Respect

For those who would be tempted to view our times within the context of the American Civil War, the BP Gulf oil spill would represent Fort Sumter. We currently find ourselves somewhere between Fort Sumter and Gettysburg. The oil spill was the first clear shot across the bow of America. It gave our president his first opportunity to clamp down on America’s jugular. Since then, the Left has managed to rack up an impressive string of victories. Even counting a significant number of electoral setbacks (during midterms), this seems to have had zero effect on the Left’s forward momentum. The economy is still in trouble and our position globally has become increasingly tenuous. It is clear that the American Left is hard at work toward seeing that America slips to second or third rung status among nations. So far, they are succeeding.

I have long predicted that something will happen that will forestall the 2012 elections and that Obama would remain in office. If this is correct, it would suggest the timeframe within which to expect Gettysburg. Gettysburg could be anything, foreign or domestic. Too many fuses are already lit; too much ordinance likely to detonate. When it does, there will either be chaos or the system will collapse into a shadow structure (already built and in place).

No one is willing to fully accept that any of this can happen – not in America. Those raising alarms are systematically silenced, crushed by ignorance, and by a general unwillingness to connect the dots and follow trend lines to their logical conclusion. Others, only semi-aware, place their hopes on 2012, our next chance to replace the leadership in Washington. They do not consider the possibility that we might never get there.

How to prepare? First off, know what you stand for. If you stand for liberty and the spirit of America, say so outright and without hesitation. Your worst move is to succumb to the bullying tactics of the Left, or to retaliate in kind. If you happen to be on the left, come out of hiding and state your intent plainly. Stealth will no longer serve you. Everybody must have a voice in determining where we want to end up. For the exercise to succeed, all cards must be put face-up on the table. Winner takes all.

Recognize too that your money is gone. It is being used as a weapon against you - to get you to do things you wouldn’t ordinarily consider doing. Write it off; start fresh. Hunger is another matter. But even hunger can be used as a weapon for a righteous cause. Anna Hazare moved the world recently by going on a hunger strike – so did Gandhi.

Know where you stand and adjust to doing without creature comforts. Obama’s threat to raise a billion dollars for his reelection campaign is meaningless. The money he intends on using has no value – and he knows it. It is a bluff to fend off adversaries. Doing without money will be easier than it seems. For one thing, you can no longer be bribed or corrupted by it. You will be free to pursue what’s right and true. And your reward will be far greater than anything money can ever hope to buy, among these: self-respect.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

In Quest of the Prize Pig

It’s obvious that Mr. Obama does not fear elections. He intends on muscling through. How exactly he sees ‘muscling through’ is anybody’s guess. It obviously does not involve moving to the center. It seems to me that Obama’s strategy has been set as far back as when he first started promoting the health care bill. In fact, he now seems more determined than ever to muscle his leftist agenda through.

The results of the midterm election made no difference. This proves that Mr. Obama is not a political animal. He is purely ideological. I suspect, even, that he fully intends to be president after 2012; but that he would never be willing to sacrifice his agenda for the sake of his own political popularity. This gives him an edge over anyone still mired in pre-Obama politics.

Here’s the rub: How does he expect to be reelected given his low approval ratings? The answer is obvious: There won’t be elections in 2012 …or ever. Something will happen between now and then that will preclude this wasteful expenditure.

What we are seeing now are the dress rehearsals for the final act; simply going through the motions of running various campaigns, solely for public consumption. The Republicans are placated by the expectation of winning the prize pig. Along the way they will tear themselves apart. The Dems will blame them for anything that either stalemates or goes wrong. Their own base will draw and quarter them for being unable to stop Obama’s agenda - while the Left grudgingly applauds, barely being able to contain themselves. (The Left too will lose its status in the 'new world order' where left and right are the same).

Even in a clean and fair election, Republicans will enter the arena looking small and spent. Add to this mix the likely entry of a third party candidate, and the Republicans are toast.

Obama reelected would buy us time. I’ve said many times that if McCain had won, we would already be seeing the worst - as is now happening in Greece. With Obama at the helm, the Left still sees an advantage in keeping its powder dry. A Republican sweep in 2012 would literally ‘unleash the dogs‘ (to turn a phrase). I believe that those highest on the food chain know this. (McCain knew it.) They know that reelecting Obama will be the best among a whole series of bad options for us.

Obama knows it too. That’s why he struts around, looking so smug. He knows he can’t be touched. He’s simply there as a cutout for those whose phone calls he takes (or meets with across the street from the White House).

Bush knew it. That’s why he won’t say anything. He’s happy to no longer be a part of it; thankful that history has let him off easy.

Elections will no longer play a pivotal role in American politics. We’ve heard it from no less than the lips of the former Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi (while speaking of ‘shared values’ at Tufts University earlier this week).

“Shared values” indeed! Whose values? Based on what? I guess we’ll just have to wait till it happens. Then we’ll know what’s in it.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Waves: Nothing Is Happening

What everyone forgets is that '08 too was a 'wave'. The 'waves' seem to be getting bigger. '12 ought to be a doozy.

When the waves get bigger, it usually means there is a storm out at sea. People pray that it will pass them by. Still, fishermen will secure their boats. The local Home Depot will run out of plywood and the shelves at the grocery stores will empty.

It’s no different from political waves. Some are already certain that the storm will make landfall. They are now in the process of preparing for it. Others will continue to ignore the warnings. Still others will take their surfboards down to the beach for a thrill ride.

Most times the warnings are indirect - not at all like color depictions of diseased lungs on cigarette packs - it takes multiple leaps to arrive at a conclusion. Like Bernanke running the printing presses so hot, we can well expect the paper to catch fire. Like our own government’s severely restricted use of the word ‘enemy’ - barring all reference to our real enemies - and we coming to realize (belatedly, perhaps) that the enemy is us.

It’s become a minefield to navigate these waters. Plenty of opportunity for re-direction (diversion) to lead us astray. The way to do it, I suppose, is to step back - to take the long view of the battlefield. We’ve got the technology, the satellites. But even that’s uncertain in these troubled times. How is it that when we see the rockets’ red glare on both coasts, our government appears to have no clue as to what just happened?

They know alright. They just won’t tell us. It might embarrass the president. Go back to sleep. Nothing is happening.

Funeral Procession

Midterm elections over. The people have spoken. The results are being spun as a repudiation of Obama’s policies - yet, perhaps not as strongly as might have been envisioned. Many legislators - particularly the ones representing the coasts - should have been ousted. In Nevada, Reid’s win looks more than suspicious. As does Boxer’s win in California. I believe these elections, among others (involving Democrat wins), were fraudulent. There’s no way to prove it, of course. And nobody will even try.

A more accurate depicter of the mood of the nation is the economy. The health of our economy remains poor and a key indicator is the unemployment rate. The political argument goes round and round: The lack of jobs is due to the poor economy; and the poor economy has produced joblessness. How to improve the economy? How to reduce joblessness to tolerable levels? One way is to define a new norm.

The Fed is poised to print money and inject more liquidity into the system. It is generally acknowledged that this will hurt the dollar. Yet, the Fed - prompted by the White House - is willing to risk inflation just to show a bit of improvement on the labor market. It won’t work. What the White House does not understand - or does not want to understand - is that the government cannot manipulate the economy like they do elections. They cannot yet dictate what the people should do with their money. They cannot yet compel the people to spend, save or hire, and then finesse the numbers to suit. Short of rendering the currency worthless (in which case there is no economy) they are powerless to arbitrate economic solutions.

As such, the economy remains the only venue which allows people to express their confidence (or lack of it) and overall support of the government and its policies. Expect the economy to remain on life support as long as Obama remains in office. I believe that the president knows this. That is why the Fed, at the direction of the White House, is pursuing a course which will ultimately lead to the dollar’s collapse.

Obama’s trip to India can be seen as the first act in the pomp and circumstance of a funeral (procession) that is yet lacking a corpse.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

It's Just Beginning

Today, the training wheels are set to come off - helmet, knee pads, and all. The depth of trouble in which the Obama presidency finds itself will be fully exposed and amplified. This is when Obama will be shown at his most vulnerable - politically speaking. In the short run, his ace in the hole will be foreign affairs. Not surprisingly, the president will be leaving the country soon (with an entourage filling no less than 40 aircraft) to seek safe refuge on non-partisan soil (to give his ego a chance to heal).

Furthermore, after today, expect a full-blown circus the likes of which we haven’t seen since Bush - Gore 2000. As we speak, there are lawyers and activists thick on the ground, ready to contest every vote. Close election results will be challenged. Things will be said that are patently untrue or contrived (similar to the Rachel’s Tomb controversy that was discussed on the JBS for the past two nights). It will serve to throw our whole election process into high confusion. I doubt if the new Congress will be ready to seat for some time to come.

There will be accusations, recounts, court challenges, hanging chads - the whole works, including the proverbial kitchen sink. Expect to be dazzled by the drama, and thoroughly disgusted as well. This election will serve as the template to further discredit our electoral process. It will amount as a textbook case on how to go about overwhelming and rendering useless a system that is essentially based on good will and trust.

The Left will not quit. It will do anything it can, not so much to address legitimate grievances, but to pile on and inject lunacy in order to bring about utter and complete meltdown.

Hang on, folks! It’s only just beginning.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Midterm Elections Tomorrow

It’s the day before… the wedding; graduation; Christmas. The anticipation is almost unbearable. But, pardon my saying so, this year it seems a little sad. Even after Christmas the winter continues. And some of the kids have been allowed to open their presents already (early voting). And some of the kids who deserved coal in their stockings will be getting presents anyway. And some of the kids who’ve been fighting oversees, won’t get anything at all. And some of Santa’s sleighs got blown up by AQ package bombs, and there’ll be less to go around.

And it hasn’t even snowed yet, which means that old Santa won’t even bother to show up personally; that he’ll be sending that creepy guy with the swords instead. And we all know what that means: it means we’ll be counting our fingers and toes on the day following.

We're Cooked

One does a disservice to Obama to call him a rock star. The proper identifier should actually be ‘revolutionary’. As such, Obama represents far more than a rock n’ roll opera - entertainment for fiberglass-filled talking heads. He represents a clear and present danger to the Republic.

JB has already noted that Obama is likely to turn hard left after Tuesday’s midterm trouncing. He will do so, not only for ideological reasons, but to throw this nation into such chaos the likes of which it hasn’t seen since the Civil War. By the time 2012 rolls around, we will no longer have a functioning representative government, and elections will likely be a thing of the past.

We look at the man and ask, How could a nice young man be doing all that within the span of a single term in office? It is indeed tempting to focus on the lanky figure with the Dumbo ears and draw one’s conclusions. In truth, he has a whole cadre of powerful allies, both foreign and domestic.

We’ve heard - but don’t yet believe - that Islamists want us either dead or shariah-bound. We’ve heard what they say about us, and witnessed first-hand their determination to bleed us dry. We’ve seen our own official reaction to their challenge as tepid. We console ourselves by saying that these are the hateful words and actions of a handful of crazies, not realizing that this is precisely the same thing they say about us.

We taunt them at every turn. On a stop-over in Brussels last month, I once again had to go through extensive security. After gathering my things together, we were herded to an incline that took us to the departure lounge one flight up. At the end of the incline - directly in front of us - was a huge poster of a pretty lingerie model. I noted that a good portion of my fellow ascendants were Arabs, whose sensibilities were no doubt offended.

They offend us equally, by stoning women, blowing up worshippers, severing heads and hands; paralyzing spinal columns, etc. We have excuses to overlook such things. It’s their culture. It’s thousands of years old. Who is to say that, barring our addiction to Twinkies, we would not be doing the same?

As far as the upcoming elections are concerned - forget about Democrats vs. Republicans - right now, we have three groups in this country: (1) those committed to overthrowing our nation; (2) those consisting of what Stalin once referred to as ‘useful idiots’; and (3) those (and this now comprises an ever expanding majority) that are just beginning to sense an existential danger.

Nobody can yet be certain to which of the first two groups our president belongs to. In view of the complete lack of transparency with regard to Obama’s background, I have long suspected that Obama belongs to the first. I have previously stated my belief that Obama represents the third attack on our nation (the first and second being the attacks on the World Trade Center They used our own planes...; they used our own election system to plant a Trojan horse among us.) It’s difficult to come to any other conclusion given all he has managed to do thus far. Our system of governance remains at high risk; as does our economy. If any one of these should fall, we are cooked.

We already have so much on our table domestically, it’s difficult to focus on international affairs. Suffice it to say, it doesn’t look good for Israel, historically speaking, our most loyal and trusted ally.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Rumors

Any truth to the rumor that all that was found in the packages were photographs of something that was labeled: ‘BOMB‘? (Said photographs were then published on the front pages of newspapers around the Western world.) Probably not.

But, it would quite suffice to scare the b’Jesus out of everyone and send us scrambling into the relative safety of POTUS’ embrace. Timing remains suspect. So close to elections. October surprise? POTUS looking manly behind his teleprompters. Rally in support of POTUS on the National Mall. POTUS traveling around the world right after. Dollar down.

U.S. midterm elections: hardly a speed bump; POTUS unfazed - continues to bow and scrape for the sins of the nation he has been elected to lead.

AQ has succeeded in reducing jihad down to the level where everyone can participate. Everyone is capable of mailing a postcard. Now, let’s kick it up a notch: Israel, Pakistan, North Korea (and soon Iran) are all said to have nukes. Do they also have Photoshop?

Watch the speech Obama will be giving in Indonesia. I wonder if he’ll be using PowerPoint.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Why Bother?

It’s getting down to the wire. There are indications that nothing you hear from now on can be trusted; that things will be said solely for the purpose of manipulating the vote. It sometimes works. Exit results in the East have been known to suppress voter turnout in the West. Exit polls are not official. These can be, and often are, wrong.

Similarly, talk of a Republican landslide can work either way. It can keep both Republicans and Democrats from going to the polls. Talk of races tightening can have the opposite effect. Like it or not, turnout is key.

In short, do not believe anything you might hear. Go to the polls knowing nothing. Simply vote your conscience - but do vote.

There are some things we do know. We know that this is an important election for both parties. We know that our economy is not doing so well, no matter who may be at fault. We also do not see signs of things getting better. We’ve lost much of our 401 nest egg. Inflation is set to take the rest. And jobs are getting ever harder to find.

Internationally too - for those who follow world affairs - we’re in dismal straits. Our friends are distancing themselves and our enemies have taken to laughing out loud. We can accept Obama’s excuses and pretend he hasn’t been in office for two years, or we can make up our minds to do our share to change direction.

We also know that the media won’t tell us the truth. Make no mistake, the president is on the ballot. “D” = Obama; “R” = against. I myself have questioned just how much Republicans are willing or able to do after the election. None of that matters now. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, we must first get to the bridge.

One last point: Expect close results to be fought over. We don’t have a friend in the White House, nor at Justice. A close result means we lose.

It is my belief that there will be beaucoup surprises. When it’s over, the word ‘unexpected’ will likely be heard everywhere. The Tea Parties will know better. They know the 'force' is with them. The morning after, we’ll likely have the unmitigated pleasure of taking our foot off the gas, pulling into a 7/11 to purchase a NYT - just for a long and healing laugh.

On second thought - why bother? We already know what they're going to say.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Who Will Be Left Standing?

We tend to be arbitrarily selective in weighting individual events as to their relative importance. Almost every pundit concerns him or herself with simply categorizing the flotsam to satisfy some curatorial interest or bias. Officially, our country has already become a museum - desultory displays in every room - static, enforced silence; no running; no cameras allowed. No hint of the wave that continues to build.

During Clinton’s term in office, some tried to make hay of his brother’s cocaine use. It fell flat and was quickly dismissed as irrelevant - yet, it most likely occurred. Then, Republicans made a lot of Bill’s peccadilloes outside the sacred vows of marriage. That too fell flat, though it did ended in impeachment; in this case, merely a technical term - an asterisk - that essentially meant nothing.

Then there was Gore’s stolen election, which, as far as it went, only proved that a “bird in the hand…”

Then, it all started with 9/11.

In my view, Bush was an adequate caretaker, but the wave was already building: a hardening of positions, a disrespect of government in general. A whole line of American presidents had already been discredited, reaching back all the way to our founding.

The Left was the first to take advantage of our political chaos. Republicans had to be defeated at any price, even at the expense of the country - and things went from bad to worse. Obama was elected in ’08. He was supposed to be the messiah who was sent to bring us together and heal us. The country had been proclaimed a basket case - but, at least, we still had a country.

Obama changed things alright. He cut us loose from our moorings. It’s become clear to many of us that the Left has managed to hoist its red sail even without openly stating our destination. Meanwhile, the Right has dropped anchor. Horse latitudes. We’re not going anywhere.

Meanwhile, the wave is building. It is expected to crash on shore in early November, scattering flotsam all across our beaches. The clean-up may cost us more than we can afford.

Already the tourists are leaving the continent. The tsunami flags are flying. Both Democrats and Republicans are running for the hills. Losing has become as risky as winning. Who will be left standing? Who will right the ship? Who will clean up the beaches?

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Referendum

November midterms are now national. Local issues are wholly incidental. This comes predictably after the federal government has and is continuing to insert itself into virtually every aspect of our lives. Now, if this experiment had proved successful (anywhere in the world), nobody would much mind. But as it has clearly brought nothing but chaos and uncertainty, the feeling of immanent doom has become palpable.

The number one news item of recent decades should be: How has the major media in this country avoided warning us of the signs, focusing instead on Obama’s celebrity, Tiger Woods’ escapades and Gloria Allred’s gotcha games? At some point they should have awakened to the fact that their reporting is shunned by the public-at-large as is evidenced by tanking ratings and cliff-diving paid subscriptions.

The clue, perhaps, can be found in the answers to the question: Why have you chosen journalism as your career? The replies invariably revolve around a desire to change the world (ego). So, when Obama put it bluntly that he is out to change the nation, legions of young idealist reporters took the bait and ran with it. Now they are embarrassed (or should be), thinking that, by acknowledging their mistake, they have personally failed.

This may be so. Clearly our media in general has failed us. It may well be that we have already gone too far to turn things around. But it’s never too late for contrition. Let’s at the very least chronicle our demise honestly and point our wagging fingers in the appropriate direction.

How long will we maintain this charade - this now sad, half century old dictum - that says Republicans are always wrong and Democrats are always right? How long till we admit to the policy failures on the Left? How long will we try to force this square, overly-simplistic logic into a template that literally screams for redemption?

The truth be told, no one is immune from making mistakes. It’s the double-standard that hurts.

It’s not Obama’s fault. Obama is who he is. The media has left us to ignore who he is. They had let us to believe that he is just a man - an American, like the rest of us. We never suspected his radical bent.

Political gotcha no longer works. This has become a referendum on the Obama administration‘s handling of high office. It has exposed the corruption of the unions who - it has always been suspected - work hand in glove with corporate moneybags - both foreign and domestic. It has exposed academe, Hollywood, major media. It has exposed Islam. It has exposed science. It has exposed terror, racism, acts of God, food and the inevitability of certain death as blunt means of controlling one’s own people.

Make no mistake, it will not end well. The enemy is well entrenched. The least we can do is to not follow blindly. Make them pay for their sins; hold them to account for their arrogance. So, when the time comes to start over, we can do it right.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

We Will Never Change Them

Polls suggest that Americans on the whole like the president. They just don’t like his policies. Why, then, do we really want to win in November? Answer: To send a message; to get Obama to change direction; to change his heart and mind. It’s the same reason we stayed in Iraq as long as we did. It’s the same reason we are in Afghanistan.

We need to accept the fact that there will always be enemies who want to hurt us. The extent to which racism exists within our own country must be acknowledged and dealt with reasonably. Ditto, anti-capitalism; anti-Americanism; poverty; ignorance; liberalism. All these reflect a minority view or condition. In a free society, this will never go away entirely. We are not obliged, however, to elect groups with such fringe concerns to high office and hope they will be satisfied and leave us alone.

They will continue to make noise and that noise (along with our own noise) is protected by our Constitution. The problem is, their noise is amplified by the media. It makes it seem that there are more of them than there are of us. Not true. We (the majority) own the country and it has worked tolerably well for us. No reason to change course now and become socialist, communist, Marxist or Islamic.

We have to accept that we will never change them. Trying to do so, will inevitably enrage them even more. But we need not play second fiddle to them either. We need not read their newspapers, buy their books or watch their films. We need not patronize their pundits. We can marginalize them just as they marginalize us. At the same time, we need not apologize for our own. We need not say ‘over the top’ to something that’s precisely on point.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Vamshavriksha

We may never know if Rahm was pushed or if he is fleeing. Not only Seib, but the MSM in general have portrayed the event as bitter-sweet. Unlike departures from the Bush White House - which were generally viewed as evidence of confusion and abject failure - Rahm’s leaving is being hailed as fresh and exciting opportunities for both Rahm and Obama.

It has become a mark of supreme enlightenment to couch every political criticism (especially on our side) in phrases such as “both Republicans and Democrats…” or, now, more to the point, “past (Republican) presidents as well”. By doing so, we are hoping to triangulate and place ourselves above the fray. This can only be a winning strategy if our side has the advantage. It is unclear at the moment just who holds the advantage. Certainly, as far as midterms are concerned, Republicans can be expected to reap huge numerical gains in Congress. But take elections out of the equation and one finds that the same conditions that brought Obama to power in 2008 still exist today. The country is deeply divided along ideological lines.

When scientists scratch the earth in remote regions of our planet and unearth the bones of our ancestors, they then try to connect the dots between what they have discovered thus far and what they continue to find. As such, they are hoping to construct a lineage that would explain from whence we arrived at this point in time.

When all they would really need to do is to study in minute detail the developing fetus. Therein lie all the clues to every stage of development the human species has undergone to date, from single-cell organisms, through our reptilian stage, all the way up to what we are today. Every human being precisely replicates every single stage of his (or her) development since the beginnings of time while gestating in his (or her) mother’s womb.

It’s the same with ideas. All we have to do is ask ourselves why we believe in what we believe - do it doggedly and systematically - and we would find that we have come to accept certain assumptions and hold them as truth. At some point we branched out into two distinct beings: liberals and conservatives. Liberals have further (d)evolved into the Left of the political spectrum; conservatives into the Right. By failing to ask what has created this divide, we are obscuring the origins of what has made us so different.

We no longer question the assumptions that support our position. We simply regurgitate what we are told that most closely approximates our natural leaning.

Once the tree branches, it never grows together again unless the branches are cut and are heaped together for the purpose of a kindling. Then fire consumes them both equally.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Brief: Hugo Chavez' Election Setback

Boxer will lose because her constituents have finally figured out that she doesn’t have enough brain power to light a match. Obama will lose in 2012 - if we should get that far - because he’s deliberately and calculatingly destructive.

It’s become uncanny the way you can read stories about any one of the world’s dictators these days and substitute Obama’s name. In today’s WSJ for instance, on the opinion page, there’s a story about Hugo Chavez’ recent election setback. This came about despite blatant irregularities that favored the dictator. Still, they say, it won’t really make any difference because Chavez will continue to rule by decree.

It is now entirely possible that the results of our own midterm elections will change exactly nothing.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Obama 2; Congress 0

Notch another victory for the Obama administration. Obviously, Congress has become dysfunctional to the point of irrelevance. The ‘change’ that Obama envisioned from the outset not only pertains to our nation’s fiscal health and social cohesion, it also involves our system of governance: elections; our two-party system, the Supreme Court, checks and balances; and all the rest. Clearly, Democrats have been cajoled into rubberstamping the president’s market basket, helping to push through deeply unpopular legislation - some say illegally - thus shattering the nexus between the voter and themselves. Washington is now seen as rogue. Voter view themselves as victims without recourse to traditional means of having a say in how their nation is run. As such Democrats are expected to reap the wrath of the electorate in November.

Republicans fare no better. They were content to stand by and watch Democrats literally hang themselves. Republicans are now eagerly awaiting their 15 minutes of fame in the shadow of the gallows, hoping (as JB suggests) to divide the spoils of majority among themselves. The problem is that there are no longer any spoils to divide. The nation is bankrupt. Republicans have stood by, licking their chops; and watched as America was being depleted of its essence. It now no longer matters who wins in November. A huge Republican landslide can only serve to animate talk TV and radio hosts who will find, as time goes by, that Obama will get his way no matter what; that the moment to actually have done something constructive has long since passed.

In a WSJ opinion piece today, L. Gordon Crovitz writes about Iran’s Ahmadinejad. He might just as well have been writing about Barack Hussein Obama. Crovitz begins: “There have been rogue leaders on the world stage before. In cases such as Hitler, Stalin and Mao, people were shocked to learn they actually meant what they said.“

Crovitz asks the question: “A leader who mocks all questions (and) is thumbing his nose at (the) core beliefs of our era, including that information wants to flow freely, and that no one is above this law of increasing openness - What to do with (such) an information pariah?”

Crovitz concludes: “In today’s world, a leader who consistently mocks, lies, (blame-shifts) and threatens deserves to be set apart. We no longer have the excuse of misunderstanding. We will (only) have ourselves to blame if (he)… achieves his ambition.”

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

There Will Be Blood

Good news? Hardly. The WSJ this weekend pronounced Obama’s economic policies as ‘repudiated‘. The current bone of contention are the Bush tax cuts. Democrat members of Congress see this as yet another nail in their collective coffins. They are attempting to put as much daylight as possibly between themselves and the administration which seems hell-bent to let them expire.

Overlooked by pundits is the fact that Democrats need do nothing to bring this about. The prospect of steep Democrat election losses in November will not change their minds and make them proactive regarding this issue. Indeed, there is no reason to even attempt a move to appease the public. The electorate is not likely to pardon Democrats on the basis of having second thoughts.

If they happen to share Obama’s Marxist ideology, they might attempt to raise taxes even more during the lame duck session. I’m sure there is already a draft to this effect circulating in some arcane committee - a last hurrah; a final poke in the eye of the electorate; a last opportunity to reward fellow travelers; a last supper of pork. The president, of course, would not hesitate to sign on. Why shouldn’t he? He’s been governing against the interests of the people all along. He’s well used to it by now.

You might wonder why any leader would deliberately make himself so desperately unpopular as this president has done? JB is right. Obama no longer speaks with the conviction he has shown in the past. Yet, there is no sign of him reversing course. Jesus too never faltered in His determination to mount Golgotha. He showed weariness; and, at times, His strength left Him, but He was nevertheless determined to fulfill His destiny.

It could just be that Obama (despite his blinding messiah complex) knows that he’s been found out. The happy-face routine has become old and over. For better or worse, he is the one who has been chosen to deliver America to its final resting place. It could be that there remains a smidgeon of regret in his heart.

What many pundits and analysts still fail to understand is that the passage into communism requires a revolution. Revolutions are often bloody, highly unpleasant affairs. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the American people will ‘not go gentle into that good night‘. There will indeed be blood.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

The Man On the Moon

Normally, we can predict things only on the basis of what has already happened. Since, with Obama's election, we entered into a new paradigm, long range predictions are impossible. No doubt, Republicans are set to win big on November 2nd. What happens afterwards, however, is entirely up in the air.

Here’s what we do know will happen: Republicans will indeed be judged by very strict standards. Just one child going hungry anywhere in America will be found and hung around Republican's necks (even if all the others are well-fed to the point of obesity). Republicans will be paraded endlessly with this single hapless child around their collective necks in every public square and forum. If, on the other hand, Democrats should continue with their majorities as before, any increase in the nation's poverty rate will be utterly ignored by the press.

Democrats adhere to no standards. They do not allow themselves to be judged. The press will never judge them as they are considered kissing cousins.

I'm afraid our steady advance towards the abyss will not stop or reverse under Republican rule. It can only slow as Republicans are always ready to compromise by at least half. Incest has always been a powerful player in Washington/DC. In this way, we cannot avoid reaching the wall.

When there’s no other way out, usually a war comes along to sort everything out. Think of a pressure cooker. The steam at present is quite sufficient to satisfy several meal tickets. It is not yet enough to blow the kettle sky-high. Two more years of Obama should do the trick. We may yet be able to put that man on the moon after all.

http://peterkoelliker.blogspot.com/
http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

The Worm Has Turned

Conventional wisdom has it that every election hinges on pocketbook issues. The standard measure of a party on Election Day has always been JOBS. Since Obama’s election the worm has turned. Midterm elections will be primarily about Islam.

With the benefit of hindsight, we now know that 9/11 was a watershed moment in modern American history. It began a cascade of events that gave us our first Muslim(-leaning) president.

Obama’s views on how our nation should be run are more in accordance with shariah than what has come to be known as American tradition. The people of America have figured it out. At this point, the economy could do a completer turn-around between now and election day, and Democrats would still be defeated because the electorate views it as a referendum on Obama’s term in office.

The mosque controversy in New York and the holy book burning talk have served to focus attention on our government’s inability to handle the Islamic threat. Existential threats trump pocketbook issues. And while Islam’s belligerent and insulting behavior toward us is routinely ignored by our leadership, it is not lost on the people. They are beginning to demand that we pull up our socks and handle it.

Preaching tolerance and turning the other cheek has been deemed a failure. Also, increasingly, we see our enemy gaining strength. Iran is about to go nuclear. Our nation’s policy of ’changing hearts and minds’ has not worked.

It’s now coming down to the wire. We’ve run out of time. We need to hold moderate Muslims responsible for their silence. A society can be broken, but will never change, when pushed from the outside. Change must come from within. We need to get (what we are told is the great majority of moderate) Muslims to root out and turn against extremism within their ranks. Up till now they’ve been perfectly happy to go along with it. We need to incentivize them to do otherwise.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Unpopular

Unpopular? Hardly. Bush was unpopular; so was Nixon. Obama is way beyond ‘unpopular’. Obama is a menace.

Obama need not rally his troops for the midterms. They’ll understand why he’s saying what he’s saying. They understand that he needs to convince whoever’s in the middle that he’s not Left. They understand that without the middle, their cause is lost.

In the time he’s been in office, Obama has clearly demonstrated where he stands. He’ll say that his work is not yet finished; that once it is, people will see the difference. We see the difference already. We see that the way to the bottom is infinite. We could get to be like some nation in Africa, always at war, no food, organized slaughter and rape, escalating to periodic genocide. So much for the noble savage - and yet, the salt of the earth everywhere is innocent. Leadership makes all the difference.

Yes, there’s still a ways to go till we reach that bottom from which other bottoms may look like tops, but we’re dropping awfully fast. Maybe in two years time we can claim sister cities in Somalia.

I think people know what’s at stake. The polls pretty much confirm it. When even major media says that the Dems are in trouble, it must look really bad for them. Congressional approval numbers hover around 11. I’d say, subtract 10. The people know what’s going down.

Obama can be expected to do a lot of talking in the next couple of weeks. Was Rahm pushed or did he flee? He’ll likely not be mayor of Chicago either. Guilt by association. All Democrats suffer from it - even that nut job, Grayson from Florida.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Lindsey Graham Speaks

I see it differently. For two years now, POTUS has not paid any attention to us. We called, we e-mailed, we marched, we participated in town hall events, we voted for opposition candidates (and we will do so again). There is no indication that anyone is listening. It’s almost as if we don’t exist. We can vent on talk radio and write endless letters to the editor, blogs - all in vain. We buy gold and save our money. We refuse to hire, expand our businesses or start new ones - none of it makes any difference.

So what makes you think it matters a tinker’s cuss what Lindsey Graham says. He talks precisely because it makes no difference what he says, or even if he says anything at all. Anyone holding elected office in Congress right now is completely irrelevant. That’s why congressional elections in November are irrelevant.

Face it folks, we are now living under an autocracy! Obama is king. Nothing anybody else may say has meaning. It may be either ignored or punished, depending on the autocrat’s mood. It may well be that midterm election results will tick him off. It may nudge him from aloof to retaliatory mode. The America we once knew is over. We can’t mock Bush anymore.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/