A Republican President in 2013

Barack Obama does not understand the needs and wants of most Americans.  He misunderstood the meaning of his celebrated election.  Americans were proud of the fact that they had risen above race in electing their president.  His Race was not the reason he was elected. He does not understand the reason he won the election.  Here are some things he and his advisers do not understand.

1. Mr. Obama wanted to believe most Americans had read his books and supported his views.  Most did not read his books.  Most people did not know the meaning of “change.”

2. He and his advisers neglected to consider his opponent, John McCain.  If elected the senator would have been 72 years old at his inauguration.  That fact alone was a concern to many people. Added to that issue was the concern most people had about Sarah Palin becoming President.  Many conservative journalists voiced this view.  Among them was Kathleen Parker.

3. His speeches in Europe, prior to his election, seemed well received, but they were not given to Americans.  American views of the world are considerably different from those of Europeans.  Most Europeans do not view significant involvement in other country’s affairs an appropriate foreign policy.

4. As a consequence of the 9-11 World Trade Center attack Americans want to insulate themselves to the extent that there will never be another attack in this country.  Compare that view with the calmer behavior of Europeans after attacks in London and Madrid.  The Eiffel Tower has been evacuated at least twice this year and there was little hysteria surrounding those incidents.  Mumbai, India was the victim of a terrorist attack in 2009.  In each of those instances those nations did not display the hysterics that has been so prevalent in the United States.  Consider the American reaction to the Detroit Bomber, the Times Square bomber, and the shooting at Fort Hood.

5. The financial crises has impacted almost every family in America.  Despite that, Mr. Obama has marched to a different drummer.  He saw his mandate as clear. Change is what he promised and that was what he has determined to carry out.

Instead of listening to James Carville’s famous words, “It’s the economy, Stupid”, Mr. Obama has decided to stay the course.  Howard Fineman of the Huffington Post reported on the Chris Matthews show that David Axelrod indicated there will be no consequential changes to the Obama Whitehouse.  Nancy Pelosi and her entire team will be the face of the Democratic Party.

Unless there is a change of course there will be a Republican president elected in November 2012.

The George W. Bush Autobiography

Every president of the United States wants to be remembered as one of the best that ever lived.  So it’s no wonder that George W. Bush has written an autobiography that conveys that message.  To sell the book and his place in history as one of our best presidents he has appeared on some widely watched television shows including Oprah Winfrey and a special hosted by Matt Lauer.

I am quite certain that most Republicans will praise him as a great leader.  The facts do not support that opinion.  Neither his religion nor his good intent is in question.  What is questionable is his judgment.  He surrounded himself with people whose motives are very questionable.  He doesn’t regret taking the country into a war in Iraq that was based upon faulty information. He sees no error in his decision to limit the troop build up in Afghanistan and the limited search for Osama bin Laden.  He sees nothing wrong with the Federal response to the Katrina Hurricane that devastated New Orleans.  He blocked the use of Federal dollars for stem cell research. Finally at the end of his presidency he promoted the bailout of Wall Street bankers and poorly managed commercial banks.

He wants to be remembered as the president who prevented another terrorist attack like 9-11 which did happen while he was president.  He had been warned of the possibility of such an attack by the Clinton administration.  He went to extremes to ensure there would not be another attack that resulted in the Patriot Act which many people believe is an infringement of individual rights guaranteed by the Constitution.  He instituted the Department of Homeland Security that has had questionable success.  He opened a prison at Guantanamo Bay that denies its prisoners the right to a speedy trial and instituted water boarding.

There are too many other things his administration did that were clearly extreme and possibly illegal.  I wrote about some of them back on September 17, 2008.

So I am stuck trying to determine what happened during his presidency that would qualify him to be considered even a good president let alone a great president.

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November 12, 2010: Now to add even more to this obviously flawed book is a report on Huffington Post that some of the information he imparts was lifted from advisers books.  Copies are now in Costco at less than $23.00.

The Horror of Homelessness

For those of you who think your life is rough in the San Fernando Valley or other comfortable middle class neighbourhoods try taking an innocent drive to the Flower District in Downtown Los Angeles.  My wife wanted to go to Moskatel’s Craft store on San Julian Street.  I did not know that street between 6th Street and 7th Street is Skid Row.  One drive down that block will convey the horror of homelessness.  Everyone reading this should give thanks that they are not part of those poor people.

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Back when we were married, 41 years ago, my bride to be decided to help defray the cost of wedding flowers at each table by making the settings herself.  We went to downtown Los Angeles to the flower district.  There we found Moskatel’s Craft store on San Julian Street.  While I knew it was in the skid row area we never saw any homeless people on the streets.

My wife has been a crafts person all of her life.  Yesterday the idea came to her to return to that store.  “Just for fun” she said, “Lets go down there and then go out to lunch.”  I found the store address on the internet.  They do not have a website but the name and address were easily identified.

We exited the Harbor Freeway onto 6th Street and drove to San Julian Street without incident.  The right turn onto San Julian brought the horror of skid row right into our faces.  That first block was lined with homeless people sitting on curbs and leaning or sleeping against the walls of the buildings.  I drove carefully and slowly down the narrow street stunned by the obvious despair.  Surprisingly the next block was totally clear of homeless people.  This was the block that housed Moskatel’s and we saw the sign over the entrance to the store.

I circled the block looking for parking.  Along the way my wife saw another craft store she wanted to visit.  We found parking in a structure that adjoined the store.  Once inside the structure that led us into the store I felt safe.  Inside we found the variety of crafts supplies greater than any Michael’s (they now own Moskatel’s) or JoAnn’s.

Then my wife announced she wanted to walk over to that other store she had seen just a block and a half away.  That store was back towards skid row but one block over on the corner.  It was a frightening walk past people sitting on the sidewalk, laying on the sidewalk, and one individual who was starting to approach us.  He (perhaps she) was wrapped in a blanket as he was starting towards us.  The traffic light changed to green and we quickly walked across the street and back to our car.

Lunch was just a few block away at Lawry’s in a new entertainment center that is part of L.A. Live.  Included in the center is Staples Center, Nokia Theater, the Grammy Museum and two new hotels.  The parking attendant, had never heard of Moskatel’s, and was obviously oblivious to what we had just seen.

The Los Angeles Times just ran a feature on this subject. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lopez16oct16-series,1,1478819.special

Big Blue – It’s California

California really is an independent state.  The official flag name is “The Bear Flag” but the text on the flag tells the real story, CALIFORNIA REPUBLIC.  For 26 days during the Mexican American War there was a group that claimed independence for California.  Californians, like Texans, have always considered their state something different.  Perhaps it was the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Mojave Desert that separates us from the rest of the nation that has always given us a different perspective.

So while the most other states voted Republicans into office, Californians continued to support most of the Democrats and liberal/progressive initiatives.  As it stands now every state wide candidate appears to have won their election.  The State Attorney General position appears to be a cliff hanger.  All the others have been conclusively decided.

I have mixed emotions about this situation.  On the one hand I like the idea that we have an extraordinarily progressive (yes, liberal) point of view because we want to be an inclusive society looking to improve everyone’s life.  On the other hand our laws and regulations have driven many businesses out of the state and that has resulted in too many homeless and unemployed people.  If we were an independent country, we would be the Greece of America.  Our next governor, Jerry Brown, will have to make some very difficult decisions.

There is no Going Back!

Despite what Glenn Beck has said about taking America back, America is going forward.  America has been a progressive country and will continue to be a progressive country.

Don Lemon on CNN today had as a guest, Tim Wise,  a White blogger who identifies himself as an antiracist essayist, author and educator. Mr. Wise posted the linked piece in which he tells the right wing and the Tea Party that they should party hardy because their time is short lived.

I am somewhat older than Mr. Wise but I can relate to his view.  America is no longer the world of “Howdy Doody” and “Father Knows Best.”  I do not want to go back to those times and neither should you.

“What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate!”

A quote from Cool Hand Luke, 1967.

If ever I watched our elected officials in denial it occurred this past week. The leaders of both political parties continued to march to their own drummer without regard to the needs and wishes of the electorate. Is it any wonder that so many people do not vote and say that their voting would mean nothing?

John Boehner is focused on taxes and health care. Mitch McConnell is focused on making Barack Obama a one term president. The president and the Democrats are focused on defending their last two years of legislation. Barack Obama has said that it was not his policies that were wrong. Instead contends that he had not adequately communicated the benefits of his policies.

The number one issue is the economy and JOBS. No one in either party is discussing this issue. Perhaps the reason is they do not have one good idea to solve the problem of unemployment.

If ever there was an opportunity for a third political party it is now!

Keith Olbermann Suspended for Giving Political Donations

Posted on AOLNEWS.COM

by Andrea Stone, Senior Washington Correspondent

(Nov. 5 ) — Here’s one story you will be talking about tomorrow.

MSNBC liberal talk show host Keith Olbermann has been suspended indefinitely without pay from MSNBC after his boss learned he had violated newsroom policies by giving campaign contributions to three Democratic candidates for Congress.

That is the same Keith Olbermann who pummeled Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. for giving $1 million to the Republican Governors Association in order to buy “campaign influence.”

Olbermann video.

Oops.

In a terse statement today, MSNBC TV President Phil Griffin said, “I became aware of Keith’s political contributions late last night. Mindful of NBC News policy and standards, I have suspended him indefinitely without pay.”

The news that the liberal flamethrower had thrown cash to three congressional candidates was first reported by Politico.

Olbermann acknowledged in a statement that he made the donations:

“One week ago, on the night of Thursday October 28 2010, after a discussion with a friend about the state of politics in Arizona, I donated $2,400 each to the re-election campaigns of Democratic Representatives Raul Grijalva and Gabrielle Giffords,” Olbermann said. “I also donated the same amount to the campaign of Democratic Senatorial candidate Jack Conway in Kentucky.”

 

Olbermann said he did not use his influence to solicit donations from others for the candidates.

“I did not privately or publicly encourage anyone else to donate to these campaigns, nor to any others in this election or any previous ones, nor have I previously donated to any political campaign at any level,” Olbermann said.

 

The shocking news, as the often holier-than-thou commentator might put it, came at an interesting time. Three days earlier, stung by ridicule at last week’s Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, Olbermann said he would shelve his trademark daily segment, “Worst Persons in the World.”

NEW YORK (AP) — MSNBC says Keith Olbermann will be back on the air Tuesday, ending his suspension for violating NBC’s rules against making political donations after two shows.

MSNBC’s chief executive Phil Griffin said late Sunday that after several days of deliberation, he had determined that two days off the air was “an appropriate punishment for his violation of our policy.”

(Nov. 5 ) — Here’s one story you will be talking about tomorrow.

MSNBC liberal talk show host Keith Olbermann has been suspended indefinitely without pay from MSNBC after his boss learned he had violated newsroom policies by giving campaign contributions to three Democratic candidates for Congress.

That is the same Keith Olbermann who pummeled Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. for giving $1 million to the Republican Governors Association in order to buy “campaign influence.”

—

November 7, 2010 Update

The following news item really says that MSNBC’s most  popular program cannot be kept off the air because MONEY speaks louder than behavior. 

NEW YORK (AP) — MSNBC says Keith Olbermann will be back on the air Tuesday, ending his suspension for violating NBC’s rules against making political donations after two shows.

MSNBC’s chief executive Phil Griffin said late Sunday that after several days of deliberation, he had determined that two days off the air was “an appropriate punishment for his violation of our policy.”

The Pledge of Allegiance in Spanish

Unless we defend our culture the United States will become another nation’s culture. Most of our ancestors came here to begin anew and that includes becoming part of America.  I wrote about this issue in a piece titled “We Speak English.”

Published November 04, 2010 | FoxNews.com

Melissa Taggart says she was delighted that her son was learning a foreign language in the eighth grade — until she learned he was expected to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in Spanish.

And that he’d receive a zero if he didn’t.

Taggart, of Edmond, Okla., said the Pledge should be recited in English — and English only.

“English is our language…and I just feel it’s wrong that he would have to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States of America in Spanish. It’s just wrong,” a frustrated Taggart told Fox 4 Oklahoma City.

She said she couldn’t begin to understand why her son’s teacher would choose the Pledge for her class. And she was upset that her son was told he would receive a zero if he did not complete the assignment.

“There are poems, lyrics, and great writes that she could have chosen that emphasize the Spanish culture and to teach our children,” Taggart said. “Why the Pledge of Allegiance?”

She said she and her husband were appalled by the assignment and that they “don’t believe in it, and I do not want my child doing it.”

“I just feel that it’s wrong,” she told Fox 4, “that he’ll have to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States of America in Spanish. That’s not how it should be taught. That has nothing to do with the Spanish language.”

A New Strategy Against Terrorists

The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were mistakes.  We never should have entered either of those countries with armies.  Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction which was he justification for attacking that country.  Afghanistan was protecting al-Queda and that terrorist group should have been the target of our government not the Taliban.  The result of those two invasions has been a high cost of life and a high cost in dollars.  Neither of those countries will become the democracies we would like to see in those nations.

Iraq had parliamentary elections last March and still has not be able to seat a ruling government.  Afghanistan held an election that was riddled with fraud and now has a president who objects to American and Russian effort to destroy the poppy farms that supply the drug trade.

This week’s discovery of bombs being shipped in aircraft bound for the United States from Yemen, and recent plots against America that have roots in Pakistan and here in the United States, tells me that we have to develop a new strategy against al-Queda and its splinter groups.  That ought to be a spy network that works to subvert terrorists.  Armies are good at fighting wars with defined lines.  There are no defined lines when the terrorist network is spread under cover through out the world.

Will the President have the courage to withdraw our forces from Iraq, Afghanistan, and other countries to save money and lives in favor of a new strategy?  Frankly, I doubt it.  Politics will probably define his decisions.  That will make the United States more vulnerable to attack.  After all, if you keep throwing darts at a target you will finally hit the bull’s eye.