the Reagan era and the shift of America from a center-right country to a center-left nation. I'll chalk that up to the usual media bias and the feeling of exultation in the media after the last two ass-kickings we dropped on them when Bush won in 2000 and 2004.

But what of the Republican Party?

We have become a party that has strayed far from our roots--roots rediscovered in 1980 and pushed forward in 1994. The Reaganism of smaller government, lower taxes, a strong military and the idea of America as a beacon in the world for all to aspire to has been replaced with a party that voted for a new entitlement program (prescription drugs for seniors), has made many small fiefdoms through earmarks of federal tax dollars (Ted Stevens) and, in essence, became a clone of the Democratic Party. They all fed at the trough and ushered in what we now have--a far left President--elect.

It's hig time for some serious soul searching by our elected men and women of the GOP. Are we a party of bridges to nowhere and greedy lobbyists or a party of smaller government, lower tax rates and freedom? I choose the latter and it was those basic tenets that were the hallmarks of Reaganism.

When George W. Bush was elected the White House, I was leery, just what the hell was "compassionate conservatism"? But then he immediately lowered taxes and we pulled out of a recession. He was brilliant after 9/11 and saw that the War on Terror was not going to be won in Afghanistan but in Karbala and Fallujah and Basra. Freeing a Muslim nation from tyranny sent a message that we were serious.

But then his conservative became what was defined as "compassionate conservatism". Prescription Drugs for Seniors was the largest entitlement program signed into law in decades. Bill Clinton reformed welfare (albeit with a knife at his throat held by Newt Gingrich) and W. gave us an entitlement program guaranteed to cripple us for years. He let the deficit balloon to heretofore unseen heights and got a majority Democratic House and Senate for it. He strayed far off the Reagan ranch and into LBJ territory.

So here we are and what can be done?

For starters, let's continue electing men and women like Sarah Palin and Mitch McConnell and stop electing the likes Don Young, Randy Cunningham and Tom DeLay. Let's elect true conservatives who will hold the line on spending and ensure that freedom is the number one priority. That freedom includes the right to speak, write and say what one wishes, have the right to dictate what you do with your money and not the state and the right to live your life according to how it was envisioned by our Founding Fathers and not by the likes of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.

We need to get back to our roots and remake the party into what it was before the greedy, thieving bastards of the last ten years took it over. Conservatism works and it will win again whether it be two, four or ten years out.

Hell, you shouldn't have read me and should've just listened to 'Zo. Amen my brother...er, except for the Huckabee stuff.

Via AP who notes that Fox News should make some space for this guy. He speaks conservative instead of the usual gutter Republican that people like Bill O'Reilly and most of the guests on the channel do:

Yes, Obama Is My President

I've been writing about the election just past since 2006 and some posts reference it earlier. I was wrapped up in the daily minutiae more than most and some would say to an insane level. I followed every detail and you can read my thoughts just scanning this blog.

That said, I admit that yes, I am disappointed. I'm disappointed that McCain ran a bad campaign, I'm disappointed that America forgot about Iraq and Afghanistan because things are going well there, I'm disappointed that Americans allowed the media to dictate the stories of the day, I'm disappointed that Sarah Palin was treated like garbage when it would have been different had she been a Democrat, I'm disappointed that the Bush administration strayed from the conservative principles that have made us a center-right country since 1980, I'm disappointed that Hillary supporters have so little self-respect that they still voted for a man who disrespected her immensely and poured salt in every wound and finally, I'm disappointed that Barack Obama won.

But the simple fact is that Obama did win and did so in convincing fashion (not a mandate but I'll cover that later). He ran a solid campaign and stuck to the points he wanted to make. Yes, he actually espoused many conservative views and yes, he pandered but he was steady and smooth. So, as the next President, he will be my president. I'm not about to play this game that liberals did when George Bush won; running around saying "he's not my President" or some other such rubbish. No, I'm a vet and a vet is trained to follow the orders of the Commander in Chief. The new CinC will be Obama. I don't have to be happy and I will criticize every single policy decision he makes but he's still the President-elect of the US and as such deserves my respect.

The country sought a new direction after the last eight years, it happens often as it did most recently in 2000. The economic collapse was a big deal as was, ironically, the surge that was championed by McCain and panned by Obama but which actually was so successful, it took the war issue off the table. People are looking for a scapegoat and some have focused on Palin but she was not to blame. John McCain is a good and honorable man and deserves the respect and gratitude of every American but he was a horrible candidate. He didn't energize anyone (Palin sure as hell did, though) and juxtaposed with Obama looked old, sounded stale and lacked the pizazz of the younger, more vibrant Democrat.

So, to sum up, I accept the fact that Obama is the next President and I congratulate him and his supporters for the long hard campaign they won. It was a grassroots effort that energized people (some so much they contributed daily and voted three times, but I digress) from all walks of life. Dare I say it was Reaganesque? I'm not going to be like the libs were over the last eight years where they hoped for bad things to happen, wanted the economy to tank, some even hoped we would be attacked again or were joyful when the death count in Iraq reached two, three and four thousand. Those people are scumbags and beneath contempt and were the very worst of what America is. I'm not them, I want good things for this, the greatest nation God has ever given man. I want low unemployment and low taxes so people can live their lives with a little spending cash and a chance at a decent retirement. I want a secure nation where we worry about what college our kids will get into and not where some Islamo-fascist is going to target next. I want a nation of free markets and freer people. I want the Dow to pass 20,000 and the median income to approach $70,000 per annum. In essence, I want America to thrive and that surpasses any and all partisanship.

Thanks For the Compliment, Moron

The media machine has managed to make an unprepared, unqualified, solipsistic millionaire seem as though he's the greatest man of the people since Cesar Chavez. Obama has done what he rants against, divided us into two classes: the haves and the have-nots.

Check this out:

I love this big financial meltdown. At last, Republican-voting, suit-stuffing, briefcase-toting, almighty-buck-worshiping, strip-club-frequenting, slave-driving, law-flouting, power-abusing, wheeling, dealing, profit-stealing yuppies are getting hurt, too - just like the rest of us have been for decades.

J. Andrew Smith
Bloomfield, N.J.
mailto:N.J.jasmith4@comcast.net

Set aside the joy this idiot is enjoying watching 401K's disintegrate and the life savings of people erode, he's the typical guy who cheered every American death in Iraq because it made President Bush look bad. No, I'm more appalled by his statement "Republican-voting, suit-stuffing, briefcase-toting, almighty-buck-worshiping, strip-club-frequenting, slave-driving, law-flouting, power-abusing, wheeling, dealing, profit-stealing yuppies" being written as though that's a horrible thing.

Let's see:

Republican-voting? Check. Straight down the ticket every year.

Suit-stuffing? Er, not sure exactly what that means. I guess it means we're all fat or something. Being as Mr. Andrew probably sent this to the Inquirer written in Crayola, I'll just have to guess.

Briefcase-toting? I guess he means supporters of the GOP carry briefcases. I assume that Mr. Andrew is a union tradesman or something that would preclude him from utilizing a briefcase and hasn't actually taken the time to realize that his take-home pay is about to be slashed by an Obama administration. But hey, the local said to vote for him so, by golly, he will...mindlessly.

Almighty-buck-worshipping? Well, yeah, we are Republicans. I've never been able to pay my mortgage with my astoundingly good looks or pesos. Perhaps Mr. Andrews' employer will withhold his paycheck for a few day and we'll see exactly who worships the almighty buck. Better yet, I recommend that Mr. Andrews' employer start taking out 10% more of his paycheck as Obama will do and give it to the homeless guy sleeping on Broad St. We'll call it practicing for inauguration day. Mr. Andrews doesn't care about that almighty buck so it shouldn't be of concern to him.

Strip-club-frequenting? He says it like it's a bad thing or something. We choose to see it as frequenting small businesses to help boost the economy. If we stop going to these establishments, hundreds, if not thousands of college women will be unemployed. We look at it as our civic and fiscal duty. I guess Mr. Andrews is not a fan of working women, hot ladies or small business. He must be a communist.

Slave-driving? I'm guessing he meant this in the racial sense and thought he'd be oh-so-clever in adding this. My guess is that Mr. Andrews feels that he's being forced or pushed to work long hours, or more likely that he's forced to work at all. Here's a news flash, sport; you can leave your job and get another. You can go to college and earn a degree and get a job where you don't have to work for a "slave-driver". Or better yet, you can start your own business and be your own boss, but don't expect too much from your employees as they'll call you a "slave-driver".

Law-flouting? I see the law broken by politicians in and around Philly on a daily basis. Wayne Bryant, Robert Torricelli and others. Hmmm...it seems as if they're mostly Democrats with strong union ties to boot.

... wheeling, dealing, profit-stealing yuppies?
First off, most "yuppies" nowadays are liberals and second, who has even used "yuppie" to describe anyone since 1988? Now what's wrong with wheeling and dealing? I would imagine Mr. Andrews' boss is a wheeler-dealer and by being so can give Mr. Andrews a paycheck. Now the profit stealing thing is amusing as liberals seem perplexed that a company would actually be so callous as to turn a profit. How dare they. No, in Andrews' perfect world, the company management would bust their asses on a daily basis, take heavy financial risks, pay higher taxes and then be rewarded with minimum wage (while Mr. Andrews would keep his same amount of pay of course).

This sums up the liberal ideology so damn well. Play the class card while simultaneously trying to get ahead and make more money than the other guy. In my world it's called hypocrisy, in Mr. Andrews world it's called Democratic politics.

Dow Closes Up Nearly 900 Points

The buyers were back with a vengeance including bidding up two of liberal America's most hated companies: Walmart and Exxon.

we will weather this storm and buyers will return in force once things settle out. The dollar was up dramatically against the Yen.

Also, the White House warned banks that hording money given to them in the bailout scam will not be tolerated.

Let's let the markets work things out as they always tend to do.

Whoa! $1.2-Trillion in Wealth Goes Poof!

Yeah, you read that headline correctly:

Sept. 29 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. stocks plunged and the Standard & Poor's 500 Index tumbled the most since the 1987 crash after the House of Representatives rejected a $700 billion plan to rescue the financial system.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 778 points for its biggest point drop ever as $1.2 trillion in market value was erased from American equities. The MSCI World Index of 23 developed markets slid 6.9 percent, the most in 21 years.

I repeat: Whoa!

I would imagine a serious buyers market tomorrow and expect to see the Dow gain some back but that is one serious hit. This is new territory folks, even the Depression wasn't this intense. Back in 1929, the world was not remotely as co-dependent financially as we are now and that's clearly shown by the news you read above.

The markets will stabilize and, as I noted earlier, will adjust. Citibank, Bank of America and others will become the big players and a correction was in order but it ain't gona be pretty while that correction happens.

Example #458,098,565 Free Markets Work

Democrats have been telling us that drilling off the coasts or in ANWR would do nothing and not produce any price reductions for a decade. Here's proof that more supply equals lower prices on another needed commodity, natural gas, which we've been tapping into domestically with fervor of late. Here's the supply news:

Natural-gas prices, which were 50 percent higher in May than they were a year earlier, have dropped so much that early fears of a winter of high prices and short supply are melting away.

A milder summer, strong production of the fuel, a slow economy, and forecasts for a mild early winter have pushed down prices and spurred talk by some analysts of a natural-gas glut.

"You have a combination of two things: some milder-than-normal summer weather and also we're anticipating an 8 percent increase in natural-gas production over last year," said Neil Durbin, a spokesman for Dominion East Gas Co. in Cleveland. "It has had the effect of moderating prices."

Emphasis mine. Now how fast does that take to translate to lower prices? Try less than a day:

Peco Energy Co. said Thursday it will lower its natural gas rate on Sept. 1 because of a projected decrease in gas supply costs in the wholesale market.

The Philadelphia-based electric and gas utility said its gas rate will decrease by 9 cents per hundred cubic feet to $1.59 per hundred cubic feet from $1.68 per hundred cubic feet, which will lower the bills of a typical residential customer by 5.1 percent or $7 per month.

But drilling for oil domestically would have no effect given what we've heard from Speaker Pelosi and other Democrats. It shows they still don't understand free markets.