It's That Simple

The US presidential election is now focused on two presumptive nominees. This concentration of media attention buries the fact that the nation’s direction can’t be predicted merely on the campaign utterances of the winning candidate.

Neither Obama nor McCain will be isolated figures, working alone in a White House vacuum. They will bring teams composed of politically likeminded individuals. We elect a team with a single compass.

The US is engaged in a global war against terrorism and is under economic duress. Our future prosperity and security will be determined by the team the new president selects.

Thus, forecasting the direction the nation will take under either’s watch is best predicated on the candidate’s inner circle of friends, supporters and advisors. It’s this political aggregate that the electorate should, can and must gauge.

Politicians hate hypothetical questions because they bar equivocation. They prefer dealing in circles rather than boxes with those nasty corners. So they trade in the abstract of their own choosing, which provides multiple avenues of escape. In business slang, this is called the view from 50,000 feet.

Americans live much closer to earth. So here is a hypothetical question for the electorate. With the nation’s economic and national security in upheaval, who would you rather have advising the next president?

Condoleezza Rice or Ms. Save the Planet, Speaker Nancy Pelosi

General Petraeus or Mr. We Have Lost the War, Senator Harry Reid

Oliver North or Mr. Flag Burner, William Ayers

Mayor Giuliani or Mr. Sanctuary City, Mayor Gavin Newsom

Governor Tom Ridge or Spend Baby Spend, Governor Duval Patrick

Senator Romney or Mr. UFO, Rep. Dennis Kucinich

Michelle Malkin or Ms. Not Proud of America, Michelle Obama

Glenn Beck or Mr. Tingle Legs, Chris Mathews

Duncan Hunter or Ms. Nationalize Oil and Healthcare, Maxine Waters

Rev. Graham or Mr. Damn the US, Reverend Wright

Senator Orin Hatch or Mr. Welfare, Senator Kennedy

These are the candidates’ political soul mates. These people are representative of those leading the current debate, and those who will influence the US international, domestic, and economic legislation for the next four years.

Compare their positions on illegal immigration, energy, taxation, and border and national security. This is the choice Americans will make in this election. It’s that simple.

Winners Raise the Bar

Obama is a well packaged pretty face who looks and acts presidential. Senator McCain isn’t pretty, and short the intervention of a fairy godmother, this fact won’t change.

On his best day, Senator McCain couldn’t hit a three-pointer from midcourt. But he can fly a jet, take a beating, recover and keep ticking. Senator Obama can’t even take criticism without whimpering.

It’s the difference between being raised by a family, which for generations has honorably served the nation, and being the offspring of affirmative action. One expects to be judged on the merits of his accomplishments and one expects a free ride. One works to win and one demands a lower standard to win.

Senator Obama is living proof that affirmative action creates sissies rather than men, intolerance rather than compassion, and belligerence rather than understanding. Obama epitomizes the decline of the nation’s willingness to stand tall when other countries cower; to put truth ahead of politics.

He believes that might is never right. He would rather see the nation cower than plant its flag for a just cause. That’s his definition of compromise. He is ashamed of our success, because he can’t comprehend the sacrifices it took to build it. This lesson isn’t taught in affirmative action classes. His skill set was built on handouts and political correctness.

Despite Obama’s success at looking presidential during his Middle East pep rally, he remains an untested neophyte, and a wimp. Senator McCain’s international and military experience still stands uncontested. McCain won this round when the Islamic terrorists, Fidel Castro and the Europeans proclaimed Obama their candidate of choice.

We want a US champion. Whether the European socialists swoon at our feet is irrelevant. We have been carrying their water for sixty years. They aren’t partners and are only fair weather friends. They are the prototype for the UN. Their objectives are indistinguishable from our domestic welfare hounds.

The Iraqi Surge is history. Now it’s time for McCain to start articulating a domestic agenda. The message doesn’t need trumpets, lace and ruffles, or an angelic choir. He must layout the facts, and give the electorate credit for knowing the difference between staged choreography and real life.

McCain must remember that most Americans are proud of their flag. They don’t need or want a leader who apologizes for their success. They realize that America’s gains were accomplished by setting the bar higher than our competitors.

McCain's Colors

Senator McCain loves to be called a Maverick. This is not breaking news.

That he repeatedly poked his finger in Republican eyes made him a semi-precious commodity in liberal circles. This moniker, bestowed by the liberal media, kept the left wing crowd hovering around his campaign during the 2000 primaries.

At its core, this mob was pro-Gore and anti-Bush. They thought of McCain as a tarnished Democrat, the enemy of their enemy. That’s why he was blessed with their semi-endorsement.

They jumped back on his bus in this election cycle. Many pundits believe they resurrected his campaign to thwart the conservatives. Although this ascertain is open to speculation, McCain’s comeback certainly isn’t attributable to his charm or politics.

Now that McCain is the Republican presidential nominee, he’s regarded as a threat. The free publicity and fawning have evaporated. Today these anti-Bush jackals see McCain as just another politician who stands between their anointed candidate, Senator Obama, and the Oval Office.

Don’t be surprised or dismayed that he is being treated with the same distain that Senator Clinton endured. The stampede of news anchors to Obama’s Middle East whistle stop tour, and the New York Times’ outright rejection of his rebuttal to an Obama editorial defined their position. He is not the one.

The national media has turned a blind eye on McCain. And short of declaring himself a Democrat and conceding the election to Obama, there is nothing he can do to regain their temporary admiration.

This begs the question: Does McCain realize that his fate is now tied to Republicans, some independents and conservative Democrats?

His political chivalry suggests he hasn’t bridged this reality. Who does he think he is wooing when he dons his Maverick hat and attacks Obama’s detractors? Granted his remarks attract media coverage. But he only hurts himself by providing cover for Obama’s radical political background.

Put this entire election in context. Despite losing the primary contest, Hillary Clinton thrashed Obama in the swing states. She did this positioned as a centrist (relative to Obama). And Reagan won these voters as an unabashed conservative.

Senator Obama has been tagged as an elitist, socialist snob. He is wavering on every issue except his anti-drilling energy policy. Many Americans are having second thoughts about his candidacy. They can be swayed.

And there stands McCain sounding neither like fish nor fowl. He won’t win this election pretending or acting like a wishy-washy socialist, or an anti-Republican candidate.

The 2006 mid-term election provided ample evidence of Republican success when they sound and spend like Democrats. They get run out of town. McCain has a choice. He can either show pride in the conservative label, or kiss the Oval Office good-bye.

Fortunately for McCain, Senator Obama has shown his colors. Now McCain must do the same.

Flight of the Greenbacks

It’s doubtful the outcome of the November, 2008 election will be determined by rational thinking. This bodes well for Democrats. With anger and frustration trumping common sense, it doesn’t take a clairvoyant to see that the Republicans could be in for a real drubbing this fall.

Family incomes are being stretched to the limit by energy costs. People feel they are in jeopardy and are looking for a safe harbor. Unfortunately for Senator McCain, after thirty years of negligence, this predictable energy crisis climaxed on President Bush’s watch.

McCain, the man, isn’t promising miracles because he is restrained by honesty. He feels a moral obligation to explain the cost and consequences of his proposals. This is a wonderful trait for a leader, but an anchor around the neck of a presidential candidate.

In the tradition of Democratic candidates since Mondale, Senator Obama doesn’t suffer from this moral imperative. His campaign is all about benefits. He promises goodies for all. Naturally, he claims that others will be saddled with the bills.

Obama’s brand of unbridled welfare is based on the expectation that the productive members of society won’t protect themselves. Liberals never learn. This false assumption has already led to the near extinction of US based manufacturing.

Obama economics will incite a reign of terror on business. The “others” he targets include companies and individuals who can move their assets off-shore to protect their investors and accumulated wealth. This shift has already accelerated the decline of the New York Stock Exchange.

A microcosm of this cause and effect is being documented in Michigan, California and Massachusetts. Businesses and the educated are bailing out of these brutally taxed liberal conclaves in droves. The migration of talent drains theses states of investment capital, employment opportunities and future prosperity. This is a preview of Obama economics which will bleed the nation dry.

The Democrats control the Senate and the House. While the minority party, Republicans, demand that the abundant US energy reserves be tapped while alternative energy sources come online, the Democrats are selling windmills, sunshine and higher energy taxes as the only solution.

The United States will collapse within a decade if it continues to transfer $700 billion annually to foreign countries. The value of its currency is already plummeting to dangerous lows.

This reality isn’t perceived as a negative by the advocates of big government. Private enterprise has always managed to rebound. Senator Obama and the Democrats are depending on the creativity of private enterprise to cover the cost of their expanded welfare initiatives.

But business can’t survive without affordable energy. So if Obama is elected expect to see a new phenomenon, investors fleeing US markets as rapidly as business abandoned US manufacturing. It will be called Green Flight.

Angry Americans

Many Americans remember the ugly years of stagflation during President Carter’s administration.

The country was embroiled in the Iranian hostage crisis for 444 days, there were severe fuel shortages, Egypt and Syria attacked Israel, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and US unemployment reached 8.3%.

The Middle East was a tinderbox, the economy was slithering down a rat hole and the Democrats controlling Congress stopped supporting Carter’s initiatives. Does this have a familiar smell?

In response to the Carter years, the economist, Arthur Okun, created the Misery Index, which measured America’s economic pain from inflation and unemployment. Carter scored 16.27, the worst number ever recorded. President Eisenhower has the best score (6.26), and surprisingly, presidents George W. Bush and Lyndon Johnson are tied for the second lowest numbers.

The Bush Administration was greeted by the technology bubble bursting, then came 9/11, Iraq, Afghanistan, Hurricane Katrina and now, the financial fallout from 25 years of Equal Opportunity Lending in the mortgage industry. Americans are being stuck for the cost of government guaranteed loans to borrowers who were never credit worthy.

Compared to Carter’s term in office, this Administration has done a decent job of keeping the economy’s head above water. But this time around it is not inflation, unemployment and interest rates that have Americans screaming for blood.

They are angry about the cost of healthcare, education, energy and food. Many are frightened by the cost of heating their homes this winter. They see coddled illegal aliens swamping our infrastructure and undermining wages, and have witnessed the near disappearance of US manufactured goods.

The anger is further inflamed by the impasse between the major parties. It’s obvious to any casual observer that Congress is not interested in solutions. Both sides have dug in their political heels for the sole purpose of making the opposition look bad.

Congress is filled with party hacks. Can anyone remember the last time one of these self-serving slim balls stood in front of a microphone and didn’t immediately blame the opposition for the mess we are in?

Only the miserably stupid believe that just Republicans or Democrats are solely responsible for the energy crisis, the disappearance of manufacturing and the other economic calamities the nation sees on its horizon. These issues have been festering since Jimmy Carter created the Department of Energy.

And only the truly stupid believe that higher taxation will solve the Medicare and Social Security time bombs and remedy the nation’s ailments. Opportunity after opportunity is being squandered by both sides of the political aisle. And time is running out.

The federal government will rake in over $3 trillion in revenues this year. That’s a staggering sum of money by any historical standards.

Money is not the problem. It’s the featherbedding mentality that permeates all levels of government that siphons funds away from the strategic challenges the nation faces. Forget solutions! This Congress can’t even agree on priorities. And that’s why America is hurting.

Obama, China and Capitalism

Senator Obama is well shielded from the public.

He only works from well rehearsed scripts and condemns scrutiny as cynicism. This allows him to hide in plain sight. He can emote with great passion with sterling rhetoric without the curse of explaining those nagging details that betray the color of his flag.

Typical of the majority in Congress, he is big on “what” and short on “how.” This occurs when a speaker has no solution or blueprint, or worse, knows the electorate would be repulsed by the consequences of implementing his or her vision. Senator Obama falls into the latter category.

With the blind allegiance of media, he has remained unscathed. Thus, only on rare occasions do we get a glimpse into what’s lurking inside Obama’s mind. His recent ad lib rebuking the general inability of Americans to speak foreign languages spoke volumes about his personal and political breeding.

As all leftwing adherents, he doesn’t understand the engine of capitalism. The language comment defined his utter lack of knowledge about the basics of global economics. English is the track that world commerce runs on. It’s the mandatory second language in emerging industrial nations such as India and China.

It’s their key to actively sharing the wealth of a global economy. Thus these emerging nations are immersing their youth in English because they understand the relationship between English and flourishing in the global marketplace.

And they understand the power of capitalism. It creates wealth and rewards those who re-invest it. This is Communist China’s tacit acknowledgement that the state is the ultimate beneficiary of its citizens’ personal initiative, and the power of private enterprise.

In this unguarded moment Obama recommended Americans learn Spanish. Of course, he was pandering to a Hispanic audience. But this defined his political breeding.

He believes US citizens should speak Spanish so they can better communicate with illegal aliens. He believes the government should speak in all tongues. He places the burden of integrating into society on those who have already succeeded.

Obama is so imbued in affirmative action, diversity and multi-culturalism that he doesn’t see the corrosive effects these leftwing mantras have on limiting individual opportunity and the economic vitality of our nation.

To compensate for a policy that retards the melting pot effect of a common language, the leftwing substitutes government handouts for tough love. It’s no surprise Obama wants income taxes to exceed 50% on the wealthy and to double the capital gains tax on everyone.

It’s a sad day in America when the leaders in Communist China have a better understanding of capitalism and the necessity of learning the English language than one of the United States’ presidential candidates.

The Candidate of Change

Senator Obama is changing his direction so fast that he is leaving skid marks around the microphones. It’s common practice for political candidates on the far left to veer towards the center once they have the party nomination wrapped up.

Of course, his boosters in the media are condoning and defining this political charade as merely position refinements. These little people have memories. They bear in mind the parade of other socialists, such as, Mondale, McGovern and Dukakis, being savagely defeated in general elections.

Obama also faces the problem of inexperience. There is nothing on his resume that qualifies him for the office. The meaning of the expression “a wolf in sheep’s clothing” is well understood. Obama cannot be accused of this. He is the polar opposite, a lamb the media is dressing in wolf’s attire.

Obama’s litany of about faces includes Reverend Wright, Iraq, Iran, the Second Amendment, FISA, Jerusalem’s future status, terrorist rights, gay marriage, NAFTA, faith based charities and tax increases. Give him another ninety days and he will sound like Ronald Reagan.

He told the world that he was the candidate of change. Now we know what he meant.

To his credit, he has remained firm on no drilling off-shore, no nuclear power, no shale oil development and being anti-coal. And he remains true to his belief that healthcare should be nationalized and illegal aliens should receive all the benefits of US taxpayers.

Here’s an irony. The socialist fanatics that hang around websites like moveon.org feel betrayed by his sudden conversion to moderation. They are screaming bloody murder. They don’t understand that he has to lie and deceive to get elected.

These zealots have never figured out that they only comprise about ten percent of the electorate. They haven’t noticed that communism wasn’t successful, and the title “comrade” isn’t especially popular in the heartland. In their defense, just as the inmates confined in any insane asylum, they see themselves as average.

Obama’s legislative record is as thin as an onion skin. But there is one statistic that defines his politics. In three measly years in Congress he has voted for ninety tax increases. This leaves no doubt about an Obama legacy. It will be a Jimmy Carter styled economic nightmare.

Senator Obama is no moderate. Only those who believe in government encroachment on individual liberties, higher taxes and larger welfare roles will vote for him. Who would have guessed the Democrats could find a candidate that makes Senator McCain look appealing?

Maybe a better question. How did we end up with two lousy candidates? One is the product of the false promise of affirmative action, and the other a fiscal conservative without a vision. One has pledged to stifle economic growth; the other is the kissing cousin of Ted Kennedy’s tribe.

They make us nostalgic for the Kerry/Bush choice. And that bar was set below sea level.

Pioneer Spirit

It has been an amazing run. Last Friday the United States celebrated its 232 birthday. Hawaii joined the union in 1959, creating the need for a fiftieth star on our flag a mere forty-nine years ago.

If the Las Vegas bookies were around on July 4, 1776, what odds would they have given a bunch of ragtag, independent colonies defeating England, the foremost power in the world? The historians have documented all the reasons for their success, but the victory still remains nearly incomprehensible.

And talk about luck! What arrangement of the stars put men of such great wisdom together in Philadelphia to hammer out a constitution which created the bedrock for the most successful nation on the planet? The magnitude of what they accomplished all but defies gravity.

Don’t forget the pioneers who forged this nation with pure guts. They were hard nosed dreamers. They came from Europe with little or nothing, explored, settled and lived off the land. They represent the soul of this country.

And never forget that at least one-half of all the early colonists arrived as indentured servants. They were slaves by any definition. They gave up five to ten years of their lives for the cost of passage. How big was their dream to do this?

The ashes of the Civil War were still smoldering while picks, shovels and dynamite linked the west coast with the east coast in 1869. The transcontinental railroad coupled the spoils of the Mexican War, the annexation of the southwestern states, with the east and the land acquired from Napoleon Bonaparte in 1803, called the Louisiana Purchase.

Only two years before the railroad coupled the nation, Abraham Lincoln’s Secretary of State concluded a deal with Russia to purchase Alaska. The press mocked this decision, calling it a folly. These little men didn’t stop their yapping until gold was discovered.

Our forefathers created a nation which has withstood two world wars, terrifying epidemics, the Great Depression and Communism. They revolutionized production and the sciences, put men on the moon and opened their hearts and treasury to those they vanquished in self-defense.

This nation is a phenomenon. It recognizes and attempts to rectify its mistakes, believes in personal freedom and is a worthy friend. No other country in history has sacrificed more to free subjugated people and promote the prosperity of mankind.

Our ideals remain the beacon to the world. The Statue of Liberty has the same appeal as it did when it was erected. And that is the greatest evidence of the glory of the United States of America.

There is no utopia. We are currently working our way through another muddy patch. Don’t listen to those who believe we can only succeed by suppressing our freedoms or relinquishing our core values.

These naysayers don’t understand what makes this country strong. They actually believe government initiatives, rather than individuals with vision, built this nation.

It might be a bit messy, but America will find an energy solution. That’s the beauty of capitalism in a Republic. Private enterprise always finds a way despite the hungry incompetence of government.

The Nancy, Harry and Barack Show

America’s first affirmative action presidential candidate, Senator Obama, has the wind to his back. The Democratically controlled Congress is smoothing the way. They funded the Iraqi War for a year and quietly passed the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) legislation that the Republicans demanded.

Don’t confuse the leftwing’s turnabout with compromise. Iraq is in Senator McCain’s plus column since the military tide reached the shores of success. Senator Obama painted himself into the loser’s corner with his cut & run rhetoric. The Democrats want his premature declaration of defeat buried.

The reason for the leftwing’s decision to concede on the FISA legislation is more complex. They claimed the updated FISA legislation, passed after 9/11, opened the door to government electronic spying on US citizens.

Other than a few paperwork snafus, there was no evidence of any abuse. The program worked. But the Democrats ignored this fact because they saw the chance to engorge the government coffers through lawsuits and fines on the telecommunication industry.

And we all know what is on their minds. They are copying chapters from Stalin’s plan for government control of production. It would not have been surprising if they threatened to nationalize the telecommunications industry, as they have already threatened the oil companies.

These parasites were smacking their socialist lips over the prospect of “anti-tobacco” sized settlements. Their proposed revisions to the post 9/11 legislation would have allowed their ardent supporters, the trial attorneys and the ACLU, to reap billions of dollars from the companies that cooperated with our intelligence agencies’ pursuit of terrorists.

But the Democrats realized, just prior to the election, that it would be unwise to defend legislation that tied the nation’s hands in combating terrorism. Besides, if their candidate reaches the Oval Office, they can review and change any prior legislation without the threat of a veto.

And this is what is frightening. The far left is in control of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Now place the White House in the hands of the nation’s foremost socialist.

If Obama is elected, it means the country has reached a watershed. Its future will be controlled by a new majority. Its destiny will be in the hands of those who expect the government to coddle them from cradle to grave. They will vanquish the achievers, treating private wealth as the spoils of war.

In anticipation, the liberal disciples are already disparaging home ownership as overrated. This isn’t idle chatter. It’s conceivable to foresee an Obama government confiscating private property and redistributing homes based on family size and diversity. Think not?

The Democrats are currently demanding that the government guarantee the mortgages of 400,000 people who purchased homes they wanted and couldn’t afford. Don’t be deceived. There is little difference between financing the fiscally irresponsible, and simply giving them the houses they have always wanted. The latter is just a short hop away.

We are one election away from this country’s obliteration of personal freedom, private property and healthcare, the incentive to work and the strength of capitalism. That’s Obama’s definition of change.