No, I'm not watching the Obama infomercial. Don't be silly! You can't trust infomercials.
More importantly, Pushing Daisies is on. Thanks, ABC!
Posts Tagged ‘obama’
TV viewing update
Posted by Richard on October 30, 2008
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: daisies, obama, television | Leave a Comment »
Concealing evidence of Obama’s radicalism
Posted by Richard on October 29, 2008
Speaking of media bias, would a major metropolitan newspaper withhold from the public material evidence regarding the character, beliefs, and associations of a presidential candidate? It's happening right now, according to Andrew McCarthy:
Let’s try a thought experiment. Say John McCain attended a party at which known racists and terror mongers were in attendance. Say testimonials were given, including a glowing one by McCain for the benefit of the guest of honor … who happened to be a top apologist for terrorists. Say McCain not only gave a speech but stood by, in tacit approval and solidarity, while other racists and terror mongers gave speeches that reeked of hatred for an American ally and rationalizations of terror attacks.
Now let’s say the Los Angeles Times obtained a videotape of the party.
Question: Is there any chance — any chance — the Times would not release the tape and publish front-page story after story about the gory details, with the usual accompanying chorus of sanctimony from the oped commentariat? Is there any chance, if the Times was the least bit reluctant about publishing (remember, we’re pretending here), that the rest of the mainstream media (y’know, the guys who drove Trent Lott out of his leadership position over a birthday-party toast) would not be screaming for the release of the tape?
Do we really have to ask?
So now, let’s leave thought experiments and return to reality: Why is the Los Angeles Times sitting on a videotape of the 2003 farewell bash in Chicago at which Barack Obama lavished praise on the guest of honor, Rashid Khalidi — former mouthpiece for master terrorist Yasser Arafat?
At the time Khalidi, a PLO adviser turned University of Chicago professor, was headed east to Columbia. There he would take over the University’s Middle East-studies program (which he has since maintained as a bubbling cauldron of anti-Semitism) and assume the professorship endowed in honor of Edward Sayyid, another notorious terror apologist.
The party featured encomiums by many of Khalidi’s allies, colleagues, and friends, including Barack Obama, then an Illinois state senator, and Bill Ayers, the terrorist turned education professor. It was sponsored by the Arab American Action Network (AAAN), which had been founded by Khalidi and his wife, Mona, formerly a top English translator for Arafat’s press agency.
Is there just a teeny-weenie chance that this was an evening of Israel-bashing Obama would find very difficult to explain? Could it be that the Times, a pillar of the Obamedia, is covering for its guy?
McCarthy excerpted at length from the "gentle story" about the event that the Times published in April and put that information into perspective. Read the whole thing.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: elections, journalism, media bias, obama, politics | 3 Comments »
Obama couldn’t get a security clearance
Posted by Richard on October 24, 2008
With Colin Powell now repeating the lie that Barack Obama has "always been a Christian," despite new information further confirming Obama's Muslim childhood (such as the Indonesian school registration listing him as Muslim), one watches with dismay as the Democratic candidate manages to hide the truth on this issue.
Instead, then, let us review a related subject – Obama's connections and even indebtedness, throughout his career, to extremist Islam. Specifically, he has longstanding, if indirect ties to two institutions, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), listed by the U.S. government in 2007 as an unindicted co-conspirator in a Hamas-funding trial; and the Nation of Islam (NoI), condemned by the Anti-Defamation League for its "consistent record of racism and anti-Semitism."
Pipes goes on to cite a plethora of sources documenting Obama's ties to both Islamist organizations and the Nation of Islam specifically (read the whole thing). He then states (emphasis added):
That Obama's biography touches so frequently on such unsavory organizations as CAIR and the Nation of Islam should give pause. How many of politicians have a single tie to either group, much less seven of them? John McCain charitably calls Obama "a person you do not have to be scared [of] as president of the United States," but Obama's multiple links to anti-Americans and subversives mean he would fail the standard security clearance process for Federal employees.
In other words, the only way Barack Obama can get a job in the White House is by being elected to it, because he'd fail the background check if he applied for any job there.
It's infuriating that McCain, in his ongoing quest to campaign as "Mr. Nice Guy," dismissed the legitimate concerns many people have about Obama (and others would have if the McCain campaign gave them the facts). McCain's "charitable" statement stupidly insulated Obama from questions and criticisms that are entirely legitimate and that McCain himself ought to be raising. Is this fool not on his own side, or what?
I really wish I didn't have to vote for John McCain. But the alternative is so frightening and dangerous, I have no choice. So I'll hold my nose and do it. Please … you, too.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: elections, islamofascism, obama, politics, powell | 8 Comments »
The Talented Tenth and herd mentality
Posted by Richard on October 21, 2008
Rattler Gator J.B. White has a rather different theory of why Colin Powell endorsed Obama (emphasis added):
I don't think it's about race. I do think it's about your social station. Call that "social class," if you like. Essentially, Colin and Alma Powell (as a couple) may be asking themselves and a certain circle of friends, "Who is this Cracker, Sarah Palin?"
…… The problem, obviously, is that from a class perspective — there's far more of the folks who kinda like and respect Sarah Palin as opposed to the elites offended by the most popular Governor of any American state.
That's why they are desperately trying to drag him home by any means necessary.
You see, the problem we have in the black community (and the problem the nation has overall) is the universally accepted academic concept known in the black community as the Talented Tenth (and associated with W.E.B. DuBois). It took me years to realize this concept has no faith in the average man or woman (this is why DuBois opposed Booker T. Washington, who had complete faith in the average man and woman). It dictates that we be led from above. By our betters, and betters is defined as the more book-smart.
Do you see the problem here?
Do you see the plantation?
The susceptibility to totalitarian instincts and the requirement to act as a herd?
And it runs contrary to the concept of America, does it not?
Interesting. I hadn't heard of the Talented Tenth. There's more. Read the whole thing, and be sure to listen to the YouTube clip.
(HT: Booker Rising)
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: obama, powell | 2 Comments »
The persecution of Joe the Plumber and related crimes
Posted by Richard on October 18, 2008
The efforts by the left during this campaign to stifle criticism and silence political speech have become increasingly disturbing. Last week, Michael Barone wrote a column citing a few examples and bemoaning what's happening:
Once upon a time, liberals prided themselves, with considerable reason, as the staunchest defenders of free speech. …
Today's liberals seem to be taking their marching orders from other quarters. Specifically, from the college and university campuses where administrators, armed with speech codes, have for years been disciplining and subjecting to sensitivity training any students who dare to utter thoughts that liberals find offensive. …
The treatment of Samuel Joseph "Joe the Plumber" Wurzelbacher has taken these efforts to a whole new level. He's been made an example of that's bound to intimidate and silence many others. You think anyone who can shed light on the Obama-Ayers relationship or spill the beans on Obama-Rezko will step forward after seeing what happens to a man who simply asked a question?
Charlie Martin put it this way:
When it’s gotten to the point that someone who happens to ask him an uncomfortable question is pursued to this extent, his personal life exposed, his address published on the Internet, his job and livelihood at risk, it’s gone too far. These people are legitimately to be feared.
Martin also quoted an anonymous email posted at The Corner that summed up how he feels:
I don't know why I'm e-mailing you, except that I just need to vent to someone on The Corner. Pass this around to the others if you like — I bet I'm not the only one.
I really don't like McCain. I'll probably vote for him just as a vote for divided government. I'm far too libertarian in my leanings to be comfortable with McCain (or Obama, for that matter).
That said, the way the pro-Obama media and bloggers, and Obama himself, have responded to Joe has got me nearly shaking with rage. They are attempting to destroy a man — a private citizen — who had the audacity to ask The One a question. Mind you, Joe was on his front lawn playing football with his son when Obama strolled up to give him his hopenchange spiel. Obama approached Joe, not the other way around. And Joe asked Obama an honest question. And Obama gave him an honest — and very, very revealing — answer. Again, mind you, the embarassment was on Obama's end, not Joe's. It wasn't a gotcha question.
And yet, for that Joe is being pilloried, every aspect of his private and professional life being sorted through and exposed. To prove … what? What does that have to do with Obama's answer? What does Joe's situation have to do with Obama's philosophical answer — that he wants to "spread the wealth"? Obama's answer goes down the memory hole while the nation concentrates its fire on obliterating Joe the Plumber.
It's sickening, it's maddening and it's downright chilling.
Sorry for the length. But I am just SEETHING.
I couldn't agree more. It's outrageous and disgusting.
But it's business as usual for the Obama campaign and the radical leftists who now control the Democratic Party. Tonight, I visited Life's Better Ideas for the first time in a week and finally saw David's link to this HillBuzz post. If you think talk of an "Obama thugocracy" is just some cranky, paranoid right-wingers trying to make something out of nothing, you're wrong. There are plenty of centrist Democrats who are angry and disturbed by what's been happening during this campaign, and they're working to expose the truth:
If you haven’t been a regular here at HillBuzz, you might not know about Gigi Gaston’s documentary “We Will Not Be Silenced” on the caucus fraud deliberately orchestrated by the Obama campaign during the primaries. Voter intimidation, registration fraud, vandalism, threats of violence, you name it, Obama’s supporters did it. …
…What’s happening here is something we have never seen before: centrist Clinton Democrats and Republicans are working together to expose the DNC and Obama campaign’s illegal activities and orchestrated, coordinated fraud. Both parties are working with federal agents to investigate ACORN, which has been funded with upwards of $800,000 in questionable donations from the Obama campaign (in what appears to be the expressed and explicit direction to engineer voter fraud in the general election). The tactics being employed now in the 15 states currently under investigation are the VERY SAME TACTICS we saw on the ground in Iowa, Texas, Colorado, Nebraska, Indiana, and other states working for Hillary Clinton in the primaries.
Read the whole thing.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: free speech, intimidation, leftists, media bias, obama, politics | Leave a Comment »
Reasons for optimism
Posted by Richard on October 17, 2008
John Samples at Cato@Liberty looked at public opinion trends regarding government spending and saw reasons for limited-government advocates to be optimistic even if Obama wins:
If history is any guide, Obama will not have as much public support for more spending as Clinton or LBJ and such support as he has will begin to decline almost immediately after he takes power.
One can only hope.
And the same trend might come in handy if McCain wins, too.
HT: Booker Rising
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: economics, fiscal policy, government, obama, public opinion, spending | Leave a Comment »
A pretty impressive plumber
Posted by Richard on October 16, 2008
Regarding Samuel Joseph "Joe the Plumber" Wurzelbacher, Scott at Conservatism Today got it about right:
Seriously. This guy is the epitome of American values, hard work and self-sufficiency – and the MSM is going to do everything in its power to destroy him. Just remember, they are destroying you at the same time. Favorite line: "I have parents, I don't need another set of parents called the government." Next favorite: "We are the greatest country in the world, stop apologizing for it."
Here's another great Joe the Plumber quote (from Marina Lee):
“It’s not right for someone to decide you made too much—that you’ve done too good and now we’re going to take some of it back…That’s just completely wrong.”
Here's some Joe the Plumber video. The first one (1:31) is from his home last night after the debate (via The Barton Bulletin).
This one (3:57) is from his press conference this morning.
Where do we order the "I support Joe the Plumber" t-shirts and bumper stickers? I wish McCain (and many other Republicans) sounded this good.
A friend commented that many recent newsmakers (like Dodd, Frank, Pelosi, Obama …) have reminded her of Ayn Rand's villains, but that Joe reminded her of John Galt. That's a stretch. I suspect Joe is more of an Eddie Willers. But, damn, we need lots more Eddie Willers in the world.
BTW, did you pooh-pooh Scott's remark above about the MSM going after Joe? The effort to dig up dirt on Joe is already well under way. Charlie Martin (emphasis added):
Okay, according to Jonathan Martin (no relation as far as I know), a Politico reporter has found a tax lien against Samuel J. Wurzelbacher, who is apparently “Joe the Plumber.” For about $1200.
Now, the county webserver is being wiped out by people trying to look at that docket, so it’s a little hard to find out the whole story — like, was it paid? Was it part of a pending tax dispute? — but in the mean time, think about this for a minute. This guy had the temerity to actually argue with Obama over a point, and get attention — so now national political websites/newspapers are sending reporters to search his tax records?
I mean, at least it used to be campaign operatives doing this kind of thing.
Martin soon followed up with another example, and then another.
Now, according to Allahpundit, they've dug up "paperwork irregularities" that may put Joe out of work. And Allahpundit wondered (emphasis added):
Should have known better than to ask a media darling a tough question before your affairs were in order, Joe. Exit question: The law’s the law and it is, after all, his own fault for not having the papers he needs. If, say, an illegal alien had asked McCain a tough question and some righty media source responded by bringing his status to light, would the left feel the same way?
Anyone who dares criticize Obama must be punished, and the press is eager to help. I feel sorry for Joe Wurzelbacher. The left and the mainstream media (but I repeat myself) are conducting an anal probing of this decent, hard-working man and won't rest until they destroy him.
I'm going to keep my eyes open for a Joe Wurzelbacher legal defense fund. I suspect he'll need one, and if so, I'll help.
UPDATE: Another roundup of how they're trying to destroy Joe the Plumber. (HT: Instapundit)
UPDATE: Instapundit noted that "They've done more investigations into Joe the Plumber in 24 hours than they've done on Barack Obama in two years . . . ." Read the whole thing. This has quickly gotten disgusting.
UPDATE (10/18): CafePress has "I heart Joe the Plumber" shirts. (HT: Instapundit) But I don't want to "heart" Joe. I want to support Joe. Don't miss my new post about Joe and related matters.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: egalitarianism, free speech, intimidation, leftists, media bias, obama, paternalism, politics, small business, taxes | 1 Comment »
McCain, the master comedian
Posted by Richard on October 16, 2008
I don't care what your politics are or what you think of John McCain — you've got to watch this. At tonight's Al Smith Dinner in New York, McCain delivered one of the funniest stand-up comedy routines I've seen in years.
McCain's delivery and timing are simply terrific. I laughed my ass off. Barack laughed his ass off. Heck, even Hillary laughed her ass off.
He scored some great points in the process, too. And his serious comments about Obama (starting about 2:00 into the second part) were classy as friggin' hell — it choked me up.
And then, after that, his closing was hilarious! That may be funniest introduction of a speaker I've ever heard. Watch the whole thing. It's well worth your time.
First part (7:00):
Second part (6:19):
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: comedy, mccain, obama, politics | Leave a Comment »
It’s income redistribution
Posted by Richard on September 30, 2008
Barack Obama has promised to give the "middle class" a tax cut in the form of a $1,000 check. And he's redefined "middle class" to mean 95% of Americans. Ken Blackwell dissected Obama's "tax cut" and explained what he's really promising:
The statistics speak for themselves. Only 62 percent of Americans pay federal income tax, meaning that 38 percent get a 100 percent refund of any taxes withheld. So Mr. Obama's 95 percent that will receive money from the government includes roughly 33 percent of Americans who pay no income tax. One-third of Americans pay no income taxes yet would receive a government check of perhaps $1,000 or more.
That is pure income redistribution. Some pundits argue that this is Keynesian demand-side economics. It is not. Having the government take money from business entities or affluent individuals and giving it to those who pay no federal income taxes is not Keynesian. It's Marxist.
…
Businesses and corporations do not pay taxes; we do. Businesses don't have huge piles of money sitting in the closet that they simply turn over to government when taxes increase. For every dollar that you increase taxes on a business, they simply increase their prices by a dollar. Who then pays the tax? We do. We do, when the product that we bought last week for $20 suddenly costs $21.
Mr. Obama's plan for universal health care and increased spending on just about everything costs hundreds of billions of dollars. To keep his promises to provide those things while eliminating the deficit and giving checks to lower-income families, he will have to raise taxes by hundreds of billions of dollars. But if lower-income Americans receive a check for $1,000 under the Obama plan yet have to pay $2,000 more when buying food and clothes, they are worse off.
RTWT.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: economics, fiscal policy, obama, taxes | 2 Comments »
Can’t… watch… debate
Posted by Richard on September 27, 2008
I tried to watch the first McCain-Obama debate. I really did. I gritted my teeth and hung in there right up until moderator Jim Lehrer asked them both how the financial crisis and bailout would affect "how you rule the country."
I screamed "The President doesn't rule the country, Jim!" and ran from the room.
UPDATE: You want more? Substantive analysis and insight mixed with adult beverages? Well, go read Stephen Green's drunkblogging. Here's the money quote:
McCain is no debater. He wouldn’t last a second during Question Hour in the British Parliament. And yet Obama is coming off in third place in a two-man session.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: mccain, obama, presidential candidates | 2 Comments »
Demonizing and silencing gun owners
Posted by Richard on September 26, 2008
I wanted to post about this yesterday, but Blog-City was down for a long stretch. By now you've probably seen or heard about Rep. Alcee Hastings' smear of Gov. Sarah Palin. But in case you missed it, Hastings issued a warning to a National Jewish Democratic Council audience (emphasis added):
“If Sarah Palin isn’t enough of a reason for you to get over whatever your problem is with Barack Obama, then you damn well had better pay attention,” Rep. Alcee Hastings of Florida said at a panel about the shared agenda of Jewish and African-American Democrats Wednesday. … “Anybody toting guns and stripping moose don’t care too much about what they do with Jews and blacks. So, you just think this through,” Hastings added as the room erupted in laughter and applause.
Stripping moose — did he mean skinning? In any case, his point is clear: hunters and gun owners are all dangerous racist bigots who will do who-knows-what to minorities.
When they're not demonizing gun owners, Democrats are trying to silence and intimidate them. For instance, last week Obama himself suggested that his supporters get more confrontational:
In an appearance in Nevada, anti-gun presidential candidate Barack Obama told his followers:
"I need you to go out and talk to your friends and talk to your neighbors. I want you to talk to them whether they are independent or whether they are Republican. I want you to argue with them and get in their face," he said."And if they tell you that, 'Well, we're not sure where he stands on guns.' I want you to say, 'He believes in the Second Amendment.'" (http://www.lasvegasnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=8999386&nav=168XYT17)
Barack Obama has gone beyond lying about his long anti-gun record. Now he is inciting his followers to lie for him and to be aggressive and confrontational with anyone who will not buy his lies.
Now his campaign is threatening radio and TV stations that air NRA-ILA ads about Obama's anti-gun record (emphasis in original):
As a staunch advocate of the First Amendment, I have to say that this is one of the scariest things I’ve seen since . . . well, since the last time Democrats used thuggery to try to squelch free speech.
Here’s the rundown. NRA does commercial highlighting Obama’s anti-gun record. Biased “fact-checking” site falsely claims that the NRA is being deceitful. Obama’s lawyer sends thuggish letter to networks threatening to try to get their license pulled.
Dat’s a nice broadcasting license you got dere. Sure would be a shame if anything was ta happen to it.
Xrlq thoroughly dismembered the Obama campaign's letter to radio and TV stations. And the "falsely" link in the Patterico quote above is to the NRA's response (PDF) to the WaPo claims regarding the ad. This morning, Instapundit posted a roundup of related stuff, plus the NRA ad in question. It's much like the radio ads airing here in Colorado, and none of the claims made in it were unknown to me — Obama's anti-gun history is pretty clear, extensive, and well-documented.
UPDATE: Don't miss that Gateway Pundit link in Instapundit's roundup, or Gateway's link to the St. Louis C of CC Blog. Democratic prosecutors and sheriffs in Missouri are suggesting that anyone who utters "false criticisms" of Obama may be arrested and prosecuted. Unbelievable!
What's next? Brown-shirted Obama youths disrupting McCain rallies and breaking heads?
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: democrats, free speech, gun control, intimidation, obama, second amendment, slander | 2 Comments »
A striking contrast
Posted by Richard on September 25, 2008
Regardless of the merits or demerits of a massive financial system bailout (and I'm inclined to agree with Don Luskin), I'm struck by the stark contrast between Sens. McCain and Obama today on this issue.
McCain said that the administration plan did not have broad support and would not pass, and that it was imperative to develop a consensus solution this week. So McCain:
- Will suspend campaigning and return to Washington.
- Wants to meet with Bush, Obama, and Congressional leaders until they hammer out a bipartisan plan.
- Called for a delay of Friday's debate if agreement hasn't been reached by then.
- Demonstrated his seriousness by pulling all his campaign ads, suspending all fundraising activities, and canceling appearances on the Letterman show and Fox News.
McCain's statement (as I heard it on the radio) struck me as overstating the danger, but was utterly non-partisan with not even a hint of finger-pointing or point-scoring.
Obama's response (also heard on the radio)? Finger-pointing. Point scoring. Credit grabbing. And this revealing response to a question about whether he'd join McCain in Washington (emphasis in his voice): "What I've told the leadership in Congress is if I can be helpful I'm prepared to be anywhere at any time." And then this: "It may be necessary for both of us to be present to send a strong message."
McCain wants to sit down, negotiate a solution, and craft legislation. Obama is willing to help if someone calls on him, and he thinks the most likely way to help is not to actually work on a solution, but to pose in front of cameras and send a message.
It sounds to me like Obama wants to vote "Present."
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: mccain, obama | 3 Comments »
Apology in order
Posted by Richard on September 13, 2008
Apparently, the Obama campaign has a new ad (I haven't seen it) mocking McCain because he doesn't use a computer and "can't send an email." Well, according to The Corner (quoting a Boston Globe story from 2000), McCain doesn't use a computer and can't send an email because of crippling injuries from the severe beatings he received while a POW.
He can't use a keyboard. Or comb his hair. Or tie his shoes.
I didn't know that.
If Obama has a shred of decency, he'll say, "I didn't know that. I'm sorry. The ad will not be aired again."
HT: Instapundit, who has much more. Including this:
And this comment has got to hurt: "I think they spent months trying to figure out how they can position Obama as better qualified than McCain, and basically came up with the fact that Obama can type."
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: mccain, obama, politics | 2 Comments »