I Agree With Obama - Please Get Out And Vote!!

We’re down the wire in this year’s election. As I’ve previously stated, voter turnout means everything this year, and I am very worried about conservative overconfidence. When we hear in poll after poll how well the Republican candidates are doing, I am reminded of an episode of the Simpsons where Bart is running for class president against the bookish Martin. The class overwhelmingly supports Bart and amidst their victory celebration, the only votes that are cast are by Martin and his lone supporter. Martin wins.

We’re not up against a nerdy 4th grader with a lone supporter; we’re up against a well oiled political machine with fanatical supporters and seemingly unlimited campaign funds. Here’s what we’re fighting against:

• President Obama – while he may not be a good leader, the campaigner-in-chief can campaign like a stallion He has been travelling the country, appearing on talk shows, yucking up with Jon Stewart and bad-mouthing Americans who oppose Democrats all in the name of getting his progressive minions to the polls.

• Organizing For America – Obama’s campaign machine, now run by the DNC, has been making millions of calls, knocking on millions of doors and tweeting from the @BarackObama Twitter account like crazy. A couple of samples: “I need you fired up. In just 9 days you can set the direction of this country.” And “If you knock on doors and talk to voters, we won’t just win this election; we will restore the American Dream.”  The only problem is an increasing majority of Americans don't want to go in his direction, and his version of the American Dream is more of a socialistic nightmare.

• Unions – with campaign donations in excess of $400 million from unions, Democrats have had over $1 Billion at their disposal this year. That has funded a lot of misleading, half truth advertising. In Nevada, electronic ballots were found with Harry Reid’s name pre-selected. The group that services those machines? The Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

• The Media – George Soros has given NPR $1 million to hire 100 new correspondents. NPR fired Juan Williams for just appearing on Fox News and having an honest dialog. With Soros buying media like a capitalist would buy a McDonald’s franchise, independent journalism is an endangered specie. In Alaska, CBS was caught red handed trying to manufacture news to damage Tea Party Candidate Joe Miller when a correspondent left a voicemail for Miller’s campaign manager and then forgot to hang up. It’s repulsive, but pervasive.

• Politics of division – Far from uniting the nation as a ‘post-racial’ president, Obama has unilaterally declared that people who oppose him are fearful and not thinking clearly. He later elaborated for a Latino audience that they need to vote so their ‘enemies’ don’t win the elections. Illegal aliens are actively campaigning for Patty Murray in Washington state. The Democratic National Congressional Committee has been running ads painting Republicans as anti-woman, anti-senior citizen, anti-youth, anti-civil rights. None of these charges are true, but a lie makes it halfway around the world before the truth catches up.

If the Democrats win tomorrow, here is a short list of what we have to look forward to in the next session of congress:

• An increase in the nation’s ‘debt ceiling’ to allow for more profligate spending.

• A $165 billion bailout of Union pensions.
• Continued increases in public sector salaries. Public sector employees make $30,000 more, on average than their private sector counterparts. That gap increases to $60,000 when you account for benefits. During the recession, the number of public sector employees making in excess of $150,000 tripled while private sector wages were stagnant or reduced. That’s our tax dollars at work, folks.

• Speaking of taxes, Obama’s ‘deficit commission’ is looking at the impact of reducing or eliminating the mortgage tax deduction.

• 2003 tax cuts will expire at the end of the year, raising taxes for everyone and trapping millions more in the Alternative Minimum Tax. The reinstatement of the ‘death tax’ will force thousands of family farms to sell large swaths of their land or face bankruptcy.

• Forced unionization via ‘card check’ legislation.

• Increased energy costs via cap & trade legislation.

I could go on, but I think the point is made. There’s a lot at stake for America in this election. We can stop the progressive agenda, but only by getting out and voting and encouraging our like-minded friends and family to vote as well. You can contact your local GOP office and see if they need help driving people to the polls. Don’t stop fighting until the polls have closed! REMEMBER IN NOVEMBER!!
Yours in liberty,

Rich Baker

Your iPhone is killing the Chinese

Several things popped into my head as I read this article. 

First, I really can't complain about work or the conditions we have in the office.  Even though our bathrooms frequently smell like an outhouse because some disgruntled savage has shoved a wad of paper towel in a toilet to get it to overflow, we haven't had anyone kill themselves over the working conditions.

Second, Rita Wilson, the New Jersey teacher who is whining about her pay (highlighting her lack of knowledge about her own situation ) can shut right the hell up.

Third, this is why manufacturing jobs have largely moved overseas to China.  When you read about the conditions these people live under (6 day work weeks, 10 hour days, living 12 to a room in a dormitory, not allowed to talk to coworkers on the production floor) remember that this is what drives the price of an iPhone or iPad down to a level where Americans will buy them.

Lastly, when China was lecturing the US delegate last month about the human rights issues in the United States, we should have just given him the finger and walked out.  Suck on this, pal!  C-ya later!

Of course, this can also be instructional.  If we, as a country, keep spending our away our posterity, when China comes to collect what they're owed, we all may be living 12 to a room.  Just something to think about...

November Can't Get Here Fast Enough

"If you can't budget, you can't govern." - Budget Committee Chairman John Spratt (D-SC), 2006

That quote may be one of the more prophetic statements made by a member of congress in a long time.  Why, you may ask?  Well, this week the Democrat congress announced that they will not pass a budget this year.  By so doing, they rob the Republicans of a chance to cut government spending and absolve themselves of doing the same.

While they're not doing one of their main jobs, it didn't stop congress from reaching further into the pockets of America via their passage of S 3217, Chris Dodds "Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2010."  Like most Orwellian legislative titles, it sounds good but doesn't really live up to the name. Here are some of the lowlights:

• The politically appointed (NOT elected) Secretary of the Treasury will have the authority to seize any 'financial entity' - bank or non-bank - if, in his sole opinion, the entity is 'too big to fail' and is in danger of insolvency.  This is unprecedented power placed in the hands of someone appointed by the president.  The left would have been SCREAMING if this kind of power had been given to George W Bush.  The potential for abuse of this power is immense.  It could be used to silence opposition, coerce campaign contributions or exact political retribution.  Since our economy hinges so heavily on leverage, any company could be vulnerable - and what CEO would speak out against Obama's policies, would lobby against draconian legislation, with this threat hanging over their head?
• Any business that lends credit must get approval to do so from the new Consumer Protection Agency, creating a huge backlog of red tape that will bring consumer lending to a standstill.  Want that 12 month no interest line of credit from Home Depot?  Not until it's approved.  Want that 36 month no payment, no interest for furniture from Macy's?  No so fast, bub, the CPA has to bless it first.
• Oh yeah, this bill creates a new agency (well, at least one new one) called the Consumer Protection Agency.  So once again, we're watching the size (and cost) of government increase while Democrats are in control.
• While the auspices of this bill are to 'restore financial stability' it does no such thing.  The housing crisis stemmed from shoddy lending practices pushed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.  Granted, there were numerous other factors, but Fannie and Freddie were at the heart of it.  John McCain introduced an amendment to the bill that would have pushed the government away from the table, ending the taxpayer support for Fannie and Freddie...but the amendment was defeated by Democrat majority.  So, the government has no problem seizing and breaking up private corporations, but will not do the same thing to Government Sponsored Entities.  Oh, and by the way, this week Fannie Mae asked for another taxpayer funded bailout of $8.4 billion and Freddie Mac asked for another $10.6 billion.
• While Fannie and Freddie get a pass (and more money they didn't earn), this bill once again attacks the credit card companies who had nothing to do with the financial meltdown, and we will pay the price for this in the end.  By way of historical precedent, recall that government intervention 'saved' credit card holders by passing legislation that says that they cannot raise your interest rates simply because your finances are blowing up.  So the natural reaction by the credit card companies was to raise ALL interest rates (mine went 13.49% to 19.99%, I've never missed a payment and my credit score is 830!) before the law went into effect.  Now, working hard, making the right moves and establishing a solid credit score does nothing for you.  You get the same interest rate as someone who made all the WRONG moves and trashed their credit.  Thanks, government, for helping out on that one!  Well, this bill goes even farther.  Mastercard and Visa get a percentage of every transaction a merchant makes using their cards, and this bill limits what that percentage can be.  Rather than let the merchants decide how much they're willing to pay, the government is seeking to make that decision for them.  My prediction is that by cutting the rates per transaction, the government is going to force the credit card companies to take two actions; first, they'll charge a monthly or annual service fee to merchants for the rights to use their cards in addition to the lower per-transaction fee.  This will compensate for their per transaction losses, but at the same time will force smaller companies to go to a cash only basis for their businesses (or they'll have to offer their own lines of credit, forcing them to play with the new CPA above).  Second, because it's clear that they don't know what revenue streams the government will take away in the future, say good-bye to your no annual fee credit cards.  Thanks again, government.

So how did this piece of crap bill pass?  RINOs Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins (both of Maine), Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Scott Browne of Massachusetts (really, Scott?  This is how you repay us?) all voted for it, giving it the momentum to get passed.  It still has to be reconciled with the House version, but we know from health care how that will play out.


The passage of this bill and the key votes that passed it highlight once again why we have to get the right people into office.  We can see the tide is turning.  This week another round of primaries ushered out a host of incumbents and put some good people on the November ballots.  After Bob Bennett was tossed off of the Utah ballot two weeks ago, Arlen Specter was shown the door this week and Blanche Lincoln staggered to a run off against the Arkansas Lt. Governor with over 50% of the Democrats voting against her.  In Kentucky, Rand Paul won the GOP primary, Pat Toomey won his contest in Pennsylvania and John Boozman is on the ticket in Arkansas.


It's not enough to get oust incumbents and get the right people on the tickets in November.  We have to mobilize the masses and get them out to vote.  We missed an opportunity in Pennsylvania's 12 Congressional district (once held by John Murtha) because the Republican turnout was 20% lower than that of the Democrats.  Mid-term elections routinely have light turnout, but we can count on Obama and the Democrats to shake every tree and every bush to get their base out to vote.  If we want to take back congress, de-fund the health care initiatives, repeal the financial bill's intrusion into the free market (such as it is these days), we need to ensure that everyone will REMEMBER IN NOVEMBER!!

T.E.A. Parties? The Left Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet!

One of the questions I sometimes get asked is ‘why do you spend so much time on politics? It's not like they listen to us anyway.’ To be honest, I get really frustrated with that attitude, but I can understand where it comes from. People spend a lot of time at work, with kids, paying bills, keeping the house and yard in good condition, keeping the car running, and keeping themselves physically fit. When you get up at 6 AM and are busy until you fall into bed at 11 PM, it's hard to carve out time for political activism. But, there are some things in life that once you've learned them, you can’t unlearn. I read the book “The Case Against Barack Obama” and it was an eye opener for me. It is what got me off the couch and into activism. As I read about how Obama got his start in politics, what he stands for and what he believes, I realized that there was no way we could let this man get elected. Have you noticed that lately there has been some press coverage of Obama’s tutelage at the hands of Frank Marshall Davis? There are people now, in 2010 saying “did you know that he was mentored by a COMMUNIST?” I just reply “Um, yeah, I’ve known about that since early 2008 way before people voted a slogan into the White House.” Mainstream (lamestream!) media outlets spend time interviewing American Idol castoffs or that ‘gameplay’ woman from The Biggest Loser but won’t cast a disparaging glance at the president, the leaders of congress or the agenda being played out by our government.. It’s frustrating, and it’s made all the worse because we as a society have allowed it to come to this.

For the last 100 years we have seen the political ideology of progressivism take root in America. Like a slow acting virus, it has infected our political system. Today, members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (70 representatives and 1 senator) serve as the chair of over half of the standing committees[1]. This is frightening because Progressives view the Constitution as a living document that should be amended to fit the times. Specifically, it should be amended to fit their view of the times. They support people having guns for defense – government people, that is. Ordinary citizens? A different story. The second amendment to them is an antiquated relic that leads to every city becoming like the wild west, despite all evidence to the contrary. Progressives want to change the constitution so it can be used to shackle the people, while the Founders designed it to shackle the very government they created. They wanted the GOVERNMENT to fear the PEOPLE.

But that’s no longer the case. Government is running roughshod over the will of the people. They don’t care about our opinion because they have stacked the deck against us. How? One way is by using gerrymandering – congressional redistricting – to create “safe seats” for their parties. I say ‘parties’ because both major parties do this. The photo at right[2] is Illinois 4^th Congressional district. There are no natural features that require it to be drawn this way – it’s done to drive up the number of registered democrat voters in this district. The Republicans have similar districts so both parties play this game, but the progressives have the ulterior motives of wanting to use this tool to create a permanent majority to move their cause forward, while conservatives want to use it to preserve the constitution and protect our liberties. Do you think it’s a coincidence that the commercials you see on TV for the census (paid for with our tax dollars by the way) use the slogan “We can’t move forward until you send it back?” Census data is cross-referenced against the database of registered voters and the redistricting game commences. This is one reason it is crucial we elect solid, conservative leaders to the House and Senate in November.

I truly feel that we are at a crossroads in our nation’s history. We are dangerously close to losing control of our destiny. Right now 47% of the American workers don’t pay any income tax. When that number tips over 50%, to paraphrase Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and other Founders, the republic will cease to exist. We’ll be left with a decaying corpse of liberty; one where our rights are taken away, our wealth (such as it is) will be pillaged and our property will no longer be ours. In the name of ‘redistributive justice’ so that some can have more, the majority will have less.

If you think that I am being alarmist, consider:

• Our UN delegate has for the first time ever agreed to negotiate a UN driven small arms treaty that has the potential to defer our national sovereignty to the United Nations. Translation: If ratified, you just lost your second amendment rights.
• Progressives are chasing amnesty for illegal aliens, and some Republicans (Lindsay Graham!) are backing it, ostensibly to court the Hispanic vote. Hispanics vote predominantly for Democrats, and illegal immigrants are among the lowest income earners. That 47% who don’t pay taxes? If amnesty passes that 47% will become 52%, if not higher. Welcome to the Nanny State.
• Cap & Trade is still on the agenda for the Obama administration. Remember, in his own words he said that under his plan the cost of utilities will “necessarily skyrocket.” While there’s no disclosure of how that excess money will be spent, you can bet it will be on permanently expanding government’s role in our lives.
• In 2012 you will no longer be able to purchase whatever light bulbs you want. The government has mandated, via the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (created by a Democrat controlled congress and signed by a Republican President) that you must, in your own house, only use the bulbs they approve of.

If they want to control the light bulbs you use, what will be off limits? Will they tell you what clothes you can buy, what kind of toothpaste you can use, what kind of food to buy and in what quantities? Nothing will be off limits if it’s for the ‘greater good.’

The UN treaty and the light bulb legislation are what I call ‘changes at the periphery’ – changes that occur without fanfare or much notice. Once these changes take hold, the next change moves closer to the middle. It’s insidious and done by design because progressives know they can’t take on something like the second amendment head on. They know they can’t send people into your house and force you to use a different light bulb (at least not yet...). However, if they make these changes at the periphery they effectively accomplish the same goal.

So, the elections this fall are crucial. They may very well be the last chance we have to preserve American Exceptionalism. If we succeed in bringing conservative values back to Congress, we have a shot at turning this ship away from the progressive iceberg. But we all have to pitch in. Politics can no longer be a spectator sport. In 2008 incumbent congressmen raised nearly four times as much money as their challengers. The senate was even worse, with incumbents raising nearly eight times as much for their campaigns as the challengers. It’s hard to get the message out if you can’t afford to buy the air time. So now, in addition to the writing, the blogging, and the Facebook posting, I’m taking it to the streets, and so should you. There are several things we can do, and what follows is by no means an exhaustive list. However, it’s a great start.

First, we need to be vocal and support our conservative candidates. Talk to our friends, use social media, volunteer for campaigns, and yes, financially support candidates even if they’re out of our districts or not in our states.

Second, we have to be aware of the issues and spread them like gospel. Speak to the facts, open and honestly. Progressives can’t argue on the facts. They can’t win an honest debate, so they resort to emotional arguments ("Don't you care about those less fortunate than you?") or personal attacks ("RACIST!") to guilt people into supporting them or to distract from the issues.  However, fair-minded people CAN be won over by a thoughtful, fact based argument. In my own family (where I am, to my knowledge, the only registered Republican) I have gotten signatures on the Initiative 42[3] petition from family members who I assumed would support the UN treaty if for no other reason than it was Hillary Clinton who signed on to it. It turns out that even my more liberal relatives don’t care much for the UN. If I hadn’t had the conversation I would not have known that and would be several signatures shy of where I am now.

Third, we have to get out and VOTE and push others to get out and vote as well. Turnout for mid-term elections is historically light, and we can’t afford to let the other side out-vote us because our base stays home. And ultimately, we must unite behind one candidate. We can’t let a Ross Perot scenario play out where we divide our votes and let an incumbent weasel keep their seat because we were divided among ourselves. We won’t get a conservative candidate on every ballot this fall, but enough of them will make it on to make the difference. Remember, in 1994 we had a Republican revolution, where fully a third of the Republican candidates were seeking to unseat incumbents, and they did it. The next year they ushered in a wave of reforms and balanced the budget for the first time…ever? I don’t know and I’m too lazy too look that one up. The point is, we don’t have to have the perfect candidates all at once, and frankly it’s foolish to think that we accomplish such a feat. But remember the ‘changes at the periphery’ model…we get the majorities back, seed the stock with some true conservatives, and wind the engine up again for 2012.

If we do these things, all of us, and we are relentless about it, we can take the country back. But we have to get on a war footing, be willing to sacrifice time and money to secure our victory. We must with every step move forward, never give an inch and we must keep the volume TURNED UP. As we do, watch the media and the organizations on the left go crazy trying to discredit us and defame us. And as they lose ground, lose the battle of wills, and ultimately lose their control of Congress, it will be fun to watch them completely melt down.

Yours in Liberty,

Rich Baker

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[1] Glen Beck, Common Sense, p66.

[2] http://maptogether.org/blogs/jim/fair-maps-for-illinois

[4] See www.initiative42.com for additional information. If you live in Colorado, particularly in the Boulder/Longmont/Loveland area and want to sign the petition, let me know and I can meet you and get your signature.

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Michael Bennet and the Shmoo

I just re-watched "Lucky Number Slevin" with Bruce Willis, Josh Hartnett, Morgan Freeman and Ben Kingsley. If you haven't seen it and you like the mystery/gangster genre, I highly recommend it. In one scene, Morgan Freeman gives a wonderful monologue (as only Morgan Freeman can) about the Shmoo. The Shmoo is a wonderful creature from the L'il Abner comic. It essentially is all things to all people – it gives milk, produces eggs, its whiskers make excellent toothpicks, and it dies of sheer ecstasy, ready to be cooked, if looked at with hunger. Ultimately, the Shmoo was deemed bad for society. Since it provided for every need, people no longer had the will to work or provide for themselves, so the Shmoo was made extinct by giving everyone a picture of Andy Capp's mother with a hungry look on her face. Through the united will of the people, the Shmoo was no more. The Shmoo reminds me of the mythical Moderate Democrat, promising to do everything for everyone. The Moderate Democrat is pro-life while being pro abortion, spends money freely while being concerned about debt; they oppose war while supporting our troops; they're champions of small business while designing larger government entities to make small business suffer. In the end, their programs will provide for the people, taking away the people's desire to provide for themselves.

Speaking of the myth of the moderate Democrat, I recently received an email from accidental Colorado Senator Michael Bennet. In this email, he speaks about the deficit, saying:

"…if we don't get serious about bringing down the debt, our kids will be left to pay for today's irresponsibility, and our economy will suffer.

Our national debt now exceeds $12 trillion; a debt that poses enormous danger to our fiscal stability."

I could not agree with Bennet more. With the passage of Obamacare, our debt is now spiraling out of control. As a country, we are facing the loss of our AAA rating, meaning we will pay higher interest rates for our borrowed money. For individuals this is known as "exploding debt theory" – where the same amount of money borrowed now costs more due to increasing interest rates. Think about adjustable mortgage interest rates and the housing bubble. How did that work out for the country? Now imagine that on the scale of $13 trillion of debt (i.e. America's mortgage). More of our tax receipts will be going to pay for interest, leaving less to spend on government programs, like Obamacare, Social Security and Medicare. This effectively means we will need to either borrow more money, worsening the situation, increase our tax receipts to offset the rising interest, or a combination of the two. Already people in congress are talking about a Value Added Tax – or VAT – to help fund these programs. While this means more money for Washington, it means less money in all of our pockets; and in fact, it can reduce tax receipts as people under a VAT system will tend to delay or avoid purchases because of the added tax burden. A new TV is much less attractive when the cost just went up by 10 or 20%. A used car purchased privately is much more attractive when the $30,000 price tag on a new one suddenly becomes $36,000 with no additional value for the additional cost. Lastly, the 'black market' thrives under a VAT system, leading to an increase in organized crime.

This brings me back to Michael Bennet. I applaud his concern for our fiscal health. It would be more impressive if he didn't support every single act of wanton government spending that came down the pike for the last year.

He approved the stimulus.

He approved the GIVE act – expanding funding for volunteer programs

He approved the Omnibus bill

He voted against ending the TARP program

He voted for the Senate version of Obamacare (but against the amendment that would have had the congressional leaders purchase their health insurance through the same exchanges to which they're subjecting the public).

Then to really demonstrate his commitment to fiscal responsibility, he voted against the amendment that would have banned earmarks in years in which we run a deficit (effectively banning earmarks).

So forgive me if his concern for our financial security rings hollow. It's a desperate attempt to appear to have some conservative values only appeal to fence sitters and middle of the road voters who still believe the Moderate Democrat is real and not just a cousin of the Shmoo.

Just as the Shmoo was made extinct by the will of the people, so too must we unite and rid our congress of these pretenders to the conservative crown. It's time for Bennet to go.

 

P.S. For those concerned about the second amendment (hopefully everyone reading this) he voted to confirm Eric Holder and Sonia Sotomayor, two of the biggest threats to Second Amendment Rights (2AR). According to the Denver Post, in another act of chicanery he voted for the Thune amendment for concealed carry – AFTER the votes were there to defeat it, rendering his yes vote meaningless.

The End Of Days Is Here

This is it folks – after a year of arguing back and forth, both sides accusing the other of lying, after the creation of the Tea Party movement in response to government arrogance, after those opposing the health care legislation were labeled racists, Nazis, and un-American by the very people whom 'we' elected to represent us, the final vote on health care legislation may take place this week.

Facing the Democrats is the choice of a lifetime. On the one hand, they can vote with Nancy Pelosi and fulfill the progressive dream of government run health care. In their view, this is the first step on the path to a permanent majority. Step two is to give amnesty to 20 million illegal immigrants who will certainly benefit from this and other government programs (the Democrats opposition to English as the official language of the USA ensures those who don't speak English will require government assistance) and thereby ensure that Conservatives will never again see higher elected office.

On the other hand, choosing to vote for this legislation could be sounding the death knell for the Republic. Realizing this, people are angry and in the short term anyone voting yes for this bill is risking their career. Dick Morris is projecting Democrat losses in the house in excess of 30 seats regardless of how the vote comes out, and up to 80 seats if they use the tactic Louise Slaughter is advocating to pass the bill without a vote. Politicians are not known for taking the long view and this reality could have a significant outcome on the vote.

So then, we too are faced with the choice of a life time. We can do nothing and hope that things work out alright, or we can take action. I for one do not think I can look myself in the mirror if I do nothing and this bill passes. If I take action and it passes anyway, at least I will have been on the losing side and gone down fighting. But what can we ordinary citizens do?

First, call the congressman/woman for your district and tell them that you expect them to insist on a vote. Then tell them you want them to vote no on the bill. Tell them you will spend time and personal treasure to ensure that, if they vote yes they will be replaced come the next election. Send them an email as well. They likely won't hear or see either one; but their aides will. They keep count, and they want to stay in power.

Then do the same for the other congressmen and women in your state, and the vulnerable officials nationwide. Tell them that you don't live in their district or in their state, but you are watching and will work to unseat them in November. And, you will do so publicly in on-line forums, recruiting people to join you ousting them from office.

Also, consider donating to an organization like the League of American Voters. The LoAV is running ads in the districts of the most vulnerable congressmen and women. Again, according to Dick Morris, public pressure in these districts is mounting and many of the people who voted yes the first time around are now saying they're undecided. Even if you donate only a couple of dollars, it has a cumulative effect. Conservative causes have always relied on large numbers of small donations to get things done. The RNC, the NRCC all can use financial help; if you believe in the work a group does, lend them a hand!

The Democrats are going to have to choose between their progressive legacy and their careers. Our choice is to quietly watch events unfold on TV, or ensure that if they choose to ignore the voice of the opposition we make that voice as loud as possible.

As for me, I intend to raise my voice.

 

Resources:

Donate to the League Of American Voters: https://www.newsmaxstore.com/contribute/lav/

List of swing votes in congress: http://www.dickmorris.com/blog/2010/03/14/call-these-swing-congressmen-on-health-care/

Find your district, your congressman or woman, and lookup the others in your state & nationally: http://www.congress.org/

Bringing Chicago To Mainstream America – Part 1 - Bullies and Liars

I remember when I read my first Ann Coulter Book several years ago. It was Slander: Liberal Lies About The American Right and it was an eye opener for me. Until that point I hadn't paid a lot of attention to how the media operated. I wasn't very in tune with what was happening in politics, and though I voted Republican it more from force of habit than from force of principle. Slander changed all of that. I began to pay more attention to the 'tactics of the big lie' and I was amazed at how often it's used, and how successful it is. In life, there are some things you learn that you just can't unlearn.

To be fair, Coulter is a rabble rouser and her job is to stir up dissent, which she does very well using only truth and a sarcastic wit. The difference I see in her tactics and those of the mainstream media, is she speaks (or writes) honestly and from the heart. The media has an agenda and it matches that of the Obama administration. During the 2008 campaign Coulter was vocal about her disdain for John McCain as the Republican candidate (she started a mock support group called "Get drunk and vote for John McCain) and it brought forth some ire from those on the right; but as he's been a punching bag for Obama since losing the election (falling perfectly into the well planned "the election is over" sound bite from the health care debate for example) she may have been correct in her assessment. Regardless, she doesn't pander to anything but her own beliefs.

The media, however, is a puppet on a string for the Obama oval office. The Eric Massa scandal is an example. I don't know enough about Massa to know if he's a sleaze or a victim. I suspect as the days go by we're going to hear more and more about bad things he's done and likely we'll learn that he should be tossed out on his can. Arguably, so should the majority of people in congress (that the majority are Democrats is coincidental). Buy why the sudden bum's rush on an 18 month veteran of the House when Charlie Rangel's offenses festered for 18 years (and he still has his seat, if not his chairmanship)? Massa claims that this is what happens when you don't go along with the Obama program. The mainstream media have been reporting on his alleged misdeeds and downplaying the "why now" angle. Watching some of the news outlets over the last couple of days, much has been made of his no-so-quiet exit, but not as much has been said about the allegations of bullying by Rahm Emanuel. When I have seen it mentioned, it's in the context of "what a whacko this Massa guy is" and not "is Rahm really spawned from the devil?" Massa's descriptions were unusually specific, and given his record of voting against the grain of his party you have to admit there's a slice of credibility to his claims. On the other hand, he could just be trying to take someone down with him as he goes. The thing is, if the tactics that he says were applied really happened they've proven to be an effective ploy. Is it a coincidence that on the same day Massa announced that he was pushed out because he was voting against the health care bill, Bart Stupak, who has been strong in his stand against the bill (because of federal funding of abortion) now thinks a compromise is possible? Monday, while Massa was all over the news ranting about Emanuel chasing him down in the showers of the Congressional gym, Stupak said with regard to a healthcare compromise that "I think we can get there." Is the timing more than coincidental? Could he have been told "look, Massa is out – and you're next if you don't play along!"? You be the judge, but it fits in with the Chicago style politics, only now the arm twisting, back scratching, in-fighting, threat-leveling culture is riding high in the oval office and not just Lower Wacker Drive. It's entirely possible that this type of thing has always gone on to one extent or another, but I've never seen it played out unabashedly in the open like this. It's as if they don't care what anyone thinks….well, scratch that. Based on their response to public outcry over the health care bill, we already knew they don't care a whit about our opinions.

And the lies keep getting bigger and more front and center. Yesterday Obama lied to a crowd in Pennsylvania when he said the health care bill "brings down our deficit by up to $1 trillion over the next decade because we're spending our healthcare dollars more wisely. Those aren't my numbers…" they're from the CBO estimates. Except that they're not from the CBO, so even that statement was a lie. The CBO has said that he was off the mark by a about $900 billion dollars, The $1 trillion savings estimate is for the SECOND decade of the plan, not the first, and that the numbers that went into the second decade's estimate are subject to "substantial uncertainty." What is in that $1 trillion? According to Fox News, $130 billion in premium savings, $200 in reduced payments to doctors and $500 billion in savings from Medicare. In other words, 83% of the estimated savings are from things that we have no evidence will be brought about. And this is one of the tactics of the lie. You say whatever you want about a topic. That's what people hear and repeat. When the correction comes, it's not opening segment news, it not on the front page. It's buried on page ten, or relegated to one cable news network that will say something truthful about the president. The correction is never as big as the statement being corrected.

President Bush caught flak throughout his presidency for being ineloquent. For his use of words like "misunderestimated" he was labeled a moron. The "Somewhere in Texas a village is missing it's idiot" bumper sticker was a best seller. The media has descended on Palin like a pack of hyenas on a fresh carcass over everything she says or does. Yet Obama has visited 57 states – wait, it was 58 – lies about his handling of the health care debate, and makes statements about his pet healthcare bill that are off by a factor of ten, and nobody in the mainstream media seems interested. There's no retraction from the White House, no one calling him on the carpet for carelessness with his numbers or saying he's an idiot for miscounting the number of states – TWICE…in one sentence!! No one, that is, except the converted. But the converted didn't vote for him in the first place.

Bush's creative use of the English language was amusing to some, embarrassing to others, but it wasn't going to bankrupt the nation. Obama's math skills just might.