Category Archives: Opinion

RANDOM THOTS AFTER THE SPEECH

Markets plunge after speech
Is it Europe or is it Barack Obama’s speech.  It’s both.  The common denominator is the playing out of socialistic agendas.  Europe was a little farther along Insolvency Road but Obama is propelling us to what may prove to be a photo finish.

BHO is FDR Redux, not Carter II
Minutes after Random Thots published Jobs and Economics a la Barack Obama, Steven Hayward published Obama vs. FDR.  Great minds think alike.  There is little doubt (in great minds, that is) that BHO is repeating FDR’s mistakes. Everyone should read The Forgotten Man by Amity Shlaes. It is the definitive work on FDR.  I would also refer you to my article in American Thinker on the Obama/Roosevelt comparison. (shameless plug).

Turner 50 – Weprin 44   WOW !
If you are not a woman you can never know what it is like to birth a baby.  If you are not from District 9 in Brooklyn you can never know the significance of Turner’s lead over Weprin.  It was about as likely as a Bernie Sanders endorsement of Sarah Palin.  We covered the race initially in Daily News Endorses Turner vs. Weprin. It is understandable why the President’s wife bowed her head and appeared to pray before her husband spoke.

IT’S JOINT SESSION DAY

It’s eight o’clock in the morning on the day of  THE BIG JOBS SPEECH.  My neck is stuck way out.  I am going to predict what The Man is going and not going to say.  When I went to school, anything above 65% was passing.  Let’s see how I do on this one.

According to the advanced billing the raison d’être of the speech is to promote the creation of jobs.  But the speech itself will be about the support and expansion of government, both federal and state.  Obama will call for $300,000,000,000 (300 B) with much of it slated for infrastructure.  Infrastructure is in the government domain.  We heard this plan two years and a few billion dollars ago.  It didn’t work then and it won’t now.  Or as Yogi Berra might say – It didn’t work the first time and you can’t stop it from not working again.

”The definition of an Obama is someone who keeps repeating the same mistake over and over, each time expecting a different result.”      Al Einstein, from Brooklyn

Perhaps the President thinks it will work this time because the shovels have had more time to get ready.  Franklin Roosevelt’s shovels were ready.  He tried the infrastructure approach with his Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camps.  The result — unemployment stood at 15.3% at the end of 1936, four years after he was elected.  It was still 14.6% at the end of his second term, a full eight years in office.

Obama will urge Congress to establish an Infrastructure Bank, a sort of Fannie Mae for bridges and tunnels.

Another passel of dollars out of the 300B will be earmarked for distribution to states to prop up their finances, presumably to all 57 of them.  Favor will be given to those states in the poorest financial conditions because they need it most.  True, they need it most, but some would say they deserve it least.  Their circumstances are the consequence of their own governance.  Bailouts enable the perpetuation of faulty governance by one at the expense of the others.

“Stimulus”?  Obama will not use the word.  It is in the process of being replaced.  Give me a Mulligan on this one.  One or two off-hand references don’t count.

The President will not fail to stoke the fires of class resentment at some point in his talk.

Although medium and small business is the cradle of jobs, no more than lip service will be given to ease the obstacles that lay in the way their growth.

There’s more, but there’s also a deadline.  Let’s see how I do with the predictions given thus far.

JOBS and ECONOMICS a la BARACK OBAMA

Obama’s attempt to set Tuesday as the day for his address to a joint session of Congress was so obviously political that he quickly backed off and agreed to Speaker Boehner’s rejection of that date.  Michael Smerconish, who was filling in as host for the vacationing Chris Matthews, pointed out on the Hardball program that presidents are not empowered to order Congress to meet in joint session so that the president may address them.  A request must be made to Congress, whereupon the common practice of finding a mutually agreed upon date takes place without public involvement.  Once a date is chosen, it is announced publicly.

Smerconish and one of his two guests agreed that Obama’s choice of an open letter to the Speaker to initiate his request was unprecedented. Furthermore, they agreed that Rush Limbaugh was right when he said it was strictly a political move engineered to upstage the GOP Debate.  That was probably the first time the words “Limbaugh was right” were ever uttered on MSNBC.  Never let it be said the President did not fulfill his promise of audacity.

What should we expect to be included in this much vaunted address?  It has been billed as a “Jobs” speech and it will be presented as a stimulus for private sector job creation.  However, we expect the focus will be on jobs for government projects.  Like FDR’s WPA and CCC Camps, they will be boondoggles that improve some roads and bridges but will do little to improve the general economy while sending the nation more deeply in debt.  This is not the time to be replacing perfectly serviceable infrastructure.  If money is spent it should be spent on re-invigorating the free market system where wealth is created, not where old wealth is shuffled about.  These programs did not work for Roosevelt and they will not work for Obama.

A central point in the speech is likely to be a call for the creation of an Infrastructure Bank to fund government construction projects.  This has all the potential of becoming a Fannie Mae for bridges and tunnels.

If we give Obama the benefit of the doubt and assume that he really wants what he believes to be best for America, then we must conclude that our nation’s problem is Obama’s socialist roots.  He knows nothing about how free markets work.  He has no business experience whatsoever and sees government as the be-all end-all of everything.  The President knows not and cares not how the wealth to run a nation is created.  A nation may be imbued with wealth in its natural resources and scenic beauty, but it’s only in the private sector that wealth is created.  Government only depletes it.  A portion of that which is created is taken by government to provide essential services and hopefully to maintain the optimum environment where the creative process itself can prosper.

What Obama learned about economics he learned from his mentor and spiritual leader whose message is that it’s white man’s greed that runs a world in need.  Barack was so moved by this message that he cried as he sat in the pew at the conclusion of the sermon and knew then what  his mission in life would be.  This, in Obama’s own words as told in Dreams from My Father.  Even those who see nobleness in that dedication must acknowledge it is merely a mission of taking and giving; it is a mission devoid of creation.

There can be no doubt that Obama wants to bring down unemployment, which means to create jobs.  If he knew how to do it he would have done it.  He has been in office for 2 year and 7 months.  For the first 2 years he had the benefit of an all Democratic Congress who supported every item on his agenda.  The people he wants to help most are hurting the worst.  The man is not stupid, he is just blinded by his ideology and his ideology is in no small way born of his rage.  His heart is in expanding the government sector and not private industry whose profits he sees only as a garden of greed.

Obama is a victim of the image he created for himself with some nurturing from the media.  The slogan of Hope and Change, mixed with the audacity to bring it all about was a promise to fulfill your dreams whatever they may be.  It is not for negligence that hope — for what?, and change — to what?  were never defined.  Definitions are limiting; vagueness is not.  It was left for each person to fill in the blanks with their own personal hopes and desires.  You say voters are not that naïve?  You say voters don’t believe politicians promises?  You may remember the woman who was thrilled at Obama’s victory because it meant he was now going to pay off her mortgage.  That woman had voted.  She voted for the fulfillment of her own personal dream.  Do you suppose she was the only one?

Barack Obama has broken more than promises.  He has broken hearts as well.  He has failed his own people.  All because of his socialist roots.

DAILY NEWS ENDORSES TURNER VS. WEPRIN

Official Portrait of President Ronald Reagan

Image via Wikipedia

The Daily News’ endorsement of Turner vs. Weprin is the equivalent of the New York Times endorsing Palin vs. Obama.  Bob Turner is the Republican running for the seat vacated by disgraced Democrat Anthony Weiner.  David Weprin is the Democratic contender for that seat and should be a shoe-in in the solidly Democratic district.  Normally, a Republican would be doing well to get 25% of the vote.  Polls show Turner at 40%.

The point is not who will win this race; that will probably be Weprin.  The point is, it is indicative of the level of discontent felt by hard-core Democrats about the political leaders of their party.  The national implications are very significant.  Ronald Reagan was once a Democrat and later said “I didn’t leave the Party.  The Party left me.”  As the Democratic Party accelerates it’s leftward turn it is leaving more and more of its people behind and some of them are beginning to realize it.

Today is Labor Day.  May God bless the working man and woman.  They are the apple pie, motherhood and are the foundation of all that is good in America.  Whether they pound a hammer, push a pen, birth a baby or cart away the trash they are the heart and soul of this great nation.  They are exceptional; and yet the current Democratic Party leader is telling them there is no such thing.

Who said the Democratic Party is the working man’s party?  The Democrats did, that’s who.  Wrong again!

A TALE OF TWO SPEECHES

President George W. Bush’s speech after the capture of Saddam Hussein:

“The success of yesterday’s mission is a tribute to our men and women now serving in Iraq . The operation was based on the superb work of intelligence analysts who found the dictator’s footprints in a vast country. The operation was carried out with skill and precision by a brave fighting force. Our servicemen and women and our coalition allies have faced many dangers in the hunt for members of the fallen regime, and in their effort to bring hope and freedom to the Iraqi people. Their work continues, and so do the risks. Today, on behalf of the nation, I thank the members of our Armed Forces and I congratulate them!”

Obama’s speech after the killing of bin Laden:

“And so shortly after taking office, I directed Leon Panetta, the Director of the CIA, to make the killing or capture of bin Laden the top priority of our war against al Qaeda, even as we continued our broader efforts to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat his network. Then, last August, I was briefed on a possible lead to bin Laden. It was far from certain, and it took many months to run this thread to ground. I met repeatedly with my national security team as we developed more information about the possibility that we had located bin Laden hiding within a compound deep inside of Pakistan . And finally, last week, I determined that we had enough intelligence to take action, and I authorized an operation to get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice. Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad , Pakistan .”

Two very different speeches, one by a leader giving all the credit to those who did the job, the other by Barack Obama.

TWEETER’S TWIT INDEX

Crimson Hexagon is to the internet as Nielson is to television programming.  They both are leading firms that take measure of what is popular in their respective spheres.  Crimson measures sentiments as posted in public social networking sites like Twitter.  Their work is directed mostly for commercial purposes, but they also explore political issues.  The outfit monitored tweets on the subject of the Presidents big black bus tour through Tea Party land and found 72% of tweeters were critical of the tour with only 6% tweeting favorably about it.  It places Obama in the running for the Twit of the Year award.

Say what you will about Bill Clinton, but at least he had an easy charm and a sense of propriety.  He also was a man who was capable of being gracious.  Obama is none of that.  Can you picture President Clinton, 2 ½ years into his presidency, ordering a million dollar bus from Canada, having it painted intimidation black, and riding for three days through the midlands making stump speeches blaming mid-east unrest and a Japanese earthquake for the lack of jobs at home?

RANDOM THOTS Aug 23, 2011

Recommended reading
Star Parker, writing for Town Hall, has penned a superb treatise on the confusion among blacks about the failures of Barack Obama.  Her thesis is that blacks are undecided between the ideas that Barack has sold them out or that he is just incompetent.  A few may even wonder if liberalism could be at fault.  There is much more; read it all.

Press Conferences
Obama is the first President ever to call on a member of the Press without looking up.  First he reads the name from the teleprompter, and then he looks up to locate the person in the room.  You don’t see raised hands asking for the privilege to pose a question in one of this president’s press conferences.

Methinks
The fortunes of everyday Americans are on a see-saw.  The economy is sitting on one end of the board and Barack Obama is on the other.  America was on the downswing when Obama was riding up.  Methinks Mr. Obama’s weight has peaked and America is in a bottoming phase.  The keystone tenet of Alcoholics Anonymous is: first you must acknowledge you have a problem, and then you must want to fix it.  The President’s actions, along with those of Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and the SEIU have exacerbated the nation’s woes to the point that everyone has come to acknowledge we do have a problem.  From the election results of 2010 to the 64 year old lady Democrat screaming that Obama is an idiot because he won’t cut Medicaid, there is ample evidence that Americans want to fix it.

We are at the bottom of a deep hole.  Call me an optimist if you must, but I think the shoveler’s shovel is finally broken.  Now we are about to fix it, (the hole, not the shovel).

I’M FROM THE GOVERNMENT AND I’M HERE TO HELP

BARACK OBAMA ON HIS WAY TO HELP

When Anthony Weiner, the former Democratic congressman of Facebook fame resigned in disgrace, it was a foregone conclusion that his replacement would be another Democrat.  Only one in four voters in his district is registered as Independents or Republicans.  Nonetheless, it is turning out to be a race in this super-solid Democratic district that gave birth to Sen. Schumer and other leading Democrats.  The reason is broadly held feelings of deep disgust for Barack Obama among working class Democrats.  It’s a local situation with national implications.

From today’s New York Times

Dale Weiss, a 64-year-old Democrat, approached the Republican running for Congress in a special election and, without provocation, blasted the president for failing to tame runaway federal spending.  “We need to cut Medicaid,” she declared, “but he won’t do that.”  She shook her head in disgust.  “He is a moron.”

After nodding approvingly for a time, the Republican candidate, Bob Turner, signaled for an assistant to cut off Ms. Weiss.  Frustration with Mr. Obama is so widespread, he explained later, that he tries to limit such rants to about 30 seconds, or else they will consume most of his day.

“It’s endemic in the district,” Mr. Turner said.  “You can’t stop them once they get started.”

Working people can be quite forgiving of a leader’s mistakes when they believe the leader is doing his best.  People will endure a great deal of hardship from a leader who is with them in it.  But even then, there is a limit.  When working people see themselves as on a sinking ship and you yell “I’m here to help” as you speed by in your yacht, you have lost them.

THE BIG BUST AND OTHER RANDOM THOTS

The President’s big bust tour didn’t go very well.  It’s not surprising when you know the tour was in fly over Tea Party country.  Even the black congressional caucus didn’t like it.  He spent too much time with white folks.  Maxine Waters pleaded with Black Caucus followers to “release us” and then we’ll go at him.  The Caucus is caught between Scylla and Charybdis on this one.

A recent Newsmax poll found that only 42% of voters will admit they voted for Barack Obama.  Now I know why all those Obama/Biden bumper stickers are disappearing from cars everywhere, except in college towns of course.

The goal of public service union leaders is to maximize membership.  If two people can easily do the job, five is better.  Five votes to count, five dues to collect, what could be sweeter than that?  On the other hand, the taxpayers, as citizens paying the wages are entitled to a day’s work for a day’s wages paid.  The negotiating table is supposed to resolve the conflict of interest between the public service unions and we the people.  But it’s the union dues that put the negotiators in their seats across the table.  What could be sourer than that?

Charles Koch responds to Warren Buffet

“Much of what the government spends money on does more harm than good; this is particularly true over the past several years with the massive uncontrolled increase in government spending.  I believe my business and non-profit investments are much more beneficial to societal well-being than sending more money to Washington.  — Charles G. Koch, Chairman and CEO, Koch Industries, Inc.

Charlie must be reading RandomThots.  We said here last Monday.

PERRY’S TEXAS TALK, BERNANKE TAKES SOME HEAT

When Howard Cosell asked Mohamed Ali where he aimed his punches, Ali said “I aim for the back of the head.”  Mohamed Ali fought like a champ.  Republicans, on the other hand are given to pulling their punches.  Not Rick Perry.

It would be treason, Perry says.

“If this guy prints more money between now and the election, I don’t know what y’all will do to him in Iowa, but we would treat him pretty ugly down in Texas,” Perry said to laughter from supporters in Iowa.

“Printing more money to play politics at this particular time in American history is almost treacherous, treasonous in my opinion,” he said.

Ears on the Right heard NO MORE STIMULUS!  Ears on the Left heard only a blasphemous threat.  Those in the middle are provoked to thought.  In my opinion, it was a gotcha that won’t get.  Any sane person knows the comment was a slander, not a real threat.  Slanders are the spice of choice in political campaigns.  Bernanke is a good guy and Perry knows it.  But even good guys make mistakes.

Now about the Fed.  When interest rates are six percent, lowering them to five will promote borrowing by consumers for refrigerators and cars and borrowing by businesses for expansion.  It can poke an economy and get it to move.  But lowering rates from near zero to nearer zero is like trying to move the economy by pushing on its string.  What the economy needs is not another Quantitative Easing.  What the economy needs is a president who isn’t a business killer.