The Usual Hacks...er.....Suspects

Last week, the Illinois rookie Senator gathered an assemblage of mostly old, hacked-up, political oldies in Chicago to advise him prior to his first press conference as President-elect.

The Democrat had little to say of substance, and absolutely nothing resembling 'change you can believe in.'

No, thanks to his council of 'the usual suspects,' he instead babbled on about new stimulus packages 'sooner, rather than later,' and bailing out auto makers. Again. Even more expensively.

Nothing remotely creative, such as allowing the shareholders and senior managers of the auto makers to die, but giving the rank and file workers living stipends, educational vouchers for training, and bare-bones, government-paid health insurance for a year or two. Perhaps even extending such to whichever middle managers wanted to live on such allowances, too.

Instead, the newly-elected liberal regime seemed to be behaving remarkably like Bush and McCain, aiding corporate failures at the taxpayers' expense.

Isn't this just what the new Messiah accused McCain of- four more years of 'Bush's failed economic policies?'

My, my.

It seems it will be four more years of Obamanomics which looks just like what he ran against.

After scanning the NY Times picture which my partner described as 'the last supper,' which also appeared in the Wall Street Journal and on the live feeds, I saw no particularly comforting faces save, perhaps, Paul Volcker. Just tired has-beens like the ever-popular Democratic economc gnome, Bob Reich, the unremarkable Laura Tyson, and various other liberal economic dunderheads.

In case anyone hasn't noticed, Warren Buffett and Dick Parsons are hardly known as economic mavens. The former has actually stumbled outside of raw financial asset allocation, while the latter has screwed up Time Warner royally.

If all this group of political and business hacks can dream up is more aid to the failing US auto makers GM, Ford and Chrysler, you have to wonder in just what form, and when, all this celebrated change will be arriving, don't you?

'Cause it ain't happening yet.

No Mandate- Just Good Ol' Fashioned Racism

I wrote this post last week about McCain's campaign mistakes. In it, I mentioned,

"Given that, in the words of one pundit this morning, a switch in results from only 40 counties across the US would have made McCain President-elect this morning, the latter's campaign mistakes are really what caused his loss.

In the end, McCain just seemed unable to mount a vigorous, clear, vibrant and coherent message to give voters something to be for, rather than merely be against reasonable fears of Democrat hegemony."

What is even more remarkable is how close McCain came in a Presidential election featuring such total racist voting patterns.

I'm referring, of course, to the Illinois rookie garnering something approaching 96% of the black vote. If, instead, the usual split in Presidential elections had obtained, Sarah Palin would be handing her job to her lieutenant governor, and Arizona would have a newly-appointed Senator in a few months.

And, of course, if the media had reported a white voter preference for McCain in the same proportion as that of the blacks for his opponent, charges of racism would have flown thick and fast Tuesday night, and ever since.

Several pundits, among them the eminent Karl Rove, noted that the Illinois freshman Senator won by no more of a margin than Clinton.

Hardly a mandate.

Remember that when you begin to hear of the wholesale socialism the newly-elected President and his Congressional cronies want to inflict on America.

Krauthammer's Prediction On President-Elect's Policies

Fox News contributor Charles Krauthammer commented extensively on Wednesday night concerning the faux-call to bipartisanship by the Democratic leaders of Congress and the President-elect. He finished by noting that, in reality, the rookie Illinois Senator can pursue his chosen course without any heed of Republican concerns, though not, perhaps, of his own party's Congressional members.

I neglected to mention what Krauthammer tellingly predicted will be the new President-elect's policies.

'Whatever will get him re-elected in 2012.'

Remember, we're talking about an empty slate and inexperienced person who just became our President-elect.

Having no observable convictions or beliefs, it's completely reasonable that, like Bill Clinton, he will do not what he feels is good for the country, but what he believes will secure his re-election.

Charles Krauthammer's Blunt Talk About 'Bi-Partisanship'

Last night on Fox News, Brit Hume's panel discussed the President-elect's likely tack on various issues, once in office.

After everyone else had gushed about Frisco Nan's and the rookie Illinois Senator's palaver about 'bipartisanship,' the dry, unflappable Krauthammer noted that the Democrats had just increased their seats in both Houses, and won the Oval Office.

He rather forcefully said, to paraphrase,

'You don't believe a word of this bipartisanship nonsense. He's going to do whatever he and the Congressional Democrats want because they now have the votes and the White House.'

He's right, of course.

Campaigning to many new, young and otherwise gullible voters, the freshman Senator from Illinois naturally told people what they wanted to hear. To wit,

'Elect me, and I'll work as a bipartisan, ney, postpartisan President. We can do this. Yes we can!'

Sounds promising. But empty, coming from a Senatorial newbie.

I've read and heard all sorts of people gushing in conversation, on blogs and websites how, no matter who you voted for, we all have to give the new President-elect our backing and support. And hope he 'succeeds.'

Even Karl Rove uttered a desire that the President-elect 'succeed.'

But what does this mean? 'Succeed' at what, exactly?

An increasingly socialized nation? More left-leaning policies which smother innovation and risk-taking?

Krauthammer is entirely correct. This newly-elected President isn't going to be compromising anything. Nor engaging in any bipartisan dealings.

In fact, on that subject, Dick Morris appeared on Bill O'Reilly's Factor last night, describing what really happened to Bubba Clinton's promises of bipartisanship when he was elected in 1992.

According to Morris, the Democratic Congressional leadership, then in the majority in both houses, offered Clinton a 'deal he couldn't refuse.'

In exchange for staying within the pocket of legislative initiatives which the Democrats would allow, and having those passed, Bubba was prohibited from crossing the aisle to treat with any Republican Congressional members. Period.

Morris was quite emphatic about this. Congressional Democrats stiff-armed Republicans, through Clinton, and forbid any contact.

Don't expect anything else from the current crop of newly-elected and reinforced Democrats for the next 2 years.

A New Low In The Presidency

Thanks to the election of the rookie Illinois Senator on Tuesday, Americans have established a new low for qualifications for our nation's highest office.


Someone told me Tuesday evening that Obama is intelligent. To which I replied that my first Presidential vote was cast for the 'more intelligent' candidate......Jimmy Carter.


He proved to be one of the worst stains on the office in our nations' history.


So much for raw intellect.


Give me some accomplishments every time. Preferably some sort of executive experience of reasonable magnitude and duration.


As if to validate my point, yesterday's big news was that our President-elect is planning to name erstwhile Clinonista Rahm Emmanuel as his chief of staff.

Emmanuel is one of the most bitterly partisan Representatives in office. He won an Illinois Congressional seat after Bubba left office, so that makes him part of the evolving Chicago Mafia that will now be running our country. When Frisco Nan lets him.

Last night, on Fox News, token black/liberal contributor Juan Williams gave two interesting opinions about the appointment.

First, he said that the black caucus in Congress is already crying foul for Obama passing up the perfect change to name a fellow black to the post.

Second, he rationalized the Emmanuel choice by actually, and, I suspect, accidentally, admitting, to paraphrase Williams,

'Look, Obama is only a two-year Senator and doesn't really know anything about legislation. Emmanuel will be his direct bridge to Nancy Pelosi.'

This is rich, indeed. We are now told the truth- that the President-elect doesn't have any substantial governmental experience at all. Which matches the man's lack of significant life experience, as well.

Instead, a Clinton hold-over will now be running the White House, because its new occupant won't be qualified to deal with Congress on his own.

As I said to an acquaintance, and anyone within earshot, last night,

"This guy is going to make Carter look like a good President by comparison."

And you remember how easily Congress rolled Jimmuh, don't you?

Yes, we've reached a new low in electing Presidents. Now, you don't even need any legitimate, significant life experience.

Just be a member of the right minority, claim to be intelligent with 'ideas for change,' and, oh yes, dare anyone to criticize your lack of qualifications and call them sexist/racist.

McCain's Mistakes

A few days ago, on the eve of yesterday's election, several Fox News commentators- Chris Wallace, Brit Hume and, I think, Fred Barnes or Bill Kristol, discussed what they thought of McCain's campaign.

To a person, they despaired at how badly organized and run McCain's effort had been. With a handful of relevant issues: Obama's kinship with Jeremiah Wright, Tony Rezko and Bill Ayers; his socialist comments; his tax/welfare plan, to name a few, McCain had no shortage of targets.

But he never grabbed one or two and relentlessly drove them home. Furthermore, McCain's insistence on behaving as if he were on the Senate floor, displaying a sort of quaint decorum of an earlier era, served him badly.

Forget bogus calls to 'unity.' Presidential politics is always about playing hard and rough. We hear the same tired song about 'taking the high road' every four years. But it's the same result every time- candidates get mean, nasty, personal and untruthful.

The rookie Illinois Senator was no exception.

McCain, in the end, reminded me all too much of Bob Dole, as I first noted in this post, from March, 2007.

In fact, McCain even mouthed the exact phrase, "it's my turn," on Saturday Night Live recently.

Given that, in the words of one pundit this morning, a switch in results from only 40 counties across the US would have made McCain President-elect this morning, the latter's campaign mistakes are really what caused his loss.

In the end, McCain just seemed unable to mount a vigorous, clear, vibrant and coherent message to give voters something to be for, rather than merely be against reasonable fears of Democrat hegemony.

The Con Man

It's a 10PM on Tuesday night as I write this post. Fox News has called Ohio, Iowa and Pennsylvania for the Democratic candidate, thus apparently sealing McCain's fate as the loser in the Presidential contest. Even sources in McCain's campaign now admit there is 'no longer a path' to victory for their candidate.

A few days ago, I caught former Secretary of State Larry Eagleburger on Fox News.

With remarkable candor, Eagleburger declared that if the country were to vote the freshman Illinois Senator into office as President, it was electing a "a con man."

So true.

Only last night, I talked with an acquaintance who is a local Republican office holder at the town council level, and a minority. He clearly broke ranks and voted for the Illinois Senator, and, separately, assured me that, if elected, he would govern from the center.

Imagine all the radical left Democrats who will be conned if this is true.

Then again, the rookie Senator's move to the center conned many independents who will be angry if he shows his true liberal stripes and governs with Frisco Nan and Harry Reid.

Either way, the Democrats have offered us an inexperienced, unaccomplished con man for our nation's highest office.

Something we will all come to regret.